Stop Smoking Support Thread
Comments
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Sammi & Jess: Welcome. There are quite a few of us with this site bookmarked and I expect they will be checking in over the next few days. It has been extremely helpful for several BCO members who either have quit or want to quit. Especially it give everyone a place to vent where everyone will understand and NO ONE will think you're nuts. More later.
OK ladies - jump in for Sammi & Jess.
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Thanks ladies. I had 4 cigarettes yesterday. Was trying to clean this mess of a house I’ve let go for too long hiding from stress and anxiety for too long.
My mother did great through all her lung cancer treatments but has went down hill out of the blue for the second time in a little over a month. She’s severely dehydrated, weak, nauseous and has definitely lost her mind a bit. My stepdad called me to come over and help him get her out of the bathroom floor last night. It was a nightmare. He’d spent the afternoon in the ER with her and they LET HER GO HOME. However she was doing so bad she couldn’t walk at all so I ended up calling an ambulance and she got admitted into the hospital until they can build her back up.
My point is that I was very stressed so I took the last 2 cigarettes I had with me and lit one while driving over to her house. 2 draws made me sick to stomach. So I didn’t smoke it or even want to smoke the rest of the night.
This morning I am still a bit nauseous from my nerves I think and smoked one. It tasted horrible.
I have a half of a cigarette left and I believe that’s going to be all for this gal.
Wish me luck!! Good luck to you Jess
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Sammi,
we are all here in the same boat , I am sorry about your mom and daughters diagnosis . This is a really goof thread and can be slow at times, but for the most part it is helpful and the ladies here are very supportive . they helped me quit and I was good for 3 years then I moved here to Las Vegas to take care of my mom .. who is a very heavy smoker and on oxygen for copd and emphysema . I guess my big move from NY to Vegas really scared me and before I knew it I was smoking again ..I am back on Chantix and I know you said you dont like it ..but for me it works . I am down now to about 10-8 cigarettes day .. My quit day is Thursday .. If you ever need o talk you can always PM me ... I dont know much about the nicotine test as I did not have one .. I was just told I had to be nicotine free .. I was so scared that i wore the patch for 2 weeks and quit ... I had my surgery and reconstruction .. and then cannot remember when I started back smoking after that ..but then as I noted i took chantix and did really well.. so I am back on track with it ... Best of luck with everything ..
April , Minus ... glad to see you .. I miss you ladies so much
xoxoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
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Hi -- nice to see some of the "regulars" back and the newcomers.
Lisamarie --- You got this. So what if you slipped, you had a good solid 3 years under your belt and you can do it again!. Relapsing under intense stress is normal.
Nicotine leaves your system very quickly - within 3 to 5 days. Both how fast it hits your brain and how fast it leaves the brain are what make nicotine so dependent producing. Unlike nicotine replacement products (gum, patch etc) which enter into the body very slowly which is why nobody ever craves "the patch".
Send me a PM with an email if anyone on this list would like a PDF copy of my book, "How to Win at Quitting Smoking". Has answers to a lot of the questions that have been posed on here.
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simplysammi - I am so sorry to hear your mom took a turn for the worst! I will be praying for her. Only 4 cigs is good! Wish I could say the same today for me. Hopefully tomorrow night will be my last!
Lisamarie - good for you! Relapsing is perfectly normal and with the stress you were going through I would probably have done the same. Great you are back to not smoking! So proud for you!
I smoke about a half a pack a day, sometimes more with stress.
VJSL - just sent you a PM and I look forward to reading your book! Thank you for all you do
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LisaMarie - as I VJ says - DON'T beat yourself up. It's a process. I would have flabbergasted if you hadn't started again after living/being around your Mom and her boyfriend. I do remember when you started back. It was that *$%#@ boyfriend who wouldn't even smoke in the bathroom, let along outside. But you're back on track. Sending good luck.
Jess & Sammi - do send VJ a PM. Her book is really informative and she is so nice to offer it free of charge to us BCO gals.
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Minus - you are so right, she is so kind to offer it to us for free! I got mine via email and am planning on reading it tomorrow, I can’t wait! People like VJ are truly a God send! Thank you VJ
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BTW - I did use Chantix and swear by it. But I had to get the quantity waaaaay down there before I started Chantix.
Quit smoking in my house. After two weeks - quit smoking in my car. Whenever I wanted to smoke, I stormed out my door & walked around the block. Or sometimes the entire neighborhood. Lots of neighbors laughed since I even walked in pounding rain storms. Or if I was at work, I walked up and down the 4 & 5 story stair cases. After 2 more weeks started the Chantix. By that time I was down enough that only used the first Chantix pack & never had to go past the light dose.
However - to be fair this was the 4th or 5th time I had quit. Once I even quit for 2 years. Sigh!!!
I ate sunflower seeds until my ashtrays were overflowing with shells. Not to mention my trash cans. Oh, you have to buy those in the shells because it's the hand to mouth movement that matters. Arm up - seed to mouth. Arm down. Crack shell. Arm back up - remove shell. Chew the kernel. Repeat ad infinitum.
I also had to quit coffee in the morning - a major trigger. And I had to quit cocktail hour for a year or two - another major trigger. And certainly quit hitting "the local" to play darts or dominoes. I never went back to coffee, but 10 years out, now I can drink w/o thinking about smoking.
Make of list of your personal 'triggers'. If you can by-pass those somehow, or at least are aware of them, it's much easier.
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I have thought about Chantix, but I’m extremely prone to boughts of depression. I can’t even take birth control, it makes me really depressed. So odd. Did Chantix raise anyone’s anxiety or depression
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Jess - there are warnings about depression with Chantix so you should talk to your doc. Each of us has different body chemistry. I had some really vivid dreams, but I firmly believe any depression I experienced was because I wasn't smoking... couldn't smoke... had to quit... wanted to smoke..... The first time when I quit for two years (thirty years earlier), I was depressed all the time. I literally spent hours sitting on the sofa trying not to cry. That's likely one of the reasons I started smoking again at the time.
Earlier in this thread I acknowledged that I am a smoker. I will always be a smoker. It's who I am. I'm just a smoker who doesn't smoke. I'm always amazed that I've made it 10 years down the road now.
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Thank you everyone ... I do know for me I felt so much better when I did not smoke ... does anyone know why chantix says not to drink ? I do like the occasional cocktail... sometimes to just unwind from my crazy days ... i haven't seen any problems so far. but I will have one drink maybe two 3 times a week if I am lucky ...
Anyway sending well wishes to all and I am still so grateful that I have this amazing group of ladies to come vent to . I am also happy that I can come here and get support .. just amazing ..
Quit day for me today ...
Hugs
xoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
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Chantix affects the way your body handles alcohol. For some, they feel more effects than they should, like 1 glass feels like 2 or 3.
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LisaMarie - YOU GO GIRL!!!
Thanks VJ. How are you doing? Did you have problems with the fires?
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Heather’s doing great NO cigarettes and her pre-op appt tomorrow. Praying for a clean nicotine test.
I have slipped. Found an unopened pack in a coat I put on yesterday. Sigh. About 5 today. Went to PCP office yesterday after suffering over 6 hours of horrendous fear and panic attacks a day. Lost 6lbs in just over a week from the nausea and a complete lack of appetite. Needless to say they’re giving me something for my nerves for now anyway. I have went outside to smoke and hid all traces. (Except the smell of course)
You ladies are great and so kind to be so supportive. Mom was released from the hospital today. While no signs of cancer being back after some scans they’ve decided she does need to go back on a small dose of steroids for the nausea, weakness, shortness of breath (which she denies but is obvious) and to give her a little energy and strength.
LisaMarie you hang in there you can do this again! MinusTwo 10 Years is so awesome and inspiring. Jess, I didn’t have a problem with depression with Chantix before but know Wellbutrin is like Zynan and is an antidepressant that could actually help you stop if you’re concerned about Chantix and depression. I would definitely run that by your doctor.
VJ you’re an angel for offering your book to assist us ladies!
I appreciate you all and your support. Bles
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Sammi - thanks for the update. Let us know how tomorrow goes & when the surgery is scheduled.
Something amusing I don't think I've ever mentioned here... At least it's amusing at a very far remote junction. When I determined to quit smoking w/Chantix, I did switch from Benson & Hedges Lights to something awful first - like maybe Carlton I think. Anyway, I took the last smoke and put a pack with 4 or 5 cigarettes in a zip loc bag in the freezer - hidden behind the frozen peas and the hamburger. I looked at them when I was really unhappy, but managed to leave them in their frozen state. It was my ultimate fall back position for midnight panic. Knowing they were there somehow helped me from going crazy & running to the store & ultimately not smoking. Funny that I finally forgot & found them 3 or 4 years later when I was defrosting.
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MinusTwo -- Since I live in the desert, we don't have a problem with fires. Earthquakes are our menace since I live close to the San Andreas fault. Someday when the big one hits, I hope I'm not here. Thanks for asking. I have friends that live in the Santa Barbara area who did have to evacuate but luckily they did not lose their house.
Having cigarettes in the house, even if they are in the freezer, can be too tempting for many people, glad it worked for you. I tell my clients to plot the way to the closest all night convenience store, so that when you get one of those "I'm going to die or go crazy" cravings, you know that cigarettes are just 5, 10, 15 minutes away at that store. But during the time it takes to get in the car and drive there, the craving will go away.
Last summer I had a woman who had just come back from a cruise and had 6 cartons of duty free cigarettes left when she quit. What she eventually did was to trade them for services with her hair dresser.
For those of you who don't know me -- I had quit smoking 3 months before I was diagnosed with BC (the first time in 1987) and I relapsed while I was going through chemo. It took me 3 years of quitting, relapsing, quitting, relapsing etc... before I finally quit for good. -- my method was to teach others. I had gone to a class through the American Cancer Society (several times). My facilitator told me that if I wanted to quit for good -- teach someone else. When I reached my last straw, that is what I did. I went through their training class and taught my first class -- one month after I quit. I facilitated classes for ACS for free for 5 years. Since then, I went back to school, got a Masters in Health Psychology/Behavioral medicine and was trained at the Mayo clinic as a tobacco treatment specialist. I had always wanted to write a book and in 2010 when I had BC a second time, to put all my notes etc together and finally did it. I put it out there as an e-book at first and then got it published. Now I work full time helping others become smoke-free and I love what I do. So I really do know how hard it is to quit while going through BC treatment .Good luck to all of you.
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Thank you everyone , I am on day 2 and feeling good.. no real cravings except for food as that has always been for me after quitting ..
sammi glad to hear your mom is out of the hospital... hope all goes well for you and your daughter prayers ..
I did think that the chantix may intensify the feeling of the drinks .. I did have a drink and did not notice anything different last week..
Anyway ... going to get my day started here ... I am on day 5 of work... then im off for the weekend ... Happy Friday Ladies
xoxoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
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Well somehow my post didn’t post. Sigh! MinisTwo the freezer story really made me smile.
I wrote more but long story short Heather is nicotine free and going to get to proceed with the Tissue Expanders being placed at the time of her BMX. Her surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday the 31st.
Now that I got to breath a bit today praying we will get her through this procedure without complications.
I have snuck a few smokes today but know I will quit sooner than later. I just feel so stinky now and really just crave a cigarette the most in the morning. They’re just not tasting good. Which I am glad. This should help me along. I believe I have had 4 cigarettes today.
Mom had an appointment with her oncologist today and he said stay the course with steroids. But has pretty much cut her loose and she’s following up with Radiologist in two weeks and will be going in for her port to be flushed every 4 weeks at oncologist office. I am assuming a scan and recheck will be done on her in about 3 months. Just praying she actually recovers from whatever they are treating her for. They really haven’t figured it out and both doctors swear it’s not chemo or radiation related. Although that’s really all it could be. It’s so frustrating.
Heather’s just 3 weeks and 2 days out from her 12th Taxol treatment and they said today, “Oh it’s long gone out of your system.” I wanted to strangle them. They know better. She still has a lot of joint pain especially in the morning and lower back. She’s had to take at least two low dose pain pills a day (one first thing in a.m. and one in evening.) On the way out of Oncologist office today they said they’d done a referral to Pain Management for her. I was like why? She has surgery next week and will be given medication for surgical pain and then hopefully will be able to not take anything. Still confused about that one. I am actually going to call them on Monday and ask. We don’t even know if she is free from cancer or if she’ll need radiation (which they said it most likely). Why does she need to go to a pain clinic? I thought that was odd.
She does still take Claritin but her ankles get really bad, even wrists and left jaw. She’s never been one to take pain medication although she’s suffered from migraines a lot during her 20s and has been to ER for some doozies and been given IV meds from time to time.
I know this is kinda off topic but had me confused so I wanted to vent.
Good luck on the job LisaMarie. I go on spurts where I check the posts and reply a lot then tend have times I just read and don’t really respond much, so if I drop off here I usually will come back and get caught up on everything and check back in. Thanks al
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Sammi, If you ask anyone here I held on to that morning smoke for a while .. just couldn't give it up . but I am doing really well with no smoking this time around .. I am actually surprised that I am doing this again .. I was afraid the chantix would not work a second time , but for me it's a miracle drug ..I will pray for your mom and daughter ... hugs to you ...
Minus I miss you ...
I just wanted to update that I am doing amazing .. its day 4 no smokes ... Hugs to everyone .. I must keep telling myself that I need to stay healthy to care for mom and be there for my children and grandchildren ...
xoxoxoxoxox
Lisamarie
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Lisamarie - I'm glad you're doing well this time around. Glad you're hanging in there. Is your Mom doing any better?
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Ladies .... hello. Just wanted to mention that you can spend $5,000 a year on smoking. Made me think I would be very rich today if I had stopped earlier .... $5,000 x 40 years .... yikes, I would be a rich, old lady!
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Oh ladies - ain't this a treat!!! Judi - so good to hear from you. I thought I'd totally lost you - and how would we do our smoking reunion when I hit 80? Also thought we'd lost LisaMarie when she moved to Las Vegas, but she's back again. Now we just have to hear from some of the other old-timers like April. I believe she was moving but do hope she checks in.
Like Judi - I enjoyed the monetary benefit. Once I was sure I had finally quit, I put my smoking money in the kitty & had a great time buying new clothes with all I saved. Not to mention a couple of trips to San Francisco & Phoenix. Ten years of not smoking really adds up.
Sammi - we'll be looking forward to hearing from you Wednesday about your daughter's surgery.
Jess - how are you doing?
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MT .... you make me laugh. I wouldn't miss our "smoke" when we turn old! Ha, ha. Good to be back .... Have to tell u, I was a little scared when I came on this thread ... worried that I might go back to smoking. But, In all honesty, it wouldn't happen. I cannot tell you how much happier I am that I haven't smoked .... coming up 8 years .... and I can't stand the smell. I used to love to get the whiffs but not anymore. Worst in winter .... the smell clings to absolutely everything!
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JUDI ... im soo sooo happy to hear from you .... I am so glad you are back with us ...
Minus .. I am doing great again .. and mom is still same .. I havent been able to get her out of the house in almost a week but I am a pest and continue to try ..
Off to work .. hope all you lovely ladies have a wonderful day ...
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
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Helloo again ladies ...
Not sure if I had ever mentioned before about me taking a hemodialysis class .. but I did back in 2015 .. been applying to Davita for years and finally here in Las Vegas I got offered a position today .. I am so grateful to start my new career finally. I am also grateful that i stopped smoking again , I would not make it through 12 hour shifts if I were .... sooo Hoping all you ladies are well ... I am celebrating today ...much love and hugs ...
xoxoxoxoxox
Lisamarie
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LisaMarie - HOORAY!!!! Congratulations on the new position. When do you start? Looks like there are more than 10 center in your general area Hope you'll be either closer to home or closer to your Moms. This is such fantastic news. And yet, congrats that you're not smoking.
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32 years heavy smoking, 15 thinking about quitting, I have done it several times for short periods, but always start smoking one now one then, and end up the same 1-2 packs a day. Now, with all this, I really want to quit, but cannot find in me the force to make the final decision. It terrifies me!!
Any ideas?
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Minus ... I start Feb 26th ... I will be traveling to all the clinics .. at least ill be off by 4 pm .. and I will only be working 3- 12 hour shifts . so that gives me 4 days off .. more time with mom for sure ... The chantix is so great that I feel like I never smoked for those few months .. for that I am grateful... xoxo
Welcome Avefenix .. many of us struggle here ... but you can do it .. there is so much support and love here on this thread ... I used Chantix and quit for 3 years ... then I had a move to Vegas from NY to care for my sick mom and I guess the whole thing made me very stresses .. I smoked for a few months now I am back on track not smoking .. but each one of us are different ... V.J has a free quit smoking book she sends out if you want to PM her .. and every lady here has ways to stop .. lots of love and knowledge here ...
Hope everyone is ok ... Bosom I miss hearing from you ...
xoxoxoxox
Lisamarie
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Hi everyone... just thought i’d introduce myself. i’ve been following this thread for some time now. currently undergoing treatment. chemo just finished and will be heading on to surgery in about a month (march).... some days are rough and i think about having a smoke but don’t want to diminish the effort i’ve exerted in treatment so far.
but this cancer. dammit sometimes it makes me think about smoking again. i stopped right before is started treatment.
was it difficult to not smoke after treatment?
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Thank you Lisamarie, for your thoughts. I already received the book! Thank you VJSL8 for sending it. Now I will start to work on it.
Today I am starting tamox, hopefully the AE do not hit me very hard... mast/recons were 1 month ago the recovery goes good, though a bit slow. I am very lucky for not needing radiation nor chemo, however everything has been really fast, and I am kind of overwhelmed. Well I think all in this thread are, it is very good to finally be able to talk about this with someone to understands.
Thank you for your support!
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