Stop Smoking Support Thread
Comments
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I just asked the doctor to prescribe Chantix and he called in the prescription. I was concerned because I am on quite a few anti-depressants. So if I need it I can get it.
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Hi Dutchy,
Glad to hear that your doctor gave you a prescription. I did do cold turkey. Decided to try that first and then, if I just couldn't do it, Chantix was my plan B.
The first few days were rough but EVERYONE I had talked to that had successfully quit said that it would get easier. Even though I didn't believe it at the time, I just rode it out minute to minute, hour to hour and finally day to day based on faith that it would get better. And it HAS!
Yesterday was 5 weeks for me! I am cautiously optimistic!
Hope everything went well at work today. I imagine being a social worker can be truly overwhelming at times.
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Dutchy - I have tried EVERY non-smoking aid on the market including hynosis, patches, gum, etc. and nothing took the physical cravings totally away like Chantix. You might have some wild dreams for the first week but then you will level off. Just don't forget to take it!! Then I will tell you from past experience after I had quit for 17 days on Chantix until my dh totally pissed me off......I smoked and the taste was awful but I was so mad at him I didn't even care and I kept smoking until they tasted good again.
I am back on the Chantix - 9 days for me now!!! Today I wanted one - not so much in the car but after I cantered my horse for only the 2nd time ever as she is just barely broke - I wanted a smoke in celebration of our accomplishment. How crazy is that? Normally stress drives me to smoke. Today it was because I wanted to celebrate!!
Seaside - the carrots were for Jazzy. I never go out there without a bag of carrots for her. I get to drink one coke on the way home and on the way there and during the time I am there I am drinking water. I haven't found a snack that replaces the emotional urge to not smoke other than chocolate and right now I am 30 lbs overweight because of chemo and fatigue to where I couldn't do anything so I am trying to not start a habit of eating in lieu of smoking because I really need to drop this weight.
Seaside - I see that you have quit for 5 weeks. Was this your first attempt at not smoking?
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I have not been very successful with moving my smoking outside of the house and car as I do not like the cold and it is cold outside. I guess that is the whole purpose of moving the smoking outside. I still have 6 days till quit day. Perhaps it has to be all of nothing for me and right now I am still a smoker. I found another good stop smoking site on the internet, it is called "Becoming an Ex". Work was okay today as I just did school and home visits. Tomorrow I need to start with all of my reports for the month and I only have 3 working days to get them all done. I will probably end up taking the work home this weekend if I don't get it all done. The pressure will be on and as long as no emergencies happen I can do it. Another thing I do not want to do is to start replacing food for my cigarettes as I have worked hard and lost 40 pounds with acupuncture and that has taken me a year...not very quick to lose but it is starting to pay off. Wow my future plans are to quit smoking, continue to lose weight and get the surgery and keep the job. No stress there. LOL
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Jancie,
Congratulations on day 9!!! And on your progress with Jazzy!! That must have felt wonderful!.
Of course you wanted to celebrate with a cigarette! That's what we've done for a long time. One of the things I read said to 'watch out for the firsts'. The first time (or times) that you do something that you used to do while smoking can trigger a pretty powerful urge out of the blue. In the beginning there are lots of 'firsts' so you seem to get urges constantly. As your brain figures out that it isn't going to happen, it quits telling you to smoke during those situations and the connection is broken. Soon, with time, there are less firsts and less urges. I have found this to be true. When people who have quit for years and then have an urge, they have probably hit a 'first' just one that they did very rarely. Have you noticed that there are fewer urges? I found out that I tended to reward myself with a cigarette for finishing a task. Finish vaccuming, have a cigarette, finish doing the dishes, have a cigarette, etc. Those simple ones were the first to be encountered and the first to go away. Still working on some of the bigger triggers like arguing with my son last night. Evenings are still tough for me but, ya get through it and tomorrow's another day.
I think a lot of this is what they talk about at the Become An Ex site that Dutchy talked about. One of their commercials have the lady mixing up a drink at work and then heading outside to smoke with her drink. Then they say 'You don't drink everytime you smoke, so why do you smoke everytime you drink?' I'll have to check it out.
Yep, this is the first 'real' attempt I have made although I've thought about it a million times.
Dutchy,
My making myself go outside was to make me reeeeeaaallly think about if I wanted that cigarette or not but, you could probably do the same thing without going outside. The key for me was to delay having it if I could, but if I still wanted one after 5 minutes or so I would have it I just had to go outside which meant (aside from freezing) I could do nothing else. That got rid of the mindless smoking that I used to do and not even realize I was doing. It also broke some of the associations that I had with smoking.
I don't see why you couldn't do the same thing inside. You just have to sit and do nothing else. It also made it really obvious how much time in my day was wasted by having to have a cigarette. I know what you mean about the car being tough. Even when I made myself go outside to smoke, I would still smoke in my car. I was amazed at how many times I HAD to run to the store so I could smoke where it was warm...lol You are also right, cutting back doesn't work for everyone. The key is to find out what works for you and you will find that.
I agree on the don't want to substitute food for nicotine. I am also trying to eat healthier by eating more vegetables. Notice I said trying.... lol
We managed to dodge a snow storm here yesterday. Only got a couple inches where east of here they got a foot! Another big one is predicted for tomorrow. Can't wait for Spring.
Hang in there.
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Dutchy - I would suggest you go ahead and start the Chantix now. I have found through 3 failures that the best way it works for me is to start taking the pills 3-4 days before my quit date - still smoke but take it down to 4 a day or less if possible. This way the Chantix is already working on your brain receptors before the big day. I think this is ONE of the reasons I have had better success, less urges, etc. in smoking. If I remember correctly I think the paperwork suggested you start taking it 5 days before your quit date. I have chemo brain so I get mixed up a bit.
Seaside - Love your idea of freezing your arse off but not allowing yourself to have that cigarette!!!! That is too funny. Standing outside freezing for no reason at all!
Although I always kept my car windows open when I smoked (yes, even in the freezing weather), I still have a stale cigarrette smell in my car so that doesn't help my urges. I think I will take the next good weekend when I am feeling ok and the weather is ok and totally wipe down the inside of my car. I never put two and two together on the "firsts" - now it makes sense why all of a sudden after not smoking for 9 days I wanted so bad to have a smoke!
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I am ready to have a fit! I have a colonoscopy scheduled for Friday. I just read the paperwork and got the prescription (4 liter bottle with 5 flavor packets) and what ticks me off is that I can't eat solid food after 7 pm tonight. So all day tomorrow it is liquids only. I am going to freaking starve!!!!
I like food!!!! Food is good!!!! I think I am just going to take valium every 4 hours tomorrow to get through the day - I need to sleep as much as possible since I won't get any sleep on Thursday night other than cat naps on the bathroom floor.
I would really love to have a smoke right now.
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Jancie,
I have heard that the prep for a colonoscopy is worse than the procedure itself! Don't give in to the temptation! Keep in mind you will still not be able to eat whether you smoke or not. And this is definitely a "first" for you after quitting smoking. I know, easy for me to sit here and say!!
I have heard from a good friend of mine that just had her's done last month you're not as hungry as you think you will be because of all the liquid you have to drink. It's not something you would want to do every day but, look at how much you have gotten through when, if you're like me, you didn't think you could.
Valium may not be a bad idea. I know I slept whenever I could the first couple of days of quitting smoking exactly because nothing bugs you when you're sleeping.
Maybe you can reward yourself after your procedure with a great meal out. Or at least a bit of chocolate!
I will be around tomorrow and will check this thread from time to time to see how you're doing. I do have a 5 post limit per 24 hour period since I am still new on this board so if I don't answer right away that's why although I guess I can still PM. What time is your appointment on Friday?
I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers that the next couple of days will be as easy as possible for you! We're looking at over a foot of snow tomorrow so my guess is the kids won't have school and will be home tomorrow. Yikes.
Thinking of you!
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Seaside - I hated the post limit thing but I understand because we have gotten spammers on here in the past. I think you have about 2 weeks and then you don't have a post limit anymore so what I did was PM people instead or wait and respond to 5 people in one response.
I don't have to start drinking that nasty stuff until 5 pm tonight. So far I have had a bowl of jello and 2 cups of coffee. Now if they had taken my coffee away I would have been so irate you wouldn't want to be around me. I have learned this last year to schedule my tests for early in the morning because so many times you can't eat or drink after midnight the night before and I like having my coffee in the morning! I didn't get up until 11:30 this morning! I have decided that I am not going to do anything today at all. No errands, no housecleaning, no ironing, etc. I am going to have a selfish day of being lazy because thst is what I deserve if I have to go through this nightmare of the prep all night tonight.
Still not smoking - lost track of the days before was posting 9 days when it was actually 10 days - I am up to day # 12 today. The great thing is that I don't have the cravings when I wake up but coffee still gives me cravings, I am choosing to ignore those. I take my Chantix pill the very first thing when I wake up each morning.
My appointment is at 10:30 am - I will more than likely come home (around 12:30 pm) and sleep the rest of the day. I should wake up early evening and I will let you know I am ok. I know I will be too drugged up to get on the computer when I get home. Hopefully they will give me some really good drugs!
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Jancie,
I hear ya on the coffee thing and good for you on sleeping in and taking it easy today!! I think that's exactly what I would have done.
Congrats on the still not smoking. Do you see what you have just typed?!?!?? You said I lost track of how long it had been... You have passed from not smoking occupying your day all day to I didn't even think about it enough to count the days. That is HUGE!!! You are well on to your way to being done with smoking forever! That didn't happen for me till around the 3 week mark so you are ahead of the curve! Keep up the good work!
Best of luck to you tomorrow and here's to good drugs! I will be thinking of you. Please, when you feel up to it, do let me know how you are doing.
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Seaside - I really hope I am done with smoking forever. In all honesty - I don't trust myself. After 10 failures in the past 3 years - why should I have any trust that I can accomplish it this time.
The only reason I think I can do this is that for the first time I am doing it for myself and not my dh who has been nagging me for years. You see I would do it to please him and then he would piss me off and so the rebel in me would immediately start smoking again as to say "screw you". This time I don't care what he thinks or doesn't think. I don't even discuss it with him. I discuss my difficult times with my friends here on this board and my face to face friends. What is weird is that I don't have any friends that smoke. I have always been the lone smoker! That is a good thing because I won't be around someone smoking and get that urge to have just one which will become two and three and so forth and so on if you KWIM.
After 5 weeks - do you still have cravings? How often do you think about smoking? What do you go through on a daily basis? Just wondering what I should expect when I hit the 5 week mark.
Please note I said "when" and not "IF" - lol
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Hi Jancie,
How'd your colonoscopy go today? Hopefully everything went well and you're sleeping off some good drugs right now! We got hit pretty hard by a snowstorm yesterday and all last night. Wound up with around 2 feet of snow so, today was spent digging out! I am sooooooo sore but, I guess that was my exercise for today (or maybe the week).
I hear you on the hoping this is it for the smoking. This may make you feel better about your "training quits". I know I read that the people who have the hardest time quitting are the least likely to relapse once they successfully quit for awhile. The reasoning was that, if it was easy for someone to quit, they tended to take their quit for granted eventually and think they can have just one and that even if they get hooked again, it will be easy to quit. The people who had a tough time KNEW how hard it was and never wanted to do that again! And you hit the nail on the head. This time it's for you not someone else!
I know when people (mostly doctors) would talk to me about smoking, it used to annoy me that they would call it an addiction. I would sit there and think to myself ' I am not addicted. I just reallly like to smoke!' I read a book when I was getting ready to quit called The Easy Way To Stop Smoking by Allen Carr and that really explained the addiction thing in a way I was ready to hear. It also goes through every myth of why we think we smoke and helps you to see that it is all an illusion created by addiction. The book wasn't a miracle cure but, I tend to want to understand what is happening and why and I thought the book explained things very well. I can tell you more if you want to know.
One of the big lessons that I came away with is that the urges or cravings are the addiction trying to control you. I have always been a very independent person and I used that to my advantage by thinking about that and saying to myself, 'No one has ever controlled me ! You don't control me! Only I control me! I will not give in to you". I guess trying to make cigarettes the enemy that was trying to make me do something I didn't want to do instead of a friend that I missed. Guess I've always been the one where if someone was trying to force me to go one way, I went the opposite!
As for the friends who smoke, I do have a couple and my brother and his wife both smoke. I have been playing it fairly safe for now and haven't been around them. Wanted to wait until I was strong enough to handle that 'first'. Funny thing, before I quit, we had gone to a dinner for people that my husband works with. Out of probably 150 people of so, I was the ONLY one outside smoking! I think a lot of people have quit here just because of the expense. Cigarettes here in NY are over $7.00 a pack.
You are also right. One will not be one. I think in an earlier post you described when you started smoking again last time, that the cigarette didn't even taste good but, you kept smoking until it did (I think that was you anyway... lol). That's another thing I read. Now that the physical addiction is over and that part of your brain has moved on, the only way that cigarettes will be like you remembered them is to get physically addicted again. That usually begins with one but, requires more than one.
I DID notice that you said WHEN not IF..... That is an important mental shift. You asked if I still have cravings. The answer is yes BUT, they are not the strong 'OH MY GOD, If I don't have a cigarette someone is gonna die!' kind of cravings. It's more like a random thought that pops into your head and kind of a weird butterfly feeling in my stomach. Doesn't last more than a minute or 2 maybe 3 or 4 times a day. As far as what I go through each day, really at this point my day is no different than it was when I smoked other than a couple random thoughts per day and the fact that I get to stay much warmer because I don't have to freeeeeeeze outside smoking.. lol. I think the big shift came at somewhere around the 3 week mark. Although don't get hung up on the exact time because everyone is different just know that it DOES happen and you are well on your way there!
Thinking of you and hope all is well.
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Hi Ladies. Sounds like both of you are doing well with the exceptions of lots of snow and a colonoscopy for Jancie. I love reading both of your post because they really help me to want to stick with stopping on the first of March even though my mind is telling me "you know this is not a good time". The reasons for that is that we are in the middle of a federal audit at work and I have been picked to be interviewed about my client. It is not that I don't know my client as I do, it is that I don't like interviews with me on the hot seat. My mind is also telling me it is not a good time because I am having to fight with the insurance companies to refer me to UCLA to the doctor who performs the DIEP flap breast reconstruction. I have already filed a grievance and will not give up until I get what I want. It is just a big head ache. I don't know if this is normal but I am feeling really scared about quitting. I really want this and am afraid I will fail. That in itself is already setting me up for failure and I know I need to just do it because there are always going to be "situations" and I have got to deal with them without the cigarette. I know I have better coping skills and I just have to remember them in stressful situations. Seaside, I like what you said about being an independent person and not liking to be told what to do and if someone told you to go one way you went the other way. I need to remember that that cigarette in controlling and what it wants me to do is not good for me so I need to go the other way and do something healthy instead...like take a walk. Oh on top of those other two stressors I have been picked for jury duty. Talk with you ladies soon. Evelyn
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Seaside - I am sorry for not getting back to you earlier tody but I was so mad that I didn't want to post anything or talk to anyone.
I was never put to sleep, I was never given amnesia medication and I layed there and heard every single word and endured so much pain during the procedure. It was so bad that I am looking at hiring a medical attorney and getting this doctor reprimanded. He was so arrogant. He told me that he gave me the maximum amount of pain meds that he could but because I had a prescription for Lortab he was worried about giving me too much. He never asked when I took the last dosage or how often which was 4 pills in a span of 7 days. I was told I would be put to sleep and get amnesia drugs, that NEVER HAPPENED. I only wish that I had told him to stop in the middle of the procedure and let me call my dh. My dh blasted him when he saw me get wheeled into recovery and I was wide awake and extremely upset. My dh went through this 2 years ago it took him 30 minutes to just wake up and then he came home and slept for 6 hours straight.
Instead I never get put to sleep, twighlite sleep or whatever you want to call it. I think they forgot to run the meds through the IV's.
Then of course there is an issue with them taking blood pressure on my left arm and they didn't want to do it on my right arm because that is where my IV was located.
So they wrapped it around my calf muscle and put it up to 180 lbs or whatever that number represents where I was screaming in pain as it felt like I was having a bad muscle cramp. Yah, that part wasn't important to them either.
I am so very upset beyond upset - I am going there on Monday and request a copy of every single piece of paper I signed before they get wind that I am looking for an attorney.
I have never sued anyone in the past but this was ridiculous and I even told that doctor "all the advances that we have in medicine and you made me endure this not only wide awake during the entire procedure but also in pain?" He told me next time I should go to a hospital where they could put me under general anesthesia. No....I need a competent doctor that would put me to sleep like you do when you get your wisdom teeth pulled! Oh and before the doctor came into the room to give the results to me - I had already informed by dh how many polps and what size - so you tell me was I wide awake or just dreaming that crap up?
I came home so angry I wanted to smoke. I really did. I don't know what prevented me from doing so but I made it through day 13.
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Dutchy - I tried to quit when I found out I had cancer and was going through chemo. I found out that was the worse time to try quitting. You are under so much stress and feel so bad already from chemo - why add more to it. It was just too much to bear at one time.
If you have too much on your plate for March 1st - then pick another date -nothing wrong with that. You have already started the process in planning a quit date to begin with so maybe it needs to be readjusted based on this new schedule that came out.
I got tired of being a failure. Like I mentioned before I have tried to quit at least 10 times over the span of 3 years and have failed each time and then I just beat myself up really bad over it. Why am I so weak that I can't do this? Why can't I just quit like everyone else?
So this time I didn't really plan too much ahead of time. I just knew which weekend that I wanted to quit (about 2 weeks earlier) and figured I would go for it.
I also think it helps to pick the right day of the week for you to quit instead of thinking the 1st day of the month. With me quitting over a weekend was better because my dh would be around and I don't smoke around him. I tried to quit on mondays, tuesdays, etc. and that never worked so I was careful when I bought my last pack to make sure it lasted until Friday night so that Saturday morning I wouldn't smoke and that would be the last day for me.
I was always told that like being an alcoholic, you have got to want to quit, you have got to want to do it for yourself. Not anyone else, not your hubby, your children, etc. Believe me, all it took was my dh to piss me off and I was running to the store to get a pack. This is the first time I quit because I wanted to quit for ME - not anyone else. This is probably why I didn't run to the store today after my nightmare morning that I had.
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Janci, that is really messed up what that doctor did to you. I hope you sue his ass off. I had my colonoscopy a year ago and they put me to sleep but I woke up towards the end but did not feel any pain so I did not care that I was able to see what they were doing. What they did to you was just not right. Congratulations on not smoking over than BS, You are doing it for yourself and you are doing great. It was good for you to remind me about alcohol addiction because I have already overcome that addiction along with drugs and that was because I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Well I am sick and tired of being addicted to cigarettes and I want to quit but, I am scarred because I really want this surgery. I want my boobs back and I can not get them unless I am nicotine free. Ya know for the past 8 or so years it did not bother me that much to strap on my boobs in the morning and take them off at night, but now I am tired of it. I want to be able to look at myself and not shrug with disgust. I know I need to be grateful that I am alive, that I was lucky because I had them cut them off and I did not have to go through Chemo or radiation because they got it all, but I did lose my breasts and I can no longer minimize that as I have in the past. Thanks for listening to me and you keep up with not smoking as you are doing great.
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Anyone else out there planning on quitting smoking real soon?
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Oh Jancie!
You have GOT to be kidding me!!!! I am soooooo sorry for what you had to go through. I am furious and it didn't even happen to me! Sometimes you just have to wonder what the heck is going on with these doctors. Are they truly that heartless or do they just not have a freakin' clue! Go get him!
I am so so so PROUD of you for not giving in to smoking when I'm not sure I would have been able to hold out, given the situation. You should be very proud of yourself and marvel, as I am now, at your strength. Remember, if you had broken down and smoked, that creep would have screwed you over twice! I think this time is THE ONE for you! Happy 2 week Quit-aversary!!
Will check in tomorrow to see how you're doing.
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I have another reason to quit and that is my blood pressure was high again at the diet doctor where I get acupunture. I forgot to talk to him about putting one of the pressure balls on the places that will help with quitting. I know it has worked to help me lose weight. I called the pharmacy to see how much the Chantix was and it is $185.00. I know in the long run I will be saving money but for now I just don't have it all at once. So cold turkey it is again.
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Dutchy,
Glad to hear from you. I was hoping that everything was OK. Wow, federal audit, dealing with insurance AND jury duty???!!! You have hit the lottery of stuff no one wants to deal with. I agree with Jancie, if you really feel like this just isn't the right time, you CAN change your date. I was going to be a New Years Day quitter but, took a realistic look at what I had going on and realized that it probably wasn't the best time for me. My daughter was home from college and was having her wisdom teeth out. I had a party to go to where a lot of the people there would be smoking, etc. I changed my date to the day after the party which was January 18. Figured it gave me a good couple of weeks before I needed to start going to my first post-cancer follow-up appointments. The key is to remember that there will never be the perfect time but, there will be better times than others. Just don't delay forever.
Have you decided if you are going to go cold turkey or use the Chantix, yet? The reason that I ask is, I did the cold turkey thing and I do know I didn't feel all that well for the first couple of days. I would say it was similar to having a mild case of the flu. I think what Jancie said is true in that you might want to start at the end of the week when you have a weekend to just kind of let yourself go through the initial withdrawal period. Can't talk about how it is on Chantix because I didn't use it but, Jancie can help you with that part.
I do remember being not just scared, but terrified, by the thought of quitting smoking! I had no idea how I would get through a day much less a week so I guess it's normal. I do remember thinking how odd it was that I was more frightened of quitting than I was of cancer and then I thought 'what's the worst than can happen? I can't do it this first time and I start smoking again. If that happens, I try a different approach until I find one that works. I have NOTHING to lose by trying and EVERYTHING to gain'.
I will say that book I talked about earlier in this thread helped to get me in the right frame of mind. It also didn't hurt that you could smoke the whole time that you read but you had to quit when you were done reading. My original plan was to read reeeeeeeaaallly slowly but, truthfully part way through the book I thought, I am ready to do this and was actually excited (but still a little scared) to try!
About your beating an addiction to alcohol and drugs.. You should take a moment or two or three to really appreciate your strength and congratulate yourself! This stupid nicotine thing CANNOT kick your butt after all you have been through! I noticed, for the first time (guess I'm not too observant.. lol), your diagnosis date was from 2001. That in itself is impressive! When I quit smoking one thing that I had read was to reward yourself at certain milestones such as one day, one week, one month, etc. Whatever milestones you decide on. Sounds to me that you have a very big, and well deserved, reward waiting for you after a few months.
We will be here for you!
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Seaside and Jancie, I have decided I will give it a try tomorrow and if it does not work then I will change my date to a weekend but one that is not too far away. I just wrote another grievance letter to Anthem and will call the number I was given tomorrow if I get the time. I will just call during one of my cigarette breaks that I will not be taking. I hope this interview with the federal auditor does not stress me out too much but for now I feel okay about it. And for jury duty, they always call me to serve but then never pick me...just hope it is the same this time. Well I hope the two of you are enjoying your weekend as I have been taking it real easy and not doing too much of anything. Evelyn
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Evelyn - not a happy camper right now. My stepson totally disrespected me earlier and pulled a fast one on his father. But hey......I am the evil one for pointing it out. Funny how stepson doesn't have school on Friday yet couldn't in 3 days find time to do 2 hours of chores nor his laundry. He is now visiting his mother for dinner. When he gets home he will be doing his chores - I don't care if it takes him until midnight. He purposely didn't do them earlier thinking "I can run out of time and then just not do them because nobody will make me do my chores at 9 pm on a Sunday night" Well I have news for him.....I am not playing his game. I thought I was ticked on Friday during that colonoscopy, I was even more ticked off today especially since we had just gotten back from church meeting and it was reinforce to the kids that they needed to be obedient to their parents. He didn't learn a thing today during that 45 minute talk.
I don't know how I am able to stand not smoking right now. This is usually the time where I totally break down because I have had just enough to take me over the edge.
Instead I went upstairs and started slamming cabinet doors like crazy.
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Jancie I hope you did not have that smoke and just slammed cabinet doors. How old is your step-son and how long has he been living with you? My son drove me crazy when he was a teenager. Drugs and alcohol and staying out all hours of the night. Thank God they eventually grow up but it is hell until they do. Hang in there you have come a long way and it is not worth it because you have already gone through the harderst part and that is the quitting, Take care. Evelyn
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Jancie,
I'm a little worried because I haven't heard from you. I hope that you are OK. Dutchy is right. I have a college age daughter and 16 year old son and those teen years are very rough. One of my closest friends has step children. When she got married both of her step-children were teenagers and those were some pretty rough years for her. They are now both grown and out of the house and things have improved dramatically. I had an argument with my son just this afternoon over school grades and I will say I wanted to smoke so bad but I didn't. Sounds like your step son is just like my son where they will try to get away with what you will let them. And sounds like you are onto him!
Dutchy,
I was wondering today how you are doing. Did you decide to go ahead and do it? Wow! I can't believe the cost of the Chantix. I had the prescription as my plan B but never turned it in so had no idea! You would think since so many people have had success with it that insurance would be a little kinder about what they will pay.
I saw your post about others maybe wanting to quit soon and was wondering the same thing myself. This thread was really active for awhile but has been kind of quiet lately. I would love to hear from some of the people who are doing well.
I hope that both of you are doing well!
Jennifer
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I did not start today although I have cut back and am not chain smoking. I am taking longer breaks in between cigarettes. I have decided with everything that is going on that today was not the right day. I am not giving up just moving the date up but I have not picked the day as I want to get this insurance fight for my reconstructive surgery out of the way. That was my original plan. I knew I had a fight ahead of me and planned that once I got the referral and the okay to have the surgery that I would quit and ask to have the surgery 3 months later. Today I put in my request for a second opinion with the doctor I originally asked to see and they told me I should hear in 2-3 days. Last night I was up till the wee hours of the morning reading my insurance policy and looking to see if the doctor I want is in network,,,and he is. That made me really happy. This federal audit should be done in 2 weeks and I have to look again to see when jury duty is. Then it should be work as usual. Enough about me how are both of you doing?
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Dutchy,
Insurance sometimes sucks doesn't it. The fact that your doctor is in network is good and I hope that you hear from them soon and everything is a go. I just really wish that they would make things a bit easier for us.
Re-thinking your date is not defeat! It is being realistic and trying to pick a time where you are most likely to be able to succeed. Taking longer breaks in between cigarettes is how I started. Try delaying as long as you can in between. Kind of gives you a safe way to try it out.
I really hope that you get the good news that you deserve to hear from your insurance company. It just really shouldn't have to be this hard for us!
I have been doing OK. Took my daughter back to college yesterday afternoon and miss her already. Got into an argument with my son this afternoon where I really wanted to smoke but, didn't. Wound up telling him that this argument is really making me want to smoke so I am done discussing this with you. He was one that really wanted me to quit so he understood and backed down.
Tomorrow is the beginning of week 7 for me. So far so good!
Thinking of you,
Jennifer
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Hi Ladies, My rad onc says I can't smoke during radiation because of the carbon monoxide so I ordered the E cigarette is is nicotine vapor and no tar, chemicals, corbon monixide. It is so cool no smell. You can use them anywhere. I plan to taper after I get used to them and quit nicotene eventally.
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Hi Ladies, My rad onc says I can't smoke during radiation because of the carbon monoxide so I ordered the E cigarette is is nicotine vapor and no tar, chemicals, corbon monixide. It is so cool no smell. You can use them anywhere. I plan to taper after I get used to them and quit nicotene eventally.
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Icey,
Glad to hear from you. I looked briefly at the e-cigarette and it did look interesting although, I think it's rather new in the US. I do know that I have read that smoking during radiation raises your risk of lung cancer down the road by quite a bit. Something that I wish someone (my doctors) would have told me. Not sure what exactly in the cigarettes is the culprit whether it's the nicotine or the all the other crud that's in them.
Anyway... Welcome and good luck to you!
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Hi Icey. I heard about that the E cigarette. Keep in touch and let us know how it works for you. Where do you get it? So have you quit smoking cold turkey since you rad doctor told you you can not smoke? The ladies here have really been a great support and have some good ideas for cutting back and quitting.
Jancie, I am worried about you too. Hope you are okay. I did not quit today and decided to put it off for a little while. Just too much on my plate.
Seaside, those arguments with a teenager can be hell on you...I remember far too many of them. Congratulations on Week 7 and you are doing great. I am glad I am getting to know you.
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