Day Three and Still Smoke Free

So I made it through day two. I would be lying if I said that I didn't have any trouble. It wasn't anything I couldn't get through, but it wasn't easy either. Day one was definitely the easier of the two for some reason. I know that the longer I last, the easier it will get. I just hate the fact that for the time being, it seems like my entire existence is about not smoking. It's not consuming my every thought of course, but I do think about it. Especially in the car. The freakin' car!!!!!! Okay, it's time for me to invent that teleporter I've been meaning to design. That would solve two problems......1) I wouldn't have to be in the dang car so much....and 2) I could quit my job and be with my son because I'd be rich. =)

I'm sure that a lot of my "blah" mood has to do with still having this lingering sinus infection. The symptoms aren't as bad this week, but they're still there.

And when I got done with yoga last night I was ready to watch some Rangers baseball. When I turned on the TV and saw the rain delay, I thought I was going to burst out in tears. Ridiculous!

But I made it through.

I vow to make today a better day than yesterday.

God Bless,
The Quitter.

Day Two and Still Going Strong

I made it through the first day without smoking! I knew I could do it deep down, but there's always that nagging voice telling you "it's not going to be easy". But it was! The only time I even had the slightest desire to smoke was in the car before and after work. Once I got home, I went for a bike ride, ate dinner, and put the munchkin to bed. After that, I just wanted to go to sleep. No problems! Although my lack of desire for a cigarette might be attributed to the fact that I probably ate 800 calories worth of Skittles yesterday. I brought crackers to work today. I'm thinking that's probably going to be a little better on the weight loss front. And as far as gaining weight is concerned, I can lose all that later. I'm not going to go off the deep end and start chowing down on 2,500 cals/day or anything, but I'm also not going to drive myself crazy with quitting smoking and depriving myself of the occasional treat at the same time. The most important thing is that I'm not smoking.

According to my doctor, quitting smoking is the single most important thing you can do to improve your overall health! I'm all for simple solutions, so this is great.

Here's to better health.

God Bless,
The Quitter

My New Addiction....Skittles

I am addicted to Skittles. Somebody please stop me!

I suppose having to replace my teeth at 40 is much better than lung cancer. Besides, I can always ride a few extra miles on the bike to offset the sugar intake.

Here's to new pleasures.

God Bless,
The Quitter

I am an ex-smoker!

Maybe I'm being a little over-zealous with that title, but oh well. It's exciting!

I had a good ride in to work this morning. No cigarettes since 8:00 last night. Obviously the first 8 hours were the easiest because I was sleeping. =)

The drive to work was the first big test, but I did okay with it. I'm not saying I didn't want a cigarette, but I wasn't trying to chew my arm off either. I don't feel upset today and so far no headache (although I haven't taken my morning Chantix yet, so we'll see).

I'll post an update this afternoon.

Oh yeah......and my hair smells really good today!

God Bless,
The Quitter

Headache Update

Well I feel better now. At least the headache is tolerable at this point, but it's still there. I think eating lunch might have helped a bit, but who knows.

The reason that I think the Chantix caused the headache is because I felt fine until about 30 minutes after I took it this morning!

I'm not going to give it up yet because I'd like to wait out this sinus infection to see what symptoms might be from that.

Here's to second chances.

The Worst Headache Ever

I'm not sure if the Chantix is causing this headache, but if it is......I'm not taking it anymore. This is the worst headache I've ever had in my life. I can barely function. And my ears are clogged up too. I feel like my brain is trying to squeeze through my ears.

I've had sinus infections before, but never this bad. That's why I'm starting to wonder if it's the Chantix.

This is awful.

One More Day

Well today is it! My last day to smoke......EVER. I'm anxious about this on two levels. I'm ready to be done with it forever, but at the same time I'm nervous about the fact that I will never have a cigarette ever again. I've been told that this is perfectly normal. It's amazing how these little things can take ahold of your entire life. It's ridiculous when you stop to think about it.

Well the Chantix is still going good so far. No adverse side effects that I've noticed. I've had a few really strange dreams (one of the listed side effects), but nothing totally out of the ordinary. I mean, who doesn't have a dream every once in awhile where they wake up and say...."what the heck was that"?

I am having some feelings right now that have nothing to do with the Chantix. I'm angry! I'm mad at myself for ever getting addicted to these stupid things in the first place. I guess I could sit here and rant about big tobacco companies and the like, but at the end of the day (as my Mom always says) every tub sits on it's bottom. I am the only one to be held accountable. So what I'm going to do here is try to not make everyone in my life miserable while quitting. It's not their fault. They've suffered enough due to my habit.

I vow to make every day a good day (even if it kills me).

Here's to the last day of cigarettes EVER!

God Bless,
The Quitter

WOW!

I just wanted to update here and tell everyone that I didn't smoke a cigarette at lunch today!

I got in the car and headed off to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. I instinctively reached down for my pack and cracked open the window. I just sat there at a red light staring out the windshield thinking about how bad my chest hurt (that's definitely from the crud I've got going on right now). I don't know if the Chantix is helping with this or not, but I just decided I didn't want one at all. No desire whatsoever.

Interesting.........

God Bless,
The Quitter

Just Another Day

Hello everyone. Day 4 on Chantix is going well so far. I'm really tired from the sinus infection and staying up too late last night. One minute at a time and before you know it I'll be snoozing in bed tonight. =)

I will leave you with these thoughts:

• A one pack-a-day smoker, who pays at least $3 per pack, can expect to save more than $1,000 per year by quitting.
• When you quit smoking, you help prevent your children from smoking.
• In the long term, quitting smoking reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and lung diseases like emphysema and bronchitis
• In the short term, quitting smoking reduces respiratory problems, dental problems, nervousness, and depression.
• People who quit, no matter what their age, live longer than people who continue to smoke.
• More than 4,000 individual compounds have been identified in tobacco and tobacco smoke. Among these are about 60 that cause cancer.
• Quitting smoking could lower your cholesterol.
• Women who smoke generally experience menopause earlier in life.
• Smokers who quit before age 50 have half the risk of dying in the next 15 years compared to those who continue to smoke.

Have a wonderful day!

God Bless,

The Quitter

Side Effects?

So I took my second Chantix pill last night after dinner. That was day two of the three days where you take one pill a day to test your body against the possible side effects of the drug. On day four and every day thereafter, you take two pills a day.

My problem right now is that I have no idea if I have any of the side effects because I have a severe sinus infection. My head hurts, I'm dizzy, and my stomach doesn't feel all that great......but how do I know if it's from the sinus infection or the medication? I guess I'll find out when this sinus stuff clears up (which can't happen soon enough)!

I still don't feel the sudden urge to stop smoking. I had 6 cigarettes yesterday. Not my best effort, but I'm not going to dwell on the negative. The positive is that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing with this medication and that I will be officially smoke free starting next Tuesday (which is my quit date in case you didn't catch that in the previous post - with Chantix, you start taking the pill one week before your quit date and continue to smoke as normal during that first week).

Here's to better smelling hair!

God Bless,
The Quitter

No news is good news

Well I took my first Chantix pill last night after dinner. So far so good. I haven't had any of the possible side effects (like suicidal thoughts)......yes, you read that correctly. Those that have had this side effect, however, were undiagnosed manic depressives when they started taking the pill, so I'm not all that worried about this one.

I was a little concerned about the possible drowsiness and dizziness, but I didn't feel any of this after taking it. I also haven't had any sudden earth shattering urge to quit smoking either. Although I didn't really expect this. I know that this is no miracle pill. It's still going to take massive amounts of will power to see me through this journey.

So there's today's update. Here's to limited side effects.

God Bless,
The Quitter

Chantix!

Well I had my appointment with the doctor and it went really well. We spoke about my concerns with quitting and what I could possibly use to help me quit. He decided that the best thing to use would be Chantix. It's a pill that attaches to key nicotine receptors in the brain and blocks nicotine absorption in the body. You use it for 6 months and you're smoke free. During the first week of taking Chantix, you continue to smoke as you usually do. Then on day 8, you quit completely. I guess the thought is that during the first week the Chantix has had a chance to build up in your body and you longer have nicotine cravings. I hope this works! Aside from my previous reasons for quitting (see first post), I have a new one now. Chantix has been an investment. Health insurance doesn't cover it, and a one month supply is $138. After the 6 month period, I will have spent $828 to quit smoking. That's quite the motivation. I mean, who wants to waste $828! Not me.

Here's to Chantix

God Bless,
The Quitter

Plan B

So we went camping at Ft. Gibson Lake this weekend! It rained the whole time we were there, but it was fun anyway. I did alright with the smoking Friday and Sunday, but Saturday was a different story. I lost count at one point, which is not so good. The only good that I can see right now is that I still haven't purchased any more cigarettes. I only have one pack left, and I have vowed that it will be my last ever in my life! I plan to stick to that promise, even if I couldn't stick with the plan laid out in the beginning of this blog.

If you read my previous post, the new plan is obvious. I'm going to see my doctor tomorrow to dicuss a plan of action to help me quit. I'll post an update tomorrow afternoon after my appointment.

God Bless,
The Quitter

Day Sixteen

I'm so sorry to all of you out there that have been looking for an updated post for the past six days and have found nothing. I guess it's sort of like when I turn the channel to FSN to watch a Rangers game and find bowling or poker instead.....not quite the same thing. Sorry about that!

So I have an update on my friend who just recently found a mass in her lung. It is lung cancer! I can't really say that I'm surprised anymore after all she's been through. Nothing really surprises me now. It's sad and tragic, but the one thing I can say is that if anyone can fight through this, it's her. She always has a smile on her face and has such a positive outlook on life. It makes me feel like a crappy person when I complain about traffic or weather! Friend......keep fighting and don't lose that smile on your face. We're all here for you and we love you dearly.

Okay, so now on the smoking front. I'm sorry to say that I've had several bad days since I posted last. I'm not saying that I ran off the deep end and started smoking a pack a day. But I haven't exactly been faithful to the "quit schedule" seen in the first post. For those of you who know me well, you know that it's totally unlike me to go against any schedule, but I've managed to do just that.

I think I've finally realized that I cannot do this by myself. I thought I could. I wanted to be that person that could just quit without any help from nicotine replacement or smoking cessation drugs. But you know what.....it's not about being that person anymore. I'm going to go ahead and say it right now......"I need assistance"! And guess what.....I'm not ashamed of that. It's not about being proud anymore. It's about getting my body back and being able to have control over my life. I'm tired of being controlled by an addiction. And if taking something during the course of quitting is going to help me, then that's what I'm going to do.

I've scheduled an appointment with my doctor for next Tuesday to discuss the best course of action. In the meantime, I am seriously trying to stick with my "quit schedule", but it's so hard to do on my own. And for those of you who think I'm weak for not being able to quit on my own....I say "BOO HISS" and "BITE ME". Stop reading the blog and let me do this my way. I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing by reaching out to my doctor, and if you don't like it, then take a hike! =) Wow...I feel better already.

So there it is.....my personal struggle laid out in all its glory. Kind of pathetic, I know. But those of you who have struggled with any type of addiction know exactly where I'm coming from. So bring on the support!

Here's to being smart enough to get help when it's needed.

God Bless,
The Quitter.

Day Nine

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

Symptoms of nicotine withdrawal can include physical symptoms (e.g., headache, sleep problems, tiredness, difficulty concentrating, dizziness) and emotional symptoms (e.g., irritability, moodiness, depression, anger, frustration, restlessness). These symptoms can last for a few days or several weeks or more.

Although cigarette smoking results in an addiction to nicotine, it is also a habit, or familiar routine. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) helps people who are trying to quit to adjust to giving up this familiar routine while limiting the discomforts of nicotine withdrawal. In general, NRT is most effective when used as a part of a complete tobacco cessation program—one that includes information, support, and counseling.

Nicotine replacement therapy works by delivering a dose of nicotine through a gum, skin patch, lozenge, nasal spray, or inhaler. The nicotine gum, lozenge, and skin patch are available over the counter, allowing those who are not enrolled in formal cessation programs to use them on their own. The nasal spray and inhaler require a prescription.

NRT products vary in how (and how fast) the nicotine is delivered, in side effects, in difficulty in stopping use, and in cost per day. For example, the nicotine patch is worn all day and gradually delivers a constant level of nicotine and nasal spray delivers a quick dose that is similar to the delivery of a cigarette.

Most NRT products are available in different nicotine doses and the dosage chosen depends in part upon how much the person smoked per day before attempting to quit. In later stages of therapy, the dosage is lowered and eventually stopped.

The length of time that NRT products are used also varies. The minimum course is usually 8 to 12 weeks and it is recommended that doses not be skipped. In some cases, a low dose NRT product is recommended for a longer period of time. Although it is preferred to stop using nicotine altogether, using an NRT product is generally considered less harmful than smoking or using other tobacco products.

Side effects vary from one nicotine replacement product to another. Patients should be sure to consult a healthcare provider to help choose the best product and should be sure to follow recommendations and instructions. In some cases, a combination of NRT products (e.g., one for a regular dose and another to suppress urges as they arise) is used.

Women who are pregnant and people with heart disease experience greater risks when using NRT products and should be monitored closely by a healthcare provider.

Day Eight

Well yesterday was a good day on the smoking front. Slow and steady wins the race!

I was in the car for 4 hours and still only had 5 cigarettes all day. I'm pretty proud of that actually. As I've said previously, long car trips are a huge trigger for me. But I did it.

Today is my first day to cut a cigarette out. I will be having only 4 per day from now until next Tuesday.

Wish me luck.

God Bless,
The Quitter

Day Six

So the weekend went pretty well all things considered. My husband left town yesterday at 11:00, so it would have been pretty easy to cheat, but I didn't.

I have noticed that I'm bargaining with myself though. I am not lighting only 5 cigarettes a day. I'm lighting one and then taking a few drags from it and then putting it out, telling myself that I'm only smoking half a cigarette at a time. Technically if I've smoked ten times in one day, but only smoked 1/2 a cigarette each time, I've only had 5 whole cigarettes. But I know that this is probably not good for the mental aspect of quitting. Although I'm getting less nicotine in my system during the day, I'm not really breaking the physical habit of sitting down with a cigarette. I think the mental addiction is harder for me to break than the chemical addiction. That's what makes it so hard about using nicotine replacements. I don't think I'm really missing the nicotine. I'm missing the physical act of smoking.

All I can say at this point is "this to shall pass".

Here's to Day Six.

God Bless,
The Quitter

Day Three

So yesterday was a good day. I only lit 5 cigarettes, just like in my plan. I just love plans. Although implementing them is sometimes not so easy. That is the case here. It's so strange how an intelligent person, such as myself =), can be aware that something is harmful, yet do it anyway.

When I was pregnant with my son, I had no problems putting down the cigarettes. It was instant! Just like that. I knew that I had to protect the innocent life growing inside me. But the minute he was born and the only life I had to worry about was my own, I picked up the terrible habit again. It's absolutely ridiculous when I really think about it.

I found out yesterday evening that a close friend of mine who has already made it through a battle with oral cancer has a mass on their lung. This person has never smoked a day in their lives, and they have a mass on their lung! It's not bad enough that they've already gone through surgery and extensive chemotherapy for cancer elsewhere in their body, now this? I find myself asking why! It's like a drunk driving accident where the innocent people are left dead or paraplegic, and the drunk offender gets out of the car with nothing but a scratch on his arm. I am that drunk driver. I have decided to smoke knowing full well what the consequences could be later in life. And there are people out there that never take life for granted and they still find masses on their lungs.

So there's my rant for the day. When I started this blog, I didn't think I'd have much to write about on a daily basis. Boy was I wrong.

Here's to Day 3.

God Bless,
The Quitter

Benefits of Smoking Cessation

From the American Lung Assocation:

http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=33568

When smokers quit, within twenty minutes of smoking that last cigarette the body begins a series of changes.

At 20 minutes after quitting:
Blood pressure decreases, pulse rate drops, and body temperature of hands and feet increases.

At 8 hours:
Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal, and oxygen level in blood increases to normal.

At 24 hours:
Chance of a heart attack decreases.

At 48 hours:
Nerve endings start regrowing, and ability to smell and taste is enhanced.

At 2 weeks to 3 months:
Circulation improves, walking becomes easier, and lung function increases.

1 to 9 months:
Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decreases.

1 year:
Excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker.

5 years:
From 5 to 15 years after quitting, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.

At 10 years:
Risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers, risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases, and risk of ulcer decreases.

At 15 years:
Risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked, and risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked.

HAPPY QUITTING! =)

Day Two

So yesterday was all in all a good day for my venture. I had a test though. It was as if God was giving me some drama to blog about. I got a phone call around 12:30 in the afternoon. It was my husband saying that his 81 year old grandpa has kidney failure and likely wouldn't make it through the night. I left work and met him at home to make the 1 hour and 45 minute drive to the hospital. We spent the afternoon and early evening there and then headed back home. His grandfather is alive, but probably will not make it through the end of the week. This is a sad and happy occassion all at the same time. His quality of life is not so good and we all think he's ready to join his wife, who passed 10 years ago.

That being said, this was a true test. My biggest smoking "trigger" is the car (unless our son is with us, and he was not yesterday). Two and a half hours in the car was awful. But I think I did pretty good. When I left the office yesterday my cigarette total was at 2. By the time I went to bed last night, I had lit 7, but I didn't smoke all of 3 of them. I know that this is a slippery slope, but I have to be positive and give myself some accolades for making it through this first test relatively unscathed in the grand scheme of things. So I veiw Day 1 as a success.

Here's to Day 2!

God Bless,
The Quitter

Day One

I suppose this is not technically day one. Last week I decided to quit smoking for several reasons. All of these reasons are intertwined and lead back to my husband and son (my family). The primary reason is my health. If I die from lung cancer before seeing my son graduate high school, he is most likely going to feel extremely slighted. If I live to see that day, but die at age 55 and miss growing old with my husband, he won't be too happy about that, now will he? Secondary reasons include money (the costs just keep getting higher and higher), a clean car, the lack of cigarette stench on my clothing and in my hair, etc.

So here is the plan. I bought a carton (10 packs) last week and have decided that it will be my last. I've tried the cold turkey thing before and it didn't work out so well, so..........I plan this time to slowly reduce the number of cigarettes I have each day until I'm down to only 1 cigarette a day for a full week. If at this point I feel that I need assistance in the form of nicotine replacement, then I will purchase something.

THE PLAN:

Week 1 - April 1st through April 7th
GOAL: 5 cigarettes per day

Week 2 - April 8th through April 14th
GOAL: 4 cigarettes per day

Week 3 - April 15th through April 21st
GOAL: 3 cigarettes per day

Week 4 - April 22nd through April 28th
GOAL: 2 cigarettes per day

Week 5 - April 29th through May 5th
GOAL: 1 cigarette per day

So there's the BIG PLAN! Wish me luck......and off I go. Todays total is now at 2 cigarettes. So far so good.


God Bless,
The Quitter