Anyone Willing To Help Me Shortly?

[Linda661]

Your job will be as someone whom I am accountable to when I quit smoking -- not so much like a military general, but someone whom I can PM when the emotional urge is on and I have no one to turn to, if necessary. It would help if I had a folk or two who have done this a bit ago and could potentially help me on a PM basis with other issues that might come up, like weight gain.....you know, advice of what I could do for those bumps that might happen.

I saw that "Breathe Free" Oprah show, DonnaG....it was really good. I took the quiz on her website....I'm definitely a coping with anxiety type smoker rather than someone who just can't live without those cigs. for the sake of some smoking pleasure -- there's just no pleasure in it for me and there hasn't been for some time now.

So far, I got an Rx for Chantix today from my doc and I will begin taking it on February 25th -- I've set that date because I will be going away in about 3 weeks and weeks 2-4 are when some of my friends experienced some rather unpleasant side effects from Chantix.....just not willing to deal with what they told me about while I am away for a couple of weeks. I'll get that filled and ready to go...plus I have Commit lozenges already on hand. I'll be getting the cars, clothes and the house cleaned too .... I remember that smell from my last quit attempts and I'd rather not smell that again if I can avoid it.

I also have my neighbor at the end of my driveway as a "stop smoking" buddy support. Called her today and it turns out she just started Chantix this week! Her and I have also formed a buddy pact as of today.....hopefully we will be successful at supporting each other in this.

I'm asking this here because all of my closest friends smoke. My doc. tells me that they are seeing 60% success with Chantix and I'd sure like to see this one stick. We'd communicate via PM here as this issue really isn't what LCSC is about on the boards.

Thanks in advance,

Linda

[Connie B]

Have you thought of contacting a Smoking Cessasion program? I honestly think that would be your best bet. You need to be around people who are going through the same thing or have gone through the same thing. Talk to your doctor about this as well. they can steer you in the right direction.

Smoking Cessasion programs are everywhere. Google in your area.

[RandyW]

OK Linda Please be careful with Chantix. Ther have been fda reports of very serious problems SERIOUS!! If I can help with anyhting please PM me and if YA need to we can use the chat room and anyone else can use the chat room. I definitely worry about people on this drug. I quit drug free 5 years ago when Deb was diagnosed. Tell me that ain't anxiety related!! Hav enot had one since. Put on pounds and taking them off slow but surely now. If I can help PM me anytime I am here at least 2x a day but be careful....

Hugs and Prayers RandyW

[Kasey]

Linda, you can most assuredly count on me. I was a hardcore smoker for MANY years. I took the test on why you smoke. I scored the hightest numder there was in EVERY category. In short..............I smoked for every reason there is at the very top of the scale. It has been almost 3-1/2 years for me. Yep, I gained weight. Yep, I've failed at getting it off. Yep, I overcame the urges and still am not smoking. I never slipped, not once. I can PM the reason I finally quit. It actually had NOTHING to do with being dx with LC. I know some of my friends figured that I thought I would be cured if I quit. That never entered my mind.

I applaoud your public display here. I KNOW you want to quit. I hope I can help support you in any way. You are special to all of us here and if I can stand by you and see you succeed.......WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just let me know.

Kasey

[shineladysue]

I quit 5 years ago and got all the information and support I needed through whyquit.com... They have a support group listed on there... FreedomFromTobacco.... Please check it out. It's about Cold Turkey Quitting. It may not always be easy , but it is truly as simple as never taking another puff. You can do it. Chantix scares me . There are articles there about the horrible side effects and suicidal tendencies people have with that. Anyhow, I would suggest you go there and read what they have to offer. It sure helped me. Good Luck.. You can do it.

Sue

[MsC1210]

Linda

I quit over 4 yrs ago and you can most definitely count on me~

Christine

(cynical_angel)

[Shelley (MLC)]

Linda, I am so happy that you are going to try and do this! My mom smoked for over 40 years. She was able to quit about 8 years ago with the help of a little plastic inhaler that you put cartridges in. Sorry, I don't know exactly what this was, but someone out there will. She was able to quit very quickly AND her SIL and 2 cousins were also able to stop smoking using the same thing. Again, sorry I don't know exactly what it was. She carried the little plastic thing around in her purse for awhile and would pull it out occasionally, but no cigs! I really wish you the best! It must be extra hard if most of your friends smoke. Shelley

[recce101]

Linda, as you know, sometimes I come up with off-the-wall ideas, so if the mainstream tips don't help as much as you'd like, I'd love to try. Maybe we can figure out some new use of Bag Balm...

Seriously, although I quit 44 years ago and haven't had any urge for the stuff since, I felt strongly addicted at the time. Didn't like to go anywhere that smoking wasn't permitted, didn't like to associate with people who frowned on smoking, you know the routine. Back then the health effects were not clearly established and it was more of a moral or cleanliness issue. I had been wanting to quit for some time but figured I would fail and end up with even less self-esteem. My opportunity came when I caught a horrendous wintertime Georgia cold, one of the worst I'd ever had, felt horrible and everything tasted awful. So I figured since there was no pleasure in smoking (or anything for that matter) I'd just toss out all my ashtrays and cigarettes and see what happened. After a couple of weeks I started feeling better, realized I no longer had the urge to smoke, and never looked back. I'm still amazed that it worked so well.

Aloha,

Ned

[sharyn]

Linda,

PLEASE don't use the Chantix... I too have heard terrible stories... horrible. My husband was just given free samples of it from his doc and I threw them away... I don't think its worth the risk.

YOU CAN DO THIS YOURSELF!!! I quit 19 years ago from smoking almost 3 packs a day.... like you, it was totally anxiety provoked. I woke up one day and said... THIS IS GROSS and just stopped. I haven't touched a cigarette since. My biggest obstacles was the cigarette with my coffe, the cigarette while on the phone, and the cigarette with a drink. So... I had my morning coffee in a totally different room than usual, if I had too, I drank it standing up... anything to break the "old familiar setting"... I cut my phone conversations down IMMENSELY for the first couple of months and I quit drinking (haven't had a drop since then)... It becomes a battle of wills and I wasn't going to let some stupid piece of papper stuffed with tobacco win. I will be here for you if you need me... JUST HOLLER!!

PS... I also sucked on alot of STRONG cough drops... that distracted me.

Love, Sharon

[Eileen]

You can feel free to contact me although I am not on during the week nights

I did not even quit smoking after my lobectomy in 2000! I quit but went right back

I quit so many time since then but they never lasted. I smoked two packs a day sometimes 3 on weekends

Finally this time, with the help of the patch and determination I am over 8 months smoke free!!!

I cannot lie, I still get cravings, but then I smell smoke on somone and I say no way!! It is such a sense of freedom when you finally do it.

Never never stop trying!!

You can do this!!!!

[Patti B]

Linda -

PM me whenever you need to!!! I will be there for you.

I quit when I was pregnant 16 years ago which made it a little bit easier since I was doing it for such a good reason. But you CAN do it, too. I too am afraid of what I have heard about Chantrix - have you checked into the patch, or maybe Zyban??

Good luck and keep in touch - I am home during the day so you can PM me!!

Hugs - Patti B.

[Linda661]

Thanks for all of your support. That's one awesome website KatieB and will help a lot. Probably will find out where there's local support group(s) as well: formal support groups generally don't work too well with me, but....never say never.

I'm aware of the FDA investigation on Chantix -- read it here first a bit ago from a RandyW post ; did more research on that issue and from what I can tell, it's got to be related to the use of nicotine as an anti-depressant by the body (so I've got to know what I'm going to do with that as anxiety/mild depression is already a factor in my life from what I see in me and I've already been making some life changes to cope).

I did discuss the FDA issue with my doc., but I've got to be frank.....I don't find that medicine provides near the information a patient really needs; nor do they have the time anymore to be like the oldtime "country doc" who was also more of a friend who seemed to care. I pretty much get cut off with my questions or they don't know and.....they've got to be sure to get in everything they want to lecture on (like that extra weight I put on from stress response during mom's dx and not much has come off yet ... life has still been stressful over the last year, but I'm now over the major hump of dealing with all that "new stuff" I had to do): I find it ridiculous to spend my office visit on obvious issues (which I had already talked to my doc. about in the past) that aren't related to what I'm in the office for.

My doc. doesn't appear to acknowledge all the side effects that are possible -- I already know what my friends went through and it wasn't serious (digestive stuff), just unpleasant and one of them told me what worked for her to get them to cease. My doc. did mention hearing of nightmares and changes in dream states, but she discounts that being from the drug....I don't, but we'll see: no one I know has reported this happening.

The anxiety and behavior changes potential is one reason my neighbor and I will be checking in with each other regularly....we know each other really well. And, I'm gutsy enough to haul myself or my neighbor to the ER if necessary or call 911 if I smell a serious problem -- life's just too precious.

OK that was a half a so-off-topic vent I suppose. Chantix is something I've wanted to use on this attempt for almost a year now -- if I have to switch to cold turkey or nicotine replacement along the way, that's fine. The key to me is to somehow return to that mentality of a never smoker (I swear it can be done).

Linda

[shirleyb]

Linda,

First off, congratulations on making the decision to quit.

I used the Chantix to quit. I know about all the reports of all the bad things that happen, but I also know how much it helped me. I had tried to quit so many times using everything out there on the market. When I tried the Chantix by day 5 I knew it was going to work. If you can do it without the nicotine replacements, I think you will do so much better. Try to break the addicition if you can.

I take anti-depressants to begin with, so the depression part was a non issue in that regard. I did have some of the stomach issues, but found that if I ate before taking the pills, it wasn't so bad. I also found that for some reason banana's helped the most all around. They settled the tummy, helped with the energy level, helped with the urges to eat the wrong things, helped to make me feel balanced all around. One or two a day worked best. When I didn't eat them, I felt off. Not sure just what it was about the banana's but that was the one food that seemed to have the most impact.

I only took the Chantix for 2 months but have not had a smoke since one week after starting it. I still have an urge once in a while but it lasts about as long as it takes to drink a glass of water then is gone.

I have not had a smoke in 5 months now.

So, best of luck in your change in habits. I wish you only success.

Shirleyb

[Don]

Congrats on quitting. You may want to start anti depressants to help. My wife and I both quit over 5 years ago (3 weeks before being told I had SCLC). I used the old fashion way. I sat down and said a prayer and promised God that I would quit and that I would not break this promise. During times of extreme urges I would say a prayer and relax in a form of meditation. I smoked 2 packs a day for 35 years and it was not easy but the rewards today are I feel great and food taste soooooooo good. Better to weigh a few extra pounds than the side effects from smoking.

God Bless

Don

[Bruce u]

Hi Linda

Sounds like you have lots of offer's to help but thought I would add my name to the list you can PM. I smoked 2 packs per day for 30 years. I had my last cigarette in September on the hospital steps going in for a lobectomy. I used nicotine patches for a month and haven't used anything since. The first few weeks I had cravings but they started getting further apart. Now it very seldom occur's to me.

[Linda661]

Thanks for all of the support gang -- everyone here is simply the best!

I did uncover a huge body of new evidence today that has me seriously considering not taking the Chantix. Much more serious side effects other than the behavior change stuff I already knew about, from folks who have taken it for months. A friend I know who works in a pharmacy has not encountered what I found today.

RandyW...if you want my links, I'll be happy to give them to you for your review to see if you think they are viable sources to post -- they are personal accounts of many folks who have taken the drug. I'm obviously looking at them for my personal information -- whether they pass the muster of enough public credibility for others.....that's a tough call for me to make -- the heart problem potential is important to me personally as my family has a history of heart issues even though I currently have none.

Anti-depressants are not an option for me. I've been down that road before and all they do is give me migraines (really fast too). Of all things, my doc. has me use melatonin for anxiety (when I remember to take it at nite during stressful times ).

Not to worry though, my quit date stands -- it just might be back to cold turkey, that's all .

Linda

[Connie B]

One thing you need to do when you quit smoking is change your life style. You need to get up and do the dishes right after eating rather then having a smoke. You need to keep your hands busy and your mind. The will to quit will get you though this.

My husband had a heart attack 7 months ago and that made him quit. I never harped on him, because I know how hard it is to quit. He hasn't had the urge to have a cigarette yet. He was a hard core smoker, as was I. You can do this. I use to smoke sometimes 2 to 3 packs aday.

Truth is, Mind over Matter DOES Matter!