Wish me luck......

[DianaB]

Paula, you're doing the right thing and for the right reasons!!! Your health is very important!! We're a pretty good at cheerleading on here so keep us posted on how you're doing!! Janet stopped smoking 2 or 3 years ago so I know that she'll understand exactly what you're going through!!!!

Three weeks is great and cutting back as much as you have!!! I'm cheering for you to go all the way!!!

[gja1000]

You go girl! You will feel so much better when you stop and so will your lungs! At 48 you can recover so much of the damage the past 30 years has done - you won't believe how much it can improve your health!

Like Betsi, I haven't ever smoked, so I don't know anything about quitting. Does your husband smoke? I hope not cuz they say it is harder when a spouse continues. But good luck! We are all here for you!

[paula1961]

Thank you all so much!! I should have posted about this sooner!! I knew that you all would be the best support system in the world I'll keep you posted! I know it's not going to be easy but I sure am gonna try! This time...it just seems different than other times when I would say that I needed to quit. I think the difference is that I never had gotten as sick as I got last winter and couldn't hardly catch my breath for about 3 months, it was a scary and horrible feeling.

Gayle........thankfully my husband does NOT smoke so we don't have that to contend with. He is my rock. He would like nothing better than for me to never smoke again. He is very supportive. He is the kind of person that will say what he thinks you should do for your health but he doesn't preach to me about it. I am very lucky to have him in my corner.

[Janet]

Paula.....I PROMISE YOU.....YOU WILL FEEL SOOOOO MUCH BETTER!!! I quit the last of August 2007...so it will be 3 years soon and I just can't believe the difference in how I feel. You just don't know until you quit....it truly is wonderful.

I started with Chantix too, but like you...I was sick in my stomach all the time. I got to looking in some of my bathroom drawers and found a couple of the patches I had left from the last time I tried to quit and they were just about to expire. So that night I put one on, the next night I put the other one on and haven't smoked since.

You can do this....and you WILL NOT REGRET IT sFun_cheerleader2.gif

[katcarasella]

Good for you Paula, I wish I had quit at your age...you can do it...
I used the Chantix as well, and it really does work, everytime I'd even though about a cigarette I'd get nauseated...you are more than half way there now.

My only suggestion would be to try to stay away from people that smoke right now, it's to easy to ask them for a ciggy when you get the urge...that was always my downfall...

Saying a prayer for you....

[Janet]

Kat I just love your avatar!!!


Paula...I also carry Tic Tacs with me at all times...even now. It just seems to help me. Some use gum, suckers, etc. I know you can do this.

[Lindsey]

Good luck Paula! My mom hasn't had a smoke since September and I think she still struggles with it sometimes but I am SO SO SO proud of her! It can be done and I'm sure you're a strong enough woman to get through it I was looking for things to encourage my mom to stay on the right track, so I thought I'd share them with you too

Smoking cessation timeline – the health benefits over time

* In 20 minutes, your blood pressure and pulse rate decrease, and the body temperature of your hands and feet increase.
* Carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. At 8 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood decreases to normal. With the decrease in carbon monoxide, your blood oxygen level increases to normal.
* At 24 hours, your risk of having a heart attack decreases.
* At 48 hours, nerve endings start to regrow and the ability to smell and taste is enhanced.
* Between 2 weeks and 3 months, your circulation improves, walking becomes easier and you don’t cough or wheeze as often. Phlegm production decreases. Within several months, you have significant improvement in lung function.
* In 1 to 9 months, coughs, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease as you continue to see significant improvement in lung function. Cilia, tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs, regain normal function.
* In 1 year, risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack is reduced to half that of a smoker.
* Between 5 and 15 years after quitting, your risk of having a stroke returns to that of a non-smoker.
* In 10 years, your risk of lung cancer drops. Additionally, your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decrease. Even after a decade of not smoking however, your risk of lung cancer remains higher than in people who have never smoked. Your risk of ulcer also decreases.
* In 15 years, your risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack in similar to that of people who have never smoked. The risk of death returns to nearly the level of a non-smoker.