The Giving Up Smoking Thread!! Part 2

oldreekie

choillie ! So pleased to hear from you - it has been ages since you popped in to give us an update. Life takes over and all the initial angst just becomes a memory - yes?

I hope you are having a wonderful summer and that the house is "growing".

sheldon08

Day Five:dance:

Cigarettes are not at the front of my brain any more:T

choille

choillie ! So pleased to hear from you - it has been ages since you popped in to give us an update. Life takes over and all the initial angst just becomes a memory - yes?

I hope you are having a wonderful summer and that the house is "growing".

Great to hear from you Old Reekie - the house is growing. It is easier everyday & the cravings hardly there even though I've had a few hurdles to climb over & all sorts of things going wrong.
I'm getting teeth out every few weeks & that is my smoking legacy. I've had so many abcesses. It's not been nice & I still have a 'funny throat'.
How on earth did I afford to smoke all those years?
And why did I smoke.....well we all get caught up in it I suppose.....
Unfortunately I haven't put the money aside as things have been very tight, but as soon as work things get on an even keel I'm going to have a treat as I really feel I deserve one.
Hope you are well & all the very best.

dazco

Day three of the Champix. I find myself saying "oop, cigarette time" but my hand does not reach out for the packet. My body overrules my mind, amazing. And I am still on the lowest dose, it doubles tomorrow.

Downsides? These tablets knock me out. They make my eyelids so heavy that a nap is inevitable, but 15 minutes is all I need to feel normal again. And my nap dreams are pretty bloody vivid, this afternoon I had to hook my fingers into a mans eyesockets to escape from him as he tried to kidnap me while I was on my way to the England match in South Africa.

choille

dazco - dreams are vivid on the Champix. After I doubled the dose I couldn't sleep after a few days - so watch any unusual symptoms & tell your Doc/smoking cessation person.

I took the Champix fopr a fortnight & then stopped smoking as planned, but I had to stop the tablets after a few weeks coz of side effects yet I'm still smoke free since the 14th Feb - so you can do it too & it gets better & easier all the time.
All the best.

oldreekie

Hello again choillie, yes ! the teeth ! a lasting legacy. So many of mine are loose and, to prevent further "rot", I have weeks of peridontal deep cleaning to look forward to :eek:. Were I still smoking, I am not too sure that this procedure would be offered. So, another incentive not to start again.

I do wish that my GP had given me Champix as by now I would be nicotine free. I rely on the lozenges much to much and have been trying for the last month to find some support but the Stop Smoking councellors do not return my calls.

Have to say that I have not needed a councellor to make me realise that smoking helped me accept certain aspects of my life that I now find unacceptable!! Now, I have empathy for drug addicts and alcoholics - thank goodness I cannot drink alcohol! And too conservative (small "c") - to have ever tried the other option:)

dazco - how did South Africa look in your dream? Has it changed much since I was there You are doing sooooooooo well.

choille

You're doing great Oldreekie & good that your teeth can be saved - most of mine, nearly all of them are beyound redemtion - well the teeth are okay but the gums have got to go! Have in fact went. Gums have receeded so much that the teeth are almost falling out - a back one did over Xmas. Yet my remeining teeth are not rotten.

I use sugar free gum & Fisherman's Friends I have been grumpy & angsty but have been mindful of where the feelings stem from & just that being aware of how powerful a drug & what a big part of my life it's been helps.

Always be on guard & always be aware of the'only one won't hurt' bullocks. I don't want to have to go through this again so I can't smoke again.
I don't actaully miss them that often & when I get a crave it's gone nearly as soon as I recognise it for what it is.
I was at a friend's yesterday that smokes & I am always on my toes with them now as I know they 'sort of miss me not smokeing' if that makes sense. And that is what you have to watch really, but apart from that it's now a cruise in a way.
All the very best.

oldreekie

choille wrote: »

You're doing great Oldreekie & good that your teeth can be saved - most of mine, nearly all of them are beyound redemtion - well the teeth are okay but the gums have got to go! Have in fact went. Gums have receeded so much that the teeth are almost falling out - a back one did over Xmas. Yet my remeining teeth are not rotten.

I use sugar free gum & Fisherman's Friends I have been grumpy & angsty but have been mindful of where the feelings stem from & just that being aware of how powerful a drug & what a big part of my life it's been helps.

Not sure about the "doing great" part - well, not all the time.

My gums have almost "went" I have lost so many teeth that I refuse to smile! Hopefully, this treatment will keep the remainder going a bit longer but they are very wobbly and I certainly could not chew gum!! Xylitol toothpaste & mouthwashes have done much to whiten my teeth, clear the plaque and fight the bacteria.

Maybe we should start a support thread for ex-smokers with dental problems:D

choille

Yes the dental stuff that you don't really realise until it's too late - well at least I didn't.

I've found that although I've had rather a load of nasty stuff to contend with I've managed to say to myself, 'Would buying a packet of fags help me feel better. No.'

I am lucky in that I don't live near shops & only go out occasionally - how sad is that? But it does makes it easier. Also the fact I can pat myself on the back through all the stress & angst of stuff. It is an achievement and one that does get easier & also it means that we have more strength than we have given ourselves credit for.
See us - eh..?
we are strong....
All the best.

Thrifty_Pixie

oldreekie wrote: »

Hello Thrifty Pixie - could this be what you are looking for?

http://www.quitsmokingcounter.com/your-quit-smoking-counter/

You mentioned that you would be using patches etc - the producers have online programmes with very good support, text messages and counters. I found Activestop to be the best.

Best wishes for Monday :T:T

Yes! Thank you