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Share your quitting journey

The Journey

OldBones-Larry
9 10 102

Five Years, Eight Months, Twenty eight Days ago I began my personal journey to where I am today.

It began with being laid out on an OR table while a surgeon tried to fix what had happened to my body. He bypassed three blockages in my Coronary Arteries.

For ten hours a machine kept me alive while the doctor worked. I was on that table for twelve hours.

I can’t remember the next three days as I was placed in a chemical coma. ICU is a haze of rousing up and being suctioned and then slipping back into blackness.

I was transferred to the cardiac floor to continue recovery on the fourth day. I was there for another week. That was a time of lung rehab, stretching to prevent strictures, and walking up and down the halls. They also included several trips into the stairwell as I was living in an upstairs apartment.

I went home and was back within a day as I had Pneumonia. That was another weeklong stay to treat that.

One and a half days home and back again as they thought I was having a coronary.

Three days later I was able to come home and stay.       

I spent the first 30 days of my quit working to stay away from smoking on my own. I then found this site and was welcomed with open arms.

I soon had to move to a downstairs apartment as weakness, very low blood pressure, and shortness of breath from COPD took their toll on my body.

I have since developed an Aortic Aneurysm, Hiatus Hernia, Barrett's Esophagus, and other vascular problems.

Many of the elders worked patiently with me and helped me through the rough spots.

I now spend my time here trying to encourage new travelers across the first part of their journey and then across NML.

Each person here has their own story of their quit journey. Stay on the trail and you can write your own quit journey.

It is my deepest wish that you new quitters have done so in time to bypass the terrible results of sickorette use.

Travel safely my friends and always be wary of traps that can ruin your quit.

I leave you with the following thought ….

One step, and then another, will get you to where you want to be.

Larry the Caravan Master

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About the Author
I am a male that underwent coronary artery bypass X3 (triple) on 10/22/13 at the age of 55. I was living on about 20-30% of one coronary artery and my left heart output was only 20% to 25%. I spent a week in the hospital after surgery and went home. Then had to go back a day later for another week because I had pneumonia. Finally a few days because of a slight arythmia. All told it has been about 2 1/2 weeks. I am past the cravings by now and only have the urges to contend with. I really don't suggest that anyone quits smoking using this technique though. I'll have to carry the scars from that day for the rest of my life. The large one down the center of my chest, and the ones from several "silent" infarctions. I came that close to the next world. Never again will I subject my body to that (at one point in my life I was smoking 5 packs of cigarillos a day). I now have to say N.O.P.E. (Not One Puff Ever) every day of my life. TheOldGoat-Joan, I miss you terribly my friend. Elder Lists Guilia's: (/blogs/Giulia-blog/2017/06/18/elders-list-ao-december-7-2016 ) or Smorgy's (Chronological Elder List)