I'm celebrating Day 6 with a body scan; just taking note of changes and reactions. In meditation, which I'm just learning to do, body scans are a thing. The meditation facilitator will ask you to start with the top of your head and note any sensations: warmth, tingling, coolness, discomfort, lightness, heaviness, etc. The meditator is taught not to judge the sensation, but just to observe it.
FYI: I am never, ever able to note a sensation on the top of my head. I always feel like I'm failing Meditation 101 when I can't observe a sensation somewhere. Ha ha.
Here's my Day 6, Post-Smoking Body Scan:
Head: No headaches, except for that run-of-the-mill migraine on Day 2. I expected more headaches. Do they come later?
Face: Eyes have felt heavy this week. Some fatigue. It takes energy to resist, I guess.
Mouth / Throat: No issues with a dry mouth yet. Could be because there is always something in my mouth: mint, Werther's, gum, cough drop, water, etc. When did dry mouth hit for you? My mouth feels cleaner. As for throat, I just love that there is less STUFF in there trying to come up and out! I notice I'm clearing my throat a lot less often.
Chest: Oh my. I noticed a huge improvement in breathing as early as day 2! Minimal coughing. I can inhale much more deeply. No wheezing when I lie down at night. This is the area where I see and feel the biggest difference. Last night, I walked about 20 minutes, at a brisk pace, in pretty cold weather. Until the quit, cold always made me cough. Combined with exercise, it was a cough-fest. I didn't cough ONCE. HUGE incentive to keep it up!
Stomach, Etc.: Thank the stars, I have not experienced constipation yet. I remember how awful that was from a previous quit. Is it too early for me to experience that? I haven't observed that I'm hungry more often, but that may come later.
Back: All of my stress builds up in my upper back and shoulders, and that's definitely the case this week. They're tight as a drum. I have a good friend who does massage. I'll be seeing her March 23!
Lower Extremities: Not much to say about legs and feet, except that I'm on them more than usual. Even while I've had fatigue, I've also tried to stay busier. More walking, more errands, etc. I'm feeling it a little in my calves, but it's a good kind of discomfort. I'm working my muscles more than normal, and that's a good thing.
Other Sensations:
- Irritability has been minimal. Husband and kids agree.
- Concentration has definitely been a challenge. Difficult to focus. Short attention span.
- Hot flashes. Okay, I'm perimenopausal, but I wasn't having hot flashes until I quit on Tuesday. They come at night, while I'm sleeping.
- Joints: I'm having fewer issues with joint pain this week. I'm not sure if that's related or not. I have random joint pain, usually in feet, ankles, elbows, and wrists, that is new to me and may be related to the infusion therapy I get every 8 weeks. But, this week, I've barely noticed any pain--just modest pain in my left wrist.
I'd be so interested in hearing your body scans. How far out are you and what differences have you observed in various parts of your body? What changes help motivate you? Which ones are you still waiting for and looking forward to?
Have a beautiful Sunday! -- Dawn
