I have snuck in once in a while but I haven't spent much time here. I see a lot of new members and that is awesome!
I always think that I will come back here and write a blog that won't include a sad story. That won't be all about the worst that can happen. But, that is the reality of continuing to smoke.
So... Here I go again.
My best advice to a new quitter is realize it isn't easy. Nothing worth while ever is. If you want to quit then make a plan and quit. You have come to the best spot to do it. This site is full of support and information. At any given time all you have to do is come here and blog and ask for help. There are people here in all stages of their "quit". So, we can all share what has worked for us, what we would have done differently, and our advice to you.
Please get ready. Understand that there will be MOMENTS (not hours) that you want to give up. If you can get through that moment you have momentum to get through the next. Pretty soon those minutes become hours, days, weeks and months.
I quit cold turkey, June 4th 2009 @ 2:30 in the afternoon. I was 47 years old and went to the doctor to find out why I couldn't get over this spring cold I had caught. Well, the reason I wasn't getting over it was because, while making excuses for years about why I was out of breath or why I couldn't climb stairs I was ignoring all the signs. I didn't want to know. I didn't want to admit I damaged myself because that would mean I would have to quit smoking. How stupid is that? I would have rather smoked than admit I was doing unrepairable damage to myself.
Copd/Emhpysema does not sneak up on you. But it will effect most smokers at some time in their lives. It can show up years down the road. It goes undiagnosed because people like me don't want to admit there is a problem. We become very good hiders of being out of breath, of not being able to keep up or get over colds.
I am now on oxygen 24 hours a day. They have stages of Emphysema. There are 4 then the end stage. No one wants to hear "end stage". I am at 4. I have severe Emphysema. I am less than 50 years old and for the rest of my shortened life I will carry around a canister of O2. You've seen "those" people. You have looked at them and thought... That won't be me. That's what I said too.
I am not going to curl up and die. But I do struggle for air. And, for anyone who is unfamiliar with how it feels to be starved for air, let me see if I can explain it.
Have you ever been in a lake and dove down too far and ran out of air before you could reach the surface? Well, that is almost how it feels. Then add to that not being able to draw a breath in. So now you can't get air, but once you can... now plug your nose tightly and breath in and out through a straw. While you are struggling for air it is not so easy to force yourself to calm down enough to actually breath in and out. That is my reality. That is my future. And, it will get worse. Emphysema is a progressive disease. You can quit and stop yourself from damaging your lungs. But this illness spreads. Damged tissue will eventually damge the tissue around it... therefore spreading.
And, to top all this off. Your heart needs your lungs, you brain needs your lungs, your legs and feet need your lungs. Pretty much if the lungs go so do you.
I get up everyday and look for something positive. I have great days where my breathing isn't so bad (still with a cannula) and I can vacuum or go for a walk. It's those days that make the bad ones worth pushing through. I refuse to let cigarettes totally ruin my life. I have given them far too much. The rest or what is left of it is my time.
So... Look closely at those cigarettes. Is it worth it? How will YOU explain to your family that you have a disease that will force them to take care of you and eventually make life and death decisions for you?
