It was the Best of Times - It was the Worst of Times!

[Thomas3.20.2010]

I'm talking about March 14 - March 20, 2010! And no truer statement can be made! On March 14 I went to the Hospital with a temperature of 102! My teeth were clacking in my head. I radiated heat off my feverish body for yards. I was literally delerious and then I was given the news, "Your lungs are inflated." What do you mean, my lungs are inflated? How can that be and why? "You have Emphysema." That's not possible! I hardly smoke at all! "Emphysema is chronic, progressive and incurable." Whoa, hold on here! I haven't smoked that much!"If you don't quit smoking now you will get a lot worse very quickly."YIKES! I guess my smoking days are over! Smoking just isn't an option for me anymore!

On March 19th I took my last puff! I just couldn't make myself "waste" those cigs I already had! On March 20th I made the Best DECISION I had ever made in my entire life! FREE! ADDICTION FREE!!! Of course, I didn't know that! I wasn't all that happy about quitting but to me nothing is more disgusting than watching somebody on Oxygen smoke! That sure as heck wasn't gonna be me! Well. I also came to BecomeanEx that week and Read, Read, and Read some more and listened to the long timers to find out what they were doing right and I followed their lead! I was as surprised as anybody about how much easier my quit was than I thought it would be! It all had to do with the basic question. I know, you think the question is to smoke or not to smoke! NO! The question for me was, "Since smoking isn't an option then what can I do in this situation?" What can I do when I drink my coffee? What can I do when I'm driving to work? What can I do when it's break time? What can I do while I'm reading my favorite book? What can I do after dinner? etc.,etc.,etc...Before you know it, I found some AMAZING answers!!! I was transforming before my very eyes!!! I became stronger and more confident and more assertive than I ever imagined! And it just keeps getting better and better! WOW! If I had known that I sure as heck would have quit before I had COPD!!!! But regrets never help the situation! So I do my best to help others see what I see before they get the E-Word dropped in their laps! 

That's why I say that it was the Best of Times! Because the NEW Thomas was being formed by a simple DECISION! What to do instead! If I can do this you can too! And you will never ever regret THAT!

[Yaya2.6.10]

Great blog, Thomas.  It's been fun sharing the journey with you.

[KatherineF]

Some years before I quit I had to start smoking only outside and I couldn't smoke while I was doing everything like I did before.  that was harder than quitting!

[jody21]

And, it brought you here to help us 🙂  Thank you for all the time and work you put into teaching us and encouraging us.

[TheNewMe_Jo]

thanks for sharing........

[jojo_2-24-11]

Hi Thomas, I like your new avatar and wallpaper. Both parents and my brother were diagnosed with empysema, they all quit smoking the day of diagnosis. For me that was a remarkable task to accomplish, but as the years went on and I was still smoking I had plenty of time to ponder over the descruction I was doing to myself. It took quite a few years after them for me to get the courage up to actually do it and feel good in knowing it was good. Of course that was the addict in me that didn't want to let go. Had I not quit, I'm absolutely sure I would have done the same thing they did and with the same diagnosis.

[owlfeather]

Thank you Thomas....

[Bonnie11.3.2009]

So glad you found your way to EX!  So true, what you say, the question is, what to do instead.  By the grace of God and the help of everyone on EX, we learn some pretty fabulous things to do instead.

Making friends with you was one of the BEST!!!!

[Ex_Nancy]

Go figure Thomas....we didn't want to listen to anyone tell us to stop smoking our precious little cigarettes....we are such addicts.  😕