Today I saw my general practitioner in the morning. She was very pleased with my smoking progress in such a short time. She thinks the pneumonia is better and to continue my healing there. I may bleed a little bit but it is the lungs clearing out the old and in with the new. If I bleed when coughing anymore than I have as in if the amount increases then I am to call right away. My lungs sounded clear, I am not short of breath and my heart rate was good. O2 sat at 97%. I told her about the Nicotrol inhaler and I am to stop that immediately as she also thinks that may have triggered a bit of blood in my cough after not coughing any blood for 3 days. The nicotrol inhaler said to inhale deeply and when I did that it hurt. I haven't even been inhaling the two cigs I have per day or the vape so I don't know why I followed the inhale instructions on the nicotrol inhaler. Nicotrol inhaler: not for me. It may work for others but not me. She okay'd the non-nicotine options that I have ordered like the flavored straws and toothpicks and just anything to change my thinking habits away from the actual cigarette. Again, I am only allowed 2 cigs/day if I just absolutely have to have it. I am going to try other tricks before I resort to that. I usually only give in after I have had the nagging thought for over an hour to have a cig, but I have to move past that, I know this.
She wants to put me on Chantix. I am good with that. I need to take something to get me over this last hurdle of 2 cigs/day. Today I smoked one around 11:30 am. I will get my prescription this evening. I am hoping this is the option that will help. I quit the vape as suggested here and she also said no no no to the vape. They just don't know enough about the vape to consider it safe and also she said people have had some bad lung changes due to vaping. So with much guidance and finally accepting, I say no to the vape. She said to continue the two cigs if I absolutely have to until I get on step two of Chantix. But no more than 2. Do not inhale, just mouth puff and that is what I have been doing. I am sure sitting with the cig that I do get some inhalation from the smoke around my head but I do have an air purifier right next to me so the smoke goes in that direction pretty quickly. I am trying to think of everything. She commended me from going from 30/day to 2 and said that it was remarkable and good. I agree.
I have follow up heart appointment on the 25th. I have to get an EGD and colonoscopy for follow up on my GERD and hiatal hernia. I tried to schedule but they are so busy at the hospital right now that they can't get me scheduled yet. The hospital is over-flowing with sick patients right now. A bit of everything is going around from covid to the different flus to heart issues etc. When I was there on the 3rd, a young man had broken his neck and I am curious as to what happened with him.
That is about all that is on my mind. I know some will disagree with my plan of action and that is okay. We are all different people with different mindsets and what works for one may not work for the other and vice versa. I reached out to her for help and this is what I am going to do next. I just know in my heart and for my health that I have to quit, period and I will get there someway, somehow. 🙂 I feel good. I lost 3kg since the hospital. That is good. I was 106.4 and now I am 103.2 kg. A step at a time.
