NEW QUITTER USING PATCH

[Deb-EX]

Hello!

 I'm NEW to the group, today I am 7 days smoke free using the Nicoderm patch. I have smoked about a pack (Plus) a day for probably 35 years and this is my 1st attempt EVER in quitting. This was not planned at all, I happened to get sick with a bad chest cold that wouldn't go away and something about the cough I got- scared me so bad, that I just went to our local CVS store, bought the patches, and QUIT then and there! I honestly didn't think I would last 2 days, so completing a week is way past my expectations & my 13 year old son is THRILLED. I don't see myself going back - I HATE IT!  Even with the patch, day 2 on are VERY hard. I feel out of sorts, my brain just isn't functioning, there are moments I can't even think... it's so odd. It's not even like I want to go out and smoke, I just don't think my brain knows how to handle the fact that I'm not smoking. The patch definitely works, but in all fairness - it only takes the edge off - you still have to put in the work to not light up again.  I like the fact that I can work on the mental part of the addiction FIRST which for me is more of WHY I was still smoking than anything - it's was my source of EVERYTHING!!! I will focus on the physical part later down the road when I have established a new cigarette free lifestyle - I'm a "one thing- at a time" kind of girl ! 

Anyway, I have been reading through so many great blogs- the support seems amazing and the advice is fantastic and uplifting. It's comforting to see I am not alone in my plight to quit this horrible habit. Day 8 here I come!! 🙂 

[Samsgurl2018]

Hi Deb-ex, as far as the nicotine patch, are you signed up with an excoach? The reason I'm saying this is because I got 4 weeks free. They mailed them and they're nicoderm patches. This helped so much and having a coach is awesome. I've gotten the same one and she's been wonderful. Tomorrow I can't wait to tell her I'm still smoke free after 30 days. 

I've also been the same way with my friends listening to them cough. I no longer cough like that and I'm slowly healing from being sick with bronchitis a couple of weeks ago. I've got a co-worker who is still smoking even after seeing me so sick coughing all day long. Mind you, she's 11 weeks pregnant! I can't get her to stop or read Allen Carr's book so this just breaks my heart she won't try. 

I do focus on myself staying quit because I know I have a long road ahead of me. I smoked for over 20 years and I know its going to take time to heal from all of that damage. Good for you for making the decision to quit. I know when I got sick this last time, it was really scary but it's different now that I'm no longer smoking. Keep up the good work. If you ever want to talk other than here, message me and I'll give you my number. I'll also tell you that Ellen elvan has been amazing for me. She was an inspiration to keep me on this smobriety! You do what's best for you. I stayed on 21mg for about a week and 14 for about two weeks. Now, I'm on 7mg and I plan on two more weeks. I've been experimenting with leaving the patch off as long as I can and I keep one with me. It's getting easier but I'm sticking with the patches to ease off the nicotine. If you didn't sign up with a coach, I believe it's on the main site. I'm also sticking with her for awhile. Anytime you need to vent, you know we're all here for you. Have a great night and happy Thanksgiving! 

Holly 

[elvan]

Deb-EX  and Samsgurl2018‌ I am here pretty much every day and I will support you in any way that I can.  I would not be where I am today if I had quit smoking when I was as young as you two are.  The psychological addiction is a bear and not of the Teddy kind.  We are used to stuffing our emotions down instead of accepting the fact that being sad or angry or stressed...are all okay...they really won't kill us and we will grow into the people we were supposed to be once we stop pushing everything down.  We might not like ourselves at the beginning but we are not used to ourselves yet...you can stop yourself from getting to where I am, I have learned so much about myself and my ability to deal with life on life's terms.  No more goopy sounding cough, I will never repair the damage I have done but I will not add to it.

Happy Thanksgiving, ladies, I am really glad that you are here and that you are supporting each other.

Ellen

[Deb-EX]

Good Morning Holly! Oh WOW thanks for the great TIP about the excoach and the possibility of free patches - that would be amazing! I just sent an e-mail, I'm not going to say NO to any additional help, like a coach :-))) OR FREE patches.  Oh and YES elvan (Ellen) omg has been such an inspiration to ME too over the last 12 days, I've told her as much, her past blogs are all ME... I could have wrote  them myself. 

This is my 1st week, that I haven't coughed in like a month! I just couldn't shake that disgusting cough for anything, and I tried everything. The only way was to throw out my pack of cigarettes & I am now seeing my first rewards. As we know, this is a one day at a time deal, one day (moment) I feel great, than there are those moments of complete CRANKINESS and my mind starts screaming - Go smoke a cigarette, that will make it better... NO. I come directly to this support group and start reading or commenting to try and help someone else that might be in the same spot as me. 

You dropped quickly to 14mg Wow, good for you!!! I don't feel that confident yet (yikes) not even close. I feel completely fragile right now with dealing with the whole mental part of the addiction.. so I will stick to the 21mg until I feel confident enough that I will make the next level down successfully. I have NO illusions about how mentally addicted I am and how I might fail if I push myself.

This morning I have my next weird change.. MY GUMS feel so TIGHT around my teeth... what is THAT all about?? LOLOL. 

Happy Friday to you and I am here if you need to VENT to me too.. It's so GREAT to have a place to do so. This is my safe place :-)))

[Samsgurl2018]

Hi Deb-ex, I know everyday something new happens because of getting all these toxins out. One day I feel pretty good and next day I'm tired and aggravated. I don't know about the whole gums thing. Lol I don't know if you experienced the chest tightening and cough up crud for a couple of weeks. That was rough but so far, no more nasty coughing. 

So, I talked to my ex coach tonight and I get the same one each time. She's awesome and gives great advice. She also got me another two weeks free of the 7mg patches. I told her that even though the smell of smoke makes me sick, I know evil nic can trick you so I'm using patches for a little while longer. I'm also on buproprion which I think is what makes me hate the smell. I have had thoughts of smoking just one but I've come too far and I'm not going to slip. I have to pull up my x-ray results to remind me to never smoke again. I also grab my adult coloring books and color to keep busy. I went online and printed cuss words and that was a great stress reliever. Lol we will see tomorrow if I can handle being around my friends that smoke. I'm pretty much done with smoking forever. I worry about slipping sometimes just because it was a habit. 

I am kind of staying close on here tonight because I got a little stressed and anxious about being around smokers for the first time tomorrow since I quit. But I got this and I will not give in. Hope you have a great night and your quit is still going strong 🙂

[Deb-EX]

So I just responded to your one month sobriety blog and you pretty much wrote here everything I was trying to say over in your blog..LOL LOL.

Yessss, my gums felt tight yesterday - like they were reattaching themselves around my teeth.. I have great teeth so far, so maybe the circulation thing in my mouth is starting.. who knows, from everything I've read we are all different and things happen at different stages. I do believe the first 2 weeks I had the tightening of the chest and the cough up crud part! So GROSS!!! Honestly, that just stopped maybe 4 days ago, finally. I mean that was so bad I did't even want to leave the house.. I wasn't coughing like that in the food store!! LOL. Yesterday was SUPER hard for me, I was so CRANKY and IRRITABLE I couldn't stand myself!! No reason why, just woke up that way and through out the day I had very strong cravings. This is my first experience with the cravings, it was very unexpected. We put up our Christmas decorations outside and I think I was just having flash-backs or thinking wow, this would be so much more fun if I had a cigarette - but I let the thoughts pass by, kept busy and I made it. I do not want to EVER go back to day one, so I will just do what I have to do to get through these days. I will NOT smoke.  Today, lucky for my husband and son I'm feeling ALOT better Haha.. I reached out to the EX-Coach too, I haven't been able to connect yet but I will try harder Monday when my boys are out of the house and I can have some privacy - I LOVE that this is available to EX smokers, because I think cigarette smoking just might be harder than quitting "DRUGS"...

So bottom line, my quit is still going STRONG!! I will say NOPE 100 times today - I will stay close to the website.

  Have a great day - and I will see you around later. Again, congrats on your 1 month.. that's really awesome!

[agthornton007]

Congratulations ! I also had a very bad scare that finally got me to stop puffing on the cancer stick I am now coming up for a year smoke free. I like you used the patch and they worked I only needed to use them for a week my mind was made up that this time I'm done smoking for ever! Keep pushing on you can do this it feels amazing day by day it gets better we are proud and happy for you 

[Deb-EX]

Hi, Nice to met you and a huge Congratulations to you on almost a YEAR!!! That's amazing and very inspiring. I will keep fighting the good fight every day, but like you my mind knows that even taking 1 puff is just not going to happen. I am NOT going to start over, I am going to keep pushing forward no matter what. I am so PROUD of myself for getting here day 13, and every day really is a celebration because 14 days ago I couldn't ever of imagined I would be 13 days smoke free :-)))) How things can change in an instant right!!! I'm staying close to the group and surrounding myself with positive non-smoking people... and keeping as busy as possible. I don't know how people gain weight when they first start there Quit, me I can't stop moving LOL.. but I will admit, the M&M's are disappearing rather quickly lately!! Thanks for dropping in and saying hello!

[elvan]

Deb-EX  and Samsgurl2018‌ I thank you both for the compliments and the mentions...every person here is trying to help and sometimes we connect with one person more than another, I am really happy to be helping you.  It has been said that there is no cookie cutter method to quit and I certainly have seen that here over and over again.  I would accept any help you can get...a coach, free patches...ANYTHING.  Of course, I am pretty partial to this site because it is what worked for me when nothing else did.  Who knew that education was so important?  Just kidding.

Best to both of you,

Ellen

[Deb-EX]

Agree 100% Ellen. As an example, your Bio spoke a thousand words to me.. I guess I saw your story in me, hence the connection that I never saw coming. There have been so many people that have welcomed me and I love reading everyone's blogs. I take ALL advice into consideration because "Knowledge IS Power" and I said the same thing - WHO KNEW! :-))))) My Quit has only brought positive into my life - well.... I will admit today I am a bit MOODY and EDGY - LOL. My husband and son are hiding!!! Hope your having a great day.

[elvan]

Yeah, my family hid a LOT at the beginning.  I'd like to think that they have grown as much as I have, in different ways.  They certainly think more about what they are saying and doing and the effect it might have on other people, not just me.  We are all going forward and GROWING forward.  

Have a lovely evening.  

Ellen