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Connect with others living with health conditions

Debs10
Member

Newbie

Hello Ex's! Today is my quit day. So far so good. I have had pneumonia this year. Last year at this.time, I was in the hospital with asthmatic bronchitis.  Not being able to breathe is so scary.

Has everyone.in this.group been diagnosed with COPD? 

Debs10

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7 Replies
Mommamich
Member

Welcome and congrats on day one = day WON. You can search the site for COPD info by clicking on the magnifying glass at the top and typing COPD. It will show you all the info that is posted on the subject. 

Debs10
Member

Thank you! Looking forward to being part of this . 

elvan
Member

Debs10  I have COPD...I had both upper lobes of my lungs surgically removed in November of 2015 to see if it would allow my less damaged lower lobes to move upward and to help me to breathe with less difficulty.  I am having a rough time right now...I am on oxygen at night but I am short of breath with any exertion.  I exercise regularly and I am trying to eat a healthier diet.  I am a retired RN but I can tell you that I have learned more from Thomas3.20.2010‌ than any training I ever got in school or in practice.  There is so much you can learn on this site from the tests to ask for to how to help yourself to slow or stop the progression of this miserable disease.

Welcome to EX...the keys to a successful quit are education, support, and commitment.  You can get the first two here...you have to bring the commitment with you.  Please pay attention to all that YoungAtHeart‌ has shared with you and stay close to the site.

Ellen

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

Lots of members of our community have been diagnosed with COPD.  I am sure they will be along shortly to encourage and welcome you.  In the meantime, I will give you some reading and prep work to do for your quit.

The most important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it  or at your local library. Here's a link to a video here on the site which describes nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.
 
 You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmoking.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site.
 
 After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort.  I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another.  I do not recommend the e-cigarette for three reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion, and 3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire. . But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.
 
The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
 
You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
 https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...


The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.
 
Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!


 Nancy

Debs10‌ This is an open group where everybody is welcome to comment and share. Some folks who have contributed have tales of loved ones who have COPD, some are curious, and many of us have COPD. That being said COPD is an umbrella term like Cancer - each of us that have been diagnosed and an equal number who have yet to be diagnosed has their own type of COPD. You mentioned asthma. Folks with asthma and COPd have a special kind of COPD call ACOS.

Asthma–chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap syndrome (ACOS) is a commonly encountered yet loosely defined clinical entity. ACOS accounts for approximately 15–25% of the obstructive airway diseases and patients experience worse outcomes compared with asthma or COPD alone. Patients with ACOS have the combined risk factors of smoking and atopy, are generally younger than patients with COPD and experience acute exacerbations with higher frequency and greater severity than lone COPD. Pharmacotherapeutic considerations require an integrated approach, first to identify the relevant clinical phenotype(s), then to determine the best available therapy.

Ask your pulmonologist about your specific illness and best treatments. Don't hesitate to get a second opinion. Most important of all - stay Smoke FREE!

maryfreecig
Member

Welcome to Ex!

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Barbscloud
Member

Welcome to the Ex.   Congrats on your first day won!   Stay close and read, read, read.  If you need help, reach out 

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