Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
"At 48 hours, nerve endings start to regrow and the ability to smell and taste is enhanced."
Quote:
Most symptoms last an average of one month, but hunger (due to the lack of increased blood glucose) and craving can last 6 months or more [10].
Emphasis mine.
Oh great. Six fricken months of this?! They say that the withdrawals peak at 24-48 hours. That's not even the case with me. I can do three days without feeling much of anything. By day four I'm starting to crave but can usually fight it off...until about the 7th or 8th day and THAT is when I really feel it. For me, it's the second week that was the hardest.
Nonetheless, thanks for the link. I especially liked reading some of the improvements in a short time and some of the longer term improvements. Especially the heart issues...there's stroke in my family history...
My blood pressure is already pretty low...wonder what it will be in a month after no smoking. They say "your blood pressure will drop"...but maybe it will be what I'm used to seeing since it says, "within 20 minutes" and I've had to wait longer than 20 minutes in doc offices.
I guess my senses have improved but I meant more along the lines of, I've always been able to smell the food or the laundry soap or the candles...it's just now it's not "deafened" by the smoke smell that hung over it. Wrong word, I'm tired...but you know what I mean?
Anyway, tomorrow I have to go for a physical for another job, (hey, until I've filled out a W-2, I'm not counting on a damn thing), and I have to pass a test for lung capacity, "in case I ever need to wear the respirator", (science job). So...this job it would be beneficial I don't smoke, either. (Plus can't smoke anywhere on the "campus".)
I'm going to get one of these two jobs...so it's time to quit.
If I don't get one of these two jobs...well, I got bigger things to worry about than smoking!
So glad you wrote that...I was reallllllllllllly craving. I just came on to CD and saw that. Exactly what I needed.
Today....
Had to go to another potential job site, (offered, still have to pass background check...I count on nothing until I'm signing a W-2, like I said), and take a physical.
Most of it was ridiculous, just a bunch of questions and taking blood pressure and all that. Could have saved them some money and just showed them the Dr's note I got for the other physical I took last week that I passed. They did pretty much the same stuff...blood pressure, temp, pulse, checked heart and lungs while deep breathing, some dexterity, reactions, etc.
There was one part that sucked, though. I had to "test" for the chance I would have to wear a respirator. (Which, we could have alleviated had we gone over the, "Are you allergic to anything" questions, first! Because, the only reason you wear a respirator is if you have allgeries...which I do not.)
Anyway, they had this little graph of a rocket on the ground and a moon in the sky. One is to blow in to the machine, like a breathalyzer looking thing, and make the rocket hit the moon, keep blowing out until the "bell" rings and then take a breath in, then you are done.
Well whatever! WHAT. EVER.
First time I did it, I misunderstood and thought I was done when the rocket hit the moon. When it did, I stopped. Fail. UGH.
Second time I did it, oh hello, I've only stopped smoking for a week...my lungs are NOT back to normal so I had already given it a hell of a good effort the first round. That round, I took in a huge breath, blew out and then, like wilted, pathetic balloons, my lungs said, "No more!" and I was wheezing trying to get that stupid rocket to hit the moon. I was totally running out of air and ready to pass out while the nurse kept saying, "Keep blowing out air, keep going, try to hit the moon!"
With what?!?!?! I had NO air in my lungs TO blow out. It's only been a fricken week.
Third try, same thing.
Fourth try, after getting some water, knowing it was "sink or swim" time, I gathered myself, pulled in the biggest breath my lungs would allow and blew the snot out of that damn rocket and crashed in to the moon as hard as I could and then beat the crap out of the moon until the bell went off. Took my breath in and forced myself not to throw that breathalyzer looking contraption against the wall.
Oh, I passed. With an A. Goody. Now that I am lightheaded.
Then the doc comes in, looks over my questions, is delighted when she sees I have no allergies and says that's good because that would be why anyone would have to wear a respirator.
Grrrrrrrr!!!!
Anyway, the drive there was horrendous. We had some snow last night. Thing is, by the time I left to do this thing, the snow on the roads was totally melted, there was no ice, too warm and it was just raining. People were driving like they were forging through a blizzard. I have no patience for stupid on the road and man, I wanted a smoke so bad....
On the way home was better. Didn't run in to morons until almost home.
I had some puffs today, sure but I did better than yesterday.
Yes, I still allow myself a puff or two here and there, about 4-5 puffs a day on average. Again, to me it is no different than someone using the gum, the nicotine candies, the e-cigs, or the patches. All of those still give you nicotine, they just wean you off, slowly. That's what I'm doing so I still count it as not smoking. I bet I'm getting less nicotine than if I used any of those other methods.
So...total cigarettes I have NOT smoked: 160
And it's officially one week.
What is a quitline?
A quitline is a tobacco cessation service available through a toll-free telephone number.
Quitlines are staffed by counselors trained specifically to help smokers quit. Today, telephone quitlines deliver information, advice, support, and referrals through 1-800-QUIT-NOW to tobacco users—regardless of their geographic location, race/ethnicity, or economic status—in all U.S. states. Do quitlines really help smokers quit?
Yes! Quitline callers are more likely to succeed than those who try to quit smoking on their own.
Not really a crisis line, but you may be able to find a local support group.
I don't know if this will help you at all or not but it's one of the better pieces I've seen as far as encouragement and help in handling the 'hard parts' New Page 1
I don't know if this will help you at all or not but it's one of the better pieces I've seen as far as encouragement and help in handling the 'hard parts' New Page 1
The power of positive thinking. I will bookmark this and look at if often, thank you.
Ok...I am going to admit...it would be so easy to lie and say I did well but I intend to be truthful because if someone comes along in the future, who is trying to quit, lying about failures will do them no good. I will be truthful so that they can see, even if they have a setback, as well, they can still continue on in their quest to completely stop smoking.
So...yah. I did NOT do good last night AT. ALL. I smoked five cigarettes. Yep. Massive failure. I just don't know wth...the first one I said, "I don't care anymore!" and made up a bunch of excuses why it was ok. The second one, I smoked a few puffs, put it out for a good hour and then said, "I want this! I don't care!" and smoked the rest of it.
It really was not a good night. I stayed up till 3am, reading all kinds of stuff on the web. WHY did I stay up so late? In case I wanted another cigarette! I'm serious. How stupid is that?!
The third, fourth and fifth ones I was telling myself to stop it, I really don't want to smoke, I can't, I need my lungs for this job. Seriously, stop smoking this. And I fought with myself on that because one side was being reasonable and the other side was not.
I didn't smoke as much as I used to but I still failed.
However, that was yesterday, today is a new day and today, I go back to how I was doing, which is, not smoking a fricken cigarette.
Got a phone call this morning. I officially got the job. I passed all of my background checks, fingerprints, etc. The job is mine, I begin next week.
I allowed myself to have one last cigarette. "This is it. There will be no more after this." And I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that is the truth.
This is the second week...I knew it was going to be hard. I've experienced this before. The difference is, in the past, I gave up when I had my failure and returned to being a full on smoker. This time, I'm fighting that.
Yes, I failed yesterday.
But that doesn't mean I give up trying to quit.
I'm not even starting the countdown over, I'm allowing the victories I did have, to count. I did not smoke in my car on those long drives I had to do. That is huge for me. It truly is. I did not smoke like a chimney on election night...boy did I want to...but I didn't. I did great for 4-5 days, really great.
I had a setback.
It doesn't mean I give up.
It just means that it's been over a week since I decided to try to kick this habit, and one day, I just didn't do very well at all. But the other days still count. Today counts. Tomorrow will count, too.
I'm not going to take this setback/failure and wear it like a badge like I have done in the past. I'm going to take this setback/failure and learn from it, fight it and continue on my journey to becoming a non smoker.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
