The Stop Smoking Megathread [ including Champix]

[Soozie]

welcome back to our senses - I like that djtuffcat, should be our motto

[djtuffcat]

welcome back to our senses - I like that djtuffcat, should be our motto

 

Haha, just need a team name now then!!!

[Oldshirty]

Hello, old and new quitters all!

 

Sorry I have been absent for a while. I thought that stopping thinking about smoking might stop me thinking about smoking, so I have been off the PC since I last posted.

 

My goodness—you have all been so busy :-)

 

Let me see…

 

TC, glad things are going well! You are doing brilliantly :-) I’m not halving my tablets but taking 2 x 0.5mg in the first part of the day. Maybe I should be taking the full 1mg tab at one go—it might help!

 

Tashant , you are really pulling through following our mutual ‘blip’ as well as you too, Raxs (not that you had a blip but that you are now stopped!). Well done! My quit counter says (on the basis of my prior smoking rate) that we are:

 

 

‘Free and Healing for Eight Days and 23 Hours, while extending our life expectancy 2 Days, by avoiding the use of 582 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost us £195.14’.

 

‘Go team chamquitters!’

 

I wish this made me feel better about the whole thing [and it should!] but somehow it doesn’t :-(

 

I am sooo jealous, Tashant—Salsa classes and Zumba! We have a leisure centre here that is closed for refurbishment until the end of March and lots of mountains to climb…that’s it... :-) I’m coming to Staffordshire…!

 

Good to hear that you are now in the ranks of the non-smoker Paddy! You sound positive and determined not to go back. I think you’re right that most of it is psychological. Reminding ourselves of the reasons why smoking is pointless is bound to help us on our way!

 

Soozie, lovely to hear your sense of smell is returning and that food tastes good again! That’s a week now! You must feel brilliant :-)

 

I’ll be honest folks—I truly feel as if someone has died and I am bereaving big-time. I have been watching this forum for a good few months now (and have read every last post) and everyone seems to have finally been positive about their champix-quitting experience. I would love to say the same but I can’t. This makes me think of three possible reasons: a) the tablets aren’t working, b) I have thought about it too long and have become immune to their effects or c) I don’t really want to give up right now.

 

I don’t know what the reason is, but I can’t go on like this. I am seeing the smoking cessation nurse tomorrow and if she can’t help me, I’ll consider ditching this attempt altogether and coming back to it when I’m allowed to start the tabs again. I need to be able to stop thinking of quitting smoking as a loss as opposed to an outright benefit. Sorry if I’m a disappointment to anyone…

 

Can any second-time-rounders explain to me why the first attempt wasn’t successful for them?!

 

Sorry to put a damper on all of these wonderful stories…for they are, indeed wonderful! Well done to all of you :-)

 

OS x

P.S Thanks for your words of encouragement, Scottf and Gemini. You are both inspirational :-)

P.P.S Yes, Tashant—I adore Queen!

P.P.P.S TC—What about ‘sensation seekers’ or maybe ‘sense and sense-recovery’?!

Edited February 23, 2011 by Oldshirty

[djtuffcat]

Hey OS

 

I'm liking Chamquitters, LOL!!!

 

Is it just the nausea that made you do your tabs in that way??? I'm not a morning person OS and I work shifts so I take my morning tablet between 11am-12pm cos that way it gives me time to wake up, have a brew, something to eat and then take my tablet. It means, after the 8 hour rule advice, I take my evening tablet between 7pm-8pm! So far, I've managed to deal with the nausea, I've not really suffered with it much!

As for the second time rounders advice, I really don't know!!!! Compared to last year i'm just finding it all a lot easier, but then like i've said before, I smoked a lot more last year! I think the focusing on the exercising has taken a lot of my thought time. I now feel guilty if I don't do my 30 mins a day (6 days a week mind, need a day off, haha)!!! I feel really good for it too!

But then I suppose everyone is differnet OS! Be honest with your quit nurse tomorrow and she what she says!!!

Let us know how you get on!!!

xgx

[Soozie]

Hi everyone,

 

Just over three weeks ago I had some terrible news from my brother, he was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour, at the time I was smoking and had just gone back on them after my typical January quit ! as the week went on the news got worse in that he was also diagnosed with lung cancer, they are not sure which is the primary cancer, irrelevant I suppose. He has been a heavy smoker for many years. Anyway he and his partner of 15 years decided it was time to get married, and as quickly as possible because it has to be in between treatments.

 

It was then I decided I must try to give up again and went straight on champix, apart from all the other terrible things going through my head I had this vision that we have all seen at weddings, once the ceremony is over the smokers are itching to get outside and have a puff they all light up together and there's a huge cloud of smoke, well I thought if I did that I really would be giving him a huge slap in the face. To cut a really long story short even though I wasn't ready to quit at that time I just felt I had to. My brother has got 6 to 12 months to live and he's only 48, he's being so positive and brave it breaks my heart, I don't know if I would be that strong.

 

I wasn't going to share this with you all but decided to for two reasons, the first being I do feel heaps better just from offloading (all be it to relative strangers) thankyou the second reason is that hopefully maybe just one of you will use this to keep motivated in your quit.

 

Today we have been frantically booking flights and accommodation and I really wanted a smoke, that's the first time this week I've had the 'wobble', but even though hubby was puffing away next to me I managed to resist

 

I have read this post so many times, I really hope I haven't upset anyone or even worse depressed any of you, I really am usually a very happy person it's just that the last three weeks have been very up and down ... here's to another happy smoke free day tomorrow !

[paddy8]

Hello all . I have now been a non-smoker for 5 days , nothing amazing has happened , i cant suddenly run a mile in 4 mins ( hee hee) but i have not needed to use the cash machine every day or stand in the cold looking & feeling a lil bit silly . I stilll think about smoking ,usually as soon as i get out of bed because that is when i used to light my first cig . Now i have bowl of cornflakes with my coffee instead of a cig so by the time i have had ate them the thought of smoking has gone and that is alll it is - a thought . I have smoked 30-40 a day for 31 years so i think it will be impossible for me to stop thinking about smoking . However when i do think about smoking i do not think " Ooh poor me , i wish i could have a cig ", instead i think - I used to smoke but i dont smoke now and im really glad that i dont HAVE to do it now " .

[ttdab]

Hi all well I am on day 9 and have had a couple of funny days not craving a cigarette but feeling really irratible:( I did feel like this last time but had really bad cravings as well. Also I could not sleep properly when taking 2x 1mg so now taking 1mg in the morning and 0.5mg later. My nurse agreed to this but does anyone know if my change in mood could be related to reducing my champix or just the way it is when you are giving up smoking:confused:

It seems a shame because was feeling really good anyway I am hoping that will sort out in a couple of days and the one big positive is that I am a non-smoker:D

[djtuffcat]

Soozie, that must of been really hard for you to sit and write that! I'm so sorry about your brother. Thank you for sharing it with us, it will certainly help me! Makes you realise how precious life is, and how precious the people in your life are. Your doing great too so well done!!!

 

Well done also Paddy and ttdab!!! As for the changable mood, I've had my crabby moments, especially in my 2nd week of not smoking but i'm calming down a bit now so maybe its a case of your body adjusting to both the tablets and quitting!!!

 

xgx

[Oldshirty]

Oh Soozie, you poor thing. You must be feeling devastated right now. I can only echo TC's comments when she says that she appreciates your sharing this information with us as well as putting things into perspective for us all. It definitely makes a difference in an anonymous setting like this, revealing feelings you wouldn't normally expose to those closest to you for fear of stirring up turbulent emotions in either yourself or the other person. Thanks for feeling that you can :-)

 

My step-dad died of cancer of the blood (myeloma) and although we weren't hugely close it was shocking and upsetting; so I can't even imagine what you are going through now... I am assuming your brother's prognosis (given primary and secondary tumours) isn't great? Is he on chemo or radio therapy?

 

I totally understand your motivation to quit, and like TC said, you are doing brilliantly, despite the 'wobbles'.

 

Don't worry about what you have written. We are all here to help one another--in whatever way seems fit. Please pass on our kind regards to your brother and I hope his wedding will be a day to remember--for all of you :-) My thoughts are with you...

 

Paddy & ttdab: you are both doing brilliantly (as are you TC). Keep it going guys :-) Paddy your attitude is 'spot on' :-))

 

OS x

P.S. Quit nurse off sick today so still (unhappily) smoke free :-)

[Oldshirty]

does anyone know if my change in mood could be related to reducing my champix or just the way it is when you are giving up smoking:confused:

 

I know that when I have forgotten any tablets, I have felt really down, although, I suspect you are right that stopping smoking also induces these feelings :-( I guess it's a trade off between sleeping well and feeling positive?!

 

It seems a shame because was feeling really good anyway I am hoping that will sort out in a couple of days and the one big positive is that I am a non-smoker:D

 

That's really great ttdab! Stick with it :-)

 

TC: 'Is it just the nausea that made you do your tabs in that way???' No--just the fear of it :-)) I have had only minor symptoms of nausea with champix. My philosophy when starting was: 'prevention is better than cure':-)

 

OS x

P.S. Team chamquitters...Are things okay for you?!