JB 883

How did they diagnose this? Were you sick or having other unexplained symptoms and they found that? Without getting too long into it, I think doctors will tell people about anything just to get them on meds. Isn't like the good ol days when if you didn't smoke, drink, drugs, ate healthy, and exercised, they would give you a clean bill of health. No, today they WILL find something just to upsell meds. Perhaps a second opinion is in order?

Yeah, I think exercise sub-forums are often quiet. My job is physical, moving stuff a lot and walking around a lot. Dodging the boss helps with reflexes. If it were not for my job, I would be in no shape to exercise. After i quit smoking my sense of smell and taste changed a bit and then again when I got sick because of a skin infection. Soda didn't taste the same so I pretty much dropped those. Milk started tasting good again. Candy bars started tasting super gross all the sudden so I dropped those and replaced it with apples and oranges. Yeah I know those have a lot of sugar but screw it. What the hell am I suppose to eat? Raw broccoli? For Tracey - Any sort of exercise you do is going to help. Especially walking dogs. They are constantly pulling faster than one cares to walk or run, plus having to jerk them away when they attempt to sniff someone's crotch, etc. You are no slouch

Some of those are side effects of quitting smoking. What you describe though sounds extreme. You are probably going to have to see a doctor about this though. Five years seems a while to be sick. Has your illness hurt worse since quitting? About the first three days quit - supposedly those are the hardest but I imagine that is wishful thinking of a lot of brand new quitters. My worst days didn't come til a couple weeks into it. I understand about losing a parent or loved one. That grief can go on for months. So what you can do for now to address the smoking issue - first, do not have any smokes handy and try to get rid of other temptations like having ash trays around. Try to remember that buying them is NOT going to help your money problems. Plus, even if smoking would temporarily mask whatever pain you have, eventually you would have to "pay the piper" for smoking. There are a few here who have experienced that. Like the doctor telling them, "Quit or die".

Good job!. It sounds like you would not have time for a smoke even if you wanted to. Being busy does help with not feeding bad habits of course. You and I quit only a day apart, seems kind of hard to believe at this point. We got it licked though. You know though, the only downside of quitting is at certain time increments, we have to suffer that photo of Bakon enjoying the weekend. I bet intimacy with THAT would be so good that even the neighbors would need a cigarette after. Oh dear gyod... Anyways, keep it up

Some pledge "NOPE" in the morning or when a crave hits. My saying "Go back to hell and starve some more", talking to those needy nicotine receptors. I delight in their starvation. Weird thing is that it doesn't even translate to ME suffering. Like they are becoming a separate entity. So a couple days ago I told one of my co-workers that I had been quit for two months. he gave a thumbs up and said, "You got it beat now". He is also a former smoker but dropped the habit umpteen years ago. He was going to have some kind of oral surgery and the doc said, "I need you to not smoke for five days". He said his heart dropped to the floor. But ultimately he figured if he could go five days, then why not the rest of his life without smoking. Remember how I have mentioned that I wanted to quit on MY terms instead of something stupid where i was forced to quit? yeah. So last night during my ridiculously long slumber, I had a dream that I wanted to smoke. I was getting ready to go buy some. But at some point in the dream, I thought, "No, I have not smoked for this long, exactly two months, why ruin it?" For those new in quitting - even as little as two months in, well really even ONE month, the cravings and desire to smoke just are not as strong. yeah you think about it a lot but since the cravings are not screaming (like the first few days) it is easier to rethink the decision instead of at first where it is like "OK I will smoke, just quit pestering me" (talking to nicotine receptors) AND as a side effect - your sense of smell and taste do come back and things smell and taste different. Not til I quit smoking (and got sick from something unrelated to smoking) did I realize just how disgusting candy and soda really is. I think the best part is waking up with Folgers in my cup in the morning and my mouth does not taste like I ate a poop sandwich. Second best is going to bed and not having to cough several times so my lungs will quit rattling. But what about those poor nicotine receptors of us quitters? Even in dreams they are sometimes being deprived! Doesn't anyone feel bad for them? Are we just going to tell them to go back to hell and starve some more? They are wasting away! Someone quick, break out the Sarah Mclachlan songs!

Bakon, is that you, you sexy bitch?

Steely, he screws with you and the cops show up, he may or may not listen but will be taking a ride to the local lock-up. Most men do not put up with other men harassing women. If he is so scary then he should not mind being locked up with the rest of the bad guys in town. Of course one should not use things as a reason to smoke but as far as the situation with the neighbor - I am not sure why I am the only one concerned about that.

Thank you. Kind of hard to think it has been two months. Making it a year won't be a problem, I have no plans or desire to smoke.

Sounds like there is a bigger problem here than losing a "quit". About this neighbor... so It does not say if you are a man or woman but in each case - If you are a woman and some male (who is not a boyfriend or husband) is being abusive, there are plenty of men that would be willing to beat his ass. If the guy hits you, he goes to jail. The man always goes to jail in cases like that. If you are a man, it may be time to take some action. At the very least, stand up to the son of a bitch. You or someone needs to put their foot down like immediately or he is just going to keep acting however he does. There is often a concern about things escalating if someone stands up to an a-hole but more often than not, the bully backs down.

So you thought of smoking but didn't? So it was like "I feel like a smoke, I better post about it beforehand" then just never lit up? Kind of funny in a way. It reminds me of people who talk about doing good things but never follow through. At least in this case, you didn't follow through with a bad choice (smoking). If someone has not smoked in six years, what would even possess them to think about it? Is it like, "Shoot, life is stressful, I better light up a smoke so my problem will go away". I have a friend who had quit smoking (weed AND tobacco) but things in life got stressful. So she went back to doing BOTH. It was a sad sight being over there and here she is complaining about her problems (which she brought on herself) while smoking a joint and cigarette at the same time. Just try not to be that person who thinks a smoke or other addiction will help anything.

Steely, that does come up sometimes about health anxiety. It does seem fairly normal. When we decide to quit, one common reason is we finally decide to quit killing ourselves. At that point we may start to worry, "Just how much damage have i done so far?" Kind of like how someone with a ton of debt doesn't even pay attention to how much they owe until they decide they want to pay off that debt. THEN it is like, "OK, how bad did I mess up here exactly?" But yeah, stick with quitting because even though you may feel tired, irritable, appetite and even restroom habits do weird things, it does pass. For me, it took about a month before it was totally normal again.

That is in fact, true. You see, he is moving house next weekend. I am feeling rather generous so I would love nothing more than to volunteer Colleen's services to go help move.

In the first photo we see someone buying lottery tickets. In the second one someone is buying cigarettes to smoke. Both images are similar but just so you could compare. So to complete Doreen's statement, smoking is so... Expensive

I was about to post something similar to what reciprocity just did. I want to look as sexy as that horrific beast which is why I keep smoking. Alright, kidding, no I did not pick it back up. I decided to trade my good looks for health. Even that lung health org says it is glamorous though

I had the wrong idea. I thought this forum was to tease the one they call "Bakon". But then someone mentioned trying to quit smoking. I thought, "Well, that is a tangent from the main point of this place, yes?" Then it got mentioned a few times. I thought, "well I just gave it up myself early October. Maybe I can join the chat." The reason I am here - I followed a friend here (though she is presently MIA) but stayed for the mostly light-hearted chat. I am still not sure if this is mainly a "quit smoking board" or a "poke good fun at each other board" but either way who wouldn't enjoy it? But anyways - I am not planning on taking up smoking again as there is NO reason to. I gave away my cigarette rolling machine and I am not about to go pay $5 a pack for some stupid nasty cancer sticks. So yeah, being on board for a year is but the beginning. Coming up on two months quit, the desire to smoke has faded to a faint background noise a couple times a day and lasts maybe two seconds. I shall be here.

Three in a day is not a high volume to smoke, unlike regulars who go through about a pack. I was using three a day for four days before i quit. So tomorrow, just use none. If you can manage to keep it down to three, then using none is not that much harder. Just try not to light up that first one when you wake up. That will set the day of wanting more if you light up. In other words - it will make the craving worse than if you left it alone. Many have quit successfully, you can too.

So for about a week and a half, I have been dealing with a pretty unpleasant ailment, cellulitis on my lower left leg. Not only does it hurt and look grotesque, but I have stomach aches come and go, my appetite is all over the place, it just sucks. BTW for those who do not know - cellulitis is NOT the same as cellulite. One makes you cringe when wearing a swimsuit, the other can kill you if left untreated. So I am on antibiotics... It is a staph infect, not sure HOW I caught it, probably got cut scraped on something at work and never even noticed. It ain't fun. Or as Yoda might say, "House always polyester fun isn't darndest ain't" or whatever that green thing says. OK hang on, this is going somewhere... quit sighing and groaning like that... So last night, I dreamed I was in some tobacco factory or something, people I knew all around smoking, filling up boxes with tobacco, just a free for all. And I thought, "Why not, I can smoke one. I am here, the time is good, and hopefully it won't lead to relapse". So of course I smoked not one puff but a whole rolled cigarette. In the dream I felt guilty. I was thinking of how I would have to admit I gave in to the nasty crave of a cancer stick. But for some reason, I kept filling my old black plastic cigarette box with more. yeah I used to carry my cigs in some thick plastic cancer stick box. And then I woke up. Being in my 1/2 sleep state still (like the last 10 days) I was there thinking, "Did I really smoke? If so, do I have to go thru withdraws again? Over ONE damn ciggy?" And I started getting mad. One of two things had happened but being 1/2 awake I still wasn't sure. Either I had smoked or I had been tricked into thinking i had smoked. Either way, my brain was LIEING to me! About something I do not like to joke about. OH that is REAL cute, brain. Wait til I donate your sorry ass to science, THEN we will see who the funny one is. Oh yes brain. Nope, no trying to BS your way out NOW... Eventually I came to. I think about the time I tried to stand up and my left leg started screaming in pain. That will terrify you into wake faster than if the Burger King mascot were standing in your room with a bottle of "special" oil. But the thing is, I didn't even want a cigarette. so WHY did I dream about that when I could stand next to the Almighty and safely declare I have no desire to cancer up? I gave up Oct 6th. I have NOT lit one up since. Get over it, brain, your dim-witted butt isn't getting a smoke. Smoking nightmares when I am already going thru a bit of a rough patch with my sexy cellulitis, not being able to put in the OT at work like I kind of need to, and Thanksgiving FLAT ruined. I was in the hospital that day. Five different people asking the same questions. Only ONE asked if I smoked. I wanted to brag. I wanted the WHOLE building to stand and cheer because I quit. But there IS good news. No not insurance saving. BUT - that 12 days of Xmas song. Let us be glad it is not 100 days of Christmas. Nevermind me right now.

(sorry I goofed, I am an idiot But here is the fixed version) ...Inquire if he should take part in the women's right's movement. But then some Elvis impersonator came by and...

I don't think anyone would mind you being here. You are not even close to the first one here to have relapse, struggles with Quit, etc. Tyme, I did not know you used to be in medical or some sector of caregiving. I guess things we do most of our lives, we cannot just stop on a dime. We cannot escape who we are, what we do. Duty calls, we answer. I never was a caregiver to any capacity but things I am good at, cannot avoid. I guess the best you can do is put together a battle plan. If nothing else, give yourself some credit for what cigarettes you DID avoid during the attempted quits.

...ponder if he should take part in the women's right's movement. But then some Elvis impersonator came by and...

Right on! If anyone "hogged" all the smokes, at least you can say it wasn't you. OK well, so much for my attempt at humor. So... Just wanted to say "Good job" and stuff.

Pity smokers. I kind of feel at that stage even right now, little over seven weeks in. Too early?

...finding Bakon a place to live other than our couch. He lays around all day watching The Rifleman reruns while...

Tyme2B - I might be going against the grain by saying this but - if that is typical behavior from mom, being able to concentrate on something as challenging as a quit would be even harder. I am not going to sit here and lecture. I would say your smoking habit is probably one of your lesser problems right now. You gotta figure out some way to handle mom. May have to cut contact, report her suicide threats, just whatever. Put your god damn foot down. I know she is probably older and isn't likely to change but you cannot subject yourself to this if you want a healthy life. This goes far beyond whether or not you smoke. Our health is more than being a smoker or non-smoker. It is the people or situations we have to deal with. What do I know? Not quit first hand like you do but if my step-dad were given the chance, he would probably act the same way with me. I have NO contact. Quitting, as we all know, is much more than just putting down that pack. We have to clear some obstacles before and during. For some, the quit path may be a walk in the park (as much as quitting CAN be) but for others, it is like trying to drudge one's way through a destroyed alley. Sounds like Tyme2B is in the "alley". Yeah but you NEED to do something about your mom. Most people do not regret getting "difficult" relatives out of their lives. Even if you do manage to put away the smokes, she is ruining other areas of your life.