notsmokinjo

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SWITCHEROO ... Historic Mistakes & Accidents Decca Records - turned down the Beatles as "they were not sellable".

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-6

Hello fellow NOPErs lets see what is in the bag for today: Anisette Day - NOPE, that's just gross.. urgh licorice flavour I Forgot Day - NOPE, cos I might be a little bit late but I didn't forget UFO Day - NOPE, the probability that we are the only intelligent beings in the universe makes it a likely yep, but then there isn't that much evidence of intelligence here, so its a NOPE. NOPE ... cos nothing controls my life but me! TOPIC of the Day: Historic Mistakes

Well off to do a post in the health thread now I have let the cat out of the bag.

Thanks for your kind words and thoughts. I was going tp wait until Friday to do the big C announcement over in the health thread but thought you'd get more out of it now. I will look at your autoimmune protocol suggestions. Hoping they take me off the methotrexate on Friday but I am also on carbimazole for the thyroid which I will stay on until the surgery.

1. Do Not Be Sorry for having a pity party... you are entitled to it... you're hurt, you're in pain, you're scared (and you are entitled to be) and you are greiving... grieving the life you thought you had before the accident as opposed to what you had post appointment...after this stage you'll be in angry mode... that's a nice bit of fun too.. but for now you are in the pity party, woe is me which is part of acceptance and grief... you need to have this stage to get to the next one. So you whinge and whine as much as you want. Because its healthy and you wont end up having a breakdown on the kitchen floor because you're pretending everythings ok... Everything isn't OK... life has smacked you in the face with a cold fish... you are fully entitled to be hurt and sad and upset because it isn't fair. It sucks. 2. Hell yeah its better than smoking. Smoking is disgusting. Smoking is foolish, and we aren't foolish anymore.... and just think, if you smoke, you are going to be behind me in the quit and you'll have to follow behind me instead of leading my way. Getting it out is better and its healthy... get it out. Talk about it, yell about it, whinge and whine and moan about it... because keeping it in is toxic. You will cope a bit better each day.

OK... so me again, and I am only telling this story so you know you aren't alone and I'm not blowing smoke up ya arse... it will get better... just as its easier to quit the more knowledge you have, its easier to deal with medical issues if you know what they are talking about and how it can be improved... you know I've been having tests, and they say I have Graves disease and nodes... nodes are tumors I've been playing this shit down... I've been having biopsies and getting another opinion in the past few weeks... I have secondary tumors on one of my parathyroid glands and in at least 3 lymph glands. While going through all of this testing I was made redundant as my work closed down after 75 years. I finished up on Friday. So until I have the surgery, which I don't have a date for yet due to a few health reasons I can't really be looking for a job I have got two of the jobs I applied for before the diagnosis and have had to tell them about my health issues and they have withdrawn the offer (although one wants me to phone as soon as I am well and they will probably find something). On top of this I have been having low grade chemo (tablets) for the past month which have ulcerated my entire mouth and throat. The other medicine I am on to try and stop my thyroid producing too much thyroxin (which is affecting my heart) puts me on an 8 hour emotional roller coaster. So when I had the first "you have cancer" appointment the first thought I had was well fvck it lets get some smokes on the way home.... and I've had the thought multiple times since then.. on the days where the meds had me so low I was sitting in the corner of the kitchen crying because I had to go for a scan and that meant leaving the house and bad things happen if you leave the house. For days on end the only interaction beside my kid and ex was with people on here... I get the feeling, I get the why both... you know why bother... because I am fvcking proud I don't smoke any more... I love being a non-smoker.... I am wait listed for a surgery cancellation (instead of waiting another 3 months) because I am a non-smoker.... my recovery is going to be easier because I am a non-smoker... and yes things are stressful, and yes it sucks being me at the moment but I am not checking the clock every 15mins to see if its too soon to have another smoke... I am dealing with things in the here and now because I don't have to have a smoke before I can think about it. Smoking isn't going to change the diagnosis... it isn't going to cure the cancer... it certainly isn't going to help with the ulcers and the hair loss, that's started now too... smoking wont help any of that and it will just make me feel even more crap. When that voice tells you a smoke will make it better... whats the difference your life is shit... remember nicotine addiction will make your body feel more pain that it would otherwise to make you smoke... do you want more pain. You tell that voice to fvck off Givvy... you know its just spinning lies. Your life is not shit, you've just been diverted on a new life path... you'll make some accommodations and you will deal with it and you will deal with as a non-smoker because you are a non-smoker, you value and respect yourself too much to ever do that crap to yourself again because its going to help nothing.

OK... lets tell some stories... all about me, my favourite subject... but I am giving you the short version here... 3 years ago I had an accident on the softball diamond that involved me sliding into home and taking out both the catcher and landing badly, went into a spasm and ended up in an ambulance on the way to hospital. So I had been having shoulder pain for a while and just putting it down to getting old but it was referred pain from cervical osteophyts (bone spurs) at C5-6 impacting the nerves to my arm. It would flare then it would ease. So I have this accident, my muscles in my neck, back and shoulder go into spasm so sever that they couldn't straighten my neck even with traction. It took 2 weeks to get it straight. But all the tests showed up osteoarthritis in my neck, osteophytes on C4-5, C5-6 & C6-7 ... the issue was one of the C5-6 is like a large spear the pain I had been feeling was it knocking the nerve... so the accident showed 2 things, the nerve root (where the nerves for my arm exit the spin) had wrapped around the spur and when I had the accident/fall the osteophyte pierced the nerve root. I have had 4 surgeons look at my tests and none of them will operate. Physio is useless. I know eventually I will loose the use of my right hand, in time. My right middle finger and index finger are pretty much numb, I get tremors (although we think once we sort out the thyroid that should improve because that could be why I have tremors) my bycept has a large numb patch above the elbow. My thumb, index finger and shoulder are in pain most days. I get spasms and cramps that lock up the hand and arm on a bad day. I find it hard to paint anymore. I find it hard to decorate cakes now. I will never knit again. But its going ok. I have now come off Lyrica which I was on for the nerve pain. Since I quit smoking I haven't had to have diazapam for the muscle spasms... I've been able to ride them out. I am still playing softball but I have had to give up netball (too much chance of a heavy knock). When I was first diagnosed I was shattered. Now, not so much.. its just life. I have good days. I have bad days. I mangage the arthritis with natural means (ginger and diet). It will get better than now, you have fresh injuries and fresh scary news to deal with. It will get better. So the second story relates to one of my little cousins.... As a little kid he was hit by a car, he was in a coma... for ages...then one day he woke up... he learnt to walk again, he would fall over a fair bit but he was walking... just to be safe they re-did the xrays and scans... the poor bugger had learnt to walk again with a broken neck.... he had to have a crown of thorns and be in a wheelchair until his neck knitted... but he is now pushing 40, is a dad, has been around the world bushwalking and mountain climbing and is a fireman.... this is the kid who was never coming out of the coma, the kid who learnt to walk with a broken neck, who had to have the neck fixed and has lived with some neck pain since he was in primary school. Message of the story... nothing is impossible, set your mind to it, suck it up and you can do anything. If they suggest going to stay at a pain management centre do it... it is amazing the skills you can learn where you can get past nearly any pain with just your mind. Best life skills ever.

Oh Givvy don't .... its not going to help sweety. Having a smoke wont make it feel better, it wont change the news, it wont cure it, it wont make recovery quicker.... You know what having a smoke is going to do... its going to add to the crappy feelings. Its going to add to the negative emotions you are dealing with. I need to get this out and then a long post is coming chook. But please hang on, you are so proud of your quit. Everything always seems worse when you get swamped with medical jargon and an unexpected prognosis. I'm about to tell you some stories to give you some hope.. I did a lot of my nursing placements in orthopedics but coming from a huge (my dad is one of 18) family who are all sporty I know someone who had had nearly every illness or injury known to man. PM if you want.

FIzchick? ... gee I wonder mr braggy pants on your profile page? OK.... lets get this show on the road: 1 - I am cooking curried sausages for dinner 2 - I am cooking marninate chicken wings and drumettes for dinner 3 - I am cooking butter chicken for dinner

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Congratulations @Kevsfreedom for being 4 months smoke free. Well done on reaching four months of freedom Kev. It is great to see you back on the boards and we are all so proud of you keeping your Quit during your time away. What a great achievement. Make sure you take the time today to spoil yourself because you deserve it your 1/3 of the way to the Lido Deck.

Congratulations @Wren18 of being smoke free for 6 months. Its official, you are half way through the first year of freedom. You have become a 50%er. Well done Wren on having such a solid quit happening. Make sure you do something special to celebrate.

-4

3 is the lie

and out came some red fireworks cos you put in gunpowder and strontium chloride. i put in some oranges and lemons

1 um marmite is cacky... it is sweater than vegemite and has a different flavour and texture the only real similarity is the colour.

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2 and I eat my vegemite.

2... its cos I'm up so early