Quote:
Originally Posted by dog lover
Hi Pat,
I was thinking you were the one who had recently quit smoking. Congratulations!!! I so admire you. I have cut way down and already feel so much better. I am not waking up coughing and don't get nearly as winded when walking dogs. I think I am going to need the patches to be able to give them up totally. It is crazy but as long as I know I can have 1 or 2 a day I can make it. It is the fear of never having one again that I am struggling with. I know it sounds ridiculous but I DO want to quit I just have to get my mind to accept that I am giving them up for good. I smoke ultra light 100's and was smoking 1 pack a day. I have a couple of 21 mg patches. I may try half of one tomorrow and see how that works. I will go to Wal Mart and get some gum too. Thanks so much for the info. I had to laugh about you saying you still feel like you are missing a part of yourself. I soooo understand that!!! I may email you for a pep talk if I hit a rough spot. Just knowing others have made it helps so much. I am feeling so much better. I don't know if it is the Pred or cutting down so much on the cigarettes but I feel today like it will be worth it. As much as I hate to admit this over the weekend i was asking myself why I was putting myself through the misery of giving the cigarettes up when I was so sick and not enjoying my life anyway. Today I KNOW it can only help and I have to do everything in my power to help my body stay strong so I can fight these health issues.
Thanks again 
Kendra |
Hi Kendra,
I want to be totally honest with you. I tried it the first time with just smoking a cig hear and there, but it was the worst thing for me. It may work for you. I had to throw out all ash trays and have no sign of any cig packs in the house. I cut a 21mg patch in half, giving me 10.5mg of nicotine around the clock and chewed as many as 10 4mg pieced of nicorette gum when I had strong urges. You'd be surprised how the gum can cut that urge right out. Then like I said I cut the 21 patch into 3 strips of 7mg each, saving a lot of money and went to the 2mg gum. Two or three weeks on the 7mg patch and I stopped that. Now I've just been using the 2mg when I have a horrible craving and one piece will do the trick. From the time I started all this after my last cig, I had very few withdrawal symptoms...nothing I couldn't handle. So now I'm still chewing the gum when I really feel I need it. If I have to do this for another 6 months to keep from smoking, so be it. It' only 2mg with none of the chemicals, cancer causing agents, tar and so on. Eventually I will stop using it. I only chew it for about 5 minutes because my jaw gets tired. It's nice we have each other for support. We can do this! The benefits are so rewarding. Some of them take a while, but look how long we smoked for!
Congrats to us both!
It's one of the hardest things we'll ever have to do and the most rewarding!
Big Hugs,
Pat