Welburtin is the same as Zyban, it helped folks that I knew. Took the desire out of smoking. The difficult task was getting over the oral what to do with the hands and mouth use to holding and drawing out...So, they would eat candies. Sugar free.

I hope that you can do it.
Also be careful in the future about adhesives. One thing that may not work for you are transdermal med's, and also bandage adhesives.

Di
PS: on incentive, the smoking robs the nerves of Oxygen.

I know all about the bad effects of smoking. I so wanted to be quit for good before my surgery, which I still have no date, so my recovery would be easier. I am still working on this, it's still early in the game....I guess I got frusterated at hurting again all of a sudden. It feels like I was just starting to get better control of my flares by "avoidance", then boom...one comes one. <----that sucks!!! I am not going to give up....I know I need to quit.
Thanks again,
Rach

Hey Rachel, Hi everyone..

Rachel, I smoke now and I am thinking of quitting to, but, the flare ups from stress and etc. is awful.. I had a flare up a few days ago where my shoulder was so tight that my whole right side just hurt !
I was just starting to feel al little better and like you said "Boom" something comes along to trigger a flare up. But, I know you can do it and I will to some time soon ! Keep your chin up !

Heheheh we could always do it together?? lol. I know what you are saying about the flare. Bloody Nasty. I wish my life was somewhat normal again. I am still trying to quit. I have had only 3 slips in 5 days. Now there are none here as I burnt the last of them in the fire last night. It's going to be one day at a time, however, I will not suffered if I don't have to.
Rach

Hey Rachel
Ya that is a good idea.. A friend of mine is trying the Nicorete gum.. so Iam watching her progress closely.. so far she says that is working but... she very moody !!!!! Keep up the good work and you will be smoke free very soon !

I bought the patch today, and am going full force on quitting starting tomorrow. I had quit for almost a year, and then my surgery date came, and all I wanted to have was a smoke to keep the jitters at bay. So here I am back at square one. The patch worked for me last time, so lets hope it works for me again.
Tracy

I was allergic to the patch, so I bought the losenges (sic) today. I have been doing well, but these losenges are suppose to make it so you hate the taste of smoke and it blocks the nicitine from getting into your body. Let's hope for the best. We can all enourage each other!!! hehehehe

Good luck to all of you - we're pulling for ya!

Hi Rachael, I'm Bigpede and fellow toser. I smoked for about 30 years and tried quiting several times but could never get past the withdrawls. I really wanted to quit smoking for the obvious health reasons and to see my children grow.I knew smoking would eventually kill me but I didnt have the will power to quit. In November of last year while seeing my pulmnologist [ <--spelling ?] He recommended I try a new drug called Chantix and perscribed it to me.You are supposed to start taking it 7 days before you are going to quit. So I did and as the week went by I gradually cut back on my smoking. By the 7th day I was down to 1 cigarette a couple hits here and there. On the eight day when I woke up I thought Today is the day I quit. And I did, the amazing part is that I have not had one single craving to smoke. The drug blocks nicotine's actions in the brain. I firmly beleive that if someone has even a small desire to quit this drug is the way to go. For someone who really wants to quit, the drug is a sure ticket to success. Never in my wildest dreams did I think quitting would be so easy. The drug is kind of expensive, $122.00 for a month and I took it for 2 months. At the price of cigarrettes however this was a small price to pay for quitting. Weather you are tring to quit for financial reasons or health reasons, try it, you won't regret it. Good Luck, Bigpede

hi, rachael, so good to see you and so sorry to hear about the flare you're in. my guess is it is totally related to your quit, but you already know that. the good news is, at least from a physical standpoint, you are already through the worst of it in terms of the nicotine leaving your body. it leaves fairly quickly.

it's the emotional part that makes it a struggle for so many of us. like bigpede, i was a hardcore smoker for over 30 years (i'm dating myself here, but that's OK - no one else will date me, hahaha). we subconsciously use those little cancer sticks to "stuff" down feelings; part of why nicotine is one of the most addictive substances in the world and why you are feeling so emotional right about now.

because stuff is coming up for you. and that tends to increase our perception of the pain in our bodies as well. oh, joy, what a mess, right? but hang in there, rachael, because this is one of the best decisions you can ever make in your lifetime. and you don't need to go through this alone.

you've gotten some excellent advice here. good for you for reaching out. you'd be surprised at how many chronic painers you'll meet, or just presurgery candidates even, in the online support groups on some of those quit sites like freedom from smoking, or why quit. I forget which is sponsored by the american lung association but all of the ones i used were excellent, free and fun! the old braintalk site still has a smoking and tobacco forum as well (contrary to a recent post, braintalk lives! check it out!).

dr. ahn gave me the best reason i ever heard to quit smoking. he told me it was adding to the ischemia and the rest of the sx of my TOS. (ischemia? it's a communist plot! i said...) ultimately this will help you to feel better, rach.

my PCP at the time rx'd the nicotrol inhalers, which got me used to not smoking without ever feeling "deprived." they're like little pacifiers, so perfect for this child - you load them up with cartridges containing a sweet-smelling dose of nicotine (i'm reminiscing here...). i used those for a couple few months, both before and after my surgery - but i am nothing but a big baby and like i said was a much, much heavier smoker than you.

and each one of us is so different. i had also been given some samples of wellbutrin but was lucky enough to be cautioned during a presurgical consult with a pain psychologist that, as that particular med can cause anxiety and i had plenty going already around the surgery it might be best not to add that rx i chose not to. i found out only this year that i have a horrible adverse reaction to wellbutrin and cannot take it at all, so that would have been an absolute disaster had i done so back in 2005 right before my rib resection. definitely would have ruined my quit, that i can tell you!

i am not familiar with chantix, so cannot comment there. i can only tell you my experience. i have been free of cigarettes since sept. 23, 2005, and i never thought i would be able to say that. never. ever.

i am very proud of you for doing this, rachael. there is support out there and you're going to need it. this is a hard thing but once you start to understand the emotional piece, and also some of the nutritional things you can to to counteract some of the tricks your brain will try to play on you (not to mention what your poor body is going through) it will not only start to make a lot more sense, it will be within your power to reach out and grab and oxygen-rich new life for yourself.

i wish you the very best in it!

alison