Smokers/ExSmokers

[minneman]

For you Smokers,Last Wed.Am I had a real I opener, 6:am sitting right here, cup of coffee, havin a smoke, reading the best fishin info around, I feel kinda clammy/hot. I reach up behind me to open the window. after opening I feel as tho I pulled a muscle in my chest. nothing major, just irratating, 10 min. later its more of a heavy feeling, I go lay down next to the wife to strech it off. NOT!
30 sec. of that I wake her with the Scarriest words to ever come out of my mouth.. "I think you should take me into the hospital, "I think im having a heart attack??"

With pain that feels like an elephant standing on my chest we get to emergency and although relieved to be there, I still am in pain. 2 little sprays of nitro and the pain is gone. the next day im shipped to Fargo for an angiogram, and ultimatly angioplasty and a stent for the blockage they found. lucky for me there was only minor damage to my heart, the blockage was not in a major artery.

Here is the thing, Im male, 42 yrs young, and there is no heart disease in the family, None. my Cholesteral level is 164, Im not over weight, 6'3" 205lbs, and am phisically active. My downfall is that ive Smoked for 26 years! !!Quit Now!!

Ex Smokers, please share with me the ways you found things to do to avoid the urge, I havent smoked since 6am wed. and am doing the patch, so far so good, but today I return to work (selfemployed const) and in this biz smoking is the norm. Yes, they will all get an earfull!!

Thanks for your time! I have a totaly new outlook on life now, and sharing this is part of it, hoping that atleast one of you great people will Kick it!! Ted

[Steve Bakken]

Hey, Paul,

I went through the same ordeal with my wife. Nobody was going to make her quit smoking except her. The best thing I did was to quit smoking myself. The first three months she was just waiting for me to cave in and start up again. Through it all she just kept puffing away. But I stuck it out and after a year she realized that I was going determined to do the right thing no matter what and she really respected that more than she'll ever admit. And you know what? Not much later she decided to quit and we've both been completely free for over a year and a half now. Set the example and don't let her see you give in and she just may suprise you. Good luck.

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Steve @ Bakken's Boat Shop www.bakkensboatshop.com

[irvingdog]

I'm looking out my home-office window as I speak, looking at my wife huddled over MY Heat-Buddy, smoking away.

She won't/can't smoke in the house. She quit while pregnant (I'll give her that one. Thanks honey!) But every night, off to the porch with a book, soda and some heaters.

Don't quit for anyone other than yourself, accept maybe the kids. They don't know any better. Maybe those around you will follow suit. But don't wait for it.......

[upnorth]

Way to go guys!!!

Hang in there even if the wifes don't come along right away, chances are they will follow when they are ready. The hard part is making the decision and it takes some people a bit longer to make it than others. Having a good example that it can be done sitting right there can push some people over the edge to the point of wanting to quit.

There are more than a few people in my family that still smoke, mother, sister, brother in law, even my adult kids. Making the decision to quit is very personal, you can't make for someone else. It is tough to see someone else smoking that you care for, but the best thing to do is be an example that it don't have to be that way.

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink.

[Guest]

Ok you people !! I'm not letting you off that easy ! Seems like this thread is slowing down a bit! We X-smokers want to help you Wanna-be X-smokers keep that Monkey off your back and out of your pocket !! Lets hear your success stories and your down falls !! I am here to help, I failed many times ! It took a the loss of a loved one to change me into an X-smoker !!

Been there, done that, never again !!

X-smoker !! 10 years plus !

Richard

[willowcat]

I started the patch and inhaler last saturday morning, I havent had a smoke since last Fri. night. The patch seems to curve the craveing but the inhaler has realy saved me. When I get a strong erge to smoke I puff on that thing for a while and the erge gos away. It's still hard but I'm on day 7 now, and I've come to far to give in.

[mistermom]

I got in the spirit of things and am now in the process of decaffeinating. I LOVE mountain dew. But I'm quitting to save my teeth. Anyway, caffeine for some reason is much harder for me than nicotine was. I had a bear of a headache last night; but I'm not giving in. I'm losing my last bad habit.... Well, the last one I'll talk publicly about.

mm

[Paul Rohweller]

Hang in there willowcat...
The first week or two kinda suck but it does get easier. Wish I woulda known about the inhaler. After awhile I got to thinkin about how i was gonna dump the patch, hate to get addicted to those things, might as well keep on smoking. I just quit using them cold turkey after about a week and a half. Cut the strings willow and just quit, you got it in ya, good luck and were all pullin for yaz!!!! Paul

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Paul Rohweller
Pine to Prairie Guide Service
218-962-3387 home
701-261-9525 cell
[email protected]
N.P.A.A. 425
Quality Bait and Tackle, Detroit Lakes Mn
www.scenictackle.com
North Country Outdoors Radio 99.3 fm
http://fishingminnesota.com/pinetoprairie

[wishing for walleyes]

Way to go willowcat.Day 16 here and going strong.Still getting strong cravings but they pass.Its in the mind now and i am determined.

[minneman]

Ill agree with Paul on the patches. they can be just as addictive. your cravings are obviuosly less noticable with the patch, but, you need to get it all out of your system at some point anyway. I wouldnt get too comfortable with any of the aids.
I went threw the entire 3 stages of patches, they do help at first, but now 2 mo.s after quiting, I noticed that there is very little diference between having one on and not having one on. so just dont kid your self, your strong, you can do it!!

[upnorth]

IMO if someone needs or just wants to use the patch or an inhaler to get through the difficult early days of quitting, do it. It will allow a person to deal with the 2 addictions of smoking seperatly. You 1st deal with the action of not putting those things in your mouth and sucking on them. And later, for me it was about a month, when you are used to that, you dump the nicotine patch too. And I used the patch that allowed the step down method so I could ween myself off of nictotine.

I say quitting is difficult enough, why make it harder on yourself You are doing something that will hopefully last a lifetime, and long one at that. So no need to rush things here. It is 1 one thing at time, 1 day at a time and if need be 1 moment at a time. Just make a decision and do it.

I have not smoked in over 6 yrs, so that method does work, it worked for me, but on the other hand it may not work for everyone. We are all different here and each person needs to figure out what will work for them.

No one who makes the decision to quit and follows through with it, whatever method they use will not regret it.

Boy I get wordy sometimes

Good luck to everyone who it giving up the habit

[Rick]

Regardless what method you use,

It WILL work if you are absolutely and irrevocably determined never to suck in on that round smelly brown thing - EVER.

[willowcat]

So far so good. I havn't given in and I dont plan on it. The one thing that's bothering me is for the last two days I've been coughing more and have some pain in my lungs. Is this normal to have after the first week of quiting?

[Rick]

Congrats willowcat,
it is part of the process. Your lungs start to clear out and the cilia that really keep your lungs clean start to grow back.

Just wait till you start feeling the extra energy in your system. Now that's a rush as well as breathing so much better.

[upnorth]

Willowcat,

It is very normal, it is the start of the lungs healing process. I started to get over that after a couple of weeks, my wife to a couple of months to clear out. Each person is a bit different.

I does get better as time goes on

[willowcat]

I just want to say thanks to every one for your support. The clinics have the 1-800 numbers but who needs them when you have Fishing Mn! No clinic can compare to this.

[mistermom]

EVERYBODY SING:

"Cigarettes are a scourge on the whole human race.
A man is a monkey with one in his face.
If you smoke them I'm tellin' you brother,
There's a fire on one end and a fool on the other!"

CHORUS: "Cigarettes and whiskey and wild, wild women
They'll drive you crazy. They'll drive you insane." (repeat chorus)

mm

[minneman]

Just thought Id pass this along for more incentive.

The Bill came today for my hospital stay and related heart attack issues, added together nearly $20000.00 yea, thats "twenty thousand dollars"

I have insurance, but what if you dont!??

Quit Now People!!

Get a jump on the Great American Smoke Out

[upnorth]

Mistermom, you have waaaay too much free time on your hands

[mistermom]

It would appear that I do. But that is a real song that I saw Peter Sellers perform on the Muppett Show, a very funny episode!

mm

[Paul Rohweller]

A 20k wakeup call eh? Kinda spendy. I hope I quit in time. How much of your heart trouble was cholesterol related? After my dads heart attack he had strict orders to cut the fat out of his diet. I think I should have followed suit.. He smoked a pack and a half of old fashioned pall malls a day. Your still too young to have to go thru what you did. Keep the faith folks!! Paul

------------------
Paul Rohweller
Pine to Prairie Guide Service
218-962-3387 home
701-261-9525 cell
[email protected]
N.P.A.A. 425
Quality Bait and Tackle, Detroit Lakes Mn
www.scenictackle.com
North Country Outdoors Radio 99.3 fm
http://fishingminnesota.com/pinetoprairie

[minneman]

Paul, my cholesteral was 180 something. I can say this however, one thing that was talked about by the Dr's a bit was stress and its effects, Im now thinking that this may have played a good part in this whole deal with my heart. since this happened i have had to try to minimize stress. being self employed and living in a household with 4 women, is tougher than I thought..

[upnorth]

Mistermom, I was giving you credit for coming up with the ditty. Kinda cool anyhow.

[Paul Rohweller]

Self employed? Stress? NAAAA.... lololol
I'm only semi self employed and I can feel it.
I can see your point tho.. Thank god for fishin...Paul

------------------
Paul Rohweller
Pine to Prairie Guide Service
218-962-3387 home
701-261-9525 cell
[email protected]
N.P.A.A. 425
Quality Bait and Tackle, Detroit Lakes Mn
www.scenictackle.com
North Country Outdoors Radio 99.3 fm
http://fishingminnesota.com/pinetoprairie

[fishface5]

Stress plus colesteral plus smoking plus regular over consumtion of adult bevereges plus relationships with the other halves plus Mc D's etc. etc. etc. = IV, EKG, O2, and maybe an ET tube and a shock or three (on a visit from me) $20,000. or more?!?! First step? STOP SMOKING!!!!!!!!

[mistermom]

BUMP! For those of you who caved and started smoking again I thought I'd put this back up to the top. You can do it!

mm