PeaceTrain

Woo HOO! Congratulations!

Wow! 11 months is fantastic! Wondering how you feel close to the 1 year mark...?

Good job, Raidermom! Hope you're feeling happy and proud of this great accomplishment!

Bolero Aardvark

-9

Collar

-7

-3

-2

You're an inspiration! Thanks for blazin' the trail- I'm a few steps behind you.

Arrivederci, Roma (Mario Lanza) What's your favorite flower?

You most certainly can, Bernadette! Hang on to your resolve, appreciate everything you can about NOT smoking. KTQ!!!

Hi quit buddies. I haven't been on the board for a few days because I've been in the hospital! You may have seen an earlier post where I talked about having my first colonoscopy scheduled for this past Monday. I got a new primary care MD and since quitting smoking, I've been catching up on routine medical stuff, working out 5-6 days per week and taking better care of myself. This test was another thing I'd avoided so I went ahead with it on Monday at 7am. I got through it OK and the doctor removed 3 small polyps from the colon. I went home around 9:30 and thought I'd get some sleep since there was little sleep to be had Sunday night following the prep you have to do. Those who've had it know what I'm talking about; those who haven't will be spared the details. I could not rest and felt very weird which I attributed to the anesthesia. I went ahead and started packing for the work trip I was to go on the next day- a 5-hour drive with my Exec Director to a meeting. I started feeling worse and worse and developed a pain in my stomach and started having chills. When I began shaking, looked at the temperature reading in my bedroom which read 81 degrees and I was freezing, I knew something was terribly wrong. The discharge instructions stated the conditions under which you should go to the emergency department and it was clear I needed to go. From there, so much happened but I'll spare all of you the gory details. The bottom line is I experienced a rare complication from the colonoscopy (post-polypectomy electrocoagulation syndrome) and had to be hospitalized for 2 days. This syndrome mimics the symptoms of a bowel perforation, so that was what was suspected in the ED. As I'm laying there in the hospital I have worked at for 32 years, now a patient and seeing things from a different perspective, many thoughts came to mind. My state of expanded consciousness was probably also enhanced by the fever but I was aware that it was possible I could die and I didn't want to. I thought about how I had smoked for so long and treated my body with such disrespect. I was deeply sorry for having done this. Later, lying in my hospital room, I also thought about how glad I was that I don't smoke anymore and how not too long ago, it would have been an issue- wanting to smoke even though I felt so terrible and not being able to, having to admit that I was a smoker the many times you get asked that question in a medical setting. I couldn't have anything by mouth for about 36 hours- not even a sip of water. All fluids were IV along with medications. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't that bad. Once you know eating and drinking are off limits, if you can just accept that, you don't think much about it. I thought about how that's the same thing with smoking. If smoking is off the table, and you fully accept that fact, you really don't crave it much at all. That kind of how it's been for the last few weeks. I do think about smoking but not so much about wanting to smoke- more like thinking, "Wow- I really did it- I've quit smoking!" Or " This is a time when I used to like having a smoke". I'll knock it off now- sorry for the long winded post. I just wanted to let you all know I'm OK (now!) and am most definitely keeping the quit. Doreen was so sweet to check in with me by personal message when I'd been absent from the board for a few days. That meant a lot to me, so thanks, Doreen. You're the best! Wishing you all peace in your hearts, comfort in your bodies, ease with your quits, PeaceTrain

Good job Jules- kicking the nicotine and now putting down the vaping too! I wouldn't want to rely on another person not to make a mistake and accidentally give me the wrong juice. I've been off caffeine for many years but I love decaf shots over ice with a teeny splash of coconut milk- that's my coffee drink of choice. TMI maybe but the point is I can tolerate the small amount of caffeine in the decaf shots but if someone is careless and gives me regular shots, I get super anxious and sometimes heart palpitations and forget about sleeping that night. This is despite always double checking that the drink is decaf. I wouldn't want to put my nicotine "sobriety" into the hands of some kid at a vaping shop. This may not be your situation exactly but hoping you get my point. Again, congrats on your quit! Now, as you've already resolved...NTAP!

Sounds like a winning plan especially planning out your rewards ahead of time- love it! Love your outlook and mindset as well. All that plus stick with us and you've got all the ingredients for a successful quit. Welcome and best wishes!

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" 1 Corinthians 6 Even if you do not believe in God, or are not Christian, recognizing the preciousness of your body can be helpful in supporting your quit.

-4

-3

Haha -2

13

Good job Nellie! You know what you need to do to KTQ!

Doreen may be distracted, but not I! 15!

-1

Ditto what Doreen said! It sounds like something else could be going on. I would not believe what I read on the net either. Some people (even some I know personally) like to inflate how much they suffered and in some cases continue to suffer from quitting. IMHO, for that kind of stuff to go on for months, there's something else going on or it's a mindset problem. I would be on guard against "junkie thinking" creeping in. I've fallen prey to that one often enough. The trick is to recognize it for what it is before you take a step you will regret. KTQ! Rooting for you and hoping you feel better soon! I know there's a Joel Spitzer video on this topic.

Yes, it's hilarious! Especially the skinny arms flailing as it walks.