QuittingGirl

1

Ok, I'm gonna give it a whirl now.

LOL!!! So the sticks are the men? If that's the case, how do I know who is a man if it's not obvious in their username or it doesn't say in their profile? Ok tell me if this is correct....say Doreen posts the number 15 and then I come along and post 14. Is that correct?

I have a question about that Chicks and Sticks game. How do you play? I can't for the life of me figure it out...LOL!! I would have been playing it months ago, if I knew how.

Shrimp salad

I know it's very difficult, the cravings are terrible, we all know exactly what you are going through!! What I found that helped me is taking a cinnamon stick and holding it like a cigarette and sucking on it, making believe I was smoking plus the taste of the cinnamon was nice. You can also use cut up straws. Even if you need NRT's then why don't you use them? You have to use whatever will help you. The urges will get less and less as time goes on, I can promise you that. I was a basket case the first couple of months. I was acting absolutely horrible to my husband and family that I was insane! It was a terrible time but I got through it and you can too, you really can!! Just keep coming on here and vent to us, we are here to help you! Whatever your triggers are for smoking, try and get away from them. For example, after I would eat, I would go outside and light up a cigarette. In the beginning of my quit, I would do something else, anything that is different from what I would do when I did smoke. After a while you won't even remember that you wanted a cigarette. You can definitely do this Susie!!!

Hi Susie, So glad you decided to quit! I know it's not an easy decision and it's quite scary with all sorts of emotions going through your head. I am a relative newbie here as I am only 8 months quit, although this is my 2nd and last time that I quit smoking. The last time I was quit for 6 years. Anyway, the people on this forum are amazing and will help you get through it so just ask for help when you need it. They helped me tremendously and I am very happy to call them my friends! They will listen to you complain about the urges and just about anything else because they have all been through it. So keep close to the "train" and it's "riders" and you will do just fine!!

Yup, politicians like to tell us every single lie in the book, that's all they are good for!! That's great that you don't have any issues...hope it stays that way!!

Ohh, so it is true for the most part. I thought my friends were exaggerating. Yeah I certainly wouldn't want to see a different doctor at each visit. ER visits here can be really long too, sometimes for several hours, if you aren't having a heart attack or stroke. Wow, a few months to get an MRI or CT scan, yeah that isn't very good. Many people in the states have those high deductible plans as they are more cost effective for their employers, and money is the bottom line for them. Health care is extremely expensive and getting more and more expensive as time goes on. My husband and I are very lucky, as I mentioned that his employer only charges the employees $200 a month and that not only includes the medical plan, but dental and vision as well. But he will be retiring at the end of this year so we will be going on Medicare which only covers 80% which means we will need a supplement which can cost us several hundred dollars each a month. You are right, the costs are definitely passed down to us!

NOPE!!

Many people here in the states say that the Canadian health system is terrible, that you have to wait for months or even years to have tests, (MRI's, CT scans, operations, etc). And that the level of care is not good either. Is all that true? I just can't imagine that you would have to wait that long or that the care would be as bad as they say. I am on my husband's insurance through his job and we only pay $200 a month which is very cheap for health insurance in the states. When we go see our primary doctor it costs $25 and a specialist is $35. Cat scans, MRI's, X-rays are 100% covered under the plan but have to be pre-approved first. Lab tests are 100% covered as well. The deductible is $500 per person which is not difficult to meet if you need to have surgery or go to a hospital. But many people here have terrible health insurance. At my husband's last job we had an $8000 deductible so we had to pay full out of pocket costs for everything. Needless to say we never met the deductible which was a good thing I guess because otherwise it would have meant we were in the hospital. Yeah, that is weird that the first shingles shot was covered, but not the 2nd.

I had the pneumoccal vaccine about 5 years ago, I think that's a one and done shot. I also had the shingles vaccine because 6 years ago I had shingles and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy!!! Shingles was even worse than the reactions that I had to the 3 Covid shots. I never felt such pain in my life. Thankfully there are anti-virals for it that made it much better so I only had to suffer in agony for less than 24 hours. As soon as my doc told me I can take the vaccine for it, I was at his office like lightning...LOL!! I had a reaction to the first one which was a little fever and some aches but I could deal with it and the 2nd shot I didn't have a reaction to at all. My insurance covers the RSV vaccine for free, doesn't yours cover it?

I guess my doc didn't think I needed the Paxlovid because my Covid is very mild. I never even heard of RSV until a year or two ago and I'm in my mid 60s! LOL!!

Congratulations Reciprocity!! 7 years is so amazing!!! Really great!!! All the Best to you!!!

I also heard about that RSV and how it's really bad. I am afraid to take that vaccine because who knows what kind of reaction I would get! It might even be worse than the Covid shot...Yikes!!! I do take the flu shot though, as I don't ever have a reaction with that one, except sometimes a get a little bit of a sore arm which is easy to deal with.

At this point I don't even think a person really needs a shot because Covid is like a cold. Unless the person is immune compromised or has an underlying condition. Mine was Pfizer too. A few people that I know had a bad reaction but nothing like what I had. I literally thought I was dying that's how bad it was.

Wow that sucks! Sorry to hear that Dave and I hope you feel better soon!

NOPE!!

Yes, I had the first two shots and 1 booster. I got extremely sick from all 3 shots where I thought I was dying. 102 fever, body aches, chills, nausea, you name it and it lasted for about 3 days with each shot. It was a nightmare! This actual Covid is a walk in the park compared to the shots. So I will never take another Covid shot again. Did you take the shots?

Thanks everyone!! It seems to be a mild case, just like a really bad cold. @DenaliBlues yeah I heard about the bad taste from the Paxlovid. When my mom had Covid 2 years ago the doc gave her the prescription and she said it gave her a horrible taste and also terrible diarreah, so she had to stop taking it after 2 days. My doc, I guess didn't think I needed it and I didn't ask because I didn't want any of those side effects. I'm hoping this goes away in a couple of days. I was sick with a cold around New Years and now this. Ugh!!!

Thanks! Mine seems to be mild too even though I feel lousy. It's like a really bad cold. The symptoms are mostly like a head cold although I have lost a little bit of taste and smell. Hopefully that will come back. The only reason why I even thought it might be Covid is cause Friday I woke up with a low grade fever. When I took the test, the line on mine was so faint that I had to use a flashlight to see it...LOL!! So I went to the urgent care and it even came back negative on their rapid test that's why he also did the PCR. I am tired but I do have some energy. It's definitely not like the Covid of a few years ago.

NOPE!!

Well, the test came back positive so I do have it. For 4 years I didn't get it and now it finally caught up with me! But honestly, it just feels like a very bad cold and the only reason that I thought it might be is because yesterday morning I had a low grade fever so I took the home test. If I had no fever I wouldn't have even tested or gone to the doctor. Thankfully my taste and smell are fine for now. Hopefully it will stay that way. When you had Covid, how many days did it last before you started to feel better?

@Reciprocity Aren't Covid and cold symtoms very similar? Or at least nowadays? I should either get the test results back on Wed or Monday. I don't know if the lab works over the weekend.

NOPE!!