USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Clinton Baptiste]

Sorry folks! I've been away too long. It has been an eventful couple of weeks for me. I had a scheduled colonoscopy for the day before Thanksgiving! That meant Tuesday was prep day! Everybody's favorite! Then 7:00 am, down to the clinic for pictures, and they didn't give me one to hang on the fridge! Groggy from the anesthetic I slept Wednesday away. Then, what did I face the next day but a heaping Thanksgiving dinner!

I had adoctor appointment on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. But the day before I walked from the Great Hall here at the Luxurious Pimplebutt Estate to my bedroom. Upon getting there, I felt light headed. Then I saw the lights one would see upon getting a blow to the nose! Kness buckled, a staggering step and, in the words of Howard Cosell, DOWN GOES NOSMO! I smacked my noggin on the consol table biffing up my left eye and rendering me more senseless than usual.

Well, I told the doctor about that during my exam last Tuesday. His face blanched and immediately ordered up a regimen of high priced medical tests. He advised I go to the ER as they would be able to apply the battery of testing he wanted right away. So, as my doctor's office is actually in the hospital, I was seated in a wheelchair and dispacted to a waiting bed in the emergency room.

First, blood tests then a couple bags of saline were pumped into me. Then blood pressure testing. Laying down, blood pressure. Sitting up, blood pressure. Standing up, blood pressure. And there's your problem! It drops twenty point when I stand. EKG, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, more blood drawn and the news, we're going to keep you here tonight!

I phoned my brother to do two things for me. First, take Daisy the Mutt home with him. Second, DON'T TELL MOM! I didn't want her to wring her hands in worry for me.

At midnight (of course it would be midnight) I was wheeled down for a CAT scan on my head. They found nothing. The hospital vampires stopped by every couple hours to draw more vials of my blood. Meanwhile, I had nothing to eat since 10:00 the proceeding morning. All I really wanted were two basic human needs. Food and sleep.

I tossed and turned all night. At 9:00 the next morning, I was visited by my doctor. He added to the chemistry set I down every day and took mercy on me and I was discharged. I drove to a nearby diner and had the best breakfast and the second best cup of coffee in my life.

So I've been keeping busy. How's by yinz guys?

Hi there Nosmo king.

Around 2001 I came across this; at the time it gave me great strength.




LOYALTY
by
Gloria Storm, Nosmo King & Ernest Longstaffe (1937)

Never believe the worst of a man
When once you have seen his best,
Of any loyalty worth the name
This is the surest test.
Gossip is ready at every turn,
Your faith and trust to slay,
But the loyal soul is deaf to doubt,
Whatever the world may say.
Whatever you hear on others' lips,
Don't let it soil your own;
Let your faith still stronger be,
Keep the image before your eyes,
Of the friend who's a friend to you:
And stand by that friend through thick and thin
Whatever the world may do.
Never believe the worst of a man,
When your own soul sees the best;
All that matters is what you know
Not what the others have guessed
And if all that you know is straight and fine
And has brought you friendship's joys.
Be proud to treasure the truth that's yours,
Whatever the world destroys.

 

[Ava]

Where's that ***WOW*** button when you need it? Loved all 10 times I viewed this, FF.

 

[Nosmo King]

Sorry folks! I've been away too long. It has been an eventful couple of weeks for me. I had a scheduled colonoscopy for the day before Thanksgiving! That meant Tuesday was prep day! Everybody's favorite! Then 7:00 am, down to the clinic for pictures, and they didn't give me one to hang on the fridge! Groggy from the anesthetic I slept Wednesday away. Then, what did I face the next day but a heaping Thanksgiving dinner!

I had adoctor appointment on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. But the day before I walked from the Great Hall here at the Luxurious Pimplebutt Estate to my bedroom. Upon getting there, I felt light headed. Then I saw the lights one would see upon getting a blow to the nose! Kness buckled, a staggering step and, in the words of Howard Cosell, DOWN GOES NOSMO! I smacked my noggin on the consol table biffing up my left eye and rendering me more senseless than usual.

Well, I told the doctor about that during my exam last Tuesday. His face blanched and immediately ordered up a regimen of high priced medical tests. He advised I go to the ER as they would be able to apply the battery of testing he wanted right away. So, as my doctor's office is actually in the hospital, I was seated in a wheelchair and dispacted to a waiting bed in the emergency room.

First, blood tests then a couple bags of saline were pumped into me. Then blood pressure testing. Laying down, blood pressure. Sitting up, blood pressure. Standing up, blood pressure. And there's your problem! It drops twenty point when I stand. EKG, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, more blood drawn and the news, we're going to keep you here tonight!

I phoned my brother to do two things for me. First, take Daisy the Mutt home with him. Second, DON'T TELL MOM! I didn't want her to wring her hands in worry for me.

At midnight (of course it would be midnight) I was wheeled down for a CAT scan on my head. They found nothing. The hospital vampires stopped by every couple hours to draw more vials of my blood. Meanwhile, I had nothing to eat since 10:00 the proceeding morning. All I really wanted were two basic human needs. Food and sleep.

I tossed and turned all night. At 9:00 the next morning, I was visited by my doctor. He added to the chemistry set I down every day and took mercy on me and I was discharged. I drove to a nearby diner and had the best breakfast and the second best cup of coffee in my life.

So I've been keeping busy. How's by yinz guys?

Hi there Nosmo king.

Around 2001 I came across this; at the time it gave me great strength.




LOYALTY
by
Gloria Storm, Nosmo King & Ernest Longstaffe (1937)

Never believe the worst of a man
When once you have seen his best,
Of any loyalty worth the name
This is the surest test.
Gossip is ready at every turn,
Your faith and trust to slay,
But the loyal soul is deaf to doubt,
Whatever the world may say.
Whatever you hear on others' lips,
Don't let it soil your own;
Let your faith still stronger be,
Keep the image before your eyes,
Of the friend who's a friend to you:
And stand by that friend through thick and thin
Whatever the world may do.
Never believe the worst of a man,
When your own soul sees the best;
All that matters is what you know
Not what the others have guessed
And if all that you know is straight and fine
And has brought you friendship's joys.
Be proud to treasure the truth that's yours,
Whatever the world destroys.

I'm a poet and don't realize it!

 

[Gracie]

Maybe the CS should be renamed Colonoscopy Shop? lol
Seems all of us are being ass reamed lately.

Saw my regular doc today. He said the hospital was having a cow because while I was under, my BP went from 213/81 to 226/96. Unfortunately, there isn't much more they can do about my high BP cuz I have a slow heartbeat. Usually, its supposed to 60 beats per minutes or thereabouts. MIne is usually 50. So the meds I take will just make is slower and that won't be good, he said. So...he upped my HZTZ to 25 instead of the 12.5 I am taking now. And, once I quit smoking, that should help too. He ordered me some Wellburtin (zyban) to take along with wearing my patches and that outta do the trick of getting me smoke free. We hope.

Talked to GI doc too. He won't get the results from the biopsies he sent in, for at least another week. So..I wait. Again. But..at least what needed done got done and now it's up to God on whether I have something horrible..or not. Hey, can't live forever!!!

 

[Gracie]

He agreed with me too, about waiting until ALL my cigs are gone before doing the patch. I have 5 packs left. So in 5 days....it will be quit day. By then, I will have my Zyban to set aside with my patches and psych myself up to QUIT. For good this time. And the difference this time is not the med assistance to quit..its ME..actually, finally WANTING to quit.

 

[Ringel05]

Maybe the CS should be renamed Colonoscopy Shop? lol
Seems all of us are being ass reamed lately.

Saw my regular doc today. He said the hospital was having a cow because while I was under, my BP went from 213/81 to 226/96. Unfortunately, there isn't much more they can do about my high BP cuz I have a slow heartbeat. Usually, its supposed to 60 beats per minutes or thereabouts. MIne is usually 50. So the meds I take will just make is slower and that won't be good, he said. So...he upped my HZTZ to 25 instead of the 12.5 I am taking now. And, once I quit smoking, that should help too. He ordered me some Wellburtin (zyban) to take along with wearing my patches and that outta do the trick of getting me smoke free. We hope.

Talked to GI doc too. He won't get the results from the biopsies he sent in, for at least another week. So..I wait. Again. But..at least what needed done got done and now it's up to God on whether I have something horrible..or not. Hey, can't live forever!!!

Wellbutrin made my blood pressure skyrocket, in mine and most doctors I've talked to opinion it's the worst drug for quitting smoking on the market. Most doctors won't even prescribe it any longer. Chantix is the best but Medicare doesn't cover it and it ain't cheap.

 

[Ringel05]

Been watching a cool documentary series, BBC I think called Secrets of the Castle (You Tube). One female historian and two male archeologists (all British) work for six months on a 25 year archeological experiment in France, the building of a castle using only techniques and tools used during the period. Fascinating dealing with the actual construction, everyday life for the workers all the side jobs needed to support the build, etc. Something I didn't realize was castles, primarily on the inside were "plastered" and often richly painted, even the paint they use is made from the local resources.

 

[Gracie]

Maybe the CS should be renamed Colonoscopy Shop? lol
Seems all of us are being ass reamed lately.

Saw my regular doc today. He said the hospital was having a cow because while I was under, my BP went from 213/81 to 226/96. Unfortunately, there isn't much more they can do about my high BP cuz I have a slow heartbeat. Usually, its supposed to 60 beats per minutes or thereabouts. MIne is usually 50. So the meds I take will just make is slower and that won't be good, he said. So...he upped my HZTZ to 25 instead of the 12.5 I am taking now. And, once I quit smoking, that should help too. He ordered me some Wellburtin (zyban) to take along with wearing my patches and that outta do the trick of getting me smoke free. We hope.

Talked to GI doc too. He won't get the results from the biopsies he sent in, for at least another week. So..I wait. Again. But..at least what needed done got done and now it's up to God on whether I have something horrible..or not. Hey, can't live forever!!!

Wellbutrin made my blood pressure skyrocket, in mine and most doctors I've talked to opinion it's the worst drug for quitting smoking on the market. Most doctors won't even prescribe it any longer. Chantix is the best but Medicare doesn't cover it and it ain't cheap.

My doc didn't mention it raising my BP. I'll try it though and see what happens. I have a BP cuff I bought new, so I can check it myself when on it. I really REALLY wanna quit and failed so many times before...so.....

 

[Jackson]

Maybe the CS should be renamed Colonoscopy Shop? lol
Seems all of us are being ass reamed lately.

Saw my regular doc today. He said the hospital was having a cow because while I was under, my BP went from 213/81 to 226/96. Unfortunately, there isn't much more they can do about my high BP cuz I have a slow heartbeat. Usually, its supposed to 60 beats per minutes or thereabouts. MIne is usually 50. So the meds I take will just make is slower and that won't be good, he said. So...he upped my HZTZ to 25 instead of the 12.5 I am taking now. And, once I quit smoking, that should help too. He ordered me some Wellburtin (zyban) to take along with wearing my patches and that outta do the trick of getting me smoke free. We hope.

Talked to GI doc too. He won't get the results from the biopsies he sent in, for at least another week. So..I wait. Again. But..at least what needed done got done and now it's up to God on whether I have something horrible..or not. Hey, can't live forever!!!

Saying a prayer for you tonight!

 

[Jackson]

Maybe the CS should be renamed Colonoscopy Shop? lol
Seems all of us are being ass reamed lately.

Saw my regular doc today. He said the hospital was having a cow because while I was under, my BP went from 213/81 to 226/96. Unfortunately, there isn't much more they can do about my high BP cuz I have a slow heartbeat. Usually, its supposed to 60 beats per minutes or thereabouts. MIne is usually 50. So the meds I take will just make is slower and that won't be good, he said. So...he upped my HZTZ to 25 instead of the 12.5 I am taking now. And, once I quit smoking, that should help too. He ordered me some Wellburtin (zyban) to take along with wearing my patches and that outta do the trick of getting me smoke free. We hope.

Talked to GI doc too. He won't get the results from the biopsies he sent in, for at least another week. So..I wait. Again. But..at least what needed done got done and now it's up to God on whether I have something horrible..or not. Hey, can't live forever!!!

Saying a prayer for you tonight!

He agreed with me too, about waiting until ALL my cigs are gone before doing the patch. I have 5 packs left. So in 5 days....it will be quit day. By then, I will have my Zyban to set aside with my patches and psych myself up to QUIT. For good this time. And the difference this time is not the med assistance to quit..its ME..actually, finally WANTING to quit.

 

[Jackson]

Maybe the CS should be renamed Colonoscopy Shop? lol
Seems all of us are being ass reamed lately.

Saw my regular doc today. He said the hospital was having a cow because while I was under, my BP went from 213/81 to 226/96. Unfortunately, there isn't much more they can do about my high BP cuz I have a slow heartbeat. Usually, its supposed to 60 beats per minutes or thereabouts. MIne is usually 50. So the meds I take will just make is slower and that won't be good, he said. So...he upped my HZTZ to 25 instead of the 12.5 I am taking now. And, once I quit smoking, that should help too. He ordered me some Wellburtin (zyban) to take along with wearing my patches and that outta do the trick of getting me smoke free. We hope.

Talked to GI doc too. He won't get the results from the biopsies he sent in, for at least another week. So..I wait. Again. But..at least what needed done got done and now it's up to God on whether I have something horrible..or not. Hey, can't live forever!!!

Saying a prayer for you tonight!

He agreed with me too, about waiting until ALL my cigs are gone before doing the patch. I have 5 packs left. So in 5 days....it will be quit day. By then, I will have my Zyban to set aside with my patches and psych myself up to QUIT. For good this time. And the difference this time is not the med assistance to quit..its ME..actually, finally WANTING to quit.

I smoked heavily and had to quit. I used Chantix and I could not believe I quit because I really didn't want to...health be damned. So I am smoke free for about 3 years. I have a pact with my son and when my time is short we are going to smoke together! We went to the pulmonologist last week and I asked what my prognosis is. He said I was in the Advanced stages of OPCD and should get my things in order, but it's not time to call the family to my bedside..unless I serving cheesecake or something good. All is good. I'm in my home, not at all in pain and have a great family. Then I hope to go to the beautiful gates and wait for the rest to come later. May even see my fur babies I lost! Exciting things!

 

[Gracie]

I wanted Chantix but medicare would not pay for it, or the other insurance I have thru the state of Cali. Alas...I gotta go with the patch. And maybe the zyban. I dunno. Worried now it may raise my BP and I really don't want that.
Told Doc that if I stroke out...I don't want to survive it. He understood.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Seems all of us are being ass reamed lately.

No! I am a hairy arsed armchair warrior, I would fight like buggery rather than being arse reamed!!

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Maybe the CS should be renamed Colonoscopy Shop? lol
Seems all of us are being ass reamed lately.

Saw my regular doc today. He said the hospital was having a cow because while I was under, my BP went from 213/81 to 226/96. Unfortunately, there isn't much more they can do about my high BP cuz I have a slow heartbeat. Usually, its supposed to 60 beats per minutes or thereabouts. MIne is usually 50. So the meds I take will just make is slower and that won't be good, he said. So...he upped my HZTZ to 25 instead of the 12.5 I am taking now. And, once I quit smoking, that should help too. He ordered me some Wellburtin (zyban) to take along with wearing my patches and that outta do the trick of getting me smoke free. We hope.

Talked to GI doc too. He won't get the results from the biopsies he sent in, for at least another week. So..I wait. Again. But..at least what needed done got done and now it's up to God on whether I have something horrible..or not. Hey, can't live forever!!!

Wellbutrin made my blood pressure skyrocket, in mine and most doctors I've talked to opinion it's the worst drug for quitting smoking on the market. Most doctors won't even prescribe it any longer. Chantix is the best but Medicare doesn't cover it and it ain't cheap.

My doc didn't mention it raising my BP. I'll try it though and see what happens. I have a BP cuff I bought new, so I can check it myself when on it. I really REALLY wanna quit and failed so many times before...so.....

I quit back in 97, cold turkey. I bought a new house. Money was tight so I stopped.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Today I’m having dreadlocks fitted to my work vehicle, it’s been broken into 3 times, my employer replaced everything that was stolen each time.

 

[Foxfyre]

Maybe the CS should be renamed Colonoscopy Shop? lol
Seems all of us are being ass reamed lately.

Saw my regular doc today. He said the hospital was having a cow because while I was under, my BP went from 213/81 to 226/96. Unfortunately, there isn't much more they can do about my high BP cuz I have a slow heartbeat. Usually, its supposed to 60 beats per minutes or thereabouts. MIne is usually 50. So the meds I take will just make is slower and that won't be good, he said. So...he upped my HZTZ to 25 instead of the 12.5 I am taking now. And, once I quit smoking, that should help too. He ordered me some Wellburtin (zyban) to take along with wearing my patches and that outta do the trick of getting me smoke free. We hope.

Talked to GI doc too. He won't get the results from the biopsies he sent in, for at least another week. So..I wait. Again. But..at least what needed done got done and now it's up to God on whether I have something horrible..or not. Hey, can't live forever!!!

Saying a prayer for you tonight!

He agreed with me too, about waiting until ALL my cigs are gone before doing the patch. I have 5 packs left. So in 5 days....it will be quit day. By then, I will have my Zyban to set aside with my patches and psych myself up to QUIT. For good this time. And the difference this time is not the med assistance to quit..its ME..actually, finally WANTING to quit.

I smoked heavily and had to quit. I used Chantix and I could not believe I quit because I really didn't want to...health be damned. So I am smoke free for about 3 years. I have a pact with my son and when my time is short we are going to smoke together! We went to the pulmonologist last week and I asked what my prognosis is. He said I was in the Advanced stages of OPCD and should get my things in order, but it's not time to call the family to my bedside..unless I serving cheesecake or something good. All is good. I'm in my home, not at all in pain and have a great family. Then I hope to go to the beautiful gates and wait for the rest to come later. May even see my fur babies I lost! Exciting things!

Hey Jackson, welcome back to the Coffee Shop!

 

[Foxfyre]

Today I’m having dreadlocks fitted to my work vehicle, it’s been broken into 3 times, my employer replaced everything that was stolen each time.

Hmmm. Dreadlocks are a hair style here. What are they there?

 

[Foxfyre]

Maybe the CS should be renamed Colonoscopy Shop? lol
Seems all of us are being ass reamed lately.

Saw my regular doc today. He said the hospital was having a cow because while I was under, my BP went from 213/81 to 226/96. Unfortunately, there isn't much more they can do about my high BP cuz I have a slow heartbeat. Usually, its supposed to 60 beats per minutes or thereabouts. MIne is usually 50. So the meds I take will just make is slower and that won't be good, he said. So...he upped my HZTZ to 25 instead of the 12.5 I am taking now. And, once I quit smoking, that should help too. He ordered me some Wellburtin (zyban) to take along with wearing my patches and that outta do the trick of getting me smoke free. We hope.

Talked to GI doc too. He won't get the results from the biopsies he sent in, for at least another week. So..I wait. Again. But..at least what needed done got done and now it's up to God on whether I have something horrible..or not. Hey, can't live forever!!!

Like Roy I quit cold turkey after many many attempts to quit. The first time I managed to stay off the cigs long enough that the American Cancer Society trained me to be a mentor to help others quit. (I was exec drtr of a large social agency at that time so had the space and ability to run stop smoking clinics. They were pretty good but I found their methods at that time to have very limited success rates. That was back in the 1970's.)

And then I went through a particularly stressful time, was at a conference in Colorado and my assigned roomie was a smoker and had left her opened pack in the room when I checked in and for whatever stupid reason, I took a cig and left her a dime. Then bought a pack. . .

And I was hooked again. Bad hooked. In no time I was up to two/three packs a day.

Quit many times after that.

The last time and final time roughly going on 30 years ago now, I read Francis Hunter's book God is Fabulous that devotes a chapter to how she quit chain smoking. My experience was considerably different from hers--most everybody is a little different. But she persuaded me to put it in God's hands and asked him to help me quit. I threw out all the remaining cigs in the house.

The pattern--what to expect when quitting cold turkey:

The first 72 hours are the toughest and the cravings begin quick and come hard and fairly close together.

Each initial craving is powerful enough to take you to your knees and you think you can't stand it. But if you lean into it and try to make it feel as bad as possible it will subside. Until the next one. Try to stay physically active/busy during those times and it is easier than when sitting, doing computer stuff, reading, or doing other activities in which we normally smoke.

After 48 hours you will notice the cravings are still terrible but not quite so intense and are of shorter duration. And there will be somewhat longer intervals between them. Treat each one the same way though--lean into it, fully experience it. Feel noble that you can take it.

Though most is gone in that first 72 hours, it will take up to 21 days for the nicotine to fully metabolize and no longer be in your body. By that time the craving are still powerful but coming less frequently.

Once the nicotine is gone and the addiction itself is broken, we are dealing with doing without a psychological habit that was comforting and pleasurable for us--still real and still stressful, but different. What feels like cravings still occur but they are our mind messing with us instead of our body demanding. There's nothing to do with our hands when we feel stressed or are working out problems in our head. Nothing to do while thinking of what to say next or what to do next. We miss smoking for anger management. But It is far easier to distract ourselves from these intermittent false cravings and they too subside, usually fairly quickly.

And one day we realize we have gone several hours without thinking about smoking. And we get to the point that we go several days without a craving.

I'll be honest. It took years before I reached the point that I no longer had any desire to smoke at all. That I didn't miss it. That the smell of cigarette smoke became unpleasant to me. I was one who enjoyed smoking very much.

But it was worth it.

--Overall general health does improve and your risk of a lot of debilitating, even deadly, diseases is much lessened.
--Some folks say food tastes a lot better. (I honestly don't know that it did for me but it sure didn't taste any worse.)
--There is no more discomfort when in no smoking environments.
--We smell a lot better to non smokers. Our breath is much sweeter. (In all honesty though, I hate being around cigarette smoke now, but don't mind being around smokers and have many in my life.)
--We save a ton of money. (These days a pack of cigs runs close to $6 pack so a pack a day smoker will save more than $2,000/year and infinite time by quitting.)
--And for me the greatest blessing was enjoying smoke free environments instead of planning a short duration in them. Not having to find some place I could have a smoke.

Yes, it was not easy. Breaking any substance addiction may be one of the hardest things we will ever have to do on a long term basis. But it's worth it.

 

[Jackson]

Maybe the CS should be renamed Colonoscopy Shop? lol
Seems all of us are being ass reamed lately.

Saw my regular doc today. He said the hospital was having a cow because while I was under, my BP went from 213/81 to 226/96. Unfortunately, there isn't much more they can do about my high BP cuz I have a slow heartbeat. Usually, its supposed to 60 beats per minutes or thereabouts. MIne is usually 50. So the meds I take will just make is slower and that won't be good, he said. So...he upped my HZTZ to 25 instead of the 12.5 I am taking now. And, once I quit smoking, that should help too. He ordered me some Wellburtin (zyban) to take along with wearing my patches and that outta do the trick of getting me smoke free. We hope.

Talked to GI doc too. He won't get the results from the biopsies he sent in, for at least another week. So..I wait. Again. But..at least what needed done got done and now it's up to God on whether I have something horrible..or not. Hey, can't live forever!!!

Like Roy I quit cold turkey after many many attempts to quit. The first time I managed to stay off the cigs long enough that the American Cancer Society trained me to be a mentor to help others quit. (I was exec drtr of a large social agency at that time so had the space and ability to run stop smoking clinics. They were pretty good but I found their methods at that time to have very limited success rates. That was back in the 1970's.)

And then I went through a particularly stressful time, was at a conference in Colorado and my assigned roomie was a smoker and had left her opened pack in the room when I checked in and for whatever stupid reason, I took a cig and left her a dime. Then bought a pack. . .

And I was hooked again. Bad hooked. In no time I was up to two/three packs a day.

Quit many times after that.

The last time and final time roughly going on 30 years ago now, I read Francis Hunter's book God is Fabulous that devotes a chapter to how she quit chain smoking. My experience was considerably different from hers--most everybody is a little different. But she persuaded me to put it in God's hands and asked him to help me quit. I threw out all the remaining cigs in the house.

The pattern--what to expect when quitting cold turkey:

The first 72 hours are the toughest and the cravings begin quick and come hard and fairly close together.

Each initial craving is powerful enough to take you to your knees and you think you can't stand it. But if you lean into it and try to make it feel as bad as possible it will subside. Until the next one. Try to stay physically active/busy during those times and it is easier than when sitting, doing computer stuff, reading, or doing other activities in which we normally smoke.

After 48 hours you will notice the cravings are still terrible but not quite so intense and are of shorter duration. And there will be somewhat longer intervals between them. Treat each one the same way though--lean into it, fully experience it. Feel noble that you can take it.

Though most is gone in that first 72 hours, it will take up to 21 days for the nicotine to fully metabolize and no longer be in your body. By that time the craving are still powerful but coming less frequently.

Once the nicotine is gone and the addiction itself is broken, we are dealing with doing without a psychological habit that was comforting and pleasurable for us--still real and still stressful, but different. What feels like cravings still occur but they are our mind messing with us instead of our body demanding. There's nothing to do with our hands when we feel stressed or are working out problems in our head. Nothing to do while thinking of what to say next or what to do next. We miss smoking for anger management. But It is far easier to distract ourselves from these intermittent false cravings and they too subside, usually fairly quickly.

And one day we realize we have gone several hours without thinking about smoking. And we get to the point that we go several days without a craving.

I'll be honest. It took years before I reached the point that I no longer had any desire to smoke at all. That I didn't miss it. That the smell of cigarette smoke became unpleasant to me. I was one who enjoyed smoking very much.

But it was worth it.

--Overall general health does improve and your risk of a lot of debilitating, even deadly, diseases is much lessened.
--Some folks say food tastes a lot better. (I honestly don't know that it did for me but it sure didn't taste any worse.)
--There is no more discomfort when in no smoking environments.
--We smell a lot better to non smokers. Our breath is much sweeter. (In all honesty though, I hate being around cigarette smoke now, but don't mind being around smokers and have many in my life.)
--We save a ton of money. (These days a pack of cigs runs close to $6 pack so a pack a day smoker will save more than $2,000/year and infinite time by quitting.)
--And for me the greatest blessing was enjoying smoke free environments instead of planning a short duration in them. Not having to find some place I could have a smoke.

Yes, it was not easy. Breaking any substance addiction may be one of the hardest things we will ever have to do on a long term basis. But it's worth it.

I quit three years ago with Chantix. I cannot say I am a non smoker because I would love to have one right now. I'm "quitting..." I have advanced COPD, on oxygen and my pulmonologist says I should get my things in order, but don't call in the family yet...Sounds like a time for a cigarette to me!
or Maybe Not.

 

[Gracie]

One thing I will say about it all.....IF the results come back and I have cancer somewhere....oh HAYELL no will I quit. Nope. I'm dyin' anyway, I figure, so why not do what I want with cigs?