There is a Hell....

[Temple]

I've been there...
I shook
I had muscle spasms
I couldn't sleep
I couldn't eat
My stomach was in knots
I was nauseated
My head ached
I sweat
I had chills
Anxiety? I now understand what a panic attack is.
I felt like I had bugs crawling on me
I couldn't think
It was 36 hours that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy and it is not completely over yet and probably won't be for a long long time. The only reason I am posting this is that the subject came up several years ago on the board and I was shocked at how many board members were just like me. Many times I have thought that although this is a fitness site it really has more to do with looking hot in a bikini than health for many of us - at least I fit into that category. But I turn 40 next month and just last week I told MS that
"When you turn 40 looking hot in a bikini is not nearly as important as living" and I meant it. I tell my friends to listen to what I call "the voice" and without getting all spiritual here the bottom line is that sometimes we are given things that we should darn well pay attention to. In the last month I have had several "wake up and smell the coffee" moments.

I started smoking when I was 15 years old. I have smoked for 25 years up to two packs a day at times. The list of reasons and excuses for not quitting were long and I always intended to do it after I got myself physically appearance wise to where I wanted to be. There was always a work deadline and there was no way I could quit with the stress of tht blah blah blah blah blah. Bottom line was I wasn't ready and nobody will quit until they are.

If you know someone who smokes - cut them some slack, until you have had the addiction you have no frame of reference. In all honesty if given the choice of having a body part amputated or going thru the withdrawal it would have been a very close call. Will I ever go back? No, all the powers of heaven and hell could not get me to have to go back and redo those first hours and I certainly will not let what I went thru be for nothing.

Anyway, I have rambled on here enough. I know there are a few smokers out there who will read this. The point is if I can do it ANYONE can do it and when you are ready (only you will know) you can do it to. Some will tell you the first week is the worst and it is still hard at times but if you can make the first 36 hours it will get better. Use the zyban it help and I have the inhaler - ain't even in the same ballpark as what you are used to but it will get you thru the really hard part.

Powerlifting starts tomorrow. Onward and upward....
BTW, I realize my metabolism is going to change how much of an adjustment do I need to make in calories?

 

[Sassy69]

Temple - I just started working at a company owned by a 67 year old very wealthy retired MD. He is about 5'4", 300 lbs and smokes like a freekin chimney. Worse yet, because he owns the company (only investor -- he is "god" for all intents & purposes), he also smokes in the office. Thank god my office is not near his, but when you go to the other side where his office & the conference room is, smoke smoke smoke. So he lights up in our conference meetings and at least one other guy will light up as well -- usually they guard both ends of the table, so there's no escaping it. They hook up one of those air purifiers, but it still doesn't help me much -- I could never even inhale pot, so I try to just sort of blow the smoke away from me during the meetings. I expect i"ll be ordering one of those Ionic Breeze air purifiers soon, even a personal size one -- I dont' want to offend anyone, but shit -- I have clean lungs and I'd like to keep them that way.

I do however understand your situation. I'm 3 years from the big 40 and nothing seems to come as easily as it did 10 years ago and worse yet, it ain't gettin any easier either. So we all do what we can. Set your expectations to something reasonable and try to select those achievements that will get the biggest bang for the effort. I doubt I will ever influence the bunch of chain smoking goof balls I work with, but I dont' think I should have to develop lung cancer because they like long executive meetings. Still looking a subtle solution to the "protect my breathing space" issue.

And also as you will see from a thread I posted about PL, we all hit ruts. All you can do is dig yourself out. There's always someone there to throw you a rope and help you climb out!

 

[Temple]

Thanks Sassy! I'm gonna make it.
Don't get me wrong - I am not defending smokers especially rude smokers. The situation you are in is bad and I would have said that even when I was still smoking but he is the owner and as such I believe has the right to do whatever he wants in his business. When someone smokes like that it us usually best not to hire nonsmokers but I would also never have called a meeting and locked a bunch of non smoking employees in a room with me while I smoked. What I was directing the comment at is folks who don't understand why smokers don't just quit...until you have experienced addiction you have no clue and there is nothing I can compare it to.

 

[starfish]

Would Wellbutrin/Zyban help you?


Congratulations on quitting

 

[Temple]

Yes, I am taking the zyban. What happened is that I quit on accident if you can do that. You aren't supposed to quit until the second week of zyban so that it reaches theraputic levels but what I had done was systematically started cutting down. Kept a journal of every smoke and there was x amount of time until I could have another. About 4 days into the zyban I went several hours so I thought well, I'll just go another hour and then it turned into another hour and by the time I had gone 6 hours it turned into a "thing" and here I sit several days later. The zyban is starting to help as I'm not having the extreme anxiety anymore. I'm still having to use tylenol pm in order to sleep but will only do that for maybe another week.

 

[fawnmarie]

Temple -

You POOR Thing!

I'm facing this myself. Facing 40 (another 1.5 years) - facing quitting the butts.

I have an appointment on Tuesday for threatening my doctor into the Wellbutin. (Insurance won't cover zyban, and I can't afford it.)

Also, am getting ready - pumping B vitamins and salmon oil. BTW - try adding a couple caps of salmon oil a day. It calms the brain. Also pregnenolone - it can bring contentment (also watch the dose, because it doesn't metabolize, it recycles and too much for too long can produce a kind of "andro-rage". It usually converts to progesterone, but when progest levels are high enough, it can convert to test. 25-30 mgs a day for two weeks is about right for a 40 year old female, then start stepping down to three times a week, then two, then once a week. You can get a good idea from your mental state. You should feel 'zen'. )

I have cut back a lot since adding the oil and pregn., because my mind is calmer.

I know that the life extension gurus Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw recommend loading up on choline for quitting. Apparently, nicotine fills up choline receptors in the brain, and perhaps filling them with choline will keep the nicotine out.

There is "shot" that is said to completely eliminate the withdrawl symptoms. It's called a anticholinergic block and they give you maintenance meds to keep it blocked until all the nicotine is out of your system. It's about $360. (website is http://www.nosmoke2000.com). Done by doctors and everything.

There is also an herbal called plantago major that when taken in high enough quantities, makes about 90% of people intolerant to cigarette smoke. Me, who smokes like a Monsanto plant, found it pretty effective. It doesn't do anything for the actual cravings or habit, but when you DO light up, you can only stand a couple of puffs before you have to put it out. No one knows why it works, but I found that it worked as advertised.

I'm going to be throwing all my "guns" at this. My next step is the Wellbutin and the plantago major. During those 2-3 weeks, I will be restricting where I smoke. Then my quit day. My kids are going to a three-day boy scout camp in November, and I'm thinking of scheduling quit day then.

I'm scared completely shitless!

I've been smoking for 22 years. I've only quit once or twice. First time in basic training (USAF) and started back again, because those were the days they would give you break if you smoked. Second time, I couldn't concentrate or keep track of time at all. Wasn't jittery - just couldn't focus. Since I had just gotten a new job as a bookkeeper for a company that REALLY needed my help, I had to start again (or felt I did).

Feel free to email or PM me for support or shakes or paranoid visions. I'm there for you! (I'll be there soon enough!)

Fawn

 

[fawnmarie]

Also - I've read in a couple of places that drinking a GREAT deal of fresh orange juice gets the nicotine out of your body faster. Don't know why.

You might want to try it.

Fawn

 

[Intenceman]

You can do it.

 

[JJFigure]

Congratulations! You can do it, girl!

 

[fitmedic]

WAY TO GO TEMPLE!! sounds as if you may have a bit of steelweaver's "column of steel" in you...
by steelweaver..."I have a column of steel in me which I can make grow, it expands from the inside, fills my chest until I'm BURSTING, then EXPLODES in action - I can go harder, faster, endure more pain, close out what I don't need. I. CAN. DO. ANYTHING. I. NEED. TO. " ...anyway CONGRATS!!!