Post by Ann on May 28, 2009 7:35:52 GMT -5
He really wanted us to understand that smoking is just NOT worth the price.
Pay attention because he knew what he was talking about. Tomaso died recently...we won't forget you.
Hi Nadine. It's Tomaso. I just read your copd post. I've been where your at and understand what you are going through. You already know continuing smoking only aggravates your Bronchitis and Sinus Infection. Like you I continued to smoke month after month sinus infection after sinus infection. I had to have my fix (nicotine) and just couldn't give up my cigarette's no matter what. Because I've been there and done that I believe I can offer you some insight of whats happening and how to stop smoking. I eventually quit by going to a Nicotine Dependence Center where I stayed for eight days and nights. I know that may not be an option for you but I can share some advice and offer an alternative to smoking.
FIRST I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO YOUR LUNGS. Our lungs have an enormous capacity allowing us to breathe normally throughout our lives. Even so, each time we get a cold that goes into our chest or Bronchitis we destroy a little bit of our lungs. You normally would not notice the loss because of the enormous capacity our lungs have. Now, add smoking onto the normal sickness one may experience and you are destroying your lungs much quicker than normal. Breathing becomes difficult, Bronchitis won't go away and the sinus infection takes days longer than norm to go away. Even though you can still breathe your lungs are being permanently damaged. Some damage is reversible. Most of it is not.
Eventually you will be on inhalers which open restrictions in the lungs. Inhalers only work on the reversible damage not the irreversible damage. Eventually you will get Emphysema which is the biggest killer. Emphysema has three stages. When you reach stage three the average live expectancy is four years. You will struggle and you will die a terrible death. I know because I continued smoking just like you are doing. I am now 60 years old and my Emphysema has progressed into Stage III. You see once you get it the disease continues to progress even if you quit smoking but if you quit, it progresses at a much slower rate. Ok, now you know whats happening.
THE SECOND THING I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU IS HOW TO QUIT SMOKING. The hardest part is stopping. This is where you are at. Now, you have a decision to make. Do you want to quit and live? Or, do you want to continue smoking which will result in premature death? Ok, in order to quit your desire to quit must be stronger than your desire to smoke and you must be prepared to stop smoking and never again put another cigarette into your mouth. Quiting is basically a two step process. First, you must deal with your addiction to Nicotine. Second, you must break your habit of smoking. There is a number of ways you can do this. One is to quit cold turkey which I suspect you can not do. Another way is to use NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) which will satisfy your addiction need while you break the habit of smoking. Thats right, smoking is just a habit. Right now the cigarette is your delivery system for your Nicotine fix. When you use NRT, You no longer need the cigarette. How much NRT do you need? The Nicotine Dependence center taught me to use one 21 mg patch for each pack of cigarette's I smoked per day. Thats about one mg for each cigarette I smoked. So, if you smoke 1 1/2 packs per day, you should use about 30 mg's of nicotine per day. In this case, one 21 mg patch and one 14 mg patch. This will satisfy your addiction and almost stop any cravings you might otherwise have. Additionally, it's ok to use the Nicotine Inhaler for those sudden and jolting craves that you may experience. The inhaler is just like a cigarette - it looks and feels like a cigarette. It breaks apart in the center and you load a low 10 mg cartridge of Nicotine into the barrel and reassemble. If you get a jolt, use your inhaler and the crave goes away. The Inhaler also serves a a pacifier because you don't smoke anymore. It helps you break the habit of smoking. After a few weeks you should feel comfortable about not smoking. When this occurs, you begin to wean your self off the NRT. Your first step down could be to replace the 14 mg patch with the 7 mg patch. However you wean yourself, do it slowly.
However, keep that inhaler in your purse because you will still need it for the same reasons as stated above. Eventually you will be down to only the Inhaler. You can continue to carry it for as long as you like. The low dose of Nicotine will not kill you. However, smoking will kill you. It sounds like you are now in a position that you do not have an options to continue smoking awhile. It does sound like you must stop immediately.
I was severely addicted to Nicotine. I smoked 2 packs per day for 45 years.
I quit smoking by following the example stated above. Even so, everyone is different and you should consult with your family doctor. However, I must tell you that doctor's do not fully understand a Nicotine addiction and therefore do not understand how to guide you through the quiting process.
Just remember, if you want to live, you must quit and quit now.
Tomaso
Found on Quitnet