Quitting on the patch

[jennyfer976]

Hi everyone. I just recently started using the patch, 3 weeks ago to be exact. I am using Nicoderm CQ step 2. I cut down my smoking to 10 cigs per day prior to quitting (i smoked a pack a day before that) and then used step 2 instead of one (well because I was smoking 10 or less a day) anyways I need some support. The first week I cheated and would take 2-3 drags a day off a smoke while on the patch. I know your not suppose to do that (am I in danger now?) then the last 2 weeks have been the first 2 weeks EVER in my life I have not touched a cig. But I am irritabe and ancy even with the patch. I dont' feel any "withdrawl" I feel more like a craving or a missing of the habit. I know the doc says to exercise or do a hobbie or craft or something but all I wanna do is lay aroun and sometimes mope. I can't find the "MOTIVATION" to do things I used o do for some reason and I think its because I use to start every project with a cigarette. Even studying for school has become a challenge and I am afriad my grades are going to slip. I am 26 yrs old, smoked 1 pack per day for 10 years, cut down to 1/2 a pack a day the week before the patch and need help. Thanks!

[jennyfer976]

thanks you've been super helpful. I am working on all of what you said...trying to remain positive too:) I appreciate your feedback.

[kathyjo]

You can beat yourself up, but that's unproductive so put all your energy into analyzing where it is you need the extra support and we'll work on it together : )

A lot of people I know seem to enjoy a smoke with their drink(s). Some of these same people can put them down and do not smoke again until they attend another function! It really isn't fair that there are some that can do this. I was not one of those people.

Try to make a list of pros and cons and really work on making the "pros" cons. When all is said and done, there is absolutely not one good thing about smoking and that my friend, is something we have to figure out in order to be successful.

Hang in there and keep it up!

[jennyfer976]

You weren't too harsh at all, in fact I should be more harsh on myself. I keep coming here for support, and I def get it. I want to quit really really really want to quit, but theres some little thing in my mind i need to reprogram or something. i know it must be annoying for all to read my failed weekend attempts. It ***** for me too, its my way of confessing and feeling my shame. I am happy for your reaction. makes me want it even more. i am beginning to envy smokers so much less and envy heros like you who quit successfully more. Its such a ****** adiction. I am so fed up with it, but at the same time I give in---not really knowing why because there is NO reason why. I just feel like a slave sometimes. I am going to get back on the program tomorrow. Thanks for the wake up call, I needed and appreciate that.

[kathyjo]

Jen you have to wipe Saturday and Sunday off your internal calendar!
Seriously though, find another way to socialize or relax.....scrabble?? Also, stay away, just for a while, from smokers.
I think I can be candid with you Jen so I am going to say this at the risk of offending you.

What you have done, and quite successfully, is to create a new pattern of "weekend smoker" and being okay with it. If you want to be a weekend only smoker, then why bother trying to quit? If you are better off then you were a month ago, then why do you keep updating on the forum? Is it because you want to and need to quit? Of course it is. You can't be happy falling apart on the weekend so call your Doc in the morning and ask about the patch and don't take it off for the weekend.
You can do this Jen and I know you have more reasons then most for wanting to. Make it happen and ask for support instead of lighting up : )
Hope I wasn't to harsh : )

Kathy Jo

[jennyfer976]

Well I am trying to not get too down on myself here but I feel like I keep slipping up and I have to 'requit' at the end of every weekend. Urghghghghghghg. So I had a few. But I am not going too nuts and getting the patch again tomorrow and going back on it. Is it even safe to keep going on and off the patch does anyone know? Now I am getting nervous. I will KEEP FIGHTING. This is an uphill battle. I still feel like I am way better off than i was a month ago when i was smoking every day, but want to get this all said and done so i can put it behind me and start a new chapter in my life! Its annoying.  thanks for listening. I needed to vent.

[kathyjo]

One day at a time Jen : ) Congratulations on another smoke free day and make sure you prepare yourself, and your hubby for the day you decide to go "patchless" as you will need positive vibes : )  If you get to crazy, don't worry, half a day is better then none. Try to make your quit as foolproof as possible and don't give yourself any reasons or excuses to fail. Even small steps are moving you in the right direction, just remember that.
Hang in there Jen : )

Kathy Jo

[jennyfer976]

Well another day today. Still doing good. Still not smoking, weekend is coming up and I hope it remains good. I am going to try to go without the patch on saturday. We will see how it works.

[kathyjo]

Good for you Jenny and I like your attitude! I can't imagine that a low dose patch is going to hurt you much, it's better then smoking! Keep up the great work and when you are ready, you will do it : )  You want it and that makes all the difference. Keep some sunflower seeds on you and plenty of lollipops. Both of those help keep your hands busy as well as your mouth : )  Stay focused on positives and keep reminding yourself of all the reasons you are dumping those nasty smokes.
Congrats on not smoking and keep it up!

Kathy Jo

[jennyfer976]

Well heres an update: doing ok still not smoking, still on the mini low dose patch and can't seem to wean off. Tried yesterday and wore no patch, today felt like putting one on and couldn't resist. Damn still addicted to nicotine. but at least i am not smoking

[nyychic]

Keep it up!!  Good luck.  6 mos smoke free and lovin' it!
I used a book called The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr
and it worked wonders!!

Also I'm a good ole Ct. Girl myself!!  Born and raised there and then moved below the mason dixon at 16!!  But I grew up near Univerity of Ct. and Eastern!!  

[kathyjo]

and for all of those reasons you gave, I know you will work at it and in the end, win out.
Keep talking and keep reading...........it does get easier, I promise : )

[jennyfer976]

you never fail to amaze me and I give you credit for your journey. I hope to continue mine as well for all of the reasons anyone could ever want to quit, health and happiness and a longer good smelling life. more time, more money more love. Thank you...
i pray it all works out:)
I will keep going

[kathyjo]

When I turned 50 I decided to get back into shape. I joined a gym and I promised myself that I would quit smoking too. I had been using an inhaler for "asthma" for almost 10 years and I couldn't last more then a minute ot two on the eliptical so I knew I was in trouble. Smoking had already affected my circulation......when the temperature dropped below 50, my toes and fingers would get numb. Climbing stairs left me breathless and I had a pain between my shoulder blade. The doctor drew a diagram of my lungs, each lung was in 2 sections and 3 of the 4 sections were non-fuctional. He said he knew this simply by listening to my breathing! If that wasn't enough, I lost a friend to lung cancer. 44 years old and she left 3 children, ages 9 to 15. She was diagnosed at 40 and fought a good fight.........
For all of the reasons that I have listed above and for tons of reasons that have escaped me at the moment, this is why I quit.

What keeps me quit is that I was able to give up my inhaler (for the most part) and my circulation has returned somewhat to my extremeties. I can use the eliptical, no problem and I can even jog about a mile without keeling over : ) At 53, I am close to the best shape I have ever been in. I feel so good and more importantly, I smell good : )

Jen, you mentioned wanting a family........for that reason alone you must stay strong!
I can't think of anything more motivating : )

[jennyfer976]

Your story again I must say is amazing...so why after all that time did you decide to quit, what was the final straw for you? I know everyones reasons and stories and motivation are different, mine is for better health, fertility and hopefully a beautiful family...

[kathyjo]

I think that you should feel bad for those who are still smoking because one day they will have to quit and you will already have done so, or at the very worst, they won't quit but will simply start getting sicker & sicker, first the circulation, then the "asthma" diagnosis (COPD) and all the while your arteries are clogging. This doesn't happen overnight, but gradually you will be able to identify smoke related problems. What really is the stinks is that the average age is up there in the 70's, longer for those who have led a healthy life-style, and there is about a 95% probability that you will live that long. Those who smoke will have declining health from about the age of 45, which is when I really started feeling it, but it starts before that.......you just aren't really aware of it until its taken its toll. (statistics are according to my personal experience).
When your young you really can't appreciate the idea that one day you will get older.....I was a risk taker back when, always doing some crazy things and living a crazy lifestyle...I never though I would be 30 but here I am, 8 days shy of my 53rd birthday, so please listen so you won't have to be me years from now : )

I am 1 day away from 9 months and I am 6 cigarettes away from 6,000 smokes that I haven't smoked since I quit. When I did smoke it was about a pack a day so do the math and really understand how those cigarettes accumulate over a short period of time! Imagine the strain on your lungs and heart.....imagine, if you smoke in the house, what you might be doing to all those living in your house.
Jen, please, please read and re-read those articles on whyquit.com and don't be envious of people who are killing themselves a little each day, rather feel sorry for them because they haven't got the message like you have.

Finish off the patch but also do the reading......the combination will help you to become an ex : )
I'm here if you need me.
Kathy Jo

[jennyfer976]

Well I figured out whats making me want to cheat...I think I am actually Jealous of smokers, jealous of those who don't worry about what its doing to their bodies and who are just carefree and able to light up. I get jealous that they are not going through what I am going through and so when people are smoking in front of me its very easy to want a drag off a friends smoke especially after they've had 3 or 4 in front of you already during the 1/2 hour you've been hanging out. Urghh. I guess that is something for me that is going to take time. That explains the "cheats" but the actual relapse I had over the weekend that was my husband giving in to my crankiness, which he should have remained strong lol. We had a talk about that though and he knows now never to give me cigarettts...no matter how much i may beg. I also talked to doc about the patch, since its the lowest dose and I switched down to it before I was suppose to anyways its ok to be on it a week or 2 more. He says if I have problems after that to call him again. So that about wraps it up. I am on the patch, its ok for now, i am not smoking. We will have to see where it all goes....

[kathyjo]

Okay Jen, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and continue your quit.
What you really need to do is to read up on the articles at whyquit.com, figure out what makes you want to cheat and really try to understand it and work on it.
I tried to google the extended usage of the patch but couldn't find anything that really said anything negative about going beyond the 6 weeks. You can try to phone your doctor and ask, that is what I would do.
Good luck and keep us posted. You know quitting is the best thing you can possibly do for yourself so really take a good look at whats making you cheat and try to fix it : )

Kathy Jo

[jennyfer976]

Unfortunately my holiday weekend weaved me back into smoking. For one day only I smoked 8 cigaretts throughout the day. It all started last week on thursday morning. I had 2 patches to go, I was excited and was getting ready for work. I forgot to put my patch on and was fine at work all day. Then I got home and was starting to get irritable and short with my hubby very quickly.. he was getting mad and so angry with me. He wanted me to calm down, we weren't at home near my patch, so he gave me a cigarette. Ok so that day I had 1 cig and was fine, went to bed and woke the next morning and he had bought a pack so he said well smoke these and then put the patch back on when they are gone. So we split it basically and when the cigs were gone, which ended up being Friday night we went to bed and in the morning both put our patches back on. (he took his off the day i forgot to wear mine because he wanted to smoke too). Anyways its Sunday now last patch left and I guess my question is can I buy more patches and be on the patch a little longer? I am suppose to be done with the program now but feel i may be relapsing into smoking if I don't get some more patches. I am gonna wear my last one today (I am on the lowest dose now) and hopefully get some response before bed tonight so I will know if Its cool to buy more or not. Sorry for the disappointment, hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. In my defense (although i don't deserve one here) this is my first honest attempt to quit smoking and I went over a month, well with drags here and there but no full cigaretts until this weekend, and I know that I can be somewhat proud of my attempt because I am trying again. Although I am bracing myself for all the negative comments I am about to get.

[jennyfer976]

Thanks, hopefully all goes good. Of course i will keep all posted on the progress. 3 more patch days to go. (including today) "i think i can, i think i can, i think i can"

[kathyjo]

Hi Jen,
Congrats, WTG!
I know of  2 ladies from the gym who have both successfully quit using the patch and this was within the last two months. Both of them smoked for a very long time and both had no problem when the stopped wearing the patch. Try not to anticipate any problems and just keep up with all of the positives and you shouldn't have any problems.
You can do it, have some faith in yourself : )

[jennyfer976]

Well today is another good day, so far I seem to be having more good days than bad days. Awesome right? I do have one small fear. I only have 4 days left on the patch. Yep its been almost 2 weeks which means no more after this. I am on the lowest dose now, but am already feeling nervous about the day i don't wear the patch anymore. Has anyone ever successfully made it this far on the patch and quit using it? Can someone who has help me thru these last four days and let me know what happens when I am done with the patch....will I have withdrawl? I am hopeful of NO withdrawl. Ok well other than that still smelling good, feeling more awake and less ashamed these days. All good stuff. Hope the good feelings continue to overpower the anxieties!!

[kathyjo]

Way to go Jen! You should be so very proud of yourself and I know I speak for all when I say how very proud we are of you! You sound so very positive and that my friend is incredible. Just keep talking up the good things about your quit and know that you are doing the best possible thing for yourself and everyone that cares about you.
WTG!!

[jennyfer976]

Well I am still on the lower patch and doing good. feeling ok today and only one cheat since my last one. Seems like its getting better. the cheat was a very small drage off a friends smoke which instantly made me feel ill since I had not had one in a while and after a short coughing spell and the feeling of vomit rising in my throat I have decided its not even worth it to try to cheat. So for anyone tracking this who thinks its ok to take a drag after not having one for a longggg time and being on a very low dose of the patch...just don't even bother, its only going to make you feel sick. It does nothing beneficial. I feel stronger today and hope it all continues. Thanks everyone for your help...much appreciated. I can also say i've finally started to notice a few things worth not smoking for. My sex life believe it or not has improved, I feel like I've got more energy during the day and more time to get done what needs to get done....I smell sooooo much better and actually feel more relaxed than usual, since I am not leaving every activity or rushing out of restaurants for a smoke. Good luck to all...keep me posted;)

[mr.lucky66]

Yes kathy and I'm getting extra help. I was on Chantix for the first 2 weeks and now on Welbutrin and may stay on it for a while , it has less or no side effects for me. Also, I have a desire not to smoke or cheat. When I cheated, I don't take a drag, I buy a pack or 2. Keep on  Jen, no drags.