Cigarette Smoking and Coffee

[shastri20032003]

Hello,
I have been diagonised with acute Hep C since last Sepetember and have discovered this forum a  few days ago.The personal experiences of all of  you guys have really brought a lot of clarity to my zillion questions and would like to thank you all for all the inputs provided here which i have been fortunate to read
tx with pegasys/ribavirin would be starting in feb next year and have not been able to control my cigarette smoking--a pack a day and caffiene--4 cups a day
how harmful are these for hep c? Thanks in advance for yr responses

[sfbaygirl]

The patches aren't bad, but you have to have it in your head that you want to quit, if not they won't work. Nicotine is more addictive than heroin, I have heard. It's addiction is all in the head, so if you are going to quit, get into a program with your patches or gum.

Congrats on quitting all that other stuff. It ain't easy, but you did it. It takes strength to do this. If you are in a program for drugs, use the 12 steps as part of quitting the cigarettes. It might help you. Once you quit, you can't have even one, if you want to succeed.

[GLiLCrazy]

Hey! So your doctor recommened you to stop after tx?? Why is that? To much stress right now on your body or something???

[sfbaygirl]

Yes, at first this is what he said. Too much stress with all that's going on to quit now. There are times I would love to and cut down, but I end up smoking more now since I am so inactive.

[chcnme]

Hey GLil! Nice to meet you.  You're young.  Super congrats on the stopping drinking!  If you can put the cigs down, do it!  My son did it.  He was 21 when he quit  (he started smoking when he was 15 or 16).   He used the gum for about two months.  It's been almost five years for him.  WHen I chewed the gum, I didn't want a cigarette.  I've had many friends who quit successfully with the patches.  I tried the patch one time and it made me sick feeling and I took it off, but - I may have been imagining the nausea and dizziness with the patch, but - it kind of scared me away from the patch.  They do work for many people.  You can buy them OTC now.  But ask your doc before you go slapping on a patch or chewing on the gum.  

This quitting drinking and smoking brings back memories of a criminal defense attorney I knew  (he as a well-known attorney in these parts, but oh what a drunk he was - lol, and he would occasionally show up in court drunk).  But he was good, but .. he was in big trouble with his drinking.  He was a big AA'r (court ordered to go lol), and after he got in AA, he took his sobriety very seriously, and then - he wanted to quit smoking.  I think he had 20 years or more the last time I saw him (sober and smokeless).  We used to tease him  because he had an addition to the GUM!  I bet he chewed on that stuff for at least five years - lol.  He died not too long ago, in his late 80s :(  But he was sober and smokeless when he left.  

Quit smoking now if you can!  Best of luck.

[GrandOak]

First of all welcome to the forum.  Your question is a common one and can sometimes spark some lively debates.

Like coffee, the meds for tx are a diaeretic.  Proper water intake is very important to treatment and I believe alleviates some of the lesser side effects.  I found that if I greatly reduced my coffee intake, I was better able to sustain my water intake and avoid a few extra trips to the bathroom as well as some of the head and body aches.

[GLiLCrazy]

Hey! My addiction was not drinking, my addiction was pain pills, coke, crack, and smoking pot. I wish my problem would have been drinking, a lot less than all those that I did. LOL! I was shooting up coke and pills(oxycontin,delatids,morhphine,etc.) that's how I got infected with my Hep C from sharing needles with my X boyfriend. Im glad I got help because I would have never found out that I was sick with this. I was never a really big drinker.. my dad was an acholic. On the other hand about smoking... I do have the patches in my room, but am so scared to take that first step. HA. I think it's worse than saying your an addict on drugs and admitting yourself to rehab!! HAHA!! I need to quit soon though I do know that.