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!

[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.