Hi everyone I have copd as I think you're aware off had it about 6 year well I do smoke but I know its stupid but just couldn't get my head focused I have now got in the right frame off mind and haven't had one since this morning I've being using nico cig and I've managed determined to keep it up then this doubt creeping in thinking I'm 62 damage done anyway and that sort off thing think it's cause I haven't had a cigarette I think my craving or brain trying to trick me in having tab I'm hoping in time I will feel better in myself I know damage being done and my coughing harrendos aswell just wondering about anyones experiences and I will read them everyday to help me thankyou
Germantara : Hi everyone I have copd... - Lung Conditions C...
Germantara
Written by
Germantara
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
70 Replies
•
Pete gave up when diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 1991. He just stopped but found it very hard. You will get there Germantara with help and determination. Good luck to you. Xxx👍
Thankyou
I had many failed attempts before I quit for good in 2008. I tried cutting down, but that didn't work at all for me, but I'm an all or nothing person so it was never really likely to. I still have the occasional craving, and sometimes dream about smoking. The only remotely useful advice I used was to do something else whenever I had a craving (e.g. do a jigsaw, or sewing, something to keep my hands busy) and also to note which particular cigarettes you particularly enjoy, e.g. the first one of the day, or the one after your evening meal with a coffee, and change your routine so that you try to trick your brain to miss it less. So for instance I bought a Nespresso coffee machine, and my one fancy coffee of the day after my evening meal is my treat rather than the cigarette I used to have with it. We will all be rooting for you, and anyone who's ever smoked appreciates just how difficult it is!
Thankyou I had ciggertte this morn but I've used nico cig since
I used e-cigarettes to help me quit. I think it's generally accepted that they are much less harmful than the tobacco in cigarettes, and I found it quite easy to stop using the e-cig once I no longer smoked any tobacco. It might take time, but you need to go at your own pace - if you're not fully committed, or feeling pressured into quitting, you're much less likely to succeed.
Thankyou
I stopped in April 2023. I’d been trying to stop for two years but mentally it wasn’t the right time. Last April I got a plastic cigarette from Amazon so I could pretend to smoke if I had a craving and I also got Nicorette mini nicotine mints I sucked when I had a craving. It helped as I haven’t smoked since and I’d smoked for 50 years! Last year was the right time for me mentally and it worked. Just as well I stopped as in May my breathing got bad and my gp thought I had angina and tests are ongoing at the moment and in December I was diagnosed with emphysema. I’m so glad I don’t smoke anymore but sometimes my brain still thinks I smoke and tells me I’d like a cigarette but I just tell myself I don’t do it anymore and in a few seconds the thought has gone. You will get cravings as your brain is missing the nicotine and will try to make you smoke but if you have substitutes ready you can get through it if mentally you want to. You will feel so much better without cigarettes and you can treat yourself with the money you’ve saved. Stopping smoking is as hard as stopping heroin but if mentally you want to stop, you’ll do it. Good luck x
Thankyou I am determined this time my coughin is terrible getting hard to deal with I don't have any infection it's smokin to be honest
Hi Germantara, I dont know if you know , but I am an administrator for Quit Support. I quit smoking 11 years ago I have been through lung cancer and other ailments but quitting smoking is the best thing I ever did. Please come and join me on the Quit Support Community forum we will support and advise you all through your quit journey.. We dont pressurise you , its all at your own pace. Here is the link
healthunlocked.com/quitsupport
I look forward to supporting you 😊
Thank you I will
it’s not easy Germantara but you will be so proud of yourself when you succeed. I used to eat popcorn during the hard times. good luck and think of the money you will save and you won’t have to worry if you’ve got enough ciggies to see you through to the next morning
Sorry if I got mixed up I'm grateful for you're reply thankyou
Well done,day 1 nr overWhn the niggles start tell them to stop.
Cigs will continue to cause irreparable damage, mucous,infections both now + in future x
Thankyou
Hi Germantara , you can do this. I smoked for a long while and know how hard it is to give up. Tried many times and failed until last year when I had blood clots around the lung and heart and the A and E doctor told me I was lucky to be alive. It put the fear in me and I stopped that day. You will do it in your own time and try and get as much support as you can. We are here to support you. Iam now addicted to peppermint creams 😂
Thankyou
It's hard to give up smoking but well worth it - I gave up 27 years ago, I am better now is some ways, than I was when I smoked.
I stopped three times, and started again for the weirdest of reasons.
I found it easier to just stop than cut down, as when I did cut down I clock watched to the next cigarette.
I had Flare ups after Flare ups in those days - Stopping did help some, we are never cured but stopping smoking slow down drastically COPD getting worse.
I failed three times, on the fourth was 27 years ago.
You are 62 and you have damage - Honestly it's not to late to stop. and slow down your COPD.
I hope you stop - Good luck 
Thankyou
Good for you, if you continue to smoke and live to 82 you could have many years of very very poor health with worse suffering than you have now. It would be great if you can quit at 62 to prevent any more damage! Good luck, I'm sure we're all rooting for you.
Do you have grandchildren to quit for?
Thankyou
Hi, I was on about 30+ a day when I stopped. Registered at the local pharmacy and was given 16 hour patches and niquitine mini mints. Had to check in every week but that was it for me. 9 years ago and I have not even had a puff and my husband still smokes. Wasn't as hard as zi thought and I don't miss it as much as I expected. Good luck.
Thankyou
Hi Germantara.
I wish you all the luck in the world to kick this habit...it's so destructive to the body, affecting your heart, lungs...causing cancer, stroke, lung disease, diabetes ect, ect. If you feel your struggling at some point make a call to your doctors for help as I know it's going to be hard for you. Get a jar and save your cigarette money up!! I'd hate for you to compromise your lungs any further. My partner stopped after 20 years because I had asthma....he would have gone the journey if he hadn't. 😉Asthma is hard enough to cope with, without adding something toxic to it.
Thankyou
well done for taking the first step am proud of you.
Are you in the UK?U Our GP gives advice on the various programmes to support folk who are trying to give up.Good luck.
Yes I live durham thankyou
I stopped smoking 14 years ago but found I had to avoid all the triggers that gave me the most stress. I did this for the first month and found it helped, I think everyone has to find their own way of giving up and there isn’t a right or wrong. I hope you find what works for you and don’t be hard on yourself if you’re struggling get the support you need and you’ll succeed. Best of luck.
Docters don't do no smoking used to before covid now they stopped my local pharmacy also don't do quit smoking so have to manage myself but I will keep reading all my post with good support every day and I think it will keep me going have not had tab since yesterday morn
You will notice a difference with not smoking, the horrendous cough will ease & go, I found it really hard to stop when I gave up 13 years ago, you’re brain does try to trick you into believing damage is done etc, but keep going, it is hard but you will get there, good luck 💐 xx
Thankyou must admit when I got up first thing this I coughed terribly realy hacking that put strain on lungs and with copd it's harendos but noticed the rest off today haven't coughed very much at all so I have noticed that today I don't feel that irration on throat
Brilliant! Keep trying, you will get there, lots of us here rooting for you 😊
Thankyou
I found the Alan Carr book and cd helpful to quit smoking. Good luck.
Thankyou
please stick with it ! Get all the help you can , but you must do it . A friend of ours refused to give up and died within three years of diagnosis. On the other hand my husband gave up in his mid fifties after smoking 30 per day having started in his teens ; he enjoyed over 15 years of normal life , working and enjoying travelling etc , at 69 he gave up work and although his condition deteriorated he continued to enjoy life albeit more restricted for another six years . For all the medication the best thing you can do for yourself is give up - I did it when my husband did , I found patches very good and used lozenges for years after I gave up , it wasn’t easy but once you start feeling the benefits after just s few weeks it gets so much easier. Good luck
Thankyou
I tried and failed many times Germantara but was successful when my daughter bought Alan Carrs easy way to stop smoking book. It helps you to understand that smoking is an addiction and I think anything that can help with this will get you to the right place. Its never too late to stop no matter the damage done. Have a look on ebay or second hand bookshops for this book it will be alot cheaper than buying new. I gave mine to a friend who when she stopped gave it to one of her friends and think it is still doing the rounds. I read it in one go on a quiet weekend and must say felt marvellous for weeks after and never looked back. Good luck x
I will get my daughter to look on ebay thanyou
Oh Germantara I so hope you manage this. When I gave up and had a bad craving I used to tell myself 'I'll just see if I can wait another hour before giving in'. Then it became 'if I have one now it'll waste all that pain I've already been through all day'. Eventually it reached the point where I could acknowledge I wanted a cigarette but could dismiss it as just not going to happen.
Your age isn't a factor. Stopping smoking is a brilliant way to improve your health at any age.
I really wish you the best of luck......we're all rooting for you!
Thankyou
My previous husband took up smoking again after giving up with me, and had five horrible years with hospital admissions, breathlessness, struggling to walk or do anything much except exist, before he died.
Don't start again, please.
I'm going to not be tempted anymore I'm determined thankyou
Hi Germantara
i can only tell you what i did, i was on 35 x cigarettes a day and i had half heartedly tried to give up many times. i was diagnosed with copd back in2000 and did'nt know exactly what it meant, i suppose i buried my head in the sand. i kept on getting out of breath and i thought this has got to stop. so i stopped smoking no patches or aids(i am too tight to fork out for them) and it was hard the first 24hours. but after i got through that and everyone said 'he wont do it' is the spur to carry on and show everyone, so i didnt have another one i thought i have gone through all this in the first few days i am not going to waste it and i will show everyone. to my astonishment i did stop and now don't think about it, that was back in 2012 and i havent had a cigarette since. there may be the odd time like after a meal when i think i could do with a cigarett, but i say 'get thee behind me satan' and it goes. if you really want to give up you will find a way but mostly it is will power. i dont miss stale ash trays and clothes smelling of smoke.
best of luck and be positive
Thankyou I can relate to every word and understand I've not had a tab since yesterday morn I don't have any in the house so can't get one but time I ooo wish I had just one but haven't and not going to but its hard
Hi Germantara (lovely name!). I know you've probably already got damage from smoking but it's never too late to stop. I packed in smoking 43 years ago when I was expecting our first child, (in those days it was that awful nicotine gum that was available!!). Two weeks of trying to quit with that, I just stopped smoking. On the downside, i was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007 - I guess smoking related! Although it was inoperable, chemo and radiotherapy zapped the big lump and I'm still here today.
Good luck to you and never think "well the damage is done, I might as well still smoke".
Lots of love. Jan xxxx
Thankyou
To continue to smoke with COPD is foolhardy to say the least, there is no easy way to say this, I gave up instantly 35 years ago with pneumonia and no one was more addicted than i was at the time, i would kill for a ciggy if ran ut, My husand Has severe COPD his life is non existant now, can hardly walk from one room to another, he did as youa re doing kept smoking for a good while after diagnosis.
I believer that if people saw him and others like him, this would be all they needed to quit. no vapes or patches. Sorry to so blunt, b ut i live with seeing my husband struggle to breath daily, wishing for an end to it. so no, i have no time for anyone who continues to smoke, or put it this way, one day you will all wish to God you had stopped when you did.
Please don't feel you're being blunt I would rather be told good honest replies and respect you for being up front I appreciate you're post thankyou
Print out a colour photo of a diseased black lung, and tell yourself that you own are on the way to this, and the only way to stop it is to stop killing yourself with cigs.
There is no cure for COPD, if like my husband, it develops in a lot of cases to affecting the heart i.e. heart failure which he has too now. His life is zilch, no holidays, no going to visit friends. and when they come here if its one of his worse days he is in bed all day.
My life too has been torn apart by his refusal to stop smoking at first, he stopped yes. but only when it became impossible to drag on a ciggy any more. There are none so blind as those who refuse to see.
Just give up, and keep looking at that photo of the black diseased lung, all stuck together with glue and the avoli cant get air into them. this is COPD.....
Thankyou to be honest my daughter has wrote on paper no smoking or die it's not being done in anyway nasty my daughter is a good lass but she gets frustrated about my smoking so she done these signs to remind me off the outcome off my stupidity she got one on my fire place cubboard doors in my toilet and I don't smoke in the toilet she says we'll you haven't tried this way so if this helps great I said if anyone comes to house god knows what they think she says I don't care what others think I'm botherd only for you my mother and I do anything she even said I'm getting a sign for outside front saying no smoking I thought ooooo
Day 2,all the best with lady willpower xxxxxx
Thank-you I'm still managing it hard but still smoke free
Very best of luck .You've got off to a good start 👍👍👍Hope you can keepit up. xxx
Thankyou
Firstly well done by cutting out even one fag ( 🤦♂️🤦♂️as I’ve always called them 😂) I was on 40 Marlboro a day . I used patches which definitely worked for me 12years ago but now you have a number of other options .
We all know smoking is not good for you but it’s an addiction that brings pleasure and makes you feel relaxed ( until you manage to stop , then you’ll ask your self why you ever did it 😂😂)
Try any method , in the end one will work if you have the determination which it sounds like you have . Don’t feel bad if you start again , remember even stopping having one fag is good so just start afresh the next day , wishing you every success in becoming a non smoker eventually ❤️❤️
Thankyou
I stopped in my fifties but started showing COPD symptoms a few years later. The best thing I ever did. Yes COPD is progressive and cannot be cured but continuing smoking just causes further damage. Don't let your brain trick you or rather don't let the addiction trick you. Every cigarette is damaging. You can conquer this. One minute, one hour, one day at a time. Go for a walk, even just round your house when the cravings start. Breathe deeply and promise your lings you are going to treat them well from now on.
Be well today
Dee
Thankyou
Hi Germantara, well good for getting the head on but forget the “damage done” bit. Yes damage has been done - by stopping there’ll be less done! Think what another 15+ years damage will make you feel like. Saying “damage is done is a way to let yourself carryon doing it believing that makes it seem a bit more ok to keep doing it.
If you’re in the uk contact your Dr for smoking cessation appointment. Theyl give you assistance so you don’t just go cold turkey. That’s not particularly safe doing that either as your body will medically & physically rebell. You will become anxious and it’s the vicious route to taking another smoke.
Get help but push yourself to be strong and reap the rewards. Honestly you have taken the first step, steady yourself then take the next - good luck 😉
Thankyou
Gosh, I’m afraid I don’t have any advice for you because we share exactly the same mindset as far as smoking is concerned! I did manage to stop for nine weeks, recently, and with the money I saved (a lot!) I treated myself to a drop of Botox between my eyebrows and the plan was to get my teeth whitened when I had stopped for another month. Vain, I know, but I was trying to undo some of the effects on my appearance that smoking had caused. The best laid plans, eh?
The thoughts of ‘the damage is done, what’s the point?’ crept back in and now I’m sat here, replying to you, having just put a ciggy out and feeling and looking like shit! Maybe we should both try again? I had a brief spell of feeling really good about myself for finally having the will to stop and I want that back. I want you to feel that too. Good luck xx
It's so hard to stop but it still achievement to stop for 9 weeks and I'm all for you to treat you're self in fact I think what you treated yourself to is great to be honest I would do the same to be honest I'm struggling bad I've nearly caved in few times but I thought and to be honest still do think I've copd damage done I'm 63 in August and probably to old to to make a difference to mysel then get in the mind set off does it realy matter even though its wrong to think like this but it does come over my thinking odd times why those thoughts happen don't know there's no reason for it only copd I hope when you get you're mind set again hope you manage and have the fantastic treats for yourself Thank-you
Not what you're looking for?
You may also like...
Germantara
quite upset in myself I'm on 16 mg everyday so have to do week off readings to see what's what...
Germantara
well I think I have copd and it looks and the replys are really great I've never being offerd...
Germantara
Hi every one I got my pip forms but I've rang about citizens advice and other places can't fit me
Germantara
know I got pip forms I've tried everywhere to get help with them filling them in I've rang welfare...
