My names Steve, im 36 years old and have been quit for 19 days. About two years ago decided to swap from the poison of two packs of marlborough lights a day to hand rolling tobacco. Couldn't justify seventy quid a week on proper cigs when i could just as easily slowly kill myself on a tenner a week. Mad!
Anyway after smoking for twenty years i decided to go to the NHS stop smoking clinic last August, was really feeling quite ill with the never ending morning "smokers cough". Anyway the nurse went through the options available and being to scared of ct, even though id never tried to stop before i thought i would go for the champix. Anyway i couldn't get a prescription as id just moved house and had to register with my new surgery first. Sorry this is long winded i will get to the point.
Roll on two weeks (I still haven't had time to register with the new surgery) and i start waking at about 3am not being able to breath until I've coughed all this crap up. This happens for about a week until the coughing becomes so violent that i pull something so that now it hurts so much i cant cough. Time to register with the new surgery. I'm thinking with it being summer that the pollen may have something to do with the breathlessness and I've probably got a chest infection (seemed to get one every year). Anyway the doctor listens to my chest and goes bright red. He says that my lungs are "shot" and prescribes me steroids, painkillers,antibiotics and two inhalers and says come back in 5 days. Five days later i feel a lot better but my new doctor seems to think that i definitely don't have a chest infection and that it is either COPD or asthma or a combination of the two. Also informed that COPD is not reversible and that the disease is progressive. The best thing i could do in the mean time was stop smoking but this was such life changing information and far to stressful a time to give it up. Life goes on I've got a business to run a wife two kids (boy 11, girl 12), basically a lot of people rely on me. But life doesn't go on, not in the way i know anyway.
Since august I've officially been diagnosed with asthma and COPD the hope is that it is more asthma than COPD. After the same thing happening in early October(breathlessness ect) as August i have been on steroids 4 more times and officially signed of sick ever since.
Christmas was the worst. With my condition i was told that with any flu or cold symptoms i should immediately see the doctor. Anyway the week before Christmas i had a bit of a sore throat and slight flu symptoms but didn't go to the doctors because I'm stupid/a man take your pick. Anyway the Sunday before Christmas coughed pulled something again couldn't breath ended up in A and E feeling eighty not 36. Turned out to be a chronic double lung infection that had me back on the steroids antibiotics and painkillers. I was informed that it was so serious that it would take eight weeks to fully recover. So Christmas was my family worried sick me laid up doped up to the eyeballs and still unbelievably smoking.
Anyway that's why i stopped smoking on the 19/02/09. The only good thing about Christmas was that i lost a stone and a half so no worries about the pork scratchings. Ive logged on to this site and whyquit etc everyday from the week before i stopped up to now. The driving force behind me stopping and staying stopped have been the inspirational and sometimes sad personnel stories on both sites. I don't feel i deserve the credit that someone who quits before its to late should get i feel i was forced to quit. I hope my reasons for quiting give others something/anything in their quest to be nicotine free.
Don't worry about me I'm strong mentally if not physically and I'm hoping that my health will improve slightly now that I've stopped.
Of subject, my first posts after a few glasses of wine were a bit strange/challenging didn't really know what i was on about I dont know if it happens to anybody else but i get VERY arsey in the earl evening, resorted to locking myself in my office reading sad stories and listening to sad music. Finally (even I'm getting bored) sorry for any errors in the above.
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Quite a story Pennick, I hope you don't mind me saying that your story scared the bejesus out of me.... I'm 34, just 2 years younger... and with a 2 1/2 year old boy.
Bible black, love Johnny Cash and would recommend the unearthed collection. Have all the American recordings, special. Stuarth, this is very rare for our age the doctor turned red because i was his first case in one so young but still don't take another puff!
As an afterthought Ive just realised that some quitters will be in the process of COPD diagnosis. If thats the case then "my reasons" may not give much hope. To clarify, COPD is an umbrella term that includes "emphysema" and "chronic bronchitis".
The problem the doctors have with diagnosis is that the symptoms are almost identical to those of asthma. Breathlessness, coughing (smokers cough), excess mucus production etc. The sooner the disease is diagnosed the better.
The good news is that with exercise and good diet many lead long and fruitful life's. Exercise is essential as muscle turned to fat uses up more oxygen and the nature of the disease is basically a lack of oxygen.
One thought i had when told by the doctor that stopping smoking was the priority in improving the condition was "the damage is done now, i may as well keep on smoking". The logic of smokers?
Anyhow I'm coming to the end of my 4th week quit and have noticed the following. Chronic morning cough has reduced by about 50%. Peak flow (device measuring lung capacity) used to be between 150 and 250, pleased to report personnel record of 420.
Its early days but slowly but surely improving. Even manged to take the kids to a nature reserve on Sunday.
So, this is the note id send to anybody diagnosed with COPD and thinking of stopping. My reasons is the note id send to any smokers thinking their to young to be diagnosed with lung disease.
Hope thats of some help and a little more positive.
I'm not sure Pennick if you realise what a brilliant job you have done for everyone else logging on this site. I was feeling so bl**dy sorry for myself, sore throat, miserable, irritable blah, blah, blah, 5 weeks into my quit (one relapse one night) wondering why I was putting myself through all this and then I read your post and it pulled me up sharply by my socks.
My partner has COPD he said its a big diffrence when he quits but he keeps Bloody relapsing all the time. My daughter in laws mum has Copd was taken into hospital last year she was told she must stop smoking she have but shes been having a very bad time with it. Last week I lent her my Allan Carr book hope it helps her. Stay strong mate.xxxx
I'm not sure Pennick if you realise what a brilliant job you have done for everyone else logging on this site. I was feeling so bl**dy sorry for myself, sore throat, miserable, irritable blah, blah, blah, 5 weeks into my quit (one relapse one night) wondering why I was putting myself through all this and then I read your post and it pulled me up sharply by my socks.
Good luck to you - you deserve it.
Seconded.
In week 5 of my quit and been struggling this week for the first time since week 1. Mega cravings and depression. But reading this thread has really hit home, and reminded me why we are all doing this.
Glad things are looking a bit better for you Pen, regarding the peak flow meter readings, sounds like a fairly big increase in your lung capacity (I think that's kinda what it measures:confused
It is starnge the smoker's logic though, never smokers really don't understand but so many people just smoke on when something related to their smoking is diagnosed.
It really reinforces my reasons for quitting so thanks for that and keep us informed of how things go with you.
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and keep the faith tony
