SMOKER?

This is not a recipe nor preachin'! Just some suggestions if you, or someone you love, is still a cigarette smoker. I do have some helpful hints toward making a plan to quit for good! The above picture is a typical day in Bei*jing, *China...very smoggy, plus everyone smoking!

Based on what, you may ask? Based on smoking from September, 1960 until Jan 1, 2004. A total of 43 years and 4 months! It has been 5 years, 2 months and 28 days since I quit! Yeah, I know, who's counting?! From 1991 until 2004, I made a few attemps at quitting. Other than being hospitalized, the quitting time never lasted longer than 12 hours. Even when I "promised" to quit, set that all-important date, let others know my quit date, it never happened. I did quit smoking in my house in 1989. I learned to love going outside and relaxing with a cigarette, no matter what time of day, or what kind of weather. If my phone rang, I went outside to talk. When I finished a project, my reward was to go outside and relax. If I woke up during the night, I went outside to what? Smoke! First thing in the morning after rising, last thing at night before retiring. Loved going out for coffee and having a you know what! A few, in fact. On an average day, I smoked 1 pack, eventually smoking a very mild cigarette. (Some smokers who asked to "borrow" a cigarette, even turned me down and asked why I bothered at all!) There were times I increased my usual amount by half, then other days when I decreased it by half.

I fooled myself into thinking I could stay healthy. After all, no one I knew of on either side of my family had ever died of lung cancer, in fact, cancer was not really that prevalent in my family, so of course, I could escape that horrible C word. Also, when I was in nurses training in college, we had to take a breathing test that measured our lung capacity...mine was the second largest in the class. Also, I am a very shallow breather, have been since my earliest memory. So, I never inhaled deeply (although I did try the French inhale in college because it seemed to be so cool! ;-) Yikes! I retained a lot of energy, very active, learned to wear a certain jacket outside, so that nothing else smelled of smoke. I surprised many folks that eventually found out that I smoked, as they had no idea. I was pretty careful. The hardest times were going to church camps or retreats. I smoked very little at those times, however, would go for a "long walk". Not sure if I fooled anyone, and fortunately, didn't set the forest on fire...was VERY careful! At times, there were functions I didn't attend, because I would be unable to smoke. Staying in motels/hotels could be a problem if there wasn't a balcony, so would have to go outside and that was sometimes a bit unnerving, especially at night. When babysitting my grandchildren, I had to cut way back, because they always wanted to know why I was stepping out on the porch! So observant!

The fime finally arrived, after over 40 years, when strenuous activity left me somewhat breathless. I remembered my dad getting so short of breath that he had to be on oxygen in the mornings for awhile. He begged me to quit so that I wouldn't suffer what he was. He had been a smoker for 50 years or so, and it was showing some consequences. He died at age 71 of a heart attack.

I'd like to say that I was strong and made the decision, but it actually had nothing to do with just me. You see, I loved to smoke, always enjoyed it, believed that it was one of the things that helped me through countless tough times, and couldn't imagine ever really quitting. I truly believe it was the Holy Spirit that finally convicted me that this was a necessary thing to do, and that I would not be provided with many opportunities again. So I, with much prayer made THE PLAN! Here it is and what happened...something very scary that worked for the good. (Rom 8:28)

In early October of 2003, I began making changes in my smoking habits. It was a bit helpful toward quitting, in that we had recently moved from a very large, beautiful home with a glass "railing" deck that had an amazing view of a valley and river. We moved to a much smaller home in a subdivision, and when sitting in the backyard, I could look at the door, or the upstairs windows of my neighbor, or at the small, fenced backyard. Not so relaxing as a great view! Listed are the changes in habits that I began making:

Did not smoke in the morning until 1 hour after eating breakfast. (I began eating as soon as I got up, instead of going outside with coffee)
I stayed inside while on the phone
If I drank coffee anytime during the day or evening, did not go outside.
Did not hit the pause button in the middle of a movie to go outside.
Began sitting in the non-smoking section of restaurants
No smoking until 1 hour after lunch and dinner
Allowed myself only 10 cigarettes per day. If I cheated, made it that many less the next day.
Did not smoke right before going to bed, or when I woke up during the night.
Fixed my date as January 1, but only that date AFTER getting up in the morning, as I knew I may not go to bed until well after midnight!

My husband was not a smoker, never had been, and he tried to be patient with it, but it was of great concern to him and he often tried to talk with me. It wasn't productive, just made me mad. Two of my four children had never smoked, and about a year before I quit, one of them had "The Talk" with me, that she understood from reading that cigarettes were very addictive. She wanted me to know that if I couldn't quit, and did get "sick", she would be there for me, but that it would cause her to have so much anger that she was losing me because of something I chose not to control, that it would be hard for her to love me through my dying when it was peppered with being mad at me! I understood this and it made me cry. My son also had "The Talk" with me a few weeks later, in that he said you know mom, you need to just quit talking about quitting, please don't mention it again. If you're going to smoke, just do it. If you're going to quit, just do it. Stop talking! Pretty blunt, huh?!

Well, I struggled through those 3 months, but as time went on, it became easier and I began feeling better, breathing easier, less tired.

Then, I woke up about 9 AM on January 1, 2004. Oh my gosh! What was I thinking? I should have set the date as Feb. 1, or the next Fall! But I knew that on either of those dates, I'd think the same thing: "oh my gosh"! I had broken and shredded the few remaining cigarettes I had left when I went to bed the night before. Had gone out at 2 AM for that "last smoke of my life". I got through the day, but not without shedding a few tears and mourning the loss of my cigarettes! I didn't use any anti-depressants, but I did use a nicotine patch...step 2 for 2 weeks and step 3 for 2 weeks. Step 1 seemed that it might be too strong for me, since I smoked a very mild cigarette and not over 10 a day. The patch helped, I'm sure.

Day 2, I joined a fitness center for women, along with 2 friends who were not smokers. We went early morning 3 times a week, and found that I loved it! Fun to do with someone else. However, during this month of January, I began on a methotrexate treatment for psoriatic arthritis, having experienced pain and swelling in a couple of fingers and one toe. I also had osteo-arthritis and had had one hip replaced in 2002. The other hip replacement looming on the horizon (2006). After 3 injections of this powerful drug, and 2 1/2 weeks exercising, I began to be very short of breath during exercise. A week later, I could no longer exercise. Having told my arthritis doctor about the difficulty in breathing, the injection was again given. Another week later, I could no longer exercise, found that I could barely walk from the living room to my kitchen, and when talking, could say only 3-4 words with taking a breath, and my voice had become quite high-pitched. I was terrified! I went to the arthritis doctor, who decided to stop the injections. My internist scheduled a pulmonary function test, and a few days later, I got The Call: I had COPD with chronic bronchities and it was severe. I immediately burst into tears and asked how long I had left. The nurse told me to calm down, made an appointment for me to go in and talk to my doctor. My husband went with me, and when i told my doctor that I was so shocked at the test results, she said, "why? you were a smoker for years, you know." I've never gone back to her.

After the injections stopped, my energy and voice began returning, and my breathing improved. My new doctor made an appointment for me with a pulmonary specialist, who talked about putting me on oxygen, meds, etc. When I asked him questions about my condition and wanted answers, his comment was, "you just don't want to have emphysema, do you?" You see, I was very confused how my physical condition improved after quitting, but spiraled downhill after the injections, then began improving when they stopped. It's not that I didn't "want to have emphysema" (wait a minute, who really does?!). I just wanted to understand what I could expect, and what I should be doing to help myself. Those answers weren't given. They gave me a pulse oximetry test (a little device that clips on your finger), and my oxygen level was 93. For me that's pretty normal, as I said before, I am a shallow breather. Then, I was marched around the halls by the nurse, faster and faster, then they were going to retake the oxygen level test (which they said would be less thann 93) to determine how much oxygen and how often I would need it at home. After 5 minutes, we returned to the room, she clipped on the device, and my level was 95. She said oh! well, sometimes it takes a couple of minutes. So we chatted and waited, and it was up to 98! They sent me home and I've heard nothing since.

I have never once cheated with even one puff on a cigarette. The smell of smoke that once was not offensive, in fact enjoyed, is now a repulsive odor! Now, I know why people walking by me in a parking lot, or anywhere for that matter, kind of held their breath, or coughed, or looked disgusted! I thought they "needed to get a life and if they didn't like it, walk further away from me!" Oh, I'm so ashamed now of those thoughts, but I just didn't get it then. I'm sorry!

When I was in *China a couple of years ago, smoke was everywhere, along with massive air polution. Our gracious Lord took good care of me, and I did not have any problems while there. I did use my inhaler at times. When possible, I would wait for a different elevator if someone in the crowd, also waiting, was smoking. They smoke everywhere!

My physical abilities have increased so much in the past 5 years! I had my second hip replaced in late November of 2006. Four months later, I climbed 250+ steps up the Great Wall and back down again! :-0 I am so grateful for the scare I had a few years ago. When tempted, I recall that surreal feeling, and it is used for my good! Not everyone who smokes, can write a similar story. Theirs may be a tragic one. They would encourage you to quit long before I got around to it. Like quit by making your plan TODAY! Don't wait until you get a scare, or it's too late. You CAN DO IT!

So, if you don't want any more advice, stop reading now! If you do, know that you can quit! Make a plan, and I encourage you to change habits and prepare for battle! After all these years, I still occasionally long for a cigarette until I could cry! But, I KNOW that within a few minutes, that longing will disappear and I just need to deal with it! After all, there has to be consequences to stupid choices! I don't beat myself up, because in the 60's when I began smoking, "everyone did"! ;) There wasn't a lot of information about the dangers of smoking. Also, I can now go to weeeks and never even think about smoking! That's amazing to me!

If someone you care for very much, is a smoker, please have them read this if you think it might be of help. Weight gain? Yes, but only because you substitute one thing for another. It's not "inevitable" that you gain!

I am praying this article will be used as an encouragement tool!