Well i did it!!!

[HALEY]

I did it, today is my first day of not smoking, feeling good today.. it was a little strange this morning, all out of my routine, of smoking 4 smokes before Micah got up... but i'm pluging along here, the patch is helping alot, but making me kinda dizzy. oh well i guess its better than smoking, my doctor also called in a perscription for wellburtin, but i don't think i'm going to use that... i have if i need it. but these darn patches are so strong my damn arm is numb..

[judy]

GOOD LUCK HALEY!!!

CONGRATULATIONS

ONE DAY AT A TIME

[Janet]

Give your body time to get use to it. Most of all...try not to think about it and when you do...do something different even if it's walking to the bathroom or walking around your desk. Just do something different so your mind will switch to something else.

Keep going....you can do this!

[HALEY]

oh Janet, this morning was ruff, it was like i was so confused, like for example i was getting Micah ready, i forgot his socks, had to go back to his room to get his t-shirt, and he didn't want to get ready this morning, oh my,,, but i got thru it, i kept singing itsy-bitsy-spider, that's the first thing that came into my head that early..LOL...
i got my big old water bottle on the second one, ate a banana, some coffee and sucking on pretzel sticks.. im hanging in there, one day at a time...

and i have to get NOPE in my head!!!
NOT ONE PUFF EVER !!!!

I'm doing this for Micah.... Wow i just can't believe how gooooooooooodddd i smell...... i don't stink anymore!!!! YAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

I think i'm just high on this patch!!! wow what a buzz.. i feel like i'm drunk or something....

[HALEY]

Originally Posted by judy

GOOD LUCK HALEY!!!

CONGRATULATIONS

ONE DAY AT A TIME

Thank you Judy,, i know i can do this... its just so stange today, i keep reaching for one, guess its just habbit, sucking on pretzels is helping... but im trying to keep busy, i got up this morning and the first thing i did was change the bedsheets, nice clean sheets tonight, i'm going to take a long bubble bath when i get home... i'm just going to take it one day at a time.. that's all i can do....

[Tiramisu]

You can do it, Haley! We'll be your support group. Get online at home and we'll be here for you!

OK - I haven't chimed in before, but I stopped smoking Memorial Day 2004, after smoking for 26 years. I somehow developed pleurisy and that caused my lung to collapse. I went to the doctor on Wednesday, the doctor on Friday, the ER on Sunday, and the doctor on Tuesday when she escorted me directly to Intensive Care, where they put huge tubes in my side to drain fluid, but it wouldn't drain because it had turned to gel. After two days at that hospital, they transported me to the Methodist Hospital where I had lung surgery. Yes, like open heart surgery, they pulled my ribs open on my back, took my lung out, scrapped it clean, and tacked it back inside.

I was in Pulmonary Intensive Care Unit for eight days and while I loved pushing the morphine button, I was aware of other patients in the unit with me. There was a woman who had a lung transplant and her body was rejecting it, so she was swollen hugh. There was a man who had emphezema so bad he was literally drowning, his lungs were so full of fluid and his extremeties were decaying from lack of oxygen. There was another man who coughed continuously, even on oxygen.

Haley, my condition was not related to smoking, but from Rheumatoid Arthritis. Everytime I think of a cigarette, I remember the smells and sounds and extreme pain and I know that I do not want to be back in that place. Most importantly, I know and commit that I will not put my loved ones in danger from my smoking.

Bless you for making this committment!

[DianaB]

Haley, I'm sure that today is going to be tough to get through and sometimes you may have to tell yourself that you just need to get through this minute, but you're a strong and determined woman and I know that you can do this!! You're doing a wonderful thing for your son, actually, your family!!! Keep us posted so we can give you lots of encouragement!!!

[HALEY]

Wow Sandy, i'm glad you quit also, i know its not going to be an easy road to go down, i went thru this before, but i have a very good reason for quitting this time. i have Micah!!! with his allergeries, i don't want to add to it by smelling like smoke around him, and really i don't want him to remember that i was ever a smoker.. i don't know how to explain it, i just feel great today, i thought this day would be horrible. but the patch is really helping me.. i'm just a little confused today, keep reaching for something that i know is not there.

I have a clip of an anti-smoking commerical i saved on my computer, its a little 3 year old boy and his mother in a train station, and the little boy lost his mother and the little boy is in tears, crying cause he can't find his mother and the ad says
"This is how your child feels after losing you for a minute. Just imagine if they lost you for life." actually in making this commerical they really did pull his mother off the set so they are real tears. I thought that was a little mean to do to a 3 year old. but boy did i get the point!!! scared the hell out of me..

[HALEY]

Originally Posted by DianaB

Haley, I'm sure that today is going to be tough to get through and sometimes you may have to tell yourself that you just need to get through this minute, but you're a strong and determined woman and I know that you can do this!! You're doing a wonderful thing for your son, actually, your family!!! Keep us posted so we can give you lots of encouragement!!!

Thanks Diana, i will, i already joined an on-line support group, there all so wonderful to me, i joined last week,,, so i'll be on here and on there site also. Nice to have friends pulling for me.. i know the cravings are going to be tough, but im strong and i know i can do this....

[HALEY]

That's a good idea to Sandy, i'll have to get online at home, i'll try to make my name the same it might be like haley123 or something like that so you all know its me from home.... or i can put haleyhome...

[Lindsey]

I'm proud of you Haley!!! You can make it through this, we're all supporting you!

[DianaB]

Originally Posted by HALEY

That's a good idea to Sandy, i'll have to get online at home, i'll try to make my name the same it might be like haley123 or something like that so you all know its me from home.... or i can put haleyhome...

You don't have to change your name when you get on a different computer. All you need is your user name and your password and.............voila!! You're back on!!!

[gja1000]

Way to go Haley. I've never smoked so I don't know what you are going through - but I hope you can do it!

Congrats!

[Marilyn]

Haley, congratulations, girl!!!! You are soooo awesome. You're an ex-smoker now!!! Isn't that fantastic!!! After 3 days cold turkey, they say you are over the nicotine adiction, the rest is habit. Not sure about how this works quitting with the patch. Maybe this helps you overcome the habit while reducing the nicotine and then you can just quit the patch and in 3 days, you are done for good. We're all soooo proud of you!!! I have tears in my eyes for you. So, so happy!!!

[HALEY]

We'll im on day 5 here without a smoke,,, i can't believe what my body is going thru i fell like crap!!!!! coughing up a lung over here, miserable... but trying to stay possitive.... i have 5 days under my belt and i'm not going to let this get me down... it's just my chest feels like an ashtray!!! I forgot about all the side effects you have when you quit... all the withdraws are terrible...
But i have to keep thinking about the reason that i quit in the first place:

my health
my teeth
my son
the price for a pack of smokes $5.45, 2 cartons a week almost 120.00 a week almost 480.00 per month, almost 5,000 a year.

Every 3 months that i quit i'm buying myself and hubby a 1,000 CD. so i'm saving for our future!!!! i keep that in the back of my head...

i just need to get thru this day.. i'm going to go and try to find some tylenol right now....
ps Mike is doing good he's down to 3 smokes a day, he said when he's done with his pack that will be it...