Posted on 04/07/2005 1:52:05 PM PDT by Hillary's Lovely Legs
Thanks.
She was a GREAT fan of John Paul the Great, and no matter what happened to her body, she was offering her suffering for someone else. And in those months of sadness, she and my dad fell in love all over again, in their own little way.
And last weekend, she got to meet John Paul, which had to be quite a moment. ;O)
I think it's great that you quit smoking. I smoke (close to a pack a day) and I hate it. I can't remember the last cig I had that I truly enjoyed. It's just something I do. Like you said, it's a habit, not necessarily an addiction.
As I get older (I'm only 33 years old -- my board name is deceiving) I get constant reminders that I'm not invincible. It seems like these days I notice how young alot of people in the obituaries section of the newspaper are. 50 doesn't seem so old to me anymore. What has affected me the most is the recent illness of the wife of one of my best friends. About 5 weeks ago she was diagnosed with signet ring adenocarcinoma of the stomach. 4 weeks ago she had her entire stomach removed. Luckily it has not been detected beyond the stomach (all lymphnodes tested negative and the CT scan was the same) Fortunately, she was one of the few people who ever get this disease who have it discovered early. In fact, her surgeon said she was the only person he'd ever seen with this type of cancer that had it discovered so early. Current prognosis with agressive chemo is 80% chance of survival.
Anyway, the reason I told you that story was because she was a 3 pack a day smoker and smoking is apparently a common cause of this type of cancer. BTW, she's only 37 years old. That really hit me hard. I think I finally realize that I have to quit smoking if I ever want to get any of the money the government stole from me (Social Security).
I don't think I can do it on my own. That drug treatment you were talking about sounds like it might help. I think I'll make an appointment next week to see my doc.
BTW, good thing you quit smoking. It's tough for smokers to chase 6 year olds around.
Because they stink, and so do the people who smoke them. But since you've destroyed your sense of smell, you don't notice what everyone else does.
I don't take drugs
Ah yes, the nicotine addict's mantra. I know, I know--you can quit anytime you want to, riiiiight?
Dang, Maybe if I had never bought that first pack of cigarettes I would probably have saved enough for a humvee...well, downpayment maybe. What good will that have done me...I couldn't afford the gas now to make the beast move.
Ask your doc their opinion on Zyban. The thing to remember is that it is an anti-depressant. It worked fantastic for me, but I have heard from others that stopping the pills too quickly can be rough.
Anyway, ask and try. It's the best thing I've done for my daughter.
Thanks. Will do.
You can do it! I quit in 1978 when I was 37 after twenty years of smoking. One thing I did was to carry a pack in my pocket at all times. I knew that if I went to the store to buy cigs, I would certainly light up. Also in the times I went out with the boys, I would just take a cigar. Sometimes I would light it but not inhale. In about three weeks the craving suddenly left me.
Did you guys' breathing noticably improve after you quit? Not to say that I'm that bad now, but I have noticed that I get out of breath alot easier than I used to (of course the extra 30 pounds I'm packing right now might have something to do with that. LOL).
Noticeably, yes. Dramatically, not really. The biggest thing is to not replace the smoking oral fixation with eating. I put on on some weight when I quit, so be mindfull on that front.
The biggest lung diference is not feeling like they are on fire when I have a cold, and I do have fewer colds. That's more thatn likely the result of spending less time standing outside when it's 20 below zero for a smoke.
You can do this!
This wasn't a smoking thread, it was a Peter Jennings thread--until you decided to come in flailing about and shrieking like a banshee about your so-called rights, that is. Who appointed you Minister of Tobacco Addicts Defense, anyway? I don't think that Hillary or anyone else, except your fellow diehard cigheads really give a rip what you do to yourself--since you obviously don't either.
I just shake my head. And you see how they accuse me. Just unbelievable.
Well boo hoo hoo. Now you sound like a whiny DUmmie.
Hey, I quit in 1977 after smoking since I was in High School. It wasn`t easy-no-but I made up my mind that it had to be stopped. It is a matter of will power. Give it a try.
Thanks for that wonderful story! You're one of my heroes for caring more about your little girl than about yourself.
Thanks guys. I'm going to do it. I'll try and remember to give you a report in a few weeks.
An old friend of mind was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and was given 3 months to live. That was 18 months ago. Jennings' time will be up when his time is up - same for all of us.
She, I've lost so many people I love to lung cancer. I just can't stand it. My brother, my sister, several aunts and uncles, and some cousins.
I have to plead with people to stop. I don't want to see any of you FReepers dropping like flies from this preventable disease.
It's an ugly way to go, believe me.
And no, you don't have to replace one bad habit with another.Excessive drinking destroys just as many lives.
I'm not preaching, I'm pleading.
I have many negative things to say about Mr. Jennings, but not when his fate is flickering. Let him take his licks when a good prognosis is served up. Until then, I'm wishing him all the best.
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