Long Time Non-Smoker.

To be completely honest, I have lost track! I would have to get out a calendar, and count weeks/months/days to remember it all. Lets just say, I decided to quit smoking, and ACTUALLY did it, on 9/2/2014. (or, midday 9/1/2014) So, I've been a non-smoker for a little over 8 months!


I have been doing great. No smoking for me. I have done 1 5k mud run, and 1 5k. So, my mud run was in April. I didn't run an entire mile before I started walking. I just kind of went back and forth between running and walking. No biggie. I didn't want to kill myself with running, because I had to save my strength for more important things, like climbing walls, and swimming through ice cold pond water, with moss and pond weeds coming up, and grabbing at your ankles. So, I wasn't too worried about running that one. ;)


The 5k I did, today, was great. I feel great. I felt great running it. I talked my husband into running with our daughter, because, she refuses to run, and I wanted to time myself. Well, he ran it. I ended up running solo. But, get this! I ran the entire first mile, without stopping to walk! Now, this is impressive, because, this is the first time I have ever done this. Even as a child, in elementary school, I would do the mile run tests at the end of every year, and fail. Miserably. It was awful. I couldn't run a mile in 5th grade. I couldn't run a mile in 9th grade. I couldn't run a mile at college graduation. I ran almost an entire mile, at age 32! What?! Holy crap!


And guess what?! I COULD BREATHE THE ENTIRE TIME! That's HUGE! (If you couldn't tell by the allcaps)


Remember, if you go back to the beginning of this blog, and read my first few entries, I believe I shared how much I smoked. I was creeping, almost past a pack a day. No wonder I couldn't breathe. And I started smoking when I was 11! I will go to jail for child abuse, if I catch my kid smoking. I wish I could say "I know my kid won't smoke! She saw me struggle to quit, and begged me to quit and knows what smoking does..." But, I was that kid. I knew that smoking was bad. I knew it would make me sick, and stink, and cost me money, and cause me to have bad teeth, and bad breath. I knew it could cause cancer.


Yet, I lit that fist cigarette. I choked my way through that first cigarette. Then I choked my way though more. I did this until it became easier and easier. Then, I needed it. I had to have a cigarette in the morning when I woke up. I needed one after each meal. I needed one when I was bored. I needed one, just because. I paused movies because I wanted to smoke a cigarette, and didn't want to wait until the movie was over. I didn't swim, at the pool, because  I wanted to have dry hands, so I could smoke when the feeling struck.  Don't even get me started on our road trip to Virginia, or South Dakota.


My life started to revolve around when I could smoke.


No more!


So, I run these races, saying goodbye to the smoker I used to be, and hello to the non-smoker I am today.

No Smoking Here! 6+ months!

Can you believe it?? I'm barely believing it! Over 6 months of not smoking. Over. Six. Months! That's half a year!

I started working out again, and I'm trying to establish a routine that works for my schedule (which is CRAZY).

So far, I've worked out 9 out of the last 11 days. Woohoo!

Okay. For anyone who hasn't kept up with this blog from the beginning: I decided it was time to quit smoking, when I did an obstacle course run, and felt like I was going to die, before even STARTING any obstacles.

It was before even a half mile. Of course, I was climbing a hill, that is meant to be skied (skiied?) down. The kicker? I was BARELY walking up that hill.

My lungs were burning, and it wasn't from the August heat in Missouri. My pulse was off the charts. My eyes felt like they were buldging out of my head. I wanted to cough. Hell, maybe I did cough.

 I just remember, I didn't enjoy myself, during that run. I sign up for ocrs, because I think they are fun.  It wasn't fun. At all. I was embarrassed.

 And then there were the photos. Oh. Dear. God. The photos. My face was a scowl in every single one. I should have been smiling, and having a good time.

Nope.

Because why?

Because I smoked.

Because I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day.
And now?
Have a look:

I want to tell anyone who is struggling to quit, that you can do it! It takes 21 days to form a habit. Use the patch, finds something for your hands to do, for 21 days. You will be as amazed with yourself as I still am with myself. I only used the patch for 8-10 weeks. Now, I'm completely off of nicotine! 

Good luck, fellow quitters! 

❤

Tabbie

day 41

Somewhere, I messed up my days. ha! 

It has been 41 days, since I last smoked. I just put my second step 2 patch on, today.

Last night, I dreamed that I was at my brother's house, and we all went outside, and I smoked a cigarette. I forgot that I quit, until I was putting the cigarette out. I was so pissed at myself. My goodness. 

My dreams aren't crazy, but they are very vivid. I'm thinking I might be getting sick, because I've been absolutely exhausted lately. But, then again, I was never sick when I was smoking, and I'm pretty sure my immune system should be kicking ass, even more now that it isn't being completely poisoned by thousands of chemicals. Right?! Maybe I should research that? Meh. 

Overall, quitting with the nicoderm patch has been easy. Like, too easy.  

To anyone who wants to quit, and has tried everything else, I recommend the Nicoderm CQ patch, for sure. (Walmart even has their own brand, called equate nicotine transdermal system) This has been, by far, the most  successful method for me. 

And I wish you luck, if you choose to become a quitter, as well. 

33 days!

This quitter is really quitting, everyone! Just in case you were wondering. 

Not smoking has left me with lots of time on my hands. I'm not complaining. I'm just trying to find fun things to do, to make that free time more fun. 

So far, I have:

Perfected the art of "bathroom selfies".

Yes, I totally taught my kid how to take bathroom selfies. Ha!

I have started going to stores, just to earn kicks. Have you ever heard of shopkick? You look crazy, walking through stores, just scanning items, with your phone, but, whatever. It's incredibly addictive! 

Then, there are these other two apps I downloaded, one is called Ibotta, and the other is called checkout51. Both pay you for scanning receipts, after you go shopping. Pretty crazy! I'm no good at couponing, so, these will suffice. 

And, when I'm feeling into it, I have yoga and workout apps, ON. MY. PHONE! (Both free!!)

As a matter of fact, all my apps are free. I'm too cheap to pay for an app. Haha! 

Oh yeah! And two other apps I have are for finding out if the food I buy is organic, nonGMO, and for skin products, to find out the health and  environmental risks! Such fun!

So, now you know what I've been up to. 

(Avoiding housework)

;)

day 31 and 32.

 So, on day 31, I put my nicotine patch back on. I wasn't sleeping well, so, I looked it up. Good ole Google. ;) I found that it was possibly a result of nicotine withdrawal. Yuck! Who knew? So, I have it on, and will be starting step two next week. 

I know, when I started this process, we kept thinking it was such a long process, and how expensive it was, and everything. Now, I know how much was saved by not buying cigarettes, and, we are still coming away on top. The patches  are only "more expensive" because you can't buy a single patch. You purchase your entire week's worth, or two weeks worth, so it sounds more pricey. I think, so far, we have only spent about $100 on the patches. That was the entire step one process. That's only a little more than half of what I would have spent on cigarettes. 

Pretty amazing, huh? 

$160.00/month can mean:

1. Better car. (Trade one in for a car that may cost a little more, in payments, but, will be more reliable. Like, I don't know, trading my Toyota corolla for a Jeep?)

2. Extracurriculars for Megan. 

3. Obstacle course races. (With that much extra money, if all I spent it on, was obstacle course races, I could get in 2-6 races a month! That's 2-6 NEW T-SHIRTS A MONTH! haha.)

4. Family nights AND date nights. (Probably 2 each per month. We are pretty cheap)

Now. Per year? 

If we took that money, and put it in a special bank account, and kept it around for a rainy day, (or a sunny, sunny, tropical vacation), it would build up to around $1,800/ year. That's rounding down to savings of $150/month. 

What could we do, for a family of 3, for $1,800??? 

I'll tell you.

A F-ing LOT!

I mean, we live in Kansas. There isn't much around here that is super expensive. Well, that I know of, anyway.  Again, we are pretty cheap. (Easily amused, I guess?)

Okay. So, things I consider expensive, that may not be too far fetched, now:

Great Wolf Lodge. Maybe a family staycation, in the winter months sometime. I don't know?! I'm still on the fence on this one. $279/night for 2 adults and 1 child, in a regular two bed, room. That's a month and a half of not smoking. 

How about a real vacation, for a family of 3. We'll stay in the US for our first "big" vacation. I really want to get an RV, and take a month off of work, during summer, and drive around the united States. I've always wanted to do this. 

How much is an RV (that runs!)? Nothing spectacular, but not like the one from that Robin Williams movie, either. 

  

This looks promising, yeah? 2 years, and something like this, could be mine! (Ours?)

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/rvs/4697963432.html

I'm leaning toward opening a separate savings account, now. Lol! 

Okay. You all get my point, right? 

I slept all day, of day 32. 

Nice, huh? Super interesting. I don't even remember my dream. =P

*Off to the bank, to open that vacation account*

29 days and 1 Month (30 days)

So, I am slowly not paying as much attention to what's going on differently, since I quit smoking, and started the Nicoderm CQ patches. I clear my throat less than before.

My ability to smell has become, almost annoying. I can smell when my husband is smoking a cigarette outside in our front yard. (when the windows are open.)

I can smell my dog, better than I could before. He really is smelly. blah!

I am breathing easier. I am sure it will get even better, as time goes by. I am looking forward to it! =D

A bit of information. Today (right now) it is Thursday, really early in the morning. I am not gone down to step 2 or step 3 of the patches. I took my patch off, Monday afternoon, around 3pm-ish, and have not put another one on. I have patches, leftover from step one, for just-in-case situations, but, I kept thinking, Gee Wiz guys... ha! I just kept thinking how badly I wanted to rid my body of the nicotine. be gone!

One thing I have noticed, since removing the patch, is that I am now UNABLE to sleep, soundly, during the day. Now, some of you may read this and think, "So what?!" but, I work NIGHTS.

UGH. So, I haven't slept well, Tues, or Wed, and that is not great. I need to sleep. I mean, I have slept, but, I woke up every hour, all day Wednesday, and same with my nap on Tuesday (about a 2-3 hour nap). I am hoping I nod off, after dropping Megan off at school, and not waking up, until it is time to pick her up. (It's the small things, in life, that really matter. You know, like.... uhmmmm... sleep!)

I figured I would include a little bit of information, about where I am according to my quit time app on my phone. I always post the one about cigarettes not smoked, money saved, and life saved, but I never really show any facts about not smoking. Crazy. I  might change things up, and include the name a description of one ingredient from a cigarette, with each post. Who knows??

There are over 4,000 ingredients in a single cigarette. Pretty crazy, huh? And, of those 4,000+ ingredients, 69 are KNOWN CARCINOGENS! Yikes!

Well, That's all for today, I guess.

Until next time, Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Night. =)

PS. Nicotine withdrawal can cause insomnia, uh oh! *Putting patch on, like a good little girl*



24&25 days!

Well. I'm so incredibly late at posting, I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

I've made it 25 days, without smoking! I'm going with 25 days, because I'm about to go to bed, and sleep the rest of day 25 away.  ;P

Wow! 445 cigarettes! That's insane! 

17 days without smoking!

So. I have gone a full 17 days without smoking.

Yay me. I'm pretty sure my loving husband left his full pack of cigarettes home, today, to test me. (Lol!!)

I didn't give in, to the minor pang of temptation.

 Now, it's more of a curiosity thing. If I were to light a cigarette, after not smoking for this long, would I start coughing and hacking, at the first drag? Probably. 

But, I won't be putting that theory to the test. 

Since I quit smoking, I have had this major desire to cut all of my hair off. So, naturally, I was thinking "what? Am I crazy? No. I'm going to leave it long." You've seen my profile picture (or you have seen me in real life!) My hair was pretty long. If you haven't seen it, here:

Well, I got it cut. For those who read this, and aren't a part of my daily Facebook posts, here's the cut, now:

I have ALSO decided, it is not short enough. 

Here is what I'm going to get...

Did this desire to chop my hair come from not smoking? Maybe subconsciously, but, probably not. 

I just wanted to share, because I am a talker (typer?)

Well, would ya looky there, I went completely off topic. 

Here's to 18 days! That's 2 & 1/2 weeks! Whoop whoop! 

Day 12/13

It's been 12 days. I pretty much slept the whole day 12 away. Haha! No issues there. 

I am partway through day 13, and this has been the day for the books. I have had a good day. Most of my friends, and my husband are smokers. Tonight was the first night around my friends, since I quit smoking. 

At the point where everyone gets up, and heads outside, to light up, I headed outside too. No cigarette. No lighter. Just sat outside, testing my willpower, while my husband and friends smoked. I did it! I may have been gritting my teeth for a minute, and mentally smacking myself in the brain, but, I didn't give in to the urge.

 I have gone outside, multiple times, tonight, without lighting up. Each time I had the urge, I said something to Mitch, then rubbed my patch, as a self reminder, that I AM receiving nicotine, just in a different way. ;) Lol!! 

I went to the salon today, and got all of my hair chopped off. New me, new do, I guess. Not really new me, but the non smoker me. I like this me. I love this me. 

 I cannot wait for the day, when I no longer want to smoke, when I'm around smokers. 

Even though I wanted to smoke tonight, I didn't. That's huge! When I tried to quit before, I would always light up, with my friends. 

Now,  don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming my friends at all. It was my fault. I think the reason I would give in and light up, before was because I felt like I couldn't be outside, in the conversation, if I wasn't smoking, too. Well, I was wrong, and that was just an excuse. =P

No. More. Excuses.

Here's to 2 weeks!!

Day 11

It's been 11 days. Yes, I posted late 2 nights in a row. ;) Darn night shift. Lol! 

I got a little pissy today, but, I'm guessing it had more to do with lack of sleep, combined with lack of food, combined with not smoking. 

I saw my husband's pack of cigarettes, and really thought about smoking one. I THOUGHT about it. I did NOT do it. Yay me! 

My reward for not smoking... We rented Captain America Winter Soldier. It's not really my reward, but, it's what we are doing tonight. And I like it! ;) 

Have a fabulous Friday. 

10 Days! I won't be swayed!

It's been 10 whole days! I've been doing great with it. BUT, I haven't been around people smoking.

Am I going to find the smell terrible? Am I going to want to light up with my friends?

I'm hoping not, to the second question.

It's hard to judge whether or not I have a "craving" when I am working, because I work 12 hours, through the night, then sleep all day, then, go right back to work. I don't even THINK about smoking, when I am on a "work stretch". That's nice.

I enjoy not worrying about if I will smell like an ashtray at work.

Oooops, I forgot perfume, today! Hope no one smells the smoke on me. (no longer a problem!)

I am sleeping better, as well.

You want to know what I find the most weird? Watching TV or a movie. My daughter and I watched Avatar (the blue aliens, not the cartoon), without me taking a smoke break. I mean, that movie is LOOOOOOONG!! Amazingly enough, I avoided watching it, because it was so long, and I was thinking how many times I was going to have to pause the movie. So, I just avoided it. Weird, right?

My shows on netflix are going by faster, as well. haha!

I had a weird dream, yesterday, but, I don't remember what it was. It wasn't scary, or anything like that, just weird.

Nothing to note, health-wise, other than breathing being easier. I can walk up a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing, so, that's great! If I run, or work out, and my breathing speeds up, it's easier for me to get it under control.

Until next time, my friends...

Day 8, and I'm feeling great!

Nothing to note for today, in the way of anything in regards to smoking. Aside from no cravings at all!! (And, obviously, no smoking)

I worked out. 

 I visited my bestie, and her twin boys today. 

I wanted to work out, again, but I figured that would be overkill, so I watched a few episodes of Hart of Dixie, instead. ;) I know... Real productive!! Lol! 

I think I'm going to start taking the patch off before bed, just to see how it effects my cravings. Taking it off will reduce the amount of nicotine that enters my body, soooooo... 

Until tomorrow, my friends. 

19 hours and 30 minutes since my last cigarette.

I want to ask you to forgive me, for the lack of pizazz on this blog post. 1: I'm brand new here. And 2: I'm posting from my phone. Oh dear. Here goes.

The first time I lit a cigarette, and tried to smoke, I was 11 years old. Scary? Yeah. I choked on that first drag. I couldn't understand why so many people in my life were smoking. Then, I was told by a close friend "It'll get better, the more you do it."
"Okay", I thought, "I'll just keep practicing. I'll get the hang of it soon."

And, WOW, did I get the hang of it.

By age 13, I was buying my own cigarettes, with my own money, because they were less than $2/pack. Of course, back then, a whole pack would last a week, and that was me sharing with all of my friends in our neighborhood.

At age 21, I was smoking a little less than half a pack a day, until I found out I was pregnant. I put the cigarettes down, to better my baby's chances at life. After having my baby, I wanted to breast feed. The nurse told me she recommended waiting until I was finished breastfeeding, before I started smoking again. And if I couldn't wait, to smoke less than 3 cigarettes a day. I stayed under 3 a day.

2 days ago, at 31, I was smoking about a pack a day. Yikes!

Things needed to change.

 So, here I am, 20 years later, quitting. QUITTING!!!

I am using a nicotine patch, to help me out.

So far, I've only had 1 craving, and I decided to tweeze my eyebrows. (I needed my hands to be doing something productive)

I did notice, my dreams are insane, while wearing the patch. Sometimes, I had crazy dreams, before, so I am unsure if it really is because of the patch, or if I was just due for my crazy dream of the month. I will continue wearing this patch, for the rest of the week, just to make sure. If the dreams continue, I will remove it, before bedtime. 😉

Last night, I dreamed we were at the store, and people started eating each other. So, we went home, packed our bags, and drove to my uncle's house. We set up a tent in his yard. (I have no idea) My husband's aunt was there. (My uncle has never even meet his aunt). We told him we needed guns, and that we preferred hand guns, because they were easier to aim. He brought us double barrel shotguns, and "ammo". The bullets looked like mini iron boats. About 6 inches long, and extremely heavy.

Weird, right??

Are you a quitter?

If so, did you quit cold turkey, or use a nicotine  replacement, or maybe chantix?

When was it the hardest for you? Right after quitting, weeks, years?

And, last, tell me your craziest dream, that you remember, while using chantix or a nicotine patch.