As most everyone knows, I quit smoking more than 13 months ago, today is day 400 and I've avoided more than 10,000 cigarettes in this amount of time. I'm blown away by the number of cigarettes I was inhaling and I think if I'd taken just an hour to meditate on those numbers I surely would have quit a long time ago. I smoked for 36 years and I estimate that I smoked more than 300,000 cigarettes (that's an average of 25 a day).
WHAT WAS I THINKING????
Anyway, I'm seeing a Cardiologist about my clogged arteries to both my head and my heart - I'm experiencing bad things due in part by genetics (my mother suffered her first heart attack in her 40's and later went on to have open heart surgery along with eventually dying from heart disease) but probably most prominently from my smoking - yes I was killing myself.
Today I had a stress test with scans and dye and next month I'll have an echo cardiogram. I'm already on blood thinners and cholesterol lowering drugs. I'm trying to find out why it's so difficult for me to breath (yeah maybe it's also my lungs but my doctor wanted to start with my heart.)
If you smoke, consider quitting, don't let this happen to you.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Damn Those Cigarettes
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17 COMMENTS:
I hear you. I quit 3.5 years ago. Best thing I ever did. I smell better too.
I just had a few of those tests done and my heart is okay. I just hope I quit in time.
Good luck on all the tests. You're in my thoughts and prayers. Big hug. :)
I kow where you are comming from.I quit 14 years ago,I hope that I have not caused any perminate damage to my self as well.both my parents smoked most of their adult lives and started as teenages as did I. Smoking led to my Dad's death whenhe was just 58. Mom quit smoking in 1998 after smoking for over 50 years.unfortunaly the damange was done and she died of lung cancer in 2003.
I pry that you Sandee and I have all quit in time,and I pray that those that are smoking find the courage to stop smoking.
Congrats on staying strong! I hope everything goes well with your tests and overall health. :-) It's better than never to turn over a new leaf!
wow. Keep going. you should be proud of your accomplishment.
I fear for my youngest stepdaughter (21) who smokes. Has no desire to quit. she knows the consequences. Her grandmother, who smoked for years, died of lung and bone cancer...
wow thats amazing...
I got my parents to quit a few years ago in 2005 and 2006 ( my father took the longest)
But I kinda feel bad because now my mother has diabetes, and has to have a pacemaker and difibulater and my father has lupus and kidney failure and this all happened AFTER they quit smoking so its like ahhhhhhh, but now I feel about about the whole thing but, then I cant think bad because now I will have them around a bit longer than they did smoking
~ Christopher ~
http://cmarlow480.blogspot.com/
That is so awesome. You go girl. has the doctor allowed you to do any kind of walking to start off with? Well, I do hope the tests go well and so glad you quit smoking. You are setting a wonderful example. Look forward to the results. Keep it up and yes stay strong. You are a fighter I can tell.
I am not on cholesterol tablets anymore. All good from this side. I am on blood thinners since 10 years. I am smoking an electronic cigarette which is supposed to wean me off. So far, no success. But then I am a weakling. I should not touch a real cigarette in between. I wish I had your strength and will.
I am coming up on 10 years smoke free. That means I'll have dropped my lung cancer risk by half and my risk of heart attack is the same as someone who hasn't smoked!
Hang in there, every day smoke free is a day towards healing your body!
Thankfully we quit when we did, though, huh? It just would have kept getting worse. Hope your doc finds a good solution. And? I miss seeing you. :)
I pray you can prevent any major health issues from arising, but yes quitting is the best thing we can do...16.5 years for me.
I hope you did not have to cut your vacation short because of this health crisis--I know how much you were looking forward to it. Your last post was at the Panama Canal and now you are suddenly home seeing a cardiologist. You really have your regular readers concerned--this one at least.
I hope everything turns out well for you. Good luck!
Thanks for everyone's concerns, I appreciate your prayers and good thoughts but more importantly your friendship!
I've been taking blood thinners and cholesterol meds for awhile but about 6 months ago I started having difficulty breathing even when doing simple everyday tasks and then when my PCP said I could start exercising again and I found I couldn't even walk a damn block without huffing and puffing I knew something else more serious was happening. While we were on our cruise I had a couple "episodes" that scared the bejesus out of me (and DH) and figured it was time to head back to my PCP who immediately called a Cardiologist and gave me Nitro pills as a precaution - talk about being afraid, at this point I was besides myself and if anything was going to keep me away from cigarettes forever it was this.
In addition to issues of my own making there are issues with my DH health that are adding anxiety too.
Getting older sucks!!
It is a good thing you quit or things would even be worse! It's never too late to quit because our bodies are made to do some self-fixing. Great advice for those who are still smoking.
Oh my I am so sorry to hear that you are going through this.
But, it is better to know than to be caught off guard and perhaps have a heart attack.
I too just recently had some checks done on my lungs and all came back clear....thank God!!
And just two years ago I was also on cholesterol medicine. However, after drastically changing my diet, I am now drug frre and have a good cholesterol count.
But, you are in Texas...my home state and dang it's hard to give up all that good food!!
But you can do it...just get ready to eat a lot of baked salmon and steamed broccoli.
For a while I was convinced I would grow scales and turn green!! But, the change worked.
I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers and await updates!!
Hugs:-)))
Excellent job on staying of the cigarettes! Best wishes on all of the tests, you're definitely doing all the right things now.
Congrats on quitting! Your body loves you for it.
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