advise for quitting

[MelissaJ]

Hi, as some of you know I am knew here. I have had IC almost my whole life. I also happen to be a smoker. I know it has an effect on my iC and I really really want to quit. So, if anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated ( just please don't tell me it will improve my health, I already know that)
thanks!
Melissa

[ICNDonna]

I can't tell you what will work for you, but am happy to share with you how I quit smoking twenty years ago.

First of all, I used nicotine gum --- I knew I would not be able to "cold turkey" away from nicotine --- I was horribly addicted.

I set goals. My first goal was to go four days without smoking. I made the decision that if I could quit for four days, I could for four months, or four years.

Stay away from places where people are smoking. There's an amazing amount of nicotine in exhaled smoke and you need to be away from that as much as possible.

Do different things. If you're used to sitting at the table and smoking after a meal, try getting up from the table and doing something instead.

Put up "No Smoking" signs in your house. You won't want people stinking up your home with smoke once you are away from it for a little while.

I didn't throw away my last half package of ciggies for almost a year after I quit. I figured if I couldn't quit with a cigarette within reach, I couldn't quit at all.

I had only stopped for a little while when I discovered how many different smells there are in the world --- nice smells like a bakery --- and unpleasant ones like someone who has just smoked a cigarette (YUCK!)

Most important of all --- make a firm decision that you will no longer allow that small piece of weed rule your life --- and I told people I was quitting --- I'm so stubborn that I would have stayed away from smoking just to be stubborn and prove to nay sayers that I could do it.

Sending encouraging hugs,
Donna

[Jen_Cole2]

The way that I quit is going to sound horrible, but it worked for me.

I smoked while I was pregnant till my 33rd (I think) week. My husband decided to quit around this time. I'm one of those people that will not buy cigarettes when I am 'showing'. I was too concerned about what people would think. So I stopped buying them, and I couldn't very well ask my husband to buy them for me. So that was it-I delivered a healthy boy, and I'm still smoke-free almost 5 months later. Even though I don't crave them anymore, I still try to eat in the non-smoking section. It's hard-everytime my husband and I go out with his parents, they smoke a lot. I just don't want it around me-period. Oh, and I would always smoke while at the computer. So I layed off that (which was sooo easy with a newborn!) since the two went hand in hand. I'm glad you are going to give it a try-remember, you rule your life. Don't let those nasty cigarettes control you!

[Mel53H]

I quit cold turkey because of my health. The smoking gave me asthma and emphasema. Don't take me wrong, I loved to smoke, but it was either to quit or to not to be able to breathe. I chose to breathe. It was the hardest thing I have ever done except to give birth!! My doctor gave me wellbuturin to help with the cravings. Some people take Zyban and that seems to help too. Also, they have nicotine patches. I chewed sugarless gum like it was going out of style.

It was the hardest and the best thing that I have ever done!

Good luck! :)

Mel

[Kathi]

:idea: I went hour by hour for the first 2-3 weeks. I would say it's 9:00 I can make it till 10 - at 10 I'd say I can make it till 11 & so on. Sometimes a couple of hours would go by without me realizing it & try to keep busy & I also slept alot, LOL. Good luck, you can do it, I'm almost 2 years!!!! My bladder feels so much better.
Hugs, Kathi

[Imustpee]

I quit on Jan 19th, 1985...I had just taken a pregnancy test that showed a positive...I had tried to quit before that but never could..I could go a day or so but I always went back...I can smell smoke on a person that walks past me at the store...or if I get in their car or go to their homes...it's horrible, and smells terrible...not to mention their breath...gross!!! Good luck on quitting..I know you can do it... :)

[VickiB]

I think one thing that helps is to realize all the little factors involved in smoking. I used the nicotine gum, and I feel it really reduced the withdrawl from the addiction to the nicotine itself. But there's also the other habits which go along with the act of smoking. -which is why Donna makes a good point in changing your routine. There were many situations where I would smoke a cigarette, and by avoiding them I lessened the urge. Then there's the 'oral fixation' part. It was comforting to go through the hand to mouth motion repeatedly. Of course, one needs to replace the cigarette with something else. -A sucker (like a Dum Dum) works great for this. (You can even imagine the little white stick is a teeny tiny cigarette when the going gets tough!)

Eventually you have to be able to go back to your life prior to smoking. Once I managed to wean myself off of the nicotine addiction, I found I then had to beat the candy habit! But that habit was relatively easy to beat in comparison. -Well, I suppose I haven't totally beat it altogether yet as the hard candy dish on my kitchen table points out! -But I've cut way, way down!

However you go about it, I wish you luck Melissa! Do take it one hour at a time as Kathi said. Or even tell yourself, 'I can make it another ten minutes' time after time! You can do this!

Vicki

[shell]

Smokers know how easy it is to quit - we've done it all the time! Seriously, quitting is one of the hardest things to do. Some of the tricks I used when I quit were to keep my hands busy with things I couldn't smoke with, like crafts or doing dishes. For awhile, I had the cleanest house on the block!

Also, as a few people mentioned, changing routines is important. I found that many of the times I usually smoked were just out of habit. Instead of sitting down to read in the kitchen with a cup of coffee (low-acid, of course) and a cigarette, I moved to a different room and subsituted Tootsie Rolls for cigarettes. Instead of reaching for a cigarette after dinner I'd go for a walk around the block. At work I stopped taking coffee breaks for awhile. I'd only used them to go outside and have a cigarette.

Good luck! It takes time and effort, but in the long run you know you'll be glad you quit.

[MelissaJ]

Thanks for all your advice, it's really helpful. I've also started exercising a lot more as my doctor said this will help me want to quit, since I'll be out of breath sooner – which is true! :)

[sandramac]

Hi Melissa j .Well my daer I was a 2 pack a day smoker.My hubby and I both butted out for almost a year now!I was doing invitro and we had to stop because of all the meds they had me on.I found the patch worked for me ,But it took 4 tries.I still crave it but u know its so nice to go out to a mall and not have to look for a door to go have a Quick puff.I also work with 4 smokers they still smoke all day in the hall of our store and pay no respect to others.It makes it very hard to stay away. I did gain about 30 pounds but i can take that off over time ,I also joined a gym as welll. I know i can never pick one up again or Ill Just go back .And i really dont want to.Stay strong and breath free! All the best ! Sandra.

[Ginny]

Here's one bit of advise on quitting. If you are around someone who smokes and end up taking a few drags or even bumming a cigarette don't think of it as a failure. Keep going. I did it every once in awhile and it got to the point where if I did try one my chest hurt or I could not stand it.
It's been 20 years since I have had one.

Ginny

[michie]

The first thing is having the want. You need to want to quit then just make up your mind and throw away the cigs. I quit 1 year and three months ago I walked into the theater and when I walked out I never smoked again. I wen t 24 hours and then used the patch for two days. It wasnt easy but I wanted it. I stunk and my kids stunk like smoke.


Good Luck
michelle

[Maja]

I quit smoking on OCT 2. This is around the time my flare up came back. My doctor told me that nicotine gum or patches could irritate my bladder more. I am convinced that putting nicotine in my body through patches hurt my bladder. So my advice is quit but be carefull what nicotine therapy you use. There are other ways to quit than using nicotne replacement. Some have had success with even hypnotherapy, some with anti-depressants. Good luck to all the smokers trying to quit, you can do it if I can!

[dragonfly7412]

Hi
I am currently a smoker, smoking around a pack a day for about 6 years. I have found 2 things that have helped me cut down or even stop (for short periods of time). Like you mentioned , exercise. In the summer I walk with a few friends everyday, but sometimes I could barely even make conversation because I was so out of breath. However, the bad thing about this was that eventually, as I got stronger, my body adapted and I stopped running out of breath even though I still smoked.

Also, my boyfriend hates and I mean HATES smoking, and when I am around him, I just don't do it (he is by no means a violent or mean person, but he will NOT let me smoke around/near him, the only time I did was when my dog died, seriously.). So when I spend the weekend or vacation with him, I really don't smoke at all.
The reason I am saying this is because I think that sometimes we don't tell people we are quitting because it gives us an excuse or reason to give up. But my advice to you is TELL EVERYONE! That way you feel accountable to someone if you do smoke.
Take it easy, most people don't quit on their first try anyway, so if you don't stop the first time, don't think of it as failing, think of it as sucessfully passing the first step! However, maybe my advice is not the best to take, since I do still smoke!
Good luck!

[tjackson]

-A sucker (like a Dum Dum) works great for this. (You can even imagine the little white stick is a teeny tiny cigarette when the going gets tough!)

Vicki,
This made me laugh so hard!!!! hilarious. Maybe because I too am trying to quit, since my diagnosis in January. Anyway...I think I'm going to get some Dum Dum's tomorrow. ha ha...
:biglaugh:
Tish

[ChrissySunshine]

Dragonfly.....you said "The reason I am saying this is because I think that sometimes we don't tell people we are quitting because it gives us an excuse or reason to give up. But my advice to you is TELL EVERYONE! That way you feel accountable to someone if you do smoke."

I HAD TO "RENEW" this thread!! Thank you so much Dragonfly!!! I AM GOING to quit TODAY....I was gonna post a thread on here about it, but didn't want to in case of failure!!! I've got to be accountable for quitting and all you people here are a huge part of my life right now...so I'M TELLING YOU.... I AM going to quit smoking today....not TRY or ATTEMPT...but QUIT!!! (Fingers crossed....it is sooooo hard, I quit for 4 years several years ago, so I DO know!) I HATE how I feel, I'm in sooo much pain all the time...my new GYN told me (not like I hadn't heard it before) that EVERYTHING I am doing to get better (IC diet, meds, all treatments) are negated EVERY time I light up a cigarette. He said it is "the worst" bladder irritant there is....more so than even foods! I have GOT to do this!!! I am gonna be really upset (though Thankful), if I find out that smoking causes or contributes to my IC symptoms!! I'm trying soo hard to get better, and nothing's working satisfactorily so far!!!

Soooo, here goes.....I've had patches and gum for many months now. I've been on some quit smoking websites, and have written down my reasons for quitting and printed them out along with the benefits of not smoking. I'll put these all over the house and in my car. My b/f cleaned out my car ashtray yesterday, and I'll clean the other ones in the house...My plan is I'm gonna smoke today til I take a shower before going to doc's (I find it easier to put that patch on once I'm all clean and smelling nice). Then STOP....(with God's help....got to do ALOT of praying for this)!!!!

Anyone else out there quitting?? I'd also like to know if anyone's bladder has been helped/healed after quitting smoking....???

Thanx to all of you, my ICN friends.......I hope your all having an OK day!

[Maja]

Chrissy

I commend you on your plan to quit, I want to remind you that it may be more benficial to use other forms of nicotine therpay like perhaps welbutrin or hypnotherpay and not use patches and or gum. When I quit smoking I used the patch and it had caused me to flare after being fine (flare free) for over a year. My mom's friend who is a doctor told me that the patch (going directly to your booldstream) may have irritated my bladder and caused me to flare. Since OCT 2004 I have started to smoke again (January 2005) and I recently quit again along with my husband (MARCH 16, 2006) COLD TURKEY. I did not use nicotine therapy for fear of irritating my bladder. Wellbutrin made me anxious so I did not stay on it for more than 10 days. Although it has been harder without a crutch, we are both going strong. I quit on march 16 b/c I had a really bad cold/virus and a really bad painful cough. Anyway, I am graduating in May with a BA in BSAD AND we are in the process or purchasing a home, I am working in an understaffed office, so needless to say my life is VERY stressfull but I am still smoke free! When I see a smoker now I seriously think to myself..."Do they know that they are sucking that crap into their face?"

Anyway good luck to you and don't hesitate to email me dorotamistrzak@yahoo.com if you need encouragement, I know I did.

Dorota

[ChrissySunshine]

Thanks Dorota and I commend you too! Good for you and your husband!!! ESPECIALLY going cold turkey, and MORE ESPECIALLY being under all the stress!
I didn't know that the patch could irritate your bladder!! I've had it on for 1/2 a day so far...and so far, so good...(knock on wood!). Thank you for sharing that with me though, at least I'll be aware if my symptoms get worse!!
Thanx for your e-mail address too, and also, please don't hesitate to email me either.... Chrishab65@yahoo.com. As we already know from these boards, the support really, really helps!
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!

[Silverfern]

((Chrissy))

Just wanted to wish you all the very best in your quest to rid yourself of the dreaded 'weed'. I gave it up 25 years ago....haven't had one puff since and consider it's probably the best thing I've ever done for myself, next to marrying my darling husband of course! :) The prospect of having some bladder relief should be a huge incentive to fight the cravings. You never know, it could be just what your bladder needs to start to heal.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Hugs

[ICNDonna]

Congratulations Dorota --- and another thing that will help is to stay away from anywhere there is smoking. Just inhaling the smoke from other people's ciggies will be enough to keep the nicotine addiction going.

Donna