I'm curious, how many of you.....

Good morning fibro friends,

I would be curious to know how many of you smoke or live around passive smoke. My apartment reeks of it from smoking neighbors. My windows are partially open even in winter so I can deal with it. It makes everything about my fibro worse. I would be interested to know if any of you are dealing with it.

Thanks.

Living in southside VA, smoking is just a fact of life. Luckily, my neighbors in a townhouse do smoke, but are very thoughtful about it. I rarely get too much of a whiff (they will go and stand in the parking lot rather than by their door), and I do have an overdeveloped sense-of-smell. My only whine is the butts that accumulate when a cig is occasionally just crushed out and forgotten. Though, I must say, for as much as they smoke it isn't a mess.

I quit 9 months ago because I was starting to have a hard time breathing. I was using my nebulizer every day just so I could continue to smoke. I feel so much better now. I started smoking at age 15 and was a pack a day smoker. I agree with Karen that I is very hard to stay quit. This is the longest I have ever gone and I have been wanting one so bad this week with the breakup of a 3 year live-in relationship.

I use to light a cigarette for everything. With coffee, with a beer, on the phone, get in the car, after a meal. They always taste good after a meal... But now I try really hard to stay conscious of how much and when I smoke. My doctor once told me when you have a cigarette, don't do anything but smoke. That is hard, because I smoke when I do other things. You end up putting them out when you do it for awhile. Just a little tip to taper off I guess.

Hugs, Karen

Thanks everyone for your replies. 

It must be very difficult, Karen. Robin, you should be very proud you did this for your daughter. I read the other day the best thing for us to do when we're craving is exercise. I wonder if a person could substitute a craving for a cigarette with something else that's pleasureable? Does gum work?

I'm glad, Myself09, that your neighbors are so considerate. Kitcat41, that's great that you quit. Sorry about your breakup. It helps to share in this website, doesn't it? 
  

Maggie, that's great you've made progress. My father smoked like a lot of others did decades ago. I was such a sickly kid--asthma and nausea and allergies. It was difficult for me to go to school. A gentleman I dated a few years ago got together with his daughter and his grandson. We were riding in her car and she lit up. My boyfriend at the time asked her to not smoke with me around. Well, what I wanted to share with you is his 9 year old grandson said to his grandfather that he wished his mother and her boyfriend would quit smoking. He told his grandfather that "he wanted to die." I can kind of understand that feeling when an asthma attack comes on and there's no escaping it. Am I being too melodramatic?

I heard another story in the check out line at Walmart. The checker must have known the customer in front of me. This customer was telling the cashier that her young niece and nephew had been crying to her, asking her to help get their mother to quit smoking. She said they were tired of hanging out in their rooms to escape their mother's smoking. Trouble is, that's not a good enough escape. It still goes under the doorway. I find that very sad.

I don't mean to preach but when we do hurtful things to ourselves that's one thing but to hurt others in the process, especially our kids. I'm glad I was able to quit when I was young. Good thing I wasn't addicted so it was easy for me to do so.

Thanks for listening.

My husband and I do go out on covered porch to smoke, but still know I need to quit...my mom kept trying til the day she died of smoking related cancer...the guilt she felt was almost more than she could bear...so Hubby and I really get it.

It would be alot easier if he didn't smoke. He is going to try Chantix again...last ime it gave us both suchterrible night mares, we quit!! Now I found out some of Katie's friends smoke, not her tho...I can't understand why any kid would smoke nowadays!! It just blows my mind

I am a work in progress, always...never say never, right?

Hope your neighbors quit or move!!!
Take care
maggie

I stopped smoking Dec 26/2010 and I still crave cigs but I will not smoke again. My hubby stopped Jan 3/2010 and because we have done this together it has made the process somewhat easier. I have so many health issues and smoking was not helping me "deal" with them. We still have smokers as friends and family members, we do not preach to them to quit they will when they are ready.

Hi, sometimes I get a sore throat, I'm still hacking up crap so I think it just irritates my COPD. I have found myself in stores saying things like omg that person just reeks of smoke.
We had a family get together last night and half smoke half don't, I found myself sitting further and further away from the group because the smoke was not only burning my eyes but my lungs were hurting. My hubby told me in the last month my breathing is bad during the night, I wake him up with my loud snoring and erratic breathing.

I'm sorry you are having issues with this. I have severe asthma, and I can't be around any smoke at all, even candles. I also can't be around someone who has smoked recently because even the residue on their clothes can give me an attack. I've had to get up and move at church or the theater because someone sat next to me who recently smoked (perfume has the same effect on me). It can be embarrassing, but I try to just be inconspicuous about it. I can even get an attack walking into a store where the people are standing outside smoking. It drives me nuts (not morally - smoking is legal - just from a breathing standpoint). And I can't be around family members who smoke - or who wear heavy perfume. :(

I wouldn't be able to live somewhere that I could detect neighbor's smoke. Are there any smoke free areas in your complex? That is such a tough thing to deal with.

Thanks for sharing AustenFan, I have the same issues with perfumes and smoke from people's clothing. It's real, it's called third hand smoke. No, unfortunately there is no smoke free area and unfortunately I'm not able to move out of that apartment. Luckily I have a boyfriend who lives in a very healthy house. I hope things continue to progress forward for us because he's a great guy and he also has allergy issues so he understands.

Leeriesan, I can't imagine what that would be like growing up in a home with more than one smoker. You may want to tell your family that you can't come inside of their homes especially if it makes you feel sicker. In dealing with this fibro and these allergy and asthma issues I had to definitely learn to stand up for myself.

Thanks again.

I honestly don't know if it would bother my fibro to be around it because I refuse to go anywhere there is smoking. I will not go in someones house unless they agree not to smoke while I am there. I do not let my children go anywhere there is smoking, I grew up with chain smoking parents and then they quit when I was a young teen. My mom made my house completely smoke free. I got so used to it that when I went to friends houses who's parents smoked, my throat would start to hurt really bad and I would feel like I was having a mild allergic reaction. I then became an older teen and ALL of my friends smoked and it drove me nuts, smoking was still allowed in all restaraunts and bars and was constantly around it again. My friends knew not to do it in my face or while I was eating but it was still always going on. I will say one of the happiest days ever was when NY was declared smoke free. It is wonderful to be in public and not have to deal with it unless you are outside and you can just walk away from them. This is one of my biggest pet peeves to be honest. Like pp said it is one thing to hurt yourself but to do it with your children or people around you that are trying to avoid it and don't want second hand smoke then it is different and cruel. children don't have a choice to move out or walk away. It goes through everything and yes kids do get made fun of for smelling funny when they are smoked covered. Something they have no choice of changing. Kids being stuck in cars while parents are smoking. it just irratates me. it is different if a willing adult is living with a smoker but kids have no choice