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Your Heart and Smoking

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Posted 5/18/2005 2:32 AM (GMT 0)
I would suppose that no one needs to be told that smoking is a bad habit to start, or keep!  As an exsmoker, I know that this is one of the hardest things to quit.  I tried various ways, but after having my heart attack and not being too successful at first, I guess the moons were in the right alignment and I was able to finally quit.  Today, I read an article that said they've discovered in a 'study' that they have a vaccine now that is purported to help people quit smoking. 

 

Remember, this is only a study.

 

Hugs, Teri tongue

 

By the way, if you ever smoked, how did you quit??

 

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_24680.html

Posted 5/18/2005 2:34 AM (GMT 0)
Here is another article by the American Heart Association re your heart and smoking.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4545
Posted 5/23/2005 1:06 AM (GMT 0)
 

  tongue  

Posted 7/3/2006 5:11 PM (GMT 0)
It's an evil drug and habit and should be outlawed.

If I only knew then what I know now nono

Posted 7/14/2006 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
Oh I can quit pretty well. Every night I quit and every morning I start back. yeah I am so embarrassed about this fact that I don't even want to write it here where no one even knows me. As a matter of fact, I even hide it from my family. Tears are welling up as I type. I have no answers, but look forward to reading some suggestions.
Posted 7/15/2006 1:00 AM (GMT 0)
Mam it is the most disgusting, disturbing, haunting, nagging part of my life. It alone is enough to drive me crazy. I think about it constantly. It lowers my self esteem daily, no, hourly. Why can't I stop what is killing me? Why am I so sick in the head? Look at what this is costing other people, who help pay the cost of my medical treatment. I pay $20 extra per month in medical insurance premiums just because I smoke. This is a new rule that went into effect last year.

I feel your pain and agony. I cry with you. Other people cannot understand, and I understand them.
Posted 7/15/2006 2:44 PM (GMT 0)
I was thinking yesterday about people my age, 53, that continue to smoke. I can understand when I see much younger people. They think that they are immortal. We, on the other hand know what smoking is doing to us.

about 2 years ago, I stayed in a hotel across from UAB hospital. There was a smoking area outside on a balcony. I met a man there who was also smoking. We talked but said nothing about heart disease or why we were in Birmingham. The next day while I was in the pre-cath room, they put this man in a bed beside me. I heard him tell a nurse that he had had triple bypass 10 years ago. I wasn't surprised at all.

Nicotine is more addictive that heroin, I have read and heard. I wonder if all of us older people that continue to smoke with disease, had a bummer of a childhood? I know that I did.
Posted 7/15/2006 3:34 PM (GMT 0)
Very interesting subject...I am 32 had smoked since I was 18 or so.  I did manage to quit for 4 years from 2000 to 2004 but started again when I was going through my divorce.  Then last summer when I started to feel sick before I knew I had a heart problem, and an autonomic disorder I quit as I was afraid I might have cancer (I didn’t).  Now, I have picked it up again, when we found out my mom was going to have to have her heart valves replaced (which has been postponed since they aren’t as bad as they first thought).  I have been smoking now for almost a month and can’t seem to stop.  I know it is terrible for my blood pressure, and heart rate, which I already have multiple problems with...so why do I continue to do this to myself?  And yeah, I too had a bad childhood with lots of abuse issues.
Posted 7/17/2006 5:57 PM (GMT 0)
I'm 31 years old and have smoked for almost 11 years.  My husband and I started to quit by using the cut down method (started in May) and I quit in the beginning of June for 2 1/2 weeks.  I felt so good the first week and felt terrible the second week.  I was losing sleep and would wake up with a rapid heartbeat.  I was checked out several times and docs said everything was fine.  I was so tired of feeling like bad that I ended up smoking again.  Now I want to quit again but I know what I went through before and am terrified.....
Posted 7/17/2006 7:38 PM (GMT 0)
My hubby goes to MD Anderson Hospital and has since he was young, not because of cancer. He has another closely related condition. Anyway, we went when we first got married 28 years ago. He would have to go to the head and neck clinic. We would see tons of people smoking through their TRACH's. I don't think that is spelled right, but it was that hole they put in your neck to breath. You knew how addicting tobacco was when you saw something like that. Now you can't smoke anywhere within a 4 block area of there, but you could then.

Posted 7/18/2006 10:09 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Michelle1013, Welcome to healing well forum.  Trying to quit smoking is possibly one of the hardest things to do.  It is a terrible affects on our hearts especially those that have heart problems that continue to smoke or sporadically smoke as I do.  I don’t think that the stop smoking aids on the market now are much effective, but some have has some success from them.  Aldo posted in another thread of a possible new treatment coming out that seems promising.  Lets hope... In the mean time, I hope you continue to visit us here and post often.  Take care
Posted 7/30/2006 8:54 PM (GMT 0)
Quitting smoking is the hardest thing I did.  I went nutts at first.  I limited my "habit" to 15 cigarettes a day for 2 weeks and then down to 10 cigarettes for 2 weeks and then down to 7 for a few weeks and then down to five and then 4 and 3.....it took me about 3 months to wean myself slowly.  I miss them terribly! sad

Our medical center will not allow any smoking within a 6 block range...I too am in Texas.

Posted 7/30/2006 10:33 PM (GMT 0)
That plan makes more sense than anything I have ever heard. My rheumatoligist asked me the other day how much I was smoking (in a hurry and forgot to leave the weeds in the car). I told him more than ever in my life. He put his arm on my shoulder and said, "can you just smoke 1 pack per day?". I think he wants me to try your method....
Thanks for this suggestion.

Rj

Post Edited (Aldo) : 7/31/2006 4:06:44 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/31/2006 6:03 PM (GMT 0)

It is harder for women to quit than men.  Women have more stressors and shoulder more responsibilties. Women have more heart attacks than men.  Just that they are missed more often.

I also failed to add that I did have some of that nicotine gum for when I was climbing the walls.  I bought the 4mg at first but that made me dizzy so I changed to the 2mg.  They come in different flavors.  The patches never did a thing for me nor did motivational tapes.  I would smoke listenting to them.  scool

Good Luck.

Posted 8/1/2006 6:58 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Teri, I am a heavy smoker and I've smoked since I was 13, I am now 47. I also wish I could quit but I don't see it ever happening for me. I've tried patches,gum,inhalers, nothing seems to help me. My cardio doc. told me the same as Aldo if you can't quit,can you at least slow down. I've tried but with no success. Anyway I'm glad I am not the only one with this problem. I also feel like I'm commiting slow suicide and feel guilty alot, but not enought to quit. Well Good Luck to us All!


Wanda
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