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Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,153
Registered: ‎05-22-2012

Re: I Went to Urgent Care Today



No let down here.

 

I bit my nails until I was in my 30s. I tried and failed and almost succeeded more times than I could count before it finally stuck and there's nothing addictive in my nails, so I am nothing but admiration for those who are able to stop smoking.

 

I hope you do follow through with your primary care physician and find an option that helps you quit for good.

 

Good luck!

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,798
Registered: ‎07-24-2013

Re: I Went to Urgent Care Today

have you considered vaping?   you can step down the nicotine gradually and you can feel like you are still  "smoking", a big part of smoking is the act itself. the first cig in the AM with coffee, after a meal, after....well you know.

 

Well butrin and Chantix is not for everyone. i have a friend that did Chantix and he had weeks of nightmares.  bad nightmares

 

just one more thing, the upper respiratory distress and coughing you have had with the flu you are suffering from, yeah, keep smoking those stogies. you can look forward to more and more of that as you get older with bronchitis, COPD and then the oxygen tanks

 

yes, i was a smoker. and every doctor visit i get this question. do you smoke? NO when did you quit?  Different dates for me. because you cannot just quit the first time.  a relative lit up a cig and said something about a lighting up anorher  coffin nail. that made me quit for good.

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,197
Registered: ‎12-13-2010

Re: I Went to Urgent Care Today


@fortune wrote:

@Plaid Pants2 wrote:

because I was having a really bad anxiety/panic attack, and I was looking for something, anything, to calm me down.

 

 

I mean, on a scale of 1 -10, my anxiety was a 10+.

 

 

I spoke with a doctor, and SHE said that they couldn't prescribe me anything for it, or prescribe anything like Chantix.

 

 

She also said that when I get established with a personal physician, that that doctor can work with me on quitting smoking.

 

She also said that while she doesn't want to discourage me from quitting, it's just that now might not be the right time for me to quit.

 

So, there you have it. I tried. No one can say that I didn't try.

 

It was four days of ....

 

Not everyone can do cold turkey, I can't.

 

 

So, I made an appointment to see a doctor on Tues Marc 1.

 

Maybe then I will finally be able to quit for good.

 

 

I hope so.

 

I am sorry to let you all down, and I know that you were pulling for me, but I just couldn't do it. It just got to be more than I could handle.


I quit smoking cold turkey, but I had a process set up to prepare me.  Do you want to know what I did?


@Plaid Pants2 Don't you worry about letting any of us down.  Just don't give up on quitting when you are in a better frame of mind and have something to help with the cravings.  Not everyone can quit cold turkey and some doctors actually recommend using Chantix or some other aid. Please keep in touch.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,419
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: I Went to Urgent Care Today


@hoosieroriginal wrote:

It's an addiction - just like a drug - it will take time - please follow up with the doctor and see if they can't do something for you.  Stay strong!!!!! 


Please see your doctor ASAP,and ask about seeing a therapist. You need to talk with someone about your panic attacks.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,504
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

Re: I Went to Urgent Care Today


@Nuttmeg wrote:

@hoosieroriginal wrote:

It's an addiction - just like a drug - it will take time - please follow up with the doctor and see if they can't do something for you.  Stay strong!!!!! 


Please see your doctor ASAP,and ask about seeing a therapist. You need to talk with someone about your panic attacks.


 

 

The OP sounds to me like she's entirely capable of deciding what sort of help she needs and wants to ask a doctor she's never seen for.

 

Severe anxiety due to a combination of severe viral illness and withdrawal from an addictive substance does not mean the person suffers routinely from panic attacks; only she knows if this is the case. Or if she feels it warrants mentioning.

Life without Mexican food is no life at all
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,616
Registered: ‎10-01-2014

Re: I Went to Urgent Care Today

I smoked my first cigarette at 18 (I was mad at a Mormon boyfriend). I can still remember my first thought at having my first cigarette, "I have been waiting for this my WHOLE life!" I felt complete, the search was over. I think the craving for that satisfaction was in my DNA since my mother smoked during her pregnancies. No wonder some babies are inconsolable after birth, they're in withdrawal.

 

The need to smoke can be pernicious and unyielding. It can be a trip through h*ll to break the bonds that enslave you. But I do know this, whatever the cost of that trip, it is worth the freedom that you purchase. Never give up, try and try and try again. You are worth it.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,656
Registered: ‎06-09-2010

Re: I Went to Urgent Care Today

Here are some suggestions to help you with your addiction:

 

Coping with Cigarette Cravings in the Moment

Find an oral substitute

Keep other things around to pop in your mouth when cravings hit. Good choices include mints, hard candy, carrot or celery sticks, gum, and sunflower seeds.

Keep your mind busy

Read a book or magazine, listen to some music you love, do a crossword or Sudoku puzzle, or play an online game.

Keep your hands busy

Squeeze balls, pencils, or paper clips are good substitutes to satisfy that need for tactile stimulation.

Brush your teeth

The just-brushed, clean feeling can help get rid of cigarette cravings.

Drink water

Slowly drink a large, cold glass of water. Not only will it help the craving pass, but staying hydrated helps minimize the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

Light something else

Instead of lighting a cigarette, light a candle or some incense.

Get active

Go for a walk, do some jumping jacks or pushups, try some yoga stretches, or run around the block.

Try to relax

Do something that calms you down, such as taking a warm bath, meditating, reading a book, or practicing deep breathing exercises.

Frequent Contributor
Posts: 114
Registered: ‎06-10-2015

Re: I Went to Urgent Care Today

You'll get there!

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,829
Registered: ‎03-18-2010

Re: I Went to Urgent Care Today

Don't let this get you down. I once read in a scientic medical journal that it takes a smoker an average of 7 times quitting before they are successful. I have had friends who tried Chantix to quit and they had great success with that. You smoke for the first week while you are taking Chantix and then you quit. They found it easier than going cold turkey because their cigarettes by the end of the week tasted disgusting they said. 

 

Good luck and don't let this get you down. Some people can quit cold turkey and others need help to do it. You are wanting to quit smoking and that is what matters. 

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
JFK
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,189
Registered: ‎01-04-2016

Re: I Went to Urgent Care Today

[ Edited ]

What I find bothersome is the doctor at Urgent Care telling you it may not be the right time for you to quit without offering you a substitute even if it was an over the counter sedative. It's like she planted the seed and gave you permission to smoke again. Those are the type of people you need to avoid.