ahpahnayquitter

My story.

Well I started smoking at a very young age I tried my first cigarette at about 7 didn’t like it then but did when I was about 10 or 11 I started smoking more when I was 14 or so.

I started smoking in front of my Parents at the age of 16.

By then I was at or near a pack a day.

My Mother past away at a young age of 57 from a heart attach.

Yes she was a smoker both my parents was.

But did this make me quit Nope it didn’t.

My Father had early stages of Emphysema. When he quit smoking but only quit because he had to have brain surgery and suffered 2 major stokes after surgery and was left paralyzed on his right side and was a Child like state and didn’t remember that he smoked so it was easy for him not to smoke any longer.

When he past away 11 years after his surgery he was still in the “early” stages of Emphysema.

Did this make me quit nope it didn’t.

Then My Mother In-Law and Father In-Law got to where they needed help so It was me that needed to put my life on hold to help them out.

My mother In-Law was told that she needed to quit smoking that she had advanced Emphysema and COPD yes she quit smoking she just put them down and didn’t look back. My Father In-Law had already quit some years before. He had Diabetes.

They both was getting up in age and needed help with Dr appointments and getting to the Grocery store. Then the Day come that the Father In-Law was told that his Kidneys was shutting down and needed more help so it was me that still helped them out going back and forth with a over a hour drive to them and then back home again 3 days a week.

Dad had foot Dr appointments and other Dr appointments. As well as Mom did to.

Then come the day that The FIL past away and Mom (MIL) needed round the clock care so at first it was the Daughter and Mom’s sister taking turns taking care of her then the Sister couldn’t do it any longer her health wasn’t all that good either. So it was then me and the daughter taking turns a week at a time staying with Mom.

Watching her gasp for breath and on Oxygen 24/7 and breathing treatments and knowing that if she catches a cold that would be devastating So I would take extra special care and not let her go out for a ride or to go the Grocery store when it was cold and rainy or snowing. And I would always go out side to smoke had to. Did this get me to quit smoking after watching her go through this? Nope it didn’t.

Then it was time for the Sister In-Law to come and sit with her and she didn’t care she would take her out with the wind blowing and rainy and cold and well Mom caught a cold and it was my time to come back and set with her. And dr her as best as I could make Dr appointments for her to go in and get check out and get on meds to help her breathe. Well it didn’t work so it was up to me to call the Ambulance to come get her I knew that she would not be coming home I knew that a cold would be devastating to her and it was.

I had to call all the family to the hospital. Well she got worse and they sent Mom home to die because that is what her wishes was to die at home where her Husband had just past away just 8-½ months before her.

24 hours later Mom took her last gasp of breath with all of us there with her.

Did this get me to quit smoking? Nope it didn’t.

I had finely got my life back on tract with not having to take care of them I went on a vacation with my 2 best friends My child hood best friend and my smokes. Well it is then that I started to where I couldn’t breath and was gasping for air when we walked up a bunch of stairs. But did this make me stop smoking? No but got me to thinking about it.

Then I went to the Dr’s and he told me that I was in early stages of Emphysema but wouldn’t do no testing on me. He also told me I was a candidate for Diabetes and heart disease. That I need to quit smoking well I thought about it but didn’t quit right then.

I went to a new Dr and he did a lung capacity test on me and he said that yes I am in early stages of Emphysema but what did it matter I quit smoking. Again I asked for more testing to be done to see how far along it was this Emphysema/COPD that I had again he said what matter did it make I quit smoking.

So I went to another Dr for further testing and he did the big test on me that took a few hours and in the round box looking thing. It was Called a Lung Function test. And Good news I DON’T have Emphysema/COPD but only Mild Asthma.

Yes I had quit smoking by then and I made it nearly 15 months and thought I wasn’t going to die I can smoke again so yes you guessed it I started smoking again and got to where I couldn’t breath and I was having pains in my chest and hurt all over. So the Dr put me on patches the 14 mg patch wasn’t strong enough for me I lasted 1 week. Then he put me on Chantix and lasted 2 months as long as I was on the pill. As soon as I finished my pills I started smoking again. The 2 attempts didn’t work because I know now that it wasn’t for me I was quitting for the Dr and others around me. So I smoked for another week or 2 and started back on the Patches this time the 21 mg. and I told the Dr that I was quitting for me and I was doing it my way. I read the quit site