Second update re Toni Hackler. She will be going home tomorrow.

I am keeping my butt out of SE til she is over withdrawal!! She will be kicking butt right and left!
Glenda

I for example smoked for almost 36 years and when I quit, just quit. Very easy.

Regards,

Yeah, nothing to quiting, I done it a thousand times.

Chuckling, about the only thing probably I share with Mark Twain.

Glad you didn't have that bad of a time getting rid of the habit though. It's really bad for some people. I quit back when the nicotine chewing gum was new and presription. After a month of gum and restricted smoking, I managed to give both up, at least mostly.

RogerNC

click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

i to smoked 2/3 packs a day for 25+ yrs jan 14th 2000
went cold turkey wasnt bad hardest thing now is loseing weight as i cant walk or stand to long pain wise

and smoked along with it! LOL It has never been that easy to completely quit! when I was in therapy the Dr. said I didn't need the added stress of quitting! LOL I think he just didn't want to put up with me in withdrawal
Any way I was basically kidding Toni, Knowing that she will read this thread when she is back in SE and wanted to give her something to laugh about I too email with Toni and Love her to pieces, I too hope she can quit as easy as frank did Heck I wish I could quit that easy!
Glenda

Not a lot of time to get into details right now since the phone keeps ringing here and I keep getting my train of thought interrupted, but I wanted to let you all know that I love and appreciate you all.

I shot myself in the foot this time because I didn't have enough cash to buy my plavix near the end of the month and abruptly stopped taking it, figuring I could go a week without it. Wrong....according to the doctor, the plavix being removed cold turkey like that turned my blood to sludge and clogged the stents.

Please take this as a severe warning to anybody else taking plavix....if you can only buy a couple of days' worth to keep you going, get it that way instead of filling the whole prescription....just don't stop taking it. Do without for ANY OTHER MED, but NOT the plavix....and that's a direct quote from my doctor.

I'll be back in here tomorrow after I go get back into the swing of being at home. I'm checking tomorrow into the possibility of having another bypass done since I'm down to one out of the four, but did find out that one of the veins that shut down actually sprouted a new artery of its own before it shut down, so I have one and a half, I guess.

TONI

Hope you're feeling much better and please take it easy.Let us know how you're doing.

RogerNC

click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

good sign. I was just getting ready to tell how (why) I quit smoking after 3 packs per day for 55 years. I still crave them and cheat with a couple sticks at special events, like X-mas, Easter, and upcoming M/Day. Hope you have quit without too much difficulty.

Ah yes, keep popping those pill that can help the veins, then the others.

You have been missed also in the help forums.

John

Our Tenacious Toni is back! I knew it would have to be
a really big one to keep you down! The JunkYard Dog wins again Love you!
This time take care of yourself better, you hear? And even if you get real bad mean, quit smoking
Glenda

First, I knew the problem on most of us that the medicine is so expensive (PLAVIX is one of them, $115.00 for 30 pills). But you cannot skip like that. Did you check with your state for a possible to receive the "low-income drugs plan" or Medi-Aid (Medical-Aid)? Is in Virginia has something similar to my area called JPS (http://www.jpshealthnet.org/about/) which provide medical care for "fix low-income" patients including medicines? Check it out in your area, please.

You said: I'll be back in here tomorrow after I go get back into the swing of being at home. I'm checking tomorrow into the possibility of having another bypass done since I'm down to one out of the four, but did find out that one of the veins that shut down actually sprouted a new artery of its own before it shut down, so I have one and a half, I guess."

Another bypass? Did you check with another doctors for second opinion? I did have a tripple bypssed in 1997 and in last year they suggested me to have another on in 2002. I asked for second opinion doctors and he said I do not need at that time. Anyway, please take care of yourself and remember all of us here are wishing you a very best on your surgery (if any).

Again, take care of yourself and GOD Bless!

Regards,

She can also do what my neighbor does, Jean is also on a fixed income and if you ask the Dr, they can contact the drug company that makes Plavix and get for you free! All the Dr has to do is fill out a form! All Pharmaceutical companies will do this if requested by a Dr.
Glenda

Hi, Toni.

Glad to hear you're feeling better -- but you need to get yourself fixed up, maily for your sake but also so you stop scaring us like this!

-- Dave K, Speakeasy Moderator
click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

The opinions expressed above are my own,
and do not necessarily reflect those of CNET!

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It's good to see you back Toni. Please take real good care of yourself.

Sasha

Welcome home and welcome back to SE.
You were missed.

Please do what dr. says to keep healthy.
If we lived nearby one another, I would
suggest we quit smoking together. It always
helps to have someone close to help smooth
out the ups and downs. Lord knows it's not
easy!

Take care Lady,

Marcia/Oregon/USA

... and my prayers will continue that you get the care you need. But since some who will remained nameless insist on calling me the Queen of SE, I shall put my royal title to good use to declare you quit ciggies

Evie

Hey, Toni.

I'm glad you're home! I'm sorry I didn't get into the forum sooner to send you prayers and good wishes, we just got our internet hooked up yesterday. Rest assured I'm sending them now!

I'll be scarce awhile longer, we still have so much to do, but I'll try to at least look in to see how you're doing. Hopefully soon, we can really get together one of these days (and I DON'T wanna be visiting you in the hospital!)

God bless,
Cindi

I was nearly in your back yard while at the hospital...Forsythe in Winston-Salem. Will call you the next time I need a ride back home. LOL

As for the smoking, guys since I've been home I have not had one yet.

I've tried before with throwing them all out and the cravings were horrible...it's like having a truck broken down in the driveway. It makes you crazy to know you CAN'T go anywhere if you wanted to...but if the truck was running fine, and you CHOSE to stay home, that's easier to take. So...with that thought in mind.....

I have two full packs unopened sitting here on the desk and one pack that is half full/half empty from before last Friday with the lighter sitting on top of the pack just as I left it. It seems to be easier to glance over the packs as I'm reaching for other things on the desk and know they are there 'just in case' and yet NOT reach for them, then it was to have NO choice because I had thrown them all away before.

Not making any promises to anybody, including myself...just taking it hour by hour for now with leaving them untouched. This will have to be good enough for the do-gooders who preach; smokers who have quit are nearly as bad as born again Christians, people. We get lectured enough by our doctors and by the little voice in our heads already. The biggest problem for most of us trying to quit is that WE LIKE SMOKING, and we have to say goodbye to something that even if it's bad for us, we find great pleasure in. You can't seem to understand that that's the biggest battle of most for us. If you knew for a fact that having sex would kill you, how many of you would go down kicking and screaming trying to give it up? (don't turn that question into a whole nuther subject, please)

TONI

Hi, Toni, and welcome back, of course!

>>since I've been home I have not had one yet. <<
That "yet" is the problem! Have you tried nicoret gum or a patch? I'm sure the docs would give you the Rx -- and what you save in cigarettes would help with the Plavix.

-- Dave K, Speakeasy Moderator
click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

The opinions expressed above are my own,
and do not necessarily reflect those of CNET!

glad to see you are back.
hope your health continues to improve.
david williams

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