Hi,

I’ve been on here a while but wasn’t ready to post. So, I’m close to finishing all the required pre-op testing in order for clearance for surgery. I am a smoker and for the obvious reasons I need to quit but also I can’t go through surgery if I have nicotine in my system.

Can anyone else relate?

Ps. Cold turkey. No go.

Patches. Allergic

Gum. Not working.

I also quit using ecig. I just slowly decreased the amount of nicotine in my vape juice. It was really hard and I miss smoking but it’s for the best. Instead I just keep sipping on my water. I had my sleeve on 1/16/18 and seeing that axle go down is SO worth it.

Update.
I haven’t had a cigarette in 5 days, the cravings are gone. For the first 3 days I used vape with the lowest dose of nicotine and for the past two days I’ve used the vape here and there with 0 nicotine. I was stressing on how hard it’s going to be but I changed my perspective and I walked away from nicotine. I’m not going to say forever, I’m hoping so but for now I’ll do it day by day. Changing old habits one at a time.

It's hard ,I know. I absolutely loved smoking but my health did not love it. Congratulations, take it day by day.

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Chantix... I used it to quit in less than 10 days in 2010 and stayed off the smokes until 2014... then I smoked again thanks to stress until November 2016... that time I stopped thanks to an ecig... which I stepped down the nicotine over a couple of months... I snuck my ecig into the hospital with me when I had my VSG in January 2017... but never felt the need to use it and haven't touched either one since. It's tough... but you CAN do it!

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I quit many years ago and the only thing that did it for me was exercise. Instead of smoking on my lunch breaks, I'd go for a little walk. I'd walk in the morning before work for 15 minutes, and again right after I got home. Before you know it, I ran my first 5k. It's been years since I've done that, but I'm hoping to get back there. It did everything cigs did for me-- stress relief, boost of energy, kept weight off, etc.

It was really hard saying no to cigarettes, especially in the car and out with friends. Sometimes just holding a pen in between my fingers while driving helped. And singing to every song on the radio at the top of my lungs! I've never gone back to smoking, but you'll still see me singing at the top of my lungs in the car LOL.... GOOD LUCK!! You can do it!!!

I tried everything to quit. Am allergic to the patch too. I used the gum it worked for me. The reason I didn't use the lozenges because they seemed chalky like sucking on tums. Now I have to get off the gum!!! Ha

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Hi ! New to group! I just completed file. Waiting for surgery date, sometime in March.

Welcome to the group pyepez xx

You can do it for you ...when that craving comes go for a walk...that helped me [emoji3] good luck I know it's hard but you will feel so much better !

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On 1/26/2018 at 6:21 PM, vanelifejourney said:

Update.
I haven’t had a cigarette in 5 days, the cravings are gone. For the first 3 days I used vape with the lowest dose of nicotine and for the past two days I’ve used the vape here and there with 0 nicotine. I was stressing on how hard it’s going to be but I changed my perspective and I walked away from nicotine. I’m not going to say forever, I’m hoping so but for now I’ll do it day by day. Changing old habits one at a time.

That's the best way to look at it. It's tough but you can do it. I quit about 6 years ago after smoking for a good 20. The lozenges saved me. That was the only thing I tried but it worked. It's funny because I used to think life couldn't go on without smoking in my life and then you realize it makes no difference. Still can do all the things I used to without them in my life. Now it's like looking back on an old/bad relationship. It was fun for awhile, but I'm better off without them.

I smoked for 18 years, about a pack a day at the end of it. My advice is change habits. I used to love to smoke after a meal, took that away first, I would wait at least an hour before lighting up. Also I quit chain smoking and would make my self wait at least 15 minutes in between, that slowly became more and more in between. Next was no smoking while in the car driving anywhere. That was tough but made the most difference. Those changes dropped my use down to about 5-6 a day. Then I went cold turkey after about 3 weeks of that. I have not looked back in the last 7 years. You can do it.