Re: Re: rheumy/smoking/humira

[Guest guest]

Dreamer, you are being too hard on yourself. My hubby is 78 and you can only

imagine how many years he has smoked and still does. His doctor has told him he

must quit but every time he tries he fails and he says all the same things you

are saying about being weak and nuts to keep doing it. One of his doctors

(heart) told him,he will quit when he is ready. His GP, on the other hand,

mentions it on every visit. I am trying to convince him to take advantage of

one of the programmes available that will give him the support he needs but so

far have not been able to talk him into it. I have a good friend who suffers

from COP and still smoked. She tried everything and finally was hospitalized at

am addiction center. That was 5 years ago and is smoke free. I believe you have

to keep looking and trying until you find what works for you. Don't beat

yourself up over this, just keep trying and eventually you will succeed.

Hugs

June

[ ] Re: rheumy/smoking/humira

Thank you. <snifle> :-) thank you for your understanding.

I feel so weird saying gosh I do not feel like I want to quit exactly. My

head knows it is right and good and all, but...I do not know how to explain

.......

I know for sure, very up close and personal how bad it is. Boy do I ever.

I do not understand myself why I am not just running fast and quitting. I

KNOW I do not make sense.

I have smoked 35 years and until a month ago, sometimes up to 4 packs a day.

I did go down to approx 11 cigs per day.then hit a very rought time with...well,

all kinds of junk.

I have NEVER had bronchitis.not ever. I have never had pneumonia. I do not

get colds or flu, never have, never did. Not ever. I cannot explain it. My

kids never got colds, flu or a single ear infection, never ran a temp- and my

oldest is almost 18 and I have 3 kids. I worked most of the time since age 12 7

days a week. Waited tables for 20 years, then was a nurses aide for 15 years

and then a nurse. I NEVER used a single " sick day " ever, in my whole life.

Maybe if I ever could not breathe, maybe it might help me stop? I don't know.

I have now tried wellbutrin (Zyban) a hypnotist, a reduction program...with no

luck, no success. I HATE gum, never ever chew any type gum. The patch burned

my husband so bad, he required medical care for the burns from the patch and

that scared me away from the patch. My brother tried laser and he is still

smoking.....

It was so hard for me to find a new rheumy when mine retired.....and now I

found this one, but...I do feel like he is playing with me. I am so frustrated

and feel like such a loser-failure- and I do not know how to make myself WANT to

quit smoking. especially since I admit it sounds so stupid that I am thinking I

do not want to quit. It feels like a horrid mind game thing.

ANd I also think yikes, how can I quit at the same time I am gtting all manic

on the prednisone and not able to sleep......it makes there be even more hours

in the day for me to fight off the urge to smoke.....and being manic I am more

nervous, anxious.and then the flaring is still so darned sstrong, so I still

cannot be as active as I would like to be-----

UG I feel like an idiot, moron, failure. And it makes me wanna smack my

doctor, except then feeling that way about my doc makes me feel like some kind

of creepy jerk, too. So now I feel like he must be sitting there lauughning at

me behind my back or something......or like I am amusing to him......

- In , " Colleen " <colmcp@...> wrote:

>

>

> >

> First thing he asked me was how many cigs have I smoked so far

> today, how many yesterday. :-( I am NOT doing so great on that

> mission.

>

> > Well, rheumy is like what is so hard about it, ya just quit, do

> not smoke, and there you will be quit. And he gave a chuckle. UG!

> and then he gave me his newest idea. He wants me.seriously..... to

> go to a .....substance abuse program to quit smoking. And he wanted

> me to fax him info on what program I would do within the day!

> > Worse, ever since I talked to him, now I have been chain smoking!

> Yeesh.

> >

> > Now I am just so..upset. I feel so awful in so many ways. I feel

> dumb cuz I am not doing so well quitting.I feel like a jerk cuz I am

> getting defiant like and do not really want to quit, I guess. I am

> not sure if he finds me amusing or stupid or is he making fun of me

> or what.......

> .

> > How could I even sit here and even consider giving up RA treatment

> when it hurts SO bad...just cuz I am having such a hard time

> quitting smoking? I KNOW it makes no sense.

> >

> > But I also know I am getting so frustrated. between cig withdrawl

> and prednisone mania and wellbutrin making me so sick.....and the

> pain and swelling not even letting up for a second.....I feel like I

> am losing my mind. My body and mind are going 10,000 different

> directions all at once.

> >

> Dreamer,

> I think you need a new, compassionate Rhemy! I smoked for 38 years,

> quit 4 years ago. Other than an occasional broncitis, I have always

> been healthy. Within a year of stopping, I was diagnoised with RA

> and 2 other auto immune diseases. Are you aware that nicotin is an

> immune surpressant? I try and look at the positive side, I could

> have been disabled long before I was if I had never smoked, but the

> nicatin in the cigs was enough to surpress my immune system to

> prevent symtoms, I don't blame my quitting smoking on my diagnosis,

> but I definatley think there is a relationship.

> Back to the trying to quit. As I said I smoked for 38 years. You can

> only quit if you are quitting for yourself, no doctor can " make " you

> quit, he can just hurt your self estemme by telling you to just

> quit. I am certainly not telling you not to try and quit, but having

> someone, anyone but yourself telling you to quit will never work and

> I don't want you to feel guilty over that. It took me 3 months of

> thinking and planning to quit with every possible aid I could find.

> It was the hardest thing I have ever done. It sounds like your Rhemy

> is playing some type of game with you. Good luck with your new meds,

> I'm on Humira and MTX weekly and other than the fatique, I'm ok.

> Colleen

>

[Guest guest]

Dreamer, you're being too hard on yourself! You're not " an idiot, moron,

failure " . You told us the real reason why you can't quit, " I like smoking! "

There are lots of us that want you to quit, but won't be as hard on you as

your Rummy, and yes, I'm spelling it right, Rummy! He doesn't have a good

'bedside manner', does he? It sounds like he's being verbally abusive to you

and may need to be reported to the doctor's Bar or whatever it's called.

A close friend and his wife smoked probably 2 cartons each, every week,

maybe more. She always had bronchial problems and would be sick all the

time, and he wasn't any better. She did try to quit but would get headaches

before even trying to stop, knowing she was going to quit had a physical

effect on her. He finally quit after having heart surgery and she cut back a

little, but still has the headaches and other problems.

Don't beat yourself up over this. Try to come to terms with the cigarettes

and try not to be pressured to quit, it might help you more than the

constant 'hounding' from the Rummy. I'm sure all of us are behind you no

matter how lousy you feel you are doing. We know better than that because

you've made some headway in the past month. Remember, I'm here, and most of

the rest of us, and will give you all the support you can use. Keep trying,

and we'll keep supporting...

Dennis

[ ] Re: rheumy/smoking/humira

>

> Thank you. <snifle> :-) thank you for your understanding.

> I feel so weird saying gosh I do not feel like I want to quit exactly. My

> head knows it is right and good and all, but...I do not know how to

> explain ......

> I know for sure, very up close and personal how bad it is. Boy do I ever.

> I do not understand myself why I am not just running fast and quitting. I

> KNOW I do not make sense.

> I have smoked 35 years and until a month ago, sometimes up to 4 packs a

> day. I did go down to approx 11 cigs per day.then hit a very rought time

> with...well, all kinds of junk.

>

> I have NEVER had bronchitis.not ever. I have never had pneumonia. I do

> not get colds or flu, never have, never did. Not ever. I cannot explain

> it. My kids never got colds, flu or a single ear infection, never ran a

> temp- and my oldest is almost 18 and I have 3 kids. I worked most of the

> time since age 12 7 days a week. Waited tables for 20 years, then was a

> nurses aide for 15 years and then a nurse. I NEVER used a single " sick

> day " ever, in my whole life. Maybe if I ever could not breathe, maybe it

> might help me stop? I don't know. I have now tried wellbutrin (Zyban) a

> hypnotist, a reduction program...with no luck, no success. I HATE gum,

> never ever chew any type gum. The patch burned my husband so bad, he

> required medical care for the burns from the patch and that scared me away

> from the patch. My brother tried laser and he is still smoking.....

>

> It was so hard for me to find a new rheumy when mine retired.....and now I

> found this one, but...I do feel like he is playing with me. I am so

> frustrated and feel like such a loser-failure- and I do not know how to

> make myself WANT to quit smoking. especially since I admit it sounds so

> stupid that I am thinking I do not want to quit. It feels like a horrid

> mind game thing.

> ANd I also think yikes, how can I quit at the same time I am gtting all

> manic on the prednisone and not able to sleep......it makes there be even

> more hours in the day for me to fight off the urge to smoke.....and being

> manic I am more nervous, anxious.and then the flaring is still so darned

> sstrong, so I still cannot be as active as I would like to be-----

>

> UG I feel like an idiot, moron, failure. And it makes me wanna smack my

> doctor, except then feeling that way about my doc makes me feel like some

> kind of creepy jerk, too. So now I feel like he must be sitting there

> lauughning at me behind my back or something......or like I am amusing to

> him......