efreeman75
296 posts
Registered:
02 Apr 2018
14 Sep 2018
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It has been 206 days since I quit smoking, or nearly 7 months. I love counting months, and can't wait to count years! I quit cold turkey on Family Day weekend without any prior planning. It has been a battle of the mind and spirit to beat this addiction. There have been a lot of highs and lows, but with perseverance and the help offered on this site, I can confidently say that I have quit smoking for good. I can never let my guard down, but there is no reason to return to smoking. I have lost 30 pounds, I can run longer than my teenage children, I have energy! I just bought a new car and am so excited that it will not smell like cigarettes. This week threw a unique challenge to my quit - my right arm is sore and swollen, turns out I have a blood clot near my shoulder. It was so nice to be able to answer to the doctors that I am not a smoker when asked, and to know that smoking did not and will not contribute to the blood clot. The working theory for the clot is that I am working out and running too much without proper hydration - I'll have to watch that. But, I would much rather have this problem than to keep gambling with all the other health risks of smoking.
To those who are thinking of quitting, who have just quit, or are struggling to keep the quit, please, please, please do everything you can to not smoke. It is within all of us to beat this addiction.
E.