[kim_johnson]

Cut down to less than 5 a day for a week (after a pack and a half a day for about 17 years). Haven't had a smoke for 4 days now.

I'm sick. Hurts to breathe. Mucous. Cough. Fever. Aches. Exercise and coffee helps the airways a little but mostly just sleeping...

I have gum for when the cravings get bad. And lozenges and stuff. Lots of nibbly food like raisins and grapes and pistachio nuts. I just want to sleep, though. Feel really sick and really grumpy too. Hope I feel better next week.

Keep thinking about the al-foil toxins loosening from my lungs (used to spot mj oil off of that. al-foil toxins simply can't be good for you). i hope my lungs get better and i haven't ****ed them too bad already.

[kim_johnson]

Still hanging in there... The gum is pretty good, I like the gum. I got some garlic capsules for the respiratory infection from the pharmacy. They are meant to be 'low odor' but I can smell the garlic coming out the pores of my fingers in the evening. Guess that means my sense of smell is coming back :-)

I've treated myself to lots of healthy snacks. Fruit (of all different kinds, fresh and dried) and nuts and chopped up carrots into sticks and hummus and peppermint tea and healthy muesli bars... Nibbling / snacking fairly constantly... Craving isn't so bad while you eat - just when you stop. Gum helps too. Regular gum would probably help as well, Should get some of that.

My moods are fairly all over the place. Apparently the nicotine replacement therapy can't give you as much nicotine and it can't give you the nicotine that it gives you as fast as a smoke. So... guess some nicotine withdrawal is inevitable. Still feel like sleeping a lot. Feeling like I need to have a good frustrated cry for no real reason a lot. Feeling a lot better for slamming my fist into my pillow a few times a day for no real reason too. Not terribly up to people, yet. Taking some time to adapt.

Gym helps. And caffine. Both help open up your airways, apparently. Light cardio helps me feel better. P-doc said that a couple stiff shots of coffee could have the same effect. Think he is right on that. Strangely enough... Coffee is an even bigger trigger for a smoke for me than alchohol is... Still... Hanging in there... It is... Jeepers... I've been smokefree for one week today :-)

Yippee!!!

[kim_johnson]

I used to love that smell when I'd just come in from having a cigarette outside and my fingers smelt like fresh smoke. I thought it smelt pretty good. Now I can smell the smokers when they walk into the room from outside and they don't smell good at all. They stink.

The nicotine gum is kinda metallic tasting. Kinda... Slightly reminiscent of... A dirty ashtray. Associations or... Is that actually kinds what nicotine actually tastes like???

If you chew the gum up good and park it your mouth fairly burns all peppery nicotine. Then things get this weird thing that happens to me when I've drunk too much coffee / had too many cigarettes / need to lay off methamphetamine: Things start looking outlined in black - kinda like a cartoon. The world starts to turn into black lines and segments of colour. Odd... Hard to explain. There is nicotine in the gum... And the nicotine is... Surely good. I do like nicotine. Never planning on giving that up...

[sunrise]

Hang on, Kim! You are doing great. Keep going. What an accomplishment to be off cigarettes after 17 years. Do whatever it takes. The benefits to your health will be huge.

[(JD)]

You're worth this!

[kim_johnson]

thanks guys.