A blog about all aspects of the experience of living with Invisible Chronic Illness (ICI), with a new focus on Endometriosis and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction.
Happy 4th of July & Happy Quit Anniversary to Me!
Get link
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
I quit smoking 4 years ago today. Since then I've had NOPE (Not One Puff Ever). I used QuitNet for free support and they're still sending me nice emails like this one:
Hello Sherril Johnson!
Your Quit Date is: Sunday, July 04, 2004 at 8:00:00 AM
Test Time Smoke-Free: 1460 days, 21 hours, 13 minutes and 59 seconds
WHO'S BETTER THAN YOU TODAY?You've made it! A whole 48 months without a cigarette! In that time, you've successfully navigated the physical chaos of withdrawal, the emotional highs and lows of early quit, and the pitfalls of relapse! WHO'S BETTER THAN YOU TODAY?Countless times you've refused the offered cigs. More times than that you've craved nicotine, but opted for health, instead. You've endured teasing, lack of support, and feeling uncomfortable and out of place among smokers. You may have had issues with weight, anger, tension or sadness, but still you stayed SMOKE-FREE! WHO'S BETTER THAN YOU TODAY?You're adjusting to a whole new lifestyle. You're already thinking different thoughts. You've changed habits and routines. You've made new friends and, perhaps, let go of some old ones. You're starting to realize the benefits of living a SMOKE-FREE life. More and more, you see yourself as a non-smoker. We hope you're as proud of you as we are. WHO'S BETTER THAN YOU TODAY?And while you've been doing all this for yourself, you've been helping everyone here at the Q: your membership in our community, whether active or passive, has demonstrated an ongoing support of the efforts of all of us. We hope you stay with us as you continue your SMOKE-FREE journey to a fuller, richer, healthier life.
Anniversaries
There are many QuitNet members celebrating important anniversaries today. Here are a few of them:
I was supposed to buy myself fresh flowers once in a while with the money I was saving from quitting smoking, but that's an expense that's really hard to justify in my current situation. Some day.
I quit once before for five years. That Christmas I told my father "I will never smoke again." A few months later in a new job where everyone smoked, I was joining in. Lessons learned: Never say never and avoid jobs where lots of coworkers smoke.
I also used the book The Enlightened Smoker's Guide to Quitting by Bear Jack Gebhardt. There's a new version out this year.
I have no idea why, but this time around I have never actually wanted a cigarette again. When I walk by someone who's smoking and smell that smell, my stomach just turns. Always before when I quit, I would like, inhale the smell of someone else smoking and it was a good thing. On that note where I've probably totally grossed out all the non-smokers (as opposed to reformed smokers who know exactly what I mean), I'll close for today with Renee Marie's version of "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" for the Denver mayor's annual state of the city address.
Note: If you are leaving a comment on this blog in an effort to advertise anything except your own valid topical blog or website, your comment will be marked as spam and will not be posted.
Watch the music video Rob Thomas - New Music - More Music Videos I think Marisol Maldonado has taken a very brave step, career-wise, to come out like this about her autoimmune disease. Being a model is a very physical profession and as those of us with ICI know, coming out at work, any kind of work, is a big deal. I'd like to send her a really big thank you for raising awareness of autoimmune disease in general. I wonder what the song/video title means? Her Diamonds. And she says ooh I can't take no more Her tears like diamonds on the floor And her diamonds bring me down 'Cause I can't help her now Losing her sparkle? Here's what Rob Thomas says about it: The album’s first single, the kaleidoscopic “Her Diamonds,” is the most personal song Thomas has yet committed to disc. Rob’s wife Marisol is courageously battling an autoimmune disease, and “Her Diamonds” was written “about a couple dealing with that on a day-to-day basis,” explains Thomas. “There’s an incre
A couple of blog posts ago I mentioned the results of recent MRIs of my neck and brain ( What do The Tough do when they get ANOTHER ICI diagnosis (or two*) ? ). Last month I had an appointment with a spine specialist to see what might be done about the herniated cervical disc diagnosis that was made from the MRI of my neck. This doctor seemed like a nice guy, and after about 10 minutes and $280 he had me convinced that my next step should be to have the herniated disc replaced with an artificial one. He started rattling off information after we exchanged pleasantries; lucky for me I knew to have pen and paper handy, and I can translate rattle into scribble pretty well. To his credit, he used mostly words that I could understand, or at least spell. He did a short exam on my hands and arms and said good - no loss of strength. Then he told me about something called "anterior cervical discectomy", an operation performed on the upper spine to relieve pressure on one or more ner
Here's the link to the actual article describing my experience: https://medium.com/@SherrilLynn/nerve-damage-to-the-vaginal-cuff-after-total-hysterectomy-6d9a2e576f15 . This has happened to me and I can find virtually NOTHING written about it, except the pain filled pleas of other women it has happened to, looking for answers as to why this has happened to them and what they can do about it. I'm going to start a place for other women who have and are experiencing Nerve Damage to the Vaginal Cuff after a total hysterectomy (as far as I can tell there's no cure and nothing to do about it but pain management) to publish their stories here on the ICIE blog. A collection of experiences of women who have Nerve Damage to the Vaginal Cuff (I'm going to shorten it to NDVC since no one in the medical field has deigned to give a name to this diagnosis), after a total hysterectomy. I'm pretty sure there are quite a few of us out there but no one has counted so who k
I quit smoking 4 years ago today. Since then I've had NOPE (Not One Puff Ever). I used QuitNet for free support and they're still sending me nice emails like this one:
mazel tov, Sherril!
ReplyDeleteQuitting smoking isn't easy -- I've read that it's the hardest drug to quit, harder even than crack cocaine or heroin.
Happy Fourth, and happy anniversary!!