I know this sounds crazy and im a bloody fool but i am really struggling to quit smoking,i had coiling 3 months ago and i just can't quit .Can someone give me some info on smoking after an aneurysm and give me the scare i need,please don't call me stupid because i already know i am im just really struggling to quit Thankyou xx
Hi Charlotte, I know you're not crazy, for me giving up smoking has been such a hard thing for me to do too. Two days ago, it made 10 months for me! My doctors scared me after my surgery..I initially had a SAH rupture & I still have another small aneurysm that is hard to get at. My surgeon told me that if I continued to smoke it would eventually rupture & the next time I may not be so lucky. For me it was definitely a reason to quit, as hard as it was to do. I knew I had to go cold turkey & being in the neuroICU for two weeks started me off. I know you can do it & only you can do it for you, just take it 1 hour, 1 day at a time..Do you have any other aneurysms that they're watching? While I was in the hospital, my husband took whatever I had left for cigs & gave them away! I'll pray for you that you can get passed this & one day soon, you will..
Take care & big hugs,
~ Jane
Hi Sweetie...notice...not stupid...it is hard to quit smoking...it is so addictive...but you need to do it...you have choosen to get your aneurysm fixed now ... your next step is to quit...or never stop trying to quit... Perhaps join a "Quit smoking site"...and/or perhaps a local hospital has a "Quit smoking program"...no one is going to get on you...
I smoked for 20 years and quit at 38 years old...it was so hard...but now I am quit 10 years and that is hard to believe...I still put on my records that I was a smoker...and Guess what my Neurosurgeon who did my coiling said to me..."if you go back to smoking, don't bother coming back..." pretty harsh, huh?
We will help you Charlotte...just try ... that is all anyone asks...Cyber~Hugs Colleen
Hi charlotte,
Smoking is hard to quit but with my stay in the hospital it was pretty easy. Now that I am out and around other smokers it is hard not to want to smoke but I am still a nonsmoker. Smoking is very bad for your blood vessels so you need to quit. Try chantix, wellbutrin, or a smokeless cigarette. Good luck.
Vicki
Hey Charlotte, I completely understand your struggle...You're not the only one struggling with this issue, it is the hardest thing to stop. Peace, Janet
Hello Charlotte,
I'm sorry but i got to agree with you about being foolish, i can remember sitting in the consultants office when he was telling Sue my wife smoking was definately the cause of her SAH, he said some people get lung cancer some people get heart disease unfortunately you got a brain anuerysm. When she was in hospital in a coma i stuck a nicotine patch on her arm every day so when she got out of hospital five weeks later she was already half way there to quiting. I know it's hard but you definately can do without a ruptured aneurysm,Good Luck John & Sue
Hi charlotte,i myself smoked right up until my annie burst last month,and i havnt had a smoke since it happen…at times i have so wanted one just to get that buzz from it,and i know it is silly if i go back to smoking. More so now than ever…we all struggle with not wanting to smoke…the one thing i keep telling myself is…that one smoke i have could be the one that kills me if i have it…and trust me its hard at times especialy when friends smoke…but inner will and determination you will eventually beat it…you just have to get tough on yourself…good luck with it and i hope you can kick the habbit…for me i feel so much better for doing it
Hi Charlotte My surgery was Dec 6. I haven't smoked since. Let me say it has not been easy. I was ok for 2 weeks in the ICU...but after I got home I went on the patch. I am at 4 months of not smoking. There are day I really would love to smoke but I know it could be my last day of living. It may never do anything...but I am not willing to take that chance. When you are ready you will know.
Debbie
I have had a raptured aneurysm a month ago, and my doctor told me not to smoke or be near people that do, because second hand smoke can be dangerous as well. My boyfriend is quitting, and I am not sure if it is because of what he saw happen to me, and realized health is important. Cigarettes are not only bad for you if you have an aneurysm, but they also give you cancer, heart disease, emphysema, etc, etc. I quit cold turkey when my father was diagnosed with cancer, after watching him fight for his life for 5 years, I absolutely hate them with a passion. They are legal poison that kill people. Right now I am very careful with what I feed my body. I don't ever want to have another aneurysm and be in the same state that I was, not knowing what was going on but being afraid of not making it. Don't be harsh on yourself and say you are stupid, it's not true. Tons of people struggle with the addiction to nicotine, but you can do it if you put your mind to it. Just think cigarettes are stupid. They do your body no good, and you are smart enough to let go of those things. Take care and I wish you good luck recovery and decision to quit :)
Reg,
That is a great catch phrase concieve it, believe it, achieve it hadn't heard it before, i've got write it down before i forget. I think BAF should adopt that for stop smoking help line. Best Wishes john & Sue
Thanks everyone,i really appreciate your comments xx
I forgot to mention that after the patch my Dr put me on welbutrin(sp) That seems to be helping...along with chocolate!! LOL Some days I can't cram enough chocolate in my mouth!! I am trying to cut down on that..
Congrats on your coiling!! I have mine scheduled for next week. I too am in the same boat, trying to quit smoking. It is so hard, it's mental for sure. Even knowing what we know, the dangers, not only that it's not good for our hearts, lungs, etc..we have the added knowledge of knowing it can be deadly..just one drag can be the last thing we do, thanks to our annies!!! I told my husband that when he picks me up from the hospital, there are to be no cigs anywhere in the vehicle. Since we will be staying in a hotel (non-smoking) and have a 7 hour drive home from hospital, it's gonna be a long time without one. I also told him no matter how much I complain or ask or beg, he is not to stop on our trip home so that I may buy some. One good thing is, he does NOT smoke. Addiction is a strong thing..and isn't it something, that KNOWING what we know, about the annies, the chance of a rupture, it being the last thing we can do, even with knowing all that..we still light up!!?? Nicotine is a powerful addiction..and there are those, that even knowing that next drag could mean an almost instant fate, still light up!!
Good luck to you hon. I am going thru the same thing, and I definitely feel your struggles!! Best wishes!!
Kristin
Having the same problem. Unfortunately. I really enjoy smoking. So hard
Thankyou and good luck to you xx
Hi Charlotte,
I had my rupture quite four years ago and I did not quit smoking, I’m not able to do it.
I stopped drinking alchool eleven years ago with AA support, but I’m not able to do the same with cigarettes…
I hope I try it again…
Good luck.
Giovanni
Charlotte, you're not stupid...it's an addiction and a very hard one to quit...I too stuggle w/ the butts everyday, and I quit 3 months before I found the aneurysms...It was like God was preparing me for what lies ahead. Smoking just intensifies the chances of a rupture...i USE THE PATCH AND SOME DAYS i NEED TO PUT IT OVER MY MOUTH! I never expected to have 4 annies that all needed to be clipped, but GOD gave me a second chance...you would think that would be enough to make the process easier...but somehow it seems harder! Smoking is the worst habit to quit...TRust me your not stupid nor are you alone in your struggle! I still struggle daily, and I do cheat sometimes...Not proud to say that but I do. Good Luck w/ your struggle, and just remember your not alone. I wish I never started smoking in the 1st place, would make life much easier...After coiling, do you get extreme fatigue? Since my clippings in November and Feb of this year, it;s incredible how tired I am...just exhausted always...is it that way for you too?
Hi Charlotte, I’m stupid also…
I had my rupture 4 years ago and I’m not able to quit smoking…
Take care of you
Giovanni
A terrible addiction