First few days after quitting are the toughest
By Terry Rindfleisch of the Tribune staff
Cathy Andre still craves cigarettes.
“When I get a craving, I get up and tell myself not to have a cigarette,” Andre said. “I get busy like doing the dishes and starting supper. I don’t walk too much.
“I suck on candy or anything I can put in my mouth,” she said. “I don’t like to go where people smoke.”
A few weeks ago, Andre stopped smoking. She is taking one day at time.
Andre started smoking at age 15 because she said she wanted to be like other kids. She quit in 1985 for five years. “But I tried a puff on a cigarette to see if I could do it, and I was hooked right back,” she said.
She smoked 2½ packs of cigarettes a day. This is her third attempt at quitting, and this time she is using a nicotine patch and the medication Zyban. “The first two weeks were terrible,” Andre said. “The cravings were so bad that I could smell a cigarette burning, and I wanted to grab one. It was all in mind.
“I had a stroke, and I’m blind in one eye, and I was told if I didn’t stop smoking I’d be blind in the other eye or have another stroke,” she said. “If I had another stroke, I’d have to go to the nursing home, and I don’t want that.”
Andre, 63, of Minnesota City, Minn., joined Franciscan Skemp Healthcare’s stop smoking program and met with Doris Doherty, a smoking cessation specialist who provides one-on-one counseling. Andre has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which makes breathing and walking difficult.
“I breathed better right away, and so many things have been better,” Andre said. “But you have to concentrate if you want to quit and be prepared.”
According to the National Cancer Institute, one’s body will begin to heal itself within 12 hours of someone having the last cigarette. The levels of carbon monoxide and nicotine in the body will decline rapidly, and the heart and lungs will begin to repair the damage caused by cigarette smoke.
“It has to be the right time in a smoker’s life to quit,” Doherty said. “I see people where a loved one dies of a tobacco-related disease, and they want to have a healthy lifestyle. Others stop for their children.”
Most adults try to quit several times before they quit for good, she said. “And they’re so addicted that one cigarette would lead them back to a pack a day,” Doherty said.
Alicia Elsing, co-coordinator of the Mayo Nicotine Research Program at Franciscan Skemp, said smokers are not failures if they are not able to quit on their quit date. “Set a new date and try again,” Elsing said.
Medications such as Zyban can help smokers with the withdrawal symptoms, said Susan Lundsten, Gundersen Lutheran wellness education specialist who facilitates the medical center’s Journey to Freedom nicotine cessation clinic.
Lundsten said Zyban reduces the withdrawal symptoms and the urge to smoke. It helps soothe the brain cells that have been changed because of smoking, she said.
“The withdrawal symptoms are easier to manage with the tools we have today,” Lundsten said. “If you go cold turkey, you fully metabolize nicotine out of the body in three to five days.
“But you need to monitor the behavioral changes and change the routine,” she said. “You may have to avoid some situations which act as triggers such as going to a bar, and you need a plan on how you will deal with triggers such as stress.”
Some people have little trouble with withdrawal, while others cannot function, Elsing said. People report headaches, difficulty sleeping and concentrating, irritability and depression, she said.
“Smokers often smoke in an attempt to cope with emotional stress, so when they stop, there is a sense of loss,” Elsing said. “Their best friend has left them.”
KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT
Have realistic expectations — quitting isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible either. More than 3 million Americans quit every year.
Understand that withdrawal symptoms are temporary. They usually last only one to two weeks.
Know that most relapses occur in the first week after quitting, when withdrawal symptoms are strongest and your body still is dependent on nicotine.
Know that most other relapses occur in the first three months after quitting, when situation triggers, such as a particularly stressful event, occur unexpectedly.
Realize that most successful ex-smokers quit for good only after several attempts.
TIPS IMMEDIATELY AFTER QUITTING
For the first few days after you quit, spend as much free time as possible in places where smoking is prohibited.
Drink large quantities of water and fruit juice.
Avoid alcohol, coffee and other beverages that you associate with smoking.
Strike up a conversation instead of a match for a cigarette.
If you miss having a cigarette in your hand, play with something else such as a pencil, paper clip or marble.
If you miss something in your mouth, try toothpicks, cinnamon sticks or celery.
Avoid temptation by staying away from situations you associate with pleasurable smoking.
Anticipate situations that can lead to smoking.
Take deep rhythmic breaths.
Remember your goal and that the urge will eventually pass.
Brush your teeth.
Call a supportive friend.
Eat several small meals; avoid sugary or spicy foods that trigger a desire for cigarettes.
Above all, reward yourself. Plan to do something fun for doing your best.
Sources: Gundersen Lutheran, Franciscan Skemp and National Cancer Institute
Terry Rindfleisch can be reached at trindfleisch@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8227.
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