imallclear,
Nicotine doesn't leave your system within 3 or 4 days... that's when withdrawals peak so it's certainly still there and depending on your smoking history, it will be there for some time longer. Patch programs vary depending on how much you smoked before and by brand. Don't worry if you need the longer program. We smoked for years... use patience in making your quit solid and successful.
In my opinion, you're at a fragile stage in your quit so if there's ANY miniscule risk whatsoever that you could fail without staying with your chosen NRT program, then you should continue it. It's simply not worth the risk of smoking again. Period. Believe me, remembering to put a patch on every day isn't near the hassle of treatment for cancer! Since you've been on the lower dose for a while, you may want to speak with the pharmacist or doctor about how to continue.
Like said before me... Whatever it takes, just don't smoke :)
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/2/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 687
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 13,748
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2452.59
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 72 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 46 [B]Seconds:[/B] 51
-
Quit Meter
$20,259.12
Amount Saved
-
Quit Meter
Days: 761
Hours: 20
Minutes: 38
Seconds: 8
Life Gained
-
Quit Meter
5208
Smoke Free Days
-
Quit Meter
104,160
Cigarettes Not Smoked