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Dodged that particular bullet... whew.

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Dodged that particular bullet... whew.

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 292

Thanks, y'all, for your support and input... I was touched by your thoughts and messages and I so totally agree, I have been granted with an incredible opportunity to share my "second chance!" As for my shortness of breath, it continues and I have no answers yet. The pulmonary guy is ordering a sleep study for me... he agreed that I have all the classic symptoms of sleep apnea and that that could be contributing to my breathing problems. I learned something I didn't know, though... he said that if you do not get enough restorative sleep at night that it's almost impossible to lose weight. What he described was a cycle that's difficult to break: [color=red][size=3]not enough restful sleep --> feelings of hunger --> lowered metabolism --> lowered energy level --> not enough exercise/movement --> weight gain --> increased incidence of sleep apnea --> not enough restful sleep, and so on.[/color][/size] He said, "All you can do is break the cycle where you CAN. Get treatment for the sleep apnea, eat smaller portions, make yourself MOVE." What he said made a LOT of sense! So I'm very optimistic for the future! Even though I'm still having the shortness of breath, I'm able to move and exercise, and although I'm still not dropping any pounds, I'm not giving up! I LOVE being a nonsmoker and the feeling of freedom I have! Now I just want to combine that wonderful feeling with one of feeling healthy and fit. OMG I will feel so AWESOME then! Life is very, very good! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 336 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 10,080 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,008.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 34 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 35 [B]Seconds:[/B] 13

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2417

Sammi and Martha, thanks for the reminders of how precious life is and it can change in a second. TGIQ [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/8/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 328 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,920 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,377.60 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 30 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 21 [B]Seconds:[/B] 9

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2670

Sammijo what great news you must be so relieved congrats lynnexx [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]10/24/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 403 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 6,045 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �1,612.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 45 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 0 [B]Seconds:[/B] 50

Quit Meter

$114,055.00

Amount Saved
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Days: 6521 Hours: 8

Minutes: 24 Seconds: 53

Life Gained
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45622

Smoke Free Days
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228,110

Cigarettes Not Smoked

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1151

That's great news Sammijo. Really makes you think, huh? I don't mean to hijack your thread or minimize your story but I feel SO compelled to share this with you, I hope you don't mind. A very close friend of mine, Luke, died in a motorcycle accident in May 2005 at the age of 27. He was amazing, brilliant and I loved him dearly. He never smoked or did drugs. His death was really very hard on me especially because it happened so suddenly. It gave me an incredible clarity and urgency of what life is really about and how truly precious life is. Naturally, life goes on and we lose that perspective all over again because we are human and forgetful. Luke would have turned 30 at the beginning of last month. I had a dream that I got to spend one more day with him and while I enjoyed all the things I loved about him, I knew his time here was short and so it was overwhelmingly bittersweet. I kept wanting and needing to tell him that he had only one more month but I wasn't supposed to for whatever reason. I complied because that was apparently part of the deal for me getting one more day with him. But me being me, I decided to ask him hypothetically, "If you only had one more month to live would you want to know? How would you live your life differently?" I woke up before he answered and I'm certain the dream was to give me back my perspective. We all have a part to play in this world and you have been given a great BIG green light to keep on playing! It's amazing the circumstances that God can bring into our lives to shake us at our foundations and let us see life as it really is. I'm so glad that you've been given this second chance and that you've shared it with us. What an incredible opportunity you have to share the "good news" and take a big bite out of life! All the best [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]8/5/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1213 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 24,260 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $5,458.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 92 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 57 [B]Seconds:[/B] 46

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$38,324.00

Amount Saved
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Days: 662 Hours: 19

Minutes: 50 Seconds: 45

Life Gained
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5896

Smoke Free Days
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76,648

Cigarettes Not Smoked

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 8760

Sammi, That's fantastic news! We love happy endings! Danielle, Bilingual Health Educator

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 3207

SammiJo That is wonderful news. It really is amazing the powerful benefits that quitting brings. Maybe bike riding has helped too? ;) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/22/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 254 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 10,160 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,727.20 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 35 [B]Hrs:[/B] 10 [B]Mins:[/B] 16 [B]Seconds:[/B] 14

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 880

Sammi My good friend and fellow traveler, I am so pleased to read this. It is wonderful to know that the diagnosis has affirmed your obvious comittment to quitting for good. You have had a few tough breaks these past six months, this news must serve to spur you on with renewed vigor and hope that our shared second chance is more than worth the effort put forth. I could not be more happy for you. Thank you so much for sharing this news, I am sure that it will serve to remind people that the quitting process is truly a gate way to a bettr life...And that the struggle has great purpose and ultimately means that each of us has the pwoer within in us to make a difference. That is at the end of the day the definition of hope. nonic [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]12/25/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 341 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 10,230 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,580.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 62 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 16 [B]Seconds:[/B] 52

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$68,754.00

Amount Saved
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Days: 1418 Hours: 14

Minutes: 15 Seconds: 28

Life Gained
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6548

Smoke Free Days
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196,440

Cigarettes Not Smoked

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 3541

That's great news, SammiJo, I'm glad to hear it. So, what is causing your shortness of breath, then? [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 201 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,020 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,211.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 20 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 47 [B]Seconds:[/B] 49

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 292

Some of you might remember that I've been having health issues since this past May. I was diagnosed with Graves Disease but I was still experiencing pretty significant shortness of breath so my doctor finally decided to send me to a pulmonologist. I was so scared. Even though I quit smoking eleven months ago, I'd smoked before that for 30 years! I figured it would be just my luck to finally quit -- and THEN find out that I'd lost the cancer lottery, or at least the COPD lottery... after all, my husband was just diagnosed this summer with emphysema. It was probably my turn to pay the piper too. The pulmonary doc told me that lung capacity is measured in comparison with an imaginary person with perfectly healthy habits who lives in a healthy (non-polluted) environment. This person would be judged to have 100% lung capacity for their age. He said he was truly amazed to discover that my lungs were at [i]more[/i] than 100% capacity. MORE! No sign of blockage. Absolutely no sign of emphysema. He said that later down the road I still might pay some price for my years of smoking (in "capacity decrease" faster than the normal rate), but for the moment I had successfully dodged a very big bullet. He said I was lucky in a way that few are lucky. "Don't go out and start up smoking again though." Oh, doc, don't worry about that. I am NEVER smoking again. NEVER. [size=1][i]A fervent prayer of thanks to God. In Jesus' name. Amen.[/i][/size] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 333 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 9,990 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $999.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 34 [B]Hrs:[/B] 8 [B]Mins:[/B] 20 [B]Seconds:[/B] 25

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Dodged that particular bullet... whew.