Tornadoes were just horrific.

Link to help tornado victims! http://www.redcrossrelief.org

I have been glued to the TV the last couple of days watching the horrific tornado damage here in Alabama. I am in the south part of the state, but I know people in the north part of the state including Huntsville. Huntsville has no power and it isn't expected to be back on for several days. Cell phone service is sketchy. The whole region is actually without power. The TVA lost about 9 large transmission lines and power poles and lines are down. I'm pretty sure I heard or read they had to close down 3 nuclear power plants.

I am still not smoking, and wanted to update y'all about that. I have had some stress in my life with Mother and daughter, but I'm handling it. I am starting to believe they are both certifiably crazy. It's them. It is not me. I really firmly believe that.

Staying smober and sane. Hope y'all are doing the same!

50 days quit! No more smoking!

I can't believe I have quit smoking for 50 days. The Chantix really helped with the cravings at the start of my quit. I think it was a miracle for me. Now if I could find a miracle drug to cure my munchies, I'd be all set. Thank goodness I've been exercising. I can't imagine how much weight I would have gained if I hadn't.

I put up a funny Maxine cartoon I thought you might enjoy. She always cracks me up. I also put in some new links for you to check out. It's all stuff I enjoy and thought you might also. Of course, I also have links pertaining to quitting smoking. I am a member of 2 great forums, and they have been invaluable to me during my quit. They are a wonderful support system, and yes, at one time I had to post an SOS because I was having a bad craving.

Cravings are few and far between for me, but I do seem to be snacking more. I think tomorrow, I'll get rid of the less healthy stuff and buy some more healthy things. If it's not available, I can't eat it, right? That's the same philosophy I had at the start of my quit. I did not have any cigarettes at home or in the car or anywhere at all. Not here? Can't smoke 'em.

I've been sleeping well, but I've been having hot flashes. I am still taking a sleep med at night to help me get to sleep, but the whole quit insomnia and menopausal insomnia is just too big a double whammy to go without some sort of help. Mom and daughter still driving me a bit crazy, but I still love them. I guess I have to...blah. LOL

Hope everyone had a nice Easter and stayed smoke free!

Got some closet cleaning done today!

This morning, I was posting like crazy in the forums. I always post in the mornings because that's my biggest trigger time. Later, I did some general straightening and cleaning then filled a garbage bag full of clothes from my closet to donate. It feels good to weed out clothes and clean out the closet a bit. I'll be doing more over the next few days.

I have found that cleaning is a real saving grace for me in my quit. I was going to clean up around the windows today, but I didn't get to that today. My daughter and I went to my Mother's house and watched The King's Speech. We brought a pizza over and had a very nice girl Saturday. My Mom loved it.

When I got home, I watered plants outside and transplanted some seedlings. I was happy to see some more bulbs coming up in the yard. I have an orange lily about to bloom, and I'm sure it will be lovely.

I have been watching old episodes of The Waltons on Hallmark Channel. I grew up with that show. It really is a good show. Maybe I'm corny or whatever, but I actually have very eclectic taste. Last night, I watched Religulous, a movie my daughter wanted me to watch. It's Bill Maher asking the usual questions about belief in God. My daughter just doesn't realize the questions have always been there, and even religious people ask questions and wonder. She's at a rebellious "shock Mom" stage right now. She can't suck it up enough to go to church with her Grandmother and me for Easter, but she can join us for lunch. Of course she's not paying for the lunch.

She drives me crazy sometimes, but I love her. Don't worry, she's not driving me to smoke. If I get the urge too much, I'll start taking the Chantix again. I have been off the Chantix for a while now, so I may have to change my blog name or reconfigure it somehow. I added a funny Bob Newhart link over on the right. Check it out if you are afraid of quitting or, really, afraid of anything.

Hope everyone has a great Easter. Don't eat too much. Ok, pig out! Have fun. Be careful.

Feeling blah today with hot flashes

Yesterday was a wonderful day. My daughter is getting her own apartment...yay! I love her to pieces, but I have a fairly difficult time living with her.

Today, I have felt very blah. My head is stopped up and I'm having lots of hot flashes. I am probably having an allergic reaction to all the flowers blooming, and tonight, I have developed a dull headache. I've been having hot flashes the last few days. Sucks to be me, huh? I'm sorry; I don't mean to be whiny.

I am still staying off the Chantix, and I am still not smoking. I need to be exercising more. I was off my exercise last week because of diverticulitis, but now I have no excuse. It seems I am having trouble getting motivated to exercise, but I will. After all the hard work I've done, I can't let it go to waste. I feel the same way about smoking. I will not let go of my quit.

The cravings are a bit stronger, and that little nicodemon has been whispering in my ear frequently. I hate that guy. He's my junkie brain talking and trying to justify having a smoke. I absolutely will not give in. I will start the Chantix again if the cravings get too bad, but all nicotine is out of my system, so I can't imagine it getting worse.

I guess I'll find out at 3 months. 3 weeks was when I was all emotional. I've read about the icky 3's, so we'll see how I do at the 3 month mark. I hope everyone has a nice Easter weekend. Bite the ears off a chocolate bunny for me! I will see if I can find a sugar free bunny tomorrow.

Took Chantix Mar 2nd to Apr 6th. Cravings getting stronger.

I started taking Chantix to quit smoking on March 2nd. It really helped me handle cravings. I started having some tummy problems, and thought it might have been the Chantix, so I stopped taking it on April 6th. It was not the Chantix causing my stomach problems, BTW.

I have noticed over the past couple of days, my cravings are getting a bit stronger, so I am debating on whether to start the Chantix again or not. I had no ill effects using it. I suspect it is starting to leave my system and that's why the cravings are getting a bit stronger. So far, I can handle them just fine.

I'm sort of talking out loud here so please bear with my random stream of thoughts. :) If I start taking it again, I'm sure the cravings will all but disappear, but maybe I should tough it out without it. My quit has been relatively pain free and easy peasy because of the Chantix, but I can't be on it forever. I think I'll stay off it for this week, but if the cravings kick in really strong, I'm going back on it.

That little nicodemon on my shoulder has been whispering in my ear, and I've had to shoo him away more frequently. He's a sly one, but I will not let him talk me into smoking. I will exercise more now that my tummy is better. Maybe that will help keep him at bay. I'm going to continue on without Chantix as long as I can in the hopes that I won't need it ever again. That IS the ideal, right?

Hope everyone stayed smoke free on tax day yesterday! That was kind of a tough day.

Enjoying another smoke free Sunday!

Just like the title says, I have been enjoying the day. I walked 6 miles on the Wii Walk It Out, and then went to the mall with my daughter. I put any calories back on at the Marble Slab ice cream place, but I guess I could afford to splurge after burning those calories. It's a push.

Anyway, we wound up going to Petsmart where they were holding a pet adoption event. I wanted to take home all the dogs, but I resisted. :) My daughter saw a pretty conure she was ready to buy then and there. It took me a little convincing to talk her out of making a rash pet buying decision. The bird was $350.00 and a cage would be another $80.00. Even though she has the money in savings, I, along with a sales rep, convinced her to wait. She needs her own apartment and a job before she can get a pet, doncha think?

OK, so pet buying crisis averted today, no smoking, and did some exercise. I'm doing pretty well today, and I feel great! My tummy is healing, and it's not gurgling, so that's all good. I do have a supply of Beano in my purse just in case.

I still have insomnia, but I take some nighty night pills to get to sleep. I take too many really, but it's the only thing that works for me. I guess I'm weird or something. I told my doc what I was doing, but he said it's OK, and I'm not OD'ing, so thank goodness. He offered to give me something stronger, but then we got off the subject and we both forgot. I'll be seeing him again in June for a cholesterol check, so we'll see how I am then.

I am still not taking the Chantix, and cravings are few and far between. I am very grateful to have had it early in my quit to help with cravings. It's also nice to have some on hand if I start having cravings again. I really can't even imagine smoking at this point in my quit. I definitely don't miss all the deep coughing and trying to mask the smell. I don't want to go backwards, that's for sure.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous smoke free weekend!

It's a beautiful smoke free Saturday!

Today is gorgeous. We were under all sorts of warnings and watches last night here in south Alabama, but we did not get a drop of rain. Well, no rain at my house anyway. We want some rain here because we just transplanted old things and planted new things.

I will be enjoying another smoke free day courtesy of will power and Chantix. I love to just breathe deeply when I'm walking the dog, and all the blooming plants perfume the air beautifully. I just feel so blessed to be alive and kicking, despite owing taxes this year. I was so looking forward to a refund, but we owe this year.

Now how in the heck did I get from walking in the perfumed air to taxes? I guess these are just some rambling thoughts running through my mind. I only had one cup of coffee, so I guess my thoughts are a bit disorganized this morning.

Next little jog in the path...my shortness of breath is better. I was feeling like I couldn't get a deep breath, but now I'm only feeling like that every once in a while. I'm glad that feeling is going away.

My diverticulitis is on the mend thanks to some very strong antibiotics, so I should be able to do a bit more intense exercise today. I have just been walking slowly for the most part, so it will be nice to step up the pace a bit and do some stretching or yoga. By next week, I should be able to push myself harder. Lord knows, I need to eat less and move around more.

Enough of all this posting for now. I'm off to enjoy the day! I hope you do the same and stay smoke free! Peace, y'all!

Went to doctor today

Wow! I slept until almost 10 this morning. Yesterday, I had a nice day with a friend of mine. You know, a girl day, lunch and a little bit of shopping. Ironically enough, we were looking at heart rate monitors and pedometers in Walmart when I doubled over in pain. I had a sudden sharp pain in my lower left side. It went away fairly quickly, but I still had pain if I moved a certain way or pressed there. This morning, the pain was still there, so I went to the doctor. He confirmed my suspicion of diverticulitis. I've had it before, so I knew that just had to be it. The Chantix is NOT to blame for my tummy problems. It's my own body and diet and movement and what have you.

He wound up giving me antibiotics and congratulated me on staying quit. I told him I was off the Chantix, and doing fine with cravings. I honestly have very few, and when I have one, it's very weak. I have been having shortness of breath, but that is just my lungs healing and getting rid of tar buildup apparently. I'm yawning a lot to get that feeling of a deep breath. I really can't imagine trying to smoke a cigarette with this shortness of breath feeling.

Being around my smoking hubby or anyone who smokes doesn't really bother me. My Dad smoked, and strangely enough when I hug my smoky smelling husband, it's comforting. He smells like my Dad always smelled when I was growing up. I am so blessed and grateful to have a wonderful sweet husband, and I wouldn't trade him for anything.

Staying smober and happy! Hope you are doing the same!

My cigarette, my friend by Joel Spitzer

Found this in a forum and it really struck a chord with me, so I had to share.

My Cigarette, My Friend

How do you feel about a friend who has to go everywhere with you? Not only does he tag along all the time, but since he is so offensive and vulgar, you become unwelcome when with him. He has a peculiar odor that sticks to you wherever you go. Others think both of you stink.

He controls you totally. When he says jump, you jump. Sometimes in the middle of a blizzard or storm, he wants you to come to the store and pick him up. You would give your spouse hell if he or she did that to you all the time, but you can't argue with your friend. Sometimes, when you are out at a movie or play he says he wants you to go stand in the lobby with him and miss important scenes. Since he calls all the shots in your life, you go. Your friend doesn't like your choice of clothing either. Instead of politely telling you that you have lousy taste, he burns little holes in these items so you will want to throw them out. Sometimes, he tires of the furniture and gets rid of it too. Occasionally, he gets really nasty and decides the whole house must go.

He gets pretty expensive to support. Not only is his knack of property destruction costly, but you must pay to keep him with you. In fact, he will cost you thousands of dollars over your lifetime. And you can count on one thing, he will never pay you a penny in return.

Often at picnics you watch others playing vigorous activities and having lots of fun doing them. But your friend won't let you. He doesn't believe in physical activity. In his opinion, you are too old to have that kind of fun. So he kind of sits on your chest and makes it difficult for you to breathe. Now you don't want to go off and play with other people when you can't breathe, do you?

Your friend does not believe in being healthy. He is really repulsed by the thought of you living a long and productive life. So every chance he gets he makes you sick. He helps you catch colds and flu. Not just by running out in the middle of the lousy weather to pick him up at the store. He is more creative than that. He carries thousands of poisons with him which he constantly blows in your face. When you inhale some of them, they wipe out cilia in your lungs which would have helped you prevent these diseases.

But colds and flu are just his form of child's play. He especially likes diseases that slowly cripple you—like emphysema. He considers this disease great. Once he gets you to have this, you will give up all your other friends, family, career goals, activities—everything. You will just sit home and caress him, telling him what a great friend he is while you desperately gasp for air.

But eventually your friend tires of you. He decides he no longer wishes to have your company. Instead of letting you go your separate ways, he decides to kill you. He has a wonderful arsenal of weapons behind him. In fact, he has been plotting your death since the day you met him. He picked all the top killers in society and did everything in his power to ensure you would get one of them. He overworked your heart and lungs. He clogged up the arteries to your heart, brain, and every other part of your body. In case you were too strong to succumb to this, he constantly exposed you to cancer causing agents. He knew he would get you sooner or later.

Well, this is the story of your "friend," your cigarette. No real friend would do all this to you. Cigarettes are the worst possible enemies you ever had. They are expensive, addictive, socially unacceptable, and deadly. Consider all this and NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!

Wow! I'm up with the chickens today!

I actually went to bed at a decent hour, and now I'm back to my early riser routine. It will be interesting to see how long this lasts. Sorry I haven't posted for a couple of days.

Saturday was a housework day, and Sunday was church and manual labor day. Hubby and I went to church and then to Longhorn for lunch. I had some delicious tilapia with shrimp and lobster. Then, we went to Lowes, bought some plants and came home to work in the yard. I have a pretty nasty blister on the right hand from the shovel, but the yard looks so much better now, and I'm happy with it.

Later in the night and for about half the night, I had to go to the bathroom several times. I am being delicate here, but it was not pretty or pleasant. My stomach finally calmed down, and I went to bed.

Yesterday, Monday, I was more careful to eat less fatty food. No cream sauces. My sugar was quite high from breakfast, but I had a non fat strawberry Greek yogurt, a banana, and a bowl of Life cereal. All three of those are sweet. For lunch, I had some soothing chicken and dumplings, field peas, and yellow squash and onion casserole. My stomach gurgled a bit, but I didn't do any exercise until late afternoon. I did a little yoga and some Walk It Out on the Wii. Stomach gurgled, but no trotting to the bathroom. Yay!

I have not been on the Chantix for a few days, and I'm not having cravings. Hubby smokes, but it's not bothering me or wanting to make me smoke. I told y'all I was determined to stay quit, and by golly, I intend to do just that.

Now I have to figure out the whole diabetes food exercise gas diarrhea thing, and work on that. Sometimes, I'm scared to eat because I'm afraid of having embarrassing gas. Lucky we were outside doing yardwork and working in different parts of the yard Sunday. I know hubby was very happy about that. LOL

I bought some beano, and that seems to help, but I need to work more on the food and exercise ratio. If I can't figure it out, I'll have to go see the doc about it.
Chantix helped me tremendously with cravings at the start of my quit, and over a month later, I am doing fine. I am practicing the art of
N.O.P.E.- Not One Puff Ever.

One puff would lead me back to smoking, so Nope! Peace Y'all!

Today was a good day!

Just like the title says, today was a good day. I had a wonderful lunch at Ruby Tuesday with my Mom and brother. They have some wonderful new seafood dishes available, and I had the blackened tilapia with mango salsa. Delicious!

So far as my guts go, I am OK today. I did not do any exercise with my Wii, but I'm trying to take it easy. I found info at the Mayo Clinic site that said you can have gastro problems because your body is trying to do 2 major tasks at once. Digest food and feed the muscles you are working. Made sense to me, so I'm taking it easy today.

I am still not taking the Chantix, but cravings are very rare and not strong at all. I think if the cravings come back strong, I'll go back on the Chantix. It may be somewhat of a placebo effect just having it on hand and easily available.

Anyway, happy Friday y'all! Hanging tough here, and I hope you are also.

Off the Chantix 2 days. Guts in an uproar.

Hi there! I did not take my Chantix yesterday or today, and my guts are in an uproar today. I guess the gas, bloating, and general grossness were not caused by the Chantix. I said in my last post, I was conducting an experiment. I have been eating popcorn a lot, so maybe it's just too much fiber or something. I'm sure I'll be feeling better by the weekend. I have some fun special plans. :)

Tomorrow, I'll be seeing my Mom. It is the anniversary of the death of my Dad, so I'm sure she'll be feeling blue. My brother and I have a Plan A and a Plan B, so he'll get to see her tomorrow. He can't drive due to heart health problems and the medications he is on. Better safe than sorry!

Sorry if my blog is a bummer tonight. I really didn't mean it to be. Let's see, what's going on that's happy. Oh, I know, today was a beautiful day! Some dark clouds rolling by, but never any rain with a high of about 80. It was nice outside. In fact, I just got back from taking the dog for a quick walk. The ice cream truck was out in the neighborhood, and the kids were fun to see. They were so happy.

I walked 6 miles with the Wii Walk It Out this morning. I can't believe a new one hasn't been released yet. No word from Nintendo about a new one yet either, but hopefully soon. I may do some more on it tonight.

That's it for today. Stay smober!

Had insomnia again last night. Is it the Chantix?

OK, so last night, I had bad insomnia again. I don't know if it is due to the Chantix or not. Just the act of quitting can give you insomnia as I've learned on various message boards.

I had a gurgling tummy the last couple of days after eating. Gas was really bad. Monday, I was sooo bloated and felt miserable. I did my Wii Walk It Out and that helped. I was walking and farting. Good thing I was by myself. Yesterday, after lunch, I had a really gurgling tummy and a bit of gas. I decided maybe I needed some yogurt. That helped tremendously. I don't know if all this guts in an uproar thing had anything to do with Chantix or it was me eating something funky.

Today, I decided I would conduct an experiment. I did not take my Chantix this morning after breakfast. I am about to eat lunch, so I will see how my tummy reacts. I haven't been having any cravings without the Chantix so that's good.

I must admit, though, that I have not been exercising like I had been, so that might have been the reason my plumbing was out of whack. I plan on exercising with my Wii this afternoon and getting back into the swing of things right after I pick up all the CD's on the floor. I knocked over the tall CD rack again. What a pain. Oh well...I'm a clutzy broad today. I even spilled coffee on my blouse today.

I have discovered a new snack that I really like! Spinach and artichoke hummus on an oat bran pita. I've never really been a fan of hummus, but now they have different flavors, so I'll be trying those, dontcha know.

Peace Y'all. Stay smober, and I'll update this evening or tomorrow.

I had my first smoking dream last night.

Yay! I found a new meter! Anyway, yesterday morning (Monday), I was awakened a little before six AM by my Mom on the phone. She had fallen and needed help getting up. I threw on some clothes and rushed over there. She was OK, but she'd been on the floor since about 3:30 maybe earlier. I am happy to report that I got her up and on her feet very easily. That was my first test after getting in shape a bit from exercise, and I passed the test. It really makes me feel better knowing I can help her if she needs me in that way. She's OK, and she's just a bit sore today. The way she put it was, "I'm just a bit stove up today." That's how we talk here in the South.

Now on to what I titled this post. Last night I dreamed I smoked a cigarette. This was my first smoking dream. In my dream, I didn't even realize I had smoked until a few minutes after I had put it out. I remember apologizing to everyone for smoking, and realized it was just a reflex. In my dream, I was under stress. It had something to do with camping and not getting approval from my parents. They were totally against me going camping with a girl friend. We were going to stay in a tent in the middle of a big forest. I know the camping thing came from a joke about my Mom camping on the floor. The forest was a scary place with dangerous animals. Maybe that has something to do with my quit. The whole parent approval thing....don't we all want that?

The dream is really the only quit related thing that's happened the last few days. The Chantix is taking care of cravings. I am rarely experiencing them anymore, so that's a relief. I really didn't think this was going to be so easy, so I'm very pleased with the Chantix. If you look to the right, you'll see I posted a link to their website. That will tell you everything you need to know about it, so I hope you'll check it out if you are considering quitting. Quitting smoking is so freeing!

Still not smoking and insomnia abating!

So, I am still not smoking, and I am actually having a difficult time keeping up with how many days I've been smoke free. I just now went to look at my QuitKeeper counter and I deleted it or something. So, I'm still a bit of a dingy broad, but I am sleeping better and at more normal hours. I am also feeling calmer. I had no incidents of angry or sad feelings today, so I'm happy about that. I do expect to ride that emotional roller coaster again in the first few months, but I'm prepared for it.

It's been a quiet lazy Sunday for me. I've been watching Stephen King's The Stand. I remember reading that book in one sitting in 1980. It was the first Stephen King book I ever read, and I became hooked on his writing. Anyway, that's what's going on here. Not much. Feeling OK. Hardly any cravings. Boring probably...sorry. I'll try to have a more exciting day tomorrow to report. Hope everyone has a great smoke free night!

Quick note: I tried to redownload the QuitKeeper, but my antivirus software ID'd it as malicious, so I'll try to get another one. Day 28 today, BTW.

I'm on an emotional roller coaster today...ugh.

This morning, I went to my Mom's house to take her to the hair salon, and I was all over the map emotionally. She pushes my buttons like no one else. I got mad at her and then got a bit weepy. All of a sudden we brushed it all aside and we were OK. My emotions are all over the map. I had warned her when I first walked in that I was feeling bitchy.

Anyway, we wound up having a good afternoon. We had crab cakes over salad for lunch and ate at the salon. I just walked to the restaurant and got the lunches to go. Delicious!

Now I am back home. I was feeling really weird and shaky, so I took my blood sugar, and it was 75. That's a bit low for me. I had a small handful of some walnut fruit nut mix and I am enjoying a small Coke over ice. What a treat to have a real Coke. I had to get my blood sugar back up and fast.

I'm hoping I'll be better emotionally as the day wears on. I already feel better, but Lord knows when my hormones will whack out or amino acids or whatever. Still not smoking, feeling shaky, so I'm signing off.

Hope everyone has a nice smoke free weekend! Peace!

Quick update today on my Chantix blog

Took Mom to the accountant with tax papers yesterday. It was amazingly stress free. I did want a ciggie really bad when I got home, but I took the dog for a long walk instead. That did the trick. Still have insomnia really bad, but my waking hours are not affected. I can still function. I found a counter. Check it out!

I have been quit for 3 Weeks, 2 Days, 12 hours and 5 minutes (23 days). I have saved $205.65 by not smoking 822 cigarettes. I have saved 2 Days, 20 hours and 30 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 3/8/2011 11:00 PM

Today is actually the start of day 24, so it hasn't counted it yet. It's a bit confusing, but it's neat to see those numbers.
Gotta take Mom to the hair salon today. Hopefully, it will be another pleasant day with her. Keep your fingers crossed for me, and I hope everyone has a stress free day today.