Going to see Cowboys and Aliens today!

I have been looking forward to seeing this movie for a while now. I saw a promo for it months ago, and it sounded so silly and fun, I knew I had to see it. My brother and my daughter are going with me, and I'm sure we'll have a great time. Cowboys and Aliens...what a great title!

My Mom is all settled in at the assisted living facility and seems quite happy there. She's making friends and is not so isolated. I know she's getting help and care, so that's a big relief to me. Everything is falling into place and is lots less stressful now.

Wow! I really changed subjects, didn't I? I wonder what Freud would say about my first paragraph being about cowboys and aliens and the second paragraph being about my Mother. :) I just have some rather scattered thoughts sometimes. I guess that's OK. My feet stay mostly on the ground.

I am still not smoking, and I've pretty much stopped counting how long it's been since I quit. It's over 4 months, I know. I rarely even crave a smoke now, but when I do have a craving, it can get a bit intense. I just remind myself I'm not a smoker anymore, take some deep breaths, and the craving is gone very quickly.

I want to reiterate how grateful I am to have had the help of Chantix with quitting. It really performed a miracle for me. I had the drive and will power to stick with it and stay quit, and I'm sure that helped.

I think nothing will work if you don't have the right attitude and fortitude. If you are considering quitting smoking, I hope you'll remember that you have to want to be smober. Aids can help, but it's really will power that makes you stay quit.

Getting off my soapbox now, and I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Wow! What a busy week! Stessful, but I'm not smoking!

I have been sooo busy this week. Getting my Mom situated in her new apartment has been such busy work, but I don't mind. I just want her to be settled in and comfortable. She didn't go to her doctor's appointment on Monday so it was rescheduled for today.

She did make it to the doc today and she is penciled in for surgery on her shoulder late August. She's 81 years old, so surgery and rehab are not going to be easy at all. Not that they are any easier for a younger person. I know they are not, but you know....

I've been super busy and dealing with lots of stress, but I'm keeping my head down and plowing through. You gotta keep on keepin' on. Below is one of my favorite quotes. It really sums up my personal philosophy, and helps me remember my purpose on this little planet of ours.

"Do all the good you can.
By all the means you can.
In all the ways you can.
In all the places you can.
At all the times you can.
To all the people you can.
As long as ever you can."
— John Wesley

Stressed but smoke free thanks to a strong will and Chantix. Hope all you quitters stay smober! Have a great weekend, y'all!

Early morning cravings.

I woke up at 5 am this morning, and for some reason, my cravings for a smoke are very strong. I don't have any here, so I know I can't have one due to lack of access, but still the craving persists. I have had a little protein and I am drinking water and chewing ice. I know how to work through these things, but it's frustrating they are so strong this late in my quit.

It's been over 4 months...yay! It's dark outside and it's so quiet. I love this time of day. I guess maybe I should get some cleaning done while I have the time, but somehow dinking around on the computer helps cravings the most. I have no fear of taking up smoking again. I am too strong for that at this point. I have learned how to tell the nicodemon to go away and quit whispering in my ear.

I know this is a disjointed and rather rambling post, but I just woke up about 30 minutes ago and I've only had one cup of coffee, so I figure it's OK. I'm craving and rambling.

That brings me to a good point of this post for those who are early on in their quit. It's OK to vent and ramble. The message boards can help you work through all that. I have a couple of links over there on the right to a couple of fantastic boards, so definitely check them out for support.

I'm headed over there right now. I haven't logged on in a while because I've been so busy with my Mom, I haven't had time to do much of anything. She's moved into assisted living because of a bad rotator cuff, so her shoulder does not allow her to do very simple tasks that must be done. She needed help, and she's greatful to have it. I'm happy she has the help and is less isolated. She's already made some friends there.

Off I go to start my day. She goes to the orthopod doc today. We will be discussing surgical options today. She's 81...this is not going to be easy at all. Say a prayer for me and for her please.

Peace y'all! Stay smober!

It wasn't carbs. It was the statin drug causing stomach problems.

I have to post to clarify about my stomach problems. I finally put 2 and 2 together when I accidently missed a couple of doses of my statin drug and felt better. I have now gone about a week without it, and I'm feeling fine. It was just a coincidence about the carbs in my diet causing problems. I now need to tell my doctor I'm off the cholesterol med.

I tried a little while ago to control my cholesterol with diet and exercise, but it didn't work. The first statin spiked my blood sugar, and now this second statin caused all sorts of tummy problems. I really have to see about alternatives. Maybe fish oil would help. It certainly couldn't hurt.

Things are calming down a bit, and I'm feeling a bit less stressed out. I haven't smoked at all since I quit in March with the help of Chantix. I'm feeling great now, and I'm happy to say, "I'm a quitter."

I hope everyone has a fantastic smoke free week.

Been so busy and stressed, but I'm not smoking!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been taking care of my Mom. She has been having a lot of arthritis pain in her shoulders, and It finally became unbearable over the weekend. She let me take her to the hospital, and then she finally got admitted. I won't vent here about the whole hospital ER experience, but it was quite deplorable they were going to put a sling on her arm and send her home. They wanted to put a bandaid on the problem, and not take care of her or get her somewhere she could get help. It took my entire family being proactive to get her the care she needed. Be proactive about your healthcare!

When she was released after 2 nights in the hospital, we took her to an assisted living facility. That was her decision, not ours, and I think it was a great one. The facility is right around the corner from me, and all she has to do to get help with anything is press a button. She seems to really like it so far, and it's certainly a relief to me. She was rattling around in her house by herself at night, and it was making me very nervous that she was alone at night.

Anyway, it's a little after 7 in the morning. I just got up a few minutes ago, and I have to head over to see her in a little bit to make sure she's taking her meds, and make sure she took her meds last night. Being a primary caretaker is exhausting, but I wouldn't trade helping my Mom for anything. I'm so glad she's here and still has her mental faculties. We talk and laugh and just have the best time together. She has become a good friend to me as I've gotten older, and we enjoy being together. She's less ornery now, and we get along so well when she's being nice and "behaving herself", which is almost all the time now. Yay!

Gotta go now, but even with all this stress, I'm not smoking. Cravings have been a bit more frequent lately and stronger, but I know in my head they are short and I can get through them. Also, smoking wouldn't solve my stress. In fact, I'd be more stressed and guilty, so I'm not going there.

Peace y'all!