Report for March 3, 2008
Days taking Chantix: 63
Days left: 21
Percent Complete: 75%
End Date: March 24
Smoked? no
Cigarettes Not smoked: 1120
Money Saved: $224
Cravings: No real change. Cravings are manageable and infrequent.
Side Effects: Lately my stomach has been getting more upset after I take the pill. Even if I drink plenty of water and eat. I'm still in the Chantix "fog" It is a struggle sometimes to focus and I am still pretty tored most of the time.
Comments: I spoke to my doctor about tapering off Chantix and that I had read that some people have experienced side effects when they quit taking it. He said that only about 3% of people have reported side effects and that they are generally no worse than the effects of taking the pill. I'm just ready to stop taking them.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Day 56 - Seven Weeks Smoke Free!
Report for Feb. 11, 2008
Days taking Chantix: 56
Days left: 28
Percent Complete: 66%
End Date: March 24
Smoked? no
Cigarettes Not smoked: 980
Money Saved: $196
Cravings: Cravings are few and far between but they still occur. The are pretty predictable now. I usually get one around 4pm when I leave work. I usually have one at lunchtime too. The severity is usually pretty low.
Side Effects: I still have nowhere the amount of energy I had pre-quit. Hopefully things will improve when I stop taking the medicine. I still feel like I am in a "fog" sometimes. Caffeine doesn't even help me out of my chantix daze. Hopefully this will go away too.
Comments: This weekend was a big one for me. I went to our neighborhood wine crawl. I was able to drink and be merry without feeling the need to smoke. I did have some chewing gum at one point but my wife and friends were very proud of me! I was proud of myself. I know that there is actually life without cigarettes now.
Days taking Chantix: 56
Days left: 28
Percent Complete: 66%
End Date: March 24
Smoked? no
Cigarettes Not smoked: 980
Money Saved: $196
Cravings: Cravings are few and far between but they still occur. The are pretty predictable now. I usually get one around 4pm when I leave work. I usually have one at lunchtime too. The severity is usually pretty low.
Side Effects: I still have nowhere the amount of energy I had pre-quit. Hopefully things will improve when I stop taking the medicine. I still feel like I am in a "fog" sometimes. Caffeine doesn't even help me out of my chantix daze. Hopefully this will go away too.
Comments: This weekend was a big one for me. I went to our neighborhood wine crawl. I was able to drink and be merry without feeling the need to smoke. I did have some chewing gum at one point but my wife and friends were very proud of me! I was proud of myself. I know that there is actually life without cigarettes now.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Day 49 - Six Weeks Smoke Free
Report for Feb. 11, 2008
Days taking Chantix: 42
Days left: 35
Percent Complete: 58%
End Date: March 24
Smoked? no
Cigarettes Not smoked: 840
Money Saved: $168
Cravings: I Still have a few every day but they pass very quickly now.
Side Effects: I am still tired! I could go take a nap right now. This side effect won't seem to go away but at least it is not getting worse. Also, I feel like my vision is being altered a little bit. My eyes are really sensitive to bright lights and I feel sometimes like I have to force my eyes to focus.
Comments: I am going to ask my doctor about coming off Chantix soon. The directions say nothing but "take for 12 weeks." I have read where some people have some side effects when they stop taking it. It seems like there should be a weaning off period or something. The Chantix website doesn't have much to say on that subject either. I'll post what I find out.
Bye for now!
Days taking Chantix: 42
Days left: 35
Percent Complete: 58%
End Date: March 24
Smoked? no
Cigarettes Not smoked: 840
Money Saved: $168
Cravings: I Still have a few every day but they pass very quickly now.
Side Effects: I am still tired! I could go take a nap right now. This side effect won't seem to go away but at least it is not getting worse. Also, I feel like my vision is being altered a little bit. My eyes are really sensitive to bright lights and I feel sometimes like I have to force my eyes to focus.
Comments: I am going to ask my doctor about coming off Chantix soon. The directions say nothing but "take for 12 weeks." I have read where some people have some side effects when they stop taking it. It seems like there should be a weaning off period or something. The Chantix website doesn't have much to say on that subject either. I'll post what I find out.
Bye for now!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Day 42 Halfway Through!
Today I am exactly halfway through the 12 week Chantix Program and I haven't slipped up even once!
Report for Feb. 11, 2008
Days taking Chantix: 42
Days left: 42
Percent Complete: 50%
End Date: March 24
Smoked? no
Cigarettes Not smoked: 840
Money Saved: $140
Cravings: infrequent and usually rate about a 1.5/10 Had a couple of "super cravings" I went out on the town Friday night and I really felt like smoking, it was an unusual feeling and kind of scary. I know going out to a restaurant or bar is a trigger for me but I survived!
Side Effects: Still feel tired and run down. I call it the "chantix fog." The nausea has been easily controlled with pepto-bismol chewable tablets. Last week my face broke out, I must of had 14 pimples on my face. That is not normal for me. Chantix lists that as a possible side effect on their website. I don't really know if it was the pills to blame or something else but it definitely was not normal for me.
Comments: Every day it seems to get a little bit easier. I am excited about being on the second half of the program now. I am starting to think of myself as a non-smoker and that is a great feeling.
Report for Feb. 11, 2008
Days taking Chantix: 42
Days left: 42
Percent Complete: 50%
End Date: March 24
Smoked? no
Cigarettes Not smoked: 840
Money Saved: $140
Cravings: infrequent and usually rate about a 1.5/10 Had a couple of "super cravings" I went out on the town Friday night and I really felt like smoking, it was an unusual feeling and kind of scary. I know going out to a restaurant or bar is a trigger for me but I survived!
Side Effects: Still feel tired and run down. I call it the "chantix fog." The nausea has been easily controlled with pepto-bismol chewable tablets. Last week my face broke out, I must of had 14 pimples on my face. That is not normal for me. Chantix lists that as a possible side effect on their website. I don't really know if it was the pills to blame or something else but it definitely was not normal for me.
Comments: Every day it seems to get a little bit easier. I am excited about being on the second half of the program now. I am starting to think of myself as a non-smoker and that is a great feeling.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Day 35 *****One Month Smoke Free*****
That's right everyone, one month without smoking! Not even one puff. So I am feeling pretty good about all of this and overall I am very happy that I decided to take Chantix. I feel that I am going to succeed at becoming an ex-smoker. Now that the worst is over, I have decided to only update this blog once a week through the rest of the treatment period. Thanks to everyone who has been keeping up with my journey and I really have enjoyed keeping this blog and reading the great comments from everyone.
So here is my status report for Feb. 4, 2008
Days taking Chantix: 35
Days left: 49
Percent Complete: 41.6%
End Date: March 24
Smoked? no
Cigarettes Not smoked: 700
Money Saved: $112
Cravings: infrequent and usually rate about a 2/10
Side Effects: occasional upset stomach, not as regular as I was, vivid dreams (all have been good, no nightmares) feeling tired and unfocused. Felt faint a couple of times.
Comments: I am breathing much easier now and I don't get out of breath nearly as much. My sense of smell and taste have improved. My desire to smoke is very low and I am even repulsed by the smell of smoke. Overall I think that this has been worth it. Chantix helped me get through the hardest part, the withdrawl period. Now it is purely a mind game. Chantix will be with me for a while to block the nicotine should I somehow slip up.
Next report: Feb. 11, 2008
So here is my status report for Feb. 4, 2008
Days taking Chantix: 35
Days left: 49
Percent Complete: 41.6%
End Date: March 24
Smoked? no
Cigarettes Not smoked: 700
Money Saved: $112
Cravings: infrequent and usually rate about a 2/10
Side Effects: occasional upset stomach, not as regular as I was, vivid dreams (all have been good, no nightmares) feeling tired and unfocused. Felt faint a couple of times.
Comments: I am breathing much easier now and I don't get out of breath nearly as much. My sense of smell and taste have improved. My desire to smoke is very low and I am even repulsed by the smell of smoke. Overall I think that this has been worth it. Chantix helped me get through the hardest part, the withdrawl period. Now it is purely a mind game. Chantix will be with me for a while to block the nicotine should I somehow slip up.
Next report: Feb. 11, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Day 34
Super Bowl Sunday. Well, today was the big game and a pretty exciting one it was. I usually watch more for the commercials but there were not any that blew me away this year. So what goes great with football? That's right, beer and nachos go gret with football. So after a month of no alcohol, I had one beer! I thought it would make me crave cigarettes but it really didn't. I was fine. I'm not going to push my luck though and I think I am going to keep the drinking limited.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Day 33
Feeling pretty good today. No real changes to report. More of the same. Lower energy than I used to have. Stomach still hurts sometimes after taking the pill. Urges are still fairly infrequent and manageable. Smoking is not the top thing on my mind anymore, which I am very glad about. I can devote some thought to other things!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
