10 days without the fags = yippeeh!

Mid way through Week 2. My smoke-free day 10. So, according to my 'health and well-being quit smoking' app, I've not smoked like a gazillion cigs since blah blah... and has saved me a small fortune...  enough to buy a small country, I suppose. 

I'm considering buying an island next door to Richard Branson's 'Necker' Island. I might call my estate 'Nacker Noo' ... Gary Neville - I'm sorry, but your teletubby-home name may have been bagged. 

I'm trying not to stress over Neil's 50th this Saturday. If it wasn't for his birthday, I'm pretty sure we'd have booked somewhere camping over Easter, for which our booking'd be in doubt. For all our camping buddies that are pitching this Easter, I applaud you, and pray that the weather changes!

Saturday will be a big test for me, as my party trigger will be desperate to be heard! I'm ready to whoop your ass, Nasty Nic!

Nearly a week - get in!

6 days and 8 hours ago I smoked my last cigarette! I'd like to say it's been a breeze but I'd be lying. It's been pretty tough at times this week, but I reckon the Champix is definitely helping. 

I was breathalysed at my smoking cessation, and it was green - offically a non-smoker! Yippeee!

I need to be strong when I get to the 7 day milestone, as I think my joy trigger, my pride trigger, my happy trigger and my party trigger will all be paying me a visit on the day!

Just to reaffirm the message, I installed a self-hypnosis app on my phone for stopping smoking, by a Scottish guy called Andrew Johnson. I can't tell you if it's any good - I fell asleep. Or is that the intention? Hmmm.

A nice treat this weekend is on the cards, I think :)

It's a tough road ahead, and I'm taking each day at a time. Nasty Nic is still here, but I'm battering him every time he picks a fight. "C'mon Nic, is that all you got ....?"

Champix Days 11-12 - I'm a quitter ... :)

According to my whizzy phone app, I've not had a cigarette for 2 days, 10 hours and 20 minutes. And I'm STILL ALIVE!!!! 

Feeling rather proud, even if I say so myself ... :)

I don't know if I've not left it long enough for the Champix to take a hold properly, but I really felt like I needed to throw the first punch in this battle, rather than wait for my official quit date, which was today. 

After I beat myself up on Saturday for smoking the first cig of the morning (which ironically was my last cig but I didn't know it at the time), Sunday was a better day, as I'd got a different frame of mind (I'd unoffically quit). 

My adversary is all over me like a rash though. 
"Is that all you've got, Nasty Nic? You've gotta do better than that! ...". 

And I wouldn't put it past him to give me QuitZits. Some quitters get quite a bad outbreak of Acne. Fingers crossed I've not been cursed!

Today's battle has been won. The war is far from over, but I'm ready to battle again tomorrow...

Champix Days 9-10 - First battles with Nasty Nic

Just when I thought that the Champix had kicked in by day 8, along came day 9, and got me all confused. I was craving a cig in the morning, and basically I found it tough all day. I cut down but still smoked 9 cigs, compared to the 6 on day 8. Felt disappointed that I still had the cravings, so I'm beginning to doubt if the Champix is working. Perhaps I need to give it a bit longer...

So, today I pretty much felt the same as yesterday, day 9, apart from the same disappointed feeling after I smoked the first one this morning. BUT, I'm determined to give up, so I've pushed on through the day, trying to stretch it out before my next one. 

I've had to battle Nasty Nic quite a few times today - I didn't realise how powerful he is. He has a way of messing with your head just when you weren't thinking about a smoke!

I'm not going to say I've quit just yet - after all, I did have one ciggie this morning. One day at a time .... I'm off for an early night tonight to work out what I'll need in my arsenal, and to make sure I have a full complement of ammunition.

For tomorrow, I'm going to declare war ...

Champix Day 8 - omg, it's working!!!!

Day 8 and I'm on to the blue 1mg pills, twice a day. The first tablet knocked me sideways. Uurrgggh, nausea and dizziness.

But, the positive side was that I wasn't in any hurry to smoke my first cig of the day. I just wasn't craving one.

That mantra has been playing all day, and as at the time of blogging, I've only smoked 6 cigs today! And I didn't fully smoke any of them - there's just no enjoyment.

What's weird is that I've not really been craving the nicotine, so that's the Champix at work. What I have to tackle is Nasty Nic, my adversary. He's the baddy that's trying to stop me breaking the actual smoking habit. Today's been a good test of what I'm up against. 

My quit date is Monday, but if today's anything to go by, then fingers crossed, I may stop before then.

Champix Days 4-7 - Last of the diddy doses

Day 7 in the Champix House .... last of the diddy doses today. Down to the business end tomorrow, when I start on the serious big blue boys. 

Last few days haven't been anything spectacular to report, symptoms-wise. Dreams and nausea have calmed down. Still been smoking as usual. I don't know what I expected to happen every time I lit up, to be honest. Maybe an Armageddon moment? ... or Chariots of Fire, even? 

Hooked up with my smoking cessation councillor today and my breathalyser was around the same as last week, so I don't appear to be smoking less :(. He's set my STOP SMOKING DAY 1 for next Monday!!!!

A possible breakthrough was the first cig of the morning. I didn't get any satisfaction from it, so it looks like it's going in the right direction.

Tomorrow may be a different ballgame altogether. I may have something interesting to report.

Champix Day 3 - Vivid dreams

Last night was weird. I had pretty strange dreams. Can't remember in great detail, but it was enough to wake me. I do recall Neil having a long orange beard in one of them though. And I vaguely remember a large creature with cigarettes for legs, so it's obviously on my mind, lol!

I start taking double dose tomorrow. Insomnia can be a side effect, so let's see how I sleep tomorrow. Kind of expecting some more strange dreams if last night was anything to go by.

My Adversary - Introducing Nasty Nic ...

I think I'm gonna try to deal with my cravings by naming and personalising them as an adversary - enter Nasty Nic. When I reach my quit date, I'll no doubt be doing a mental battle with him - Good vs Evil, if you will. I'm sure he's gonna crop up in future blogs, so I'd better get used to having him around!

Nasty Nic - let the battle commence.

Champix Day 2 - Where's the sick bucket ...

Second day on Champix, so I take it with food (as the pharmacist suggested).  So, there I am, chomping on my Fruit n Fibre, 5 minutes after I took my tablet, when all of a sudden, I thought  I was gonna bring up my breakfast before it'd had time to meet my digestive system.

Prompt down of spoon, few quick deep breaths. Uuurgghhhh!, my face had turned a horrid shade of green. Kept telling myself this is just psychological, but the feeling seemed pretty damn real.

Meanwhile, my 5 year old son has been off all week with the trots. Timing spot on .. "done poo spray, Mummy!" .. You gotta love kids for their interpretation, and their impeccable timing, just when I think that the contents of my stomach would feel better than a North Sea crossing across a choppy wintery sea would feel calmer.

Fortunately, the feeling passed. I didn't feel much different to my needs to smoke, though. I know it's only second day, but I'm not feeling put off the cigs yet. Still waiting for something to happen when I smoke, lol!

Keeping an open mind though ...

Champix Day 1 - And we're off ...

Took my first Champix this morning, and contrary to what I thought, I haven't shape shifted or done anything weird. Felt a bit dizzy and sick for a couple of hours afterwards, but that soon passed.

So I take one 0.5mg pill a day for the first 3 days, then 2 pills a day from day 4 to 7. Day 8 onwards, I take 2 x 1mg pills. By that time, I should have lost the urge to smoke and if I do smoke, it should be pretty revolting ...


Messing with my brain, man .....

My Champix Journey - the day before Day 1

So, my Champix Journey begins tomorrow. Day 1 - D-Day.

I'm on the road to quitting smoking and I've been prescribed my dose of Champix by the smoking cessation guy at the surgery. "Any signs of depression or suicidal tendencies?", he asked.

"Errmm, I don't think so", I replied. What sort of answer is that? I think I'd know if I've tried to end things, wouldn't I?

So I've been given 2 weeks worth of medication. I'd read some pretty nasty stuff about Champix, so I thought I'd get stuck in with reading the warning leaflet. I didn't think I'd be reading it for the next 2 weeks with the size of the leaflet. It's like reading a copy of The Times, but a lot scarier.

So, am I going to change into a werewolf? Or a mad woman? Or dwell in the bowels of gloom .... I guess time will tell.