Have you tried to quit smoking while undergoing treatment?

Posted by Colleen Young, Connect Director @colleenyoung, Jun 7, 2018

The decision to quit smoking is a very personal one. Everyone has his or her own reason that helps start the journey to quit smoking. The diagnosis of a serious illness or chronic condition, like cancer, a heart condition, lung condition, diabetes, might be one reason to quit smoking as part of treatment and recovery.

Are you currently undergoing treatment for a serious illness or chronic condition, or are you a survivor of a serious illness who made the decision to quit smoking while undergoing treatment? If yes, and you feel comfortable doing so, please share the experience of your journey to quit smoking.

Thank you for sharing your experiences anonymously in the online survey. The survey is now closed.

However you can continue to share your experiences here in an open discussion with other members. Your story can help others on their journey to quit smoking.
- Did you decide to quit while undergoing treatment? Why or why not?
- What uncertainties or challenges did you face?
- How did your care providers support you to quit smoking? How could they have supported you differently or better?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Cancer Support Group.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jul 18, 2019

In reply to @kowalski "Tried several times, no luck. I have rectal cancer. I know I should quit, but those..." + (show)

Hi @kowalski, welcome to Connect. You're not alone. It's not easy to quit even when we know it's the right thing to do. I'm bringing @travelgirl and @merpreb into this discussion. They know the struggles and may have ideas to share.

Kowalski, in the past when you tried to quit, what methods did you use?

Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jul 18, 2019

In reply to @colleenyoung "Hi @kowalski, welcome to Connect. You're not alone. It's not easy to quit even when we..." + (show)

@colleenyoung - Thank you for inviting me into this conversation.
@kowalski- Good afternoon. Welcome to Mayo Connect. Stopping smoking is extremely tough. There's no easy way. You have to gear yourself up for it, set a day and just do it. The bite the bullet and hang on. I put a patch on and wore it until I went to the hospital for my operation. It had to be removed before I went into the OR. I never thought that I could stop smoking but a week before I had my right lower love removed I did just that. And after I came home the only thing that prevented me from smoking was a phrase that I repeated over and over again, a mantra given to me by my husband. "If you smoke you'll die". Even now, after 22 years after stopping, it comes automatically if I need it, which I seldom do. However there are options other than cold turkey for sure, and support groups, and programs.
Here is a blog post that I wrote about it: https://my20yearscancer.com/smoking-and-lung-cancer/
How long have you been smoking. What treatments have you had for your cancer? Can you bring me up to speed a bit on your current situation so that I can help the best I can and for others who want to chime in too?

alamogal635 | @alamogal635 | Jul 18, 2019

In reply to @colleenyoung "Hi @kowalski, welcome to Connect. You're not alone. It's not easy to quit even when we..." + (show)

Quit after many struggles in 1995. What helped was Nicorette 2mgs. and then Original Trident gum. Have no idea why Trident was and is so satisfying, but it still is. I like being smoke free and not heavily addicted as I had been. Was in a place where there was heavy smoking earlier this year and I felt like I was going to be unable to breathe. Still, every once and a while the urge comes back and I just say I won't smoke because I want to be healthy and live my life as fully as possible.

JK | @contentandwell | Jul 18, 2019

In reply to @merpreb "@colleenyoung - Thank you for inviting me into this conversation. @kowalski- Good afternoon. Welcome to Mayo..." + (show)

@merpreb @kowalski I quit, "cold turkey", on December 31. 1979. I always told my husband if I got pregnant I would quit, and I did. I hate to admit this, but I do still miss it sometimes. That is finally getting less and less.
JK

Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Jul 19, 2019

In reply to @hopeful33250 "@shortshot80 Happy Fourth to you, Nancy! I'm sorry to hear that you are still dealing with..." + (show)

@shortshot80

Hello Nancy, I've been thinking about you. I hope your appointment with the infectious disease specialist helped you with your recurrent UTIs. As I recall you will be having a CT scan later this month. I hope that all continues to go well for you.
How is your book coming along?

Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jul 19, 2019

In reply to @contentandwell "@merpreb @kowalski I quit, "cold turkey", on December 31. 1979. I always told my husband if..." + (show)

@contentandwell- I don't miss it but I do crave nicotine if I'm very very scared or upset. I think that it's more of a brain remembrance thing that triggers the actual craving and not a physical thing at all because it goes away..

kowalski | @kowalski | Jul 19, 2019

In reply to @colleenyoung "Hi @kowalski, welcome to Connect. You're not alone. It's not easy to quit even when we..." + (show)

I tried patches, the pill which made me sick and lozenges. My Sister quit after 50 years cold turkey. She said keeping busy kept her mind off cigarettes. Going to try July 30, cold turkey. I also tried to count but that lasted 1 day.