I have a patient on my schedule today who is a heavy smoker. Complaint: "Lungs are hurting."

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. I finally quit. After almost 40 years of it

I had been having COPD attacks/episodes every 8 months or so for the last 5 years. I had spent 2 or 3 days in the hospital getting loaded up with steroids and then sent home with prescriptions and admonishments, but often would smoke one before I got to the house.

I had 3 serious episodes in 60 days last spring, the final one put me in the hospital for seven damned days!

Scared the crap out of me. I thought I had screwed the pooch!

The thing was, I had stopped buying packs of smokes the week of the first episode back in February and had gotten to the point where I would have maybe a drag a day - not even a whole cigarette, and was doing that for 6 weeks or so.

I’ve been an OTR trucker most of my adult life and smoking was something that kept boredom away, among other things. Quitting was not an easy thing.

I smoked a whole cigarette (my last) on about the 12th of April and had walked nearly a mile the day before.

2 days later I had to be wheeled into an ER.

I’m glad i was finally able to get rid of them. No long course of gum or patches, just pretty much had enough.

So... thanks for all you do. Have patience with us.

I’m proof that a long term smoker can quit.