I need to moan. I’ve been diagnosed and am due surgery soon. The only pre requisite to surgery is that I must stop taking Nicorette tablets.
I gave up smoking when I found out my dad had lung cancer but I have used the lozenges ever since.
Now, I have cancer.
And now, I have to give up the Nicorette tablets.
I am at wits end with it. I’m scared I can’t do it, I’ve never needed them more. I know I need to stop them as they can prohibit healing, but they are my little crutch. I thought I cracked the smoking, that was the big thing, but it seems I’m to be punished for this now.
Feel very fed up. All I can think is to reduce them painfully slowly, like one per day less until the surgery. That’s all I can manage. I could give up anything else - booze, sugar, carbs! What ever they ask, but this is impossible. Sorry everyone, you are so lovely and I’m so grateful, and I’m hopeful, about the future. But I’m struggling with this.
All you can do is try your best to cut down . It’s a very stressful time and really not the best time to give something up that relieves stress for you .Have you talked to your breast care nurse about how difficult it will be for you ?
You could ring the Breast Cancer Now nurses to talk this through they are really good to talk to.
Always someone here on the forum to talk to aswell . Best wishes Jill X
Thank you Jill. It really isn’t the best time and I just feel really petulant and angry about it. I hate that I need them and I can’t let it stop the surgery. I was attempting to stop and I was down to around 8 a day, but for some reason waiting a whole month to find out if I had cancer raised my stress levels (she says sarcastically). I will give them a call, just always feel I’m being judged because of this. Always felt bad for dad as he was judged as he had smoked and got lung cancer. When they asked if I’d ever smoked I felt like saying “Not with my boobs!”.
Thank you for responding. This is so tough and everyone is so lovely. Xxx
Just do your best , any reduction in the amount of nicotine in your system will help improve healing . It’s really not the best time to deprive yourself of physical or emotional crutches is it ?!! And probably many people are not totally honest about the things they do to cope with the stress of this either !
Yes, this is true. I think many people wouldn’t even say anything. I feel so sorry for people who do smoke, it must be awful trying to give up when they get the diagnosis. Getting off Nicotine tablets is bad enough. I will check to the nurses and see what they say.
Quitting anything like that can be really hard and generally takes a shift in mindset and habits for it to genuinely stick for the longer term. I’ve done it successfully myself, but it was very gradual and took a very long time.
As you need a much more short term solution, maybe there’s something you can use as a nicotine free substitute just for now? From my experience, the physical effects of stopping nicotine are generally over within a few days, although I understand it might not feel like that at the time, and it’s more the psychological habit that tends to persist. Since you don’t really need to fix the psychological habit at the moment, a suitable replacement of the substance viewed as a temporary measure might help.
Thank you, it is so challenging. I was thinking maybe those sugar free sweets might work as they would make me feel like I am having a nicotine tablet but without the nicotine. It might work. You said you had managed it yourself? How did you do it? It is totally psychological I agree.
I quit smoking after a 20 year daily habit but it wasn’t a case of just stopping and it easily took a decade from me first thinking I wanted to quit to actually achieving it.
For the most part I started to hate smoking because of the smell and how disgusting it made me and my clothes and my house feel and actually quitting it as the thing I do all day wasn’t that hard because of that.
But stopping it when out drinking was a lot harder and I only achieved stopping that by breaking the association (e.g. not going to places where others smoked etc.)
I also don’t drink alcohol now because it just makes me feel too ill vs. any benefit I get from it and that has been quite hard to quit purely because it’s still so culturally and socially significant. I’ve drawn a definite line under it now though due to my diagnosis and don’t miss it at all. I think a common theme here is actually wanting to stop the behaviour rather than feeling forced to.
Coffee is here to stay though, I’m not a saint! Not a chance I’m giving up my Americanos.
Yep! I’m with you! I’ve been chewing nicorette gum since my Mum had lung cancer. I also had to give up the gum before surgery. I reduced slowly and while it was tough and a pain, I did manage it. It literally is the worst time to stop isn’t it. Anyway, had 2 ops and healed brilliantly. I am sad to say, since my operations, I am now back chewing! Had hoped I might stay stopped! It’s rubbish, but you can do this! Sending understanding and lots of love.
It is an amazing achievement to quit and we forget that. Well done you for quitting the booze too. I know what you mean, I quit alcohol for 3 years, too many bad nights out, but cigarettes are my demon. I feel rough after booze so it’s easier. I am trying but it’s the worse time. Xx
Ah, thank you so much! That’s a relief that you made it and healed perfectly. Makes me feel much better. On top of everything it is the absolutely worst time to quit.
Don’t beat yourself about going back on them. Bar a miracle I’m sure I’ll be back on them. But….at least they’re not cigarettes and we must always remember that
Sending love and understanding right back at you xx
Hiya. I do sympathise. I have surgery on Thursday and I was told to my horror on the 18th of May that I had to stop my thc gummies. I am a life long insomniac and they are the only thing that keep me sleeping well, and are very effective in treating my anxiety . I also used to smoke (mostly joints), but I gave that up very slowly and over many attempts. In September it will be 8 years smoke free. So I would definitely have found quitting smoking cold turkey very tough. I did quit the thc sweeties cold turkey, and now my sleep is about 3 hours a night and very broken. Thankfully I have some zopiclone that I can pop when it gets unbearable. I have also been started on sertraline which is providing a very welcome dialing down of my anxiety. But by God is it tough to have breast cancer and have your crutch taken away at the same time. I wish you lots and lots of strength xx
Thanks for responding. It is so tough isn’t it and insomnia is so hard to deal with, I’m glad you are getting some help so you can get a few hours of, hopefully, unbroken sleep. I’m having less everyday but that’s all I can really do. It’s an impossible task really. Surgery is the end of next week, so close. I keep telling myself I can only do what I can do, that will have to be enough.
Good luck with your surgery, I wish you a speedy recovery and a massive well done for quitting xx
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