Thanks Aunt Deb. Althoggh lately the weather is callinmg for snowsuits, I think, it's -30 out there. But you are right, up and out is the only way to go. Monday came and I had chauffeur duty taking everyone, everywhere. But boy did it help. It made me get up and get out of the house. I was also forced to remember how many people I have supporting me here, even if some of them are smokers :) And the best supporters of them all, my 2 girls. They are so proud of mom. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 20 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 511 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $165 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 10 [B]Mins:[/B] 57 [B]Seconds:[/B] 26

winday - you must be in Ontario. The situation with doctors there is horrible. I spent 4, almost 5 years in Niagara Falls and still did not have a family doctor when I left. Luckily when i came back to NS, my old doctor here took me and my family on as patients. Our emergency room here closes almost once a month for the weekend due to the lack of doctors however. So while I was able to get the fam. doctor, anything else is a crapshoot. HAHAHA But thats ok. I am definatly feelin better and am able to wait to see the specialist. But yeah, although they are not very helpful, I would definaty go to the emerg. room if need be. We have a pretty good Phys. ward at the hospital about 1 hour away, if i had to go thats where i would be. Although not today, its storming pretty bad right now. :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 19 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 482 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $156.75 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 0 [B]Seconds:[/B] 12

Hello everyone. And thanks. I am feeling better today, i wonder if i can put this all down to PMS. I also have a wonderful support system of family that is here for me, although yesterday I felt so very alone. I ended up in bed for the day. Luckily I have a loving hubby who took care of the kids and let me be alone. But I know you are all right when you say go see the doctor, and as much as I hate the idea, I will. I just need to accept that I need to do something too. I am looking at 4 months til I can see someone that will talk to me about this, so I am going to have to work on it in the meantime. And who knows, maybe I can start on the road to getting me better. But I will need lots of help and your letters are wonderful in that respect. It really helps me to keep trying and working, knowing that you all are out there. I have never been involved in anything that brought such a sense of community to my life. I greatly appreciate evey minute all of you take out of your daily lives to make me feel better. Thank-You!! A million times over. Thank-You!! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 18 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 456 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $148.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 14 [B]Seconds:[/B] 34

I know that sounds unbelievable to you. However, I live in a small town in NS, Canada and there just are not enough doctors to go around. In my town, we have very few doctors (less than 10), no specialists that don't have to travel 60+ mins. to be here, and our hospital is extreamly unequipped, lacking the facilities to even preform surgery or deliver a baby. Since only a psychistrist (or other specialist) will discuss medications with you, it leads to long waiting lists. So, 1 month to see the family doctor, and a 3+ months on a waiting list to see a specialist. The alternative? Go to the emergency room. And believe me, when in the past it got to that point, that is exactly what I did. Luckily this time, I have much more support. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 18 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 460 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $148.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 28 [B]Seconds:[/B] 3

I am just so tired of fighting all the time. Fight the urges to smoke. Fight the urges to crawl away and die. I am just tired. I really don't want to do this anymore. Sorry, guys. Just tired of tring to be positive. I don't care if I am a downer. I just don't care. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 17 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 439 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $140.25 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 58 [B]Seconds:[/B] 57

That would be great Happy. Anyone with knowledge on depression and quitting, I need. I am so scared of what is going to happen now. But smoking is not an option. Thank you so much for letting me know I am not alone. I guess thats what we all need, eh, to know that we are not alone. I hope that you are ok, and glad your son is with you. i have not yet admitted to my family how i am feeling, how bad it has been at times. Some of them very strongly believe you have to deal with this your own way, and i just want someone to talk to who understands. (you would think they would, my mom's side all suffer from depression as well. but you know the old way of thinking. if you ignore it, it will go away.) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 17 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 435 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $140.25 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 49 [B]Seconds:[/B] 10

Now, I know just waht you are going to say. If you are worried, go see the doctor. But i will not go see the doctor immediatly, without trying to help myself first. I have suffered with, at times, severe depression for more than 12 years. I was diagnosed with Bi-Polor and when I got pregnant with my youngest daughter, was prescribed prozack. This is when I relazied that the meds were making me feel worse, and have now been off all the meds for 6 years. I do not want to go back to feeling like i am dead. Thar's what the prozack did to me. It made me horribly unhappy. I want to start feeling better, and I know that I can do this on my own, but is quitting smoking worth dropping back into a deep depression? Lately, I don't want to be around anyone, I feel so sad inside, and I find no denjoyment in anything. I am not even posting much the last few days. I just feel so hopeless....but I really don't want to smoke. That won't help for long. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 17 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 435 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $140.25 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 46 [B]Seconds:[/B] 21

Hi Whynot, For some reason, I thought my quit would be smooth sailing after the first week. Hah! I struggled with depression this weekend, too. And I am already on medication - so you are amazing to be hanging in there! Are licensed therapists allowed to recommend prescriptions in Canada? i.e. can they call your physician and request that a med be prescribed? If so, maybe you wouldn�t have to wait another 4+ months if you can see a counselor before that. Keep posting, we need you. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/21/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 12 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 227 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $66 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 38 [B]Seconds:[/B] 8

WhyNot and Happy, I found this on a post from a while back and I wanted it bumped. It's called Withdrawals and it's under the forum of coping with withdrawal symptoms. I cut one small section which covers depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. It's a little complicated and I sure would like to have it in Layman's terms. LOL Let see if this helps. A Quit DOES trigger anxiety, panic, and depression. But here's the thing, which came first with you guys? The addiction to cigarettes or depression? Studies are starting to show that Nicotine is actually causing depression, anxiety, and panic. Then when you Quit, you have a bout of it. I've been really studying this and would like for the two of you to comment on the Anxiety post. Here's what I found under withdrawals. Depression ,Lifelessness, Moodiness ,Irritability Sleeplessness ,Anxiety/Panic, Fogginess The physical brain is composed of millions of cells called neurons. In some ways, neurons act like computers. They receive and process messages and then send new messages to other neurons. The messages are transmitted using chemicals called neurotransmitters. Depending on the neurotransmitter used (more than 50 are known so far) the receiving neuron "understands" a certain type of message. The major neurotransmitters are acetylcholine, dopamine and norepinephrine (also called noradrenaline), serotonin. Within 10 seconds of inhaling tobacco smoke, nicotine reaches the brain and begins to act on a specific set of neurons, the working cells of the brain. On each of these neurons are receptors, which are like slots or keyholes onto which brain chemicals called neurotransmitters attach, causing the brain to transmit messages. Nicotine fits into one of the receptors acted upon by acetylcholine, one of several neurotransmitters in the brain. This causes the brain to release causes the release of neurotransmitters including dopamine, noradrenaline, acetylcholine, vasopressin, serotonin and beta-endorphin. Nicotinic cholinergic receptors in the adrenal medulla are also activated leading to the release of adrenaline and beta-endorphin. One of the most potent neurotransmitter is Dopamine. Dopamine makes you feel good, confident, relaxed and gives you a general sense of heightened well-being. Coca

WhyNot, Please hang in there. Please know that we really do love you, we're very worried about you, and we want to help you all that we can. Please, keep talking to us. The more you talk about how you're feeling, the better it will be for you. I know, you're tired of talking too. The energy is gone. You're sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. But if you give into the depression, stop talking, stop moving, and stop fighting, you'll be trapped in that black hole. Sweetheart, you have to keep those lines of communication open. I know this will be hard because the depression has exhausted you. But please, everyday do something even if it's 15 or 20 minutes. Get out of that house even if it's for 15 or 20 minutes. Exercise, fix your face, get dressed, whatever you want and even if it's for a shot period of time. You'll feel better doing a little bit everyday. Please, don't give in and get lost in that depression. You really need to see your doctor now. There's no point in you feeling this way anymore. If it can be avoided with medicine, AND IT CAN BE, then go for it. It's time for some help. I had to get meds for my panic attacks and thank God I did. Think about your quality of life. Depression hurts, nicotine hurts......getting a little bit of help from the doctor, a leg up, won't hurt. It'll only help. My heart is breaking for you. We are all here for you and so concerned. Please, stay with us. Love, Tutti [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 14 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 668 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $42 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 45 [B]Seconds:[/B] 27