Of all the people that have a reason to quit smoking, the diabetics have some special reasons to quit. It's been found that smoking increases insulin resistance - therefor complicating the disease itself. Along with that, diabetes and smoking work synergisticly against your body. Together they complicate arterial sclerosis, nerve damage, and heart damage. The amount of years you live without serious complications from diabetes can be greatly increased by quitting.
Quitting also poses some special challenges for diabetics. I'm not a doctor, and I am speaking from experience, from conversations with my medical team, and with my diabetes educators after my quit.
I find that it's very important for many of us to educate ourselves about what's happening to our bodies when we quit smoking. Sitting around wondering what in the world is going on and why we feel this way can be very frustrating, and many medical pros really don't know enough about the relationship between smoking, quitting, and diabetes to answer our questions.
[b]Before you quit[/b] - Tell your doctor. Your medication needs are likely going to change, and you want to make sure your doctor is open to you being able to call the office for a change when you need it. Most doctors have taken the roll as a part of the diabetic's support team now and know that you are the one that has the best chance of controlling your diabetes, so he or she should be open to this.
Discuss diabetes and quitting medications with your doctor that can help control your weight gain when you quit. Bupropion, an anti-depressant, is shown to help control weight gain. Metformin, an insulin resistance medication is also shown to help control weight gain, as well as some of the other hormonal complications (female) that diabetic quitters can have. Weight gain shouldn't be your primary concern when you quit, but it is more important to the diabetic than others as gaining weight can increase your insulin resistance.
[b]Prepare for your quit[/b]. The SSC program is a wonderful tool for anyone planning to quit. Read, read, Read... learn all you can about your addiction and about what will happen when you quit. Knowledge is power.
Practice monitoring your blood sugars more than usual as this will be an important tool for you when you quit. If the finger pricking bothers you, a diabetic doctor of mine told me to pick just two fingers to test from and let them develop the thin calloused layer on them and then the pricking won't hurt at all after a couple days. Write everything down.
[b]When you quit[/b] - Monitor your blood sugars very closely. Smoking increases insulin resistance, and within 10 to 12 hours after you quit your blood sugars are likely to be all over the place, and you may find yourself chasing them down for a few weeks. The stress from quitting may spike them while the lack of nicotine may bring them down. Be prepared for a ride, and keep all the tools you may need close by. IE: Orange Juice, fast acting insulin, and etc.
After the physical withdrawals start to subside in a couple weeks, you will need to make medication adjustments on a more permanent basis. This may take some trials and errors as all of your usual medications could all behave differently in your body now that you've quit! This is where the phone calls to the doctor come in - continue to monitor your blood glucose levels very closely and write them down!
[b]Be prepared for a more intense emotional response.[/b] Fluctuating blood sugars will complicate the nicotine withdrawals. If you prepare yourself for this and know what's happening, you can reassure yourself that it's only temporary and you are still in control of this machine you call your body - even if it seems crazy right now! Also, insulin is a horemone, and when one horemone is having problems, there are sometimes others that are as well. This can lead to a more emotional experience as well!
[b]It won't last forever[/b]. If you do your part with the monitoring, the writing, the medications, and by working with your medical team, then you will soon find yourself back in balance and will be able to deal with the triggers of quitting smoking just like everyone else is and your situation won't be so unique.
[b]You can do this[/b]! Diabetics have special problems when quitting but it doesn't have to stop you. I have Type 2 diabetes and take several medications along with 2 kinds of insulin and I made it.
You can to!!
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]7/17/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 533
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 39,975
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $9,993.75
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 47 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 13 [B]Seconds:[/B] 5
