I started smoking when I was 16, sneaking analogs from my parents here and there. By I turned 18, I started buying my own packs with 2-3 little part-time jobs. I did quit smoking for 2 yrs during my pregnancy and breastfeeding of my only child. Lured by the smell and cravings, I bum one off a neighbor and was hook since. It weaken my immune system, I caught cold, flu, and any kind of virus out there. The longer I smoked, the harder it got for me to get over them even with the aid of medicines.
Medicines consist of being on cough medicines, steroids, antibiotic and nebulizer during time I was sick. Along with Bipap and inhalers daily. I was one step away from being put on COPD static. Doctors tried to get me to quit smoking for years....I tried everything cold turkey(several times longest was a month), patch, gum, wellbrutrin, chantix(that was a nightmare)and even a countdown timer on a keychain. I felt doomed, seeing myself following the same path as my father did who RIP DAD, lost a long horrid of battle with lung cancer.
Then I came across a ad about electric cigarette, I thought hmmm I need to look into this. I love doing research on the internet, its always load of information. So I started digging and found this forum. And it was loaded with so much information I was overwhelmed.
Read everything and watch every video I could lay my eye on this forum. Even ask a couple suggestion on a ecig. Ask my boyfriend if we should invest into a Riva. His reaction was yea right, just money down the drain but ok give it a shot. We are both on fixed income. On Nov. 22, 2010(his birthday) I smoked my last analog and finally free(FWEEEEEEEE). It prompt my boyfriend to quit analog as well, sadly not my daughter perhaps some day maybe she will. I was able to quit all the medicines even the inhaler. Rarely got sick, I was up and doing thing within couple days instead of couple weeks. Still using Bipap til doctor give me approval to quit using. Frankly I think I don't need it any more.
Thinking life is great and I'm starting to get more active, not feeling so winded after walking just 50 ft. I was able to walk for hours at a time. Getting involved like exercising, doing thing with my granddaughter, list goes on. I mean life couldn't be any better, right? Started in April of 2011 slowly by time August. I was tired all the time, having stomach cramps off and on...on a daily basis along with alot of joint pain. Thinking to myself food intolerance? what food?......for almost 3 mo couldn't figure it out because it didn't matter what food I changed in and out. Then my daughter told me just go to doctor maybe they can do some test to see what food was causing it or something else is wrong. So he ran a blood test on me......I got the most frighten call, result my white count was 77000 and need to do a Cat-scan on my spleen. First reaction from anybody including me, leukemia. I don't know about you'all, back in my early teen was last time I even heard about that. People didn't live long, a year to 18 mo. after being diagnosis. First appointment with specialist, I was told there are good and bad kind. My reaction to that was "Are you kidding me, there is a good kind?" I tell you, getting a bone marrow sample done ain't fun. During the procedure I went into a panic attack for the first time in my life.
After a week of waiting, secretly crying and worrying, pretending to be brave for my family....telling them it will be ok. Burned out few of my flux from stress vaping. Finally it is confirmed its CML type. To understand this type of leukemia more here: Philadelphia chromosome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . The good kind, I was explained I was in full blast(20:0)that serious and was put on very aggressive medicines(no cemo or radiation)but still made me ill. I lost total of 30 lbs in 6 wks. Letting med do it job finally in Feb of this year went for another sample of my bone morrow(this time sedated lol) I tip the scale 45 lb lighter and my sample came back(1:19) put me on remission list. Yes I will have to take a daily med of gleevec(unless it need to be change diff med) for rest of my life......Yes, I could live for another 20 years with it. I hope I don't need a marrow transplant, that is last option and resource if all else fails.
Already back to doing all the old things after I started vaping. Eating healthier(no beef) and exercising very important to help me combat muscle pain causes by meds. Think charle' s horse anywhere.......I mean literally anywhere even down to the toes. LOL. Sometimes so bad ya just don't want to move but ya got to get up and keep moving. Yes this is my second success story, surviving with cancer. I learn in the past year....you can do anything if you set mind to it. Don't let anything get in your way to achieve a healthy lifestyle, cause life can and will throw you nasty curve balls.
Now if I can just kick my chocolate addiction.......hmmm maybe not lol.
Medicines consist of being on cough medicines, steroids, antibiotic and nebulizer during time I was sick. Along with Bipap and inhalers daily. I was one step away from being put on COPD static. Doctors tried to get me to quit smoking for years....I tried everything cold turkey(several times longest was a month), patch, gum, wellbrutrin, chantix(that was a nightmare)and even a countdown timer on a keychain. I felt doomed, seeing myself following the same path as my father did who RIP DAD, lost a long horrid of battle with lung cancer.
Then I came across a ad about electric cigarette, I thought hmmm I need to look into this. I love doing research on the internet, its always load of information. So I started digging and found this forum. And it was loaded with so much information I was overwhelmed.
Read everything and watch every video I could lay my eye on this forum. Even ask a couple suggestion on a ecig. Ask my boyfriend if we should invest into a Riva. His reaction was yea right, just money down the drain but ok give it a shot. We are both on fixed income. On Nov. 22, 2010(his birthday) I smoked my last analog and finally free(FWEEEEEEEE). It prompt my boyfriend to quit analog as well, sadly not my daughter perhaps some day maybe she will. I was able to quit all the medicines even the inhaler. Rarely got sick, I was up and doing thing within couple days instead of couple weeks. Still using Bipap til doctor give me approval to quit using. Frankly I think I don't need it any more.
Thinking life is great and I'm starting to get more active, not feeling so winded after walking just 50 ft. I was able to walk for hours at a time. Getting involved like exercising, doing thing with my granddaughter, list goes on. I mean life couldn't be any better, right? Started in April of 2011 slowly by time August. I was tired all the time, having stomach cramps off and on...on a daily basis along with alot of joint pain. Thinking to myself food intolerance? what food?......for almost 3 mo couldn't figure it out because it didn't matter what food I changed in and out. Then my daughter told me just go to doctor maybe they can do some test to see what food was causing it or something else is wrong. So he ran a blood test on me......I got the most frighten call, result my white count was 77000 and need to do a Cat-scan on my spleen. First reaction from anybody including me, leukemia. I don't know about you'all, back in my early teen was last time I even heard about that. People didn't live long, a year to 18 mo. after being diagnosis. First appointment with specialist, I was told there are good and bad kind. My reaction to that was "Are you kidding me, there is a good kind?" I tell you, getting a bone marrow sample done ain't fun. During the procedure I went into a panic attack for the first time in my life.
After a week of waiting, secretly crying and worrying, pretending to be brave for my family....telling them it will be ok. Burned out few of my flux from stress vaping. Finally it is confirmed its CML type. To understand this type of leukemia more here: Philadelphia chromosome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . The good kind, I was explained I was in full blast(20:0)that serious and was put on very aggressive medicines(no cemo or radiation)but still made me ill. I lost total of 30 lbs in 6 wks. Letting med do it job finally in Feb of this year went for another sample of my bone morrow(this time sedated lol) I tip the scale 45 lb lighter and my sample came back(1:19) put me on remission list. Yes I will have to take a daily med of gleevec(unless it need to be change diff med) for rest of my life......Yes, I could live for another 20 years with it. I hope I don't need a marrow transplant, that is last option and resource if all else fails.
Already back to doing all the old things after I started vaping. Eating healthier(no beef) and exercising very important to help me combat muscle pain causes by meds. Think charle' s horse anywhere.......I mean literally anywhere even down to the toes. LOL. Sometimes so bad ya just don't want to move but ya got to get up and keep moving. Yes this is my second success story, surviving with cancer. I learn in the past year....you can do anything if you set mind to it. Don't let anything get in your way to achieve a healthy lifestyle, cause life can and will throw you nasty curve balls.
Now if I can just kick my chocolate addiction.......hmmm maybe not lol.
