Information and opinions on COPD from randilynne at COPDConnection.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704 http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704 http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/85760/crazy-months Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:12:43 -0400 randilynne it's been 18 months since i quit smoking.  i think.  i stopped counting early on because i wanted to think like a non smoker, not an ex-smoker (not that's there's anything wrong with that)  and it hasn't really been all that difficult. or, i should say hadn't been.  my father died august 2nd. from prostate cancer.  he was 65.  he had been a smoker until his 50's.  over the last few years i developed some... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/85760/crazy-months http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/81432/ultimatums Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:47:34 -0400 randilynne My father died early sunday morning after a long battle with prostate cancer. He had smoked for most of my childhood but quit 25 years ago, with the excepition of an occasional hidden, stale kool.  By the time we were each 17 my two sisters and i were smoking with parental permission.  My sister, Merri was the first quitter.  And then she was the second.  She remained a non-smoker until her daughter was about 6 months... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/81432/ultimatums http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/77357/independent Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:09:14 -0400 randilynne as the 4th of july weekend winds down i am realizing that like america herself i can celebrate independence.  from smoking.  and i was in thrall.  i made major life decisions around smoking; planned trips with stops, booked smoking rooms, bought cartons on vacation.  i actually bought a condo because there was a convenience store in the building.  o.k., that's an exaggeration, but i viewed it as a major plus.  the... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/77357/independent http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/72673/cigarettes-work Thu, 28 May 2009 20:50:39 -0400 randilynne i'm baaaack. and still a non smoker.and still challenged and silly and awed.  i have been taking a weekly class that concentrates on relearning coping mechanisns and developing methods to either avoid painful stimulis or to meet it face on.  now there's alot of elements to this theory. some people are dealing with addiction, some are sucidal.  some are just so angry and resentful at the world that it takes alot of attention... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/72673/cigarettes-work http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/67015/abandonment Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:15:05 -0400 randilynne so, i'm feeling pretty quilty.  but not for the reasons that you may be guessing.  years ago i attended a support group for chronic pain sufferers.  it was like a saturday night live sketch.  when we arrived the chairs were stacked 10 high along a wall.  most of us expended all of our reserve strength just setting up.  by mid point people were pacing, slumping, or just plain laid out.   the spine pain... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/67015/abandonment http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/52263/realitty-weight Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:51:19 -0500 randilynne i'll start be saying that i have ABSOLUTELY no regrets about quitting smoking.  i'm just not super psyched about the weight gain.  now i realize that one thing doesn't have to accompany thr other.  but i was always convinced that it would ( great --ha-ha--excuse #1)  ironically, i didn't gain the weight for about 3 months.  then it just piled on.  i'd like to act like i has NOTHING to do with it.  just bad... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/52263/realitty-weight http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/51378/nonsmoking Sun, 07 Dec 2008 01:09:11 -0500 randilynne i had dinner tonight with a friend of mine who smokes. a lot. and not just cigarettes. or just cigars. he also eats a lot. and drinks. he's a good friend and i wish that the time he spent visiting me in the hospital had had more of an impact. but as much as i fear for him, it's not my place to judge. or even do much more then nudge. but back to dinner. we were seated outside, so smoking at the table was allowed. so he did. between... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/51378/nonsmoking http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/50384/cigarette Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:49:12 -0500 randilynne i really liked the post turkey cigarette.  it was part of the reason i ate the turkey at all.  i was going for the tryptophan/nicotine serenity blanket.  that's of course an exaggeration, but i did get lulled into the freedoms.  eat as much as you want/can.  and dessert.  lay around and watch game,  huddle outdoors with the other smokers, me sipping laced hot chochlate.  anyone think that the cigarette is... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/50384/cigarette http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/48415/free-power Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:43:50 -0500 randilynne some times you can catch yourself completely off guard by your own actions.  that seems contradictory; by the time you surprise yourself, you're usually in on it.  but i sort of pulled the wool over my own eyes.  i quit smoking back ( i love saying that.  i quit waaaay baaaack) in april.  i went 2 weeks cold turkey.  then i did 5 months on chantix.  then a month on my own.  then back on chantix.  the... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/48415/free-power http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/44527/mixed-metaphor Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:10:20 -0400 randilynne in my last post i referred to the expression "like a broken record" as a metaphor.  now i think it might actually be a simile.  i was always afraid that not smoking would make me less of an intellectual (which has nothing to do, really with being smart)  because not smoking is infinitely smarter.  not smoking has made me more of a well rounded person.  i'm really hoping that i'll lose the weight soon  (... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/704/44527/mixed-metaphor