Day 60 - quick update

Hi folks

I just wanted to do a quick update as a couple of folk have found the site and left comments and also because I'm embarrassed to admit that I also missed a contributor last week on 24/03. I don't like to miss people when they leave a comment because it cheers me up and makes me feel like I'm perhaps doing something useful.

To the person who left a comment on the day two blog last Wednesday. Hopefully you are now a week in to the Champix and feeling better. If your symptoms do persist or get worse let us know in your comments as Jo and Allison had trouble when they started but haven't stopped quitting.

Yesterday must also have been a big day for not smoking as the site gained one new follower and also got another comment anonymously. Both are from people about to embark on their Champix journey and I genuinely wish them both luck. You wont have to read to far into this site to discover that every experience is different and I'd really appreciate it if you could update us with how you guys get on.

The reason that I'm so keen for people to keep in touch and let us know how they are doing is because when I was considering taking the drug I found it hard to find a general unbiased site. There were plenty that wanted a worldwide ban on the suicide drug whilst others wanted a sainthood for Pfizer. Truth seems to be that the drug is a mixed bag and that results can be wildly different. I started taking it because I knew someone who had used it successfully with only the expected side effects of Nausea. I only needed half the prescription despite being possibly the most committed smoker on earth. Others have stopped quicker than me whilst others have just felt ill from day 1 and been unable to continue.

For me the blog is no longer about Champix because I'm off the Champix for nearly two weeks. For me it's about the longer term irritations of giving up smoking. I'm off it and I'm staying off it and I've even managed to become convinced of that. But I was never one of those smokers that wished they could give up all the time and complained about their health. I liked smoking and I suppose in an ideal world where there was no health impact would still smoke. That aside I'm actually a bit stunned that I've stopped and even more stunned that I feel as if I could stay stopped. Don't get me wrong my mantra still holds true: I'll never be more than one cigarette away from 40 a day. (that could be the start of a poem). What does Poet think?

Yesterday evening after work I got a very sudden and quite severe pressure headache. Nothing to do with smoking or Champix. I was coming up the basement stairs and it just got really sore really quick. It died down to a dull ache after a couple of hours and has remained that way since. Why do I mention it? First time I've felt not well since quitting. Luckily I'm of pretty good health in general and it's about two years since my last day off work. I mention it because even after 6 weeks or so of not smoking the odd event crops up that my body isn't prepared for. Despite the fact that smoking would have done no good what so ever the craving kicked in the minute I felt unwell. 30 odd years of training doesn't disappear over night. The good news is it passed almost so quickly that I didn't notice.

Don't quit quitting folks. I'll catch up with you all at the end of the week if not sooner....