For those of you who may be new readers to this blog, the time frame listed in the title is the amount of time since I quit smoking. I am almost at my personal best record of about 3 months in 1998. I don't know what I'll do to reward myself if I surpass that. All I can say is that it will feel pretty awesome!......a new pair of walking shoes would be nice.
Anyway, I am now here at my in-law's house. Kind of babysitting in a way, I suppose. My father-in-law, who will give you the shirt off his back if you ask for it, just went through heart surgery. Out of 8 possible arteries they could have bypassed, he had to have 5 of them rerouted. He was in bad shape, having dizzy spells all the time, and other symptoms of compromised circulation because of his heart. He was also, at one point, a 2 pack a day smoker. He smoked for about 40 years he says. Can you imagine breaking a habit you enjoy, after having done it for 40 years? I smoked for 20 years, and cannot imagine what he must be going through on top of recovering from cardiac surgery.
He was basically told, when he was admitted, that he was no longer a smoker. This is the part that worries me. See, my father-in-law is one of those types of people that absolutely hate to be told what to do, whether or not it is the right thing to do, is irrelevant. So, even though he was in the process of planning to quit smoking before the surgery by taking Zyban, I worry that he'll insist on quitting on his own terms, and try to have "just one more" because that is what he decides, only for the reason of having control over his circumstances. This remains to be seen. So far he is doing great as far as I can tell. He is, of course, noticably weaker and looking older. He is still on an oxygen tank for the time being, but this should be temporary.
Fortunately or unfortunately, however you want to look at it, I will be the one to chauffer him to his rehabilitation and physical therapy appointments. I do not mind doing this at all, but the reason I have been nominated is because I do not have a job to speak of. Unemployment; a blessing in disguise? I don't know.
I want to be able to contribute to my own household, but on the same note, I feel it is my duty to be there for the person who made me able to have a house at all. You see, my in-laws are gracious enough to believe the analogy that "you can't take it with you" when you die. So they have made it possible for both of their sons to be home owners. Wow, right? This of course, has benefitted me as well, among other things they have done for us. So, in that sense, I am almost glad to be working so I can be there when they need help, which is pretty much never. If I can help them out in any way shape or form I will. My help, in whatever form, is all I have to offer them for the generosity the have shown my husband and I.
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Amanda,
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you found someone special to spend your life with and that you get along with his parents. I too have taken care of my father-in-law (who has since passed) after he had lung surgery. It was one of the reasons (there were other reasons, too) that I left college the first time many years ago. He was just a really good person and I felt the need to take care of him. I felt that his care was more important than school at the time and it also gave me time to take care of issues within my own household as well.
As for the smoking issue. I can relate. I am a smoker. I started when I was 16, quit when I was 24, then started again when I was 33. The biggest hurdle to get over is that you just have to want to quit. My boyfriend's mom smoked for 60 years. She got laser treatment and has been smoke-free for 2 years now. It is one of the hardest things I ever did (was to quit smoking). I still had the urge for a cigarette even after quiting for 9 years. Then, at a very, very low point in my life, I picked up a cigarette and that was the end of that! Now, I just do not want to quit. I guess it's kind of my crutch. I do not plan to smoke forever, just not sure when I will decide to quit again.
I, too, am a smoker. I had pneumonia in December and was in the hospital for 8 days. I quit smoking after 40 years, and stayed clean for about 2 months. I just could not do it. It was not the smoking that caused the illness, but it didn't help it either.
ReplyDeleteI have an electric cigarette and I love it. I can get the nicotine and no smoke, just vapor. It really helps me to curb the smoking. I still light up, but not as bad.
I will quit. My life just sucks right now and my friends smoke, so it was so hard not to. I gave in and I am angry at myself for doing it.
I will always have stress, but this no job thing and not being able to pay my bills and leaving my house to move in with a friend, was more than I could handle.
I don't have a support system around me not to smoke. I think if I had smoke-free friends, I would have made it. I am no blaming them, only that I am weak, it is my fault and only me to blame.