Death was knocking on my door. :D

[Chameleon]

  Most of you all know about my health issues, to say it is bad is sort of an understatement.  But I am not posting to make everyone bummed out, I 

want to make this an uplifting post.

 

  One year ago today, I quit smoking.  Cold turkey after almost 30 years.  I never thought I could quit, and for the most part I didn't want to.

But for some strange reason, I smoked my last one and never picked them up again.  Now to be honest, that doesn't mean there were not points

in the last year that I didn't struggle with it.  Smoking is very addictive and sometimes people go a lifetime trying to quit and can't.

 

   Moving on.  One month later to the day, I had my 4th heart attack. While having the heart cath they found 4 arteries that were blocked. One was

99% blocked and the other 3 were 100% blocked.  Needless to say my chances were not good, but at the time I didn't know that because they

had me on drugs that made me sleep and killed the pain.

 

   They did emergency surgery and pulled veins from my left leg and replaced the bad ones.  

 

 I woke up that evening with a tube down my throat making me breathe and my head spinning from all the pain meds they had me on.

 

 

  After following all the things they wanted me to do in the hospital, I was home in around 4 days.  Recovery was tough, and very, very painful.  Already having diabetes, and severe nerve damage because of neuropathy, it just amplified the pain.

 

 Now I have congestive heart failure to add to the list of things that are wrong, but let me get to the point I wanted to make.

 

   A year ago next month, I knew in my heart I was going to die, my family believed that, and my Dr. also.  But surprise, here I am, still alive and kicking.  I may not be the same person physically that I was a year ago, but I am the same person on the inside.  No one gave me a chance to live, and neither did I, but here I am.

 

 

 I missed a lot of time here on the forums and in the servers, and mostly I missed all my friends here.  I had a bunch of support through friends here, and they continue to do so.

Sometimes I feel like, if not for so many here, I would not have made it.  Now, my Dr says I only have a few years left before my heart fails me, but I say if I can make it through all this other

stuff, I can make it through all the things that are to come.

 

 To sum this all up, I just want to thank everyone here for all the support, and for just being my friend, that in its self means more to me than you could ever imagine.  You guys/girls

have played a tremendous role in keeping me alive and keeping me here.  I can't express how much I love you all and each of you have a special place in my heart.

 

 Shane   <3  

 

[audrey]

awwwwwwwwwww let's live many more years together shall we

[Chameleon]

awwwwwwwwwww let's live many more years together shall we

Sounds like a good plan to me

[P8rpl3h4z3]

One year ago today, I quit smoking.  Cold turkey after almost 30 years.

    I'm trying to quit smoking atm and so far it has been success, 17 years smoking and now 5th day going w/o, to be honest i've smoke 3 gigarettes and they havent taste good.

Im even more motivated to quit after i read ur experiences, so thank you

 

Thou im still sad to read about ur health but also im happy to see that you just keep pushing forward   that emotion is for you, keep it going and screw the universe

 

Edited March 6, 2016 by RedBaird
fixed the wandering quote-code

[RendeL]

As I read that, it really got me emotional the way you said your point.

 

I also quitted smoking, all the sudden like you and I also didn't feel like I could never do it. I really think all the smoking...I just had enough and it got me sick of it to put a cig on my lips and light it. I do not know what went through my head back then, but something just snapped. this was just less than a year ago.

 

I turn just 40 in a couple of moths and for me it is something I honestly didn't expect to see. I was in a bad shape only less than a year ago, still I am compared to what I used to be 10 years ago.

 

What you have been through is something that some of us will go through in the future....it is just a hard fact as sad as it sounds.

 

I cant say I know you as a person, but I wish you all the best for the future that remains.

[redy.]

awesome how you make something positive out of something negative. This is the spirit!

good job!

[Raskin]

Enjoy whatever time you have and feel lucky for it..lots of people are told they will not make it and they do...beat the odds.. take care

[docwarren]

Meh.... when your number's up....

[RedBaird]

Meh.... when your number's up....

 

When we smokers do finally quit smoking, we save a lot of money and our senses of smell and taste improve greatly.  Our health improves so that we don't get sick as much and we can literally 'breathe easier".

 

Good on ya, Chameleon, me matey!    We want to keep you around for a good while longer!  

 

 

 

(I quit 23 years ago using nicotine-patches and low-dose Xanax.  Still not 'easy' to do.)

[Mr.Karizmatic]

miss you mate hang in there hope everything goes good never loose hope... and feel free to visit our et servers u shall feel good.......

[Flible]

Just make sure you don't give up

[Ol Smoke]

I quit in 1992 and the funny thing is I dont miss it at all, except when I am sitting around a campfire and talking and drinking camp coffee.  Isn't that weird.

[docwarren]

I quit in 1992 and the funny thing is I dont miss it at all, except when I am sitting around a campfire and talking and drinking camp coffee. Isn't that weird.

You? Camping? Imagine that.

[Ol Smoke]

You? Camping? Imagine that.

 

Well...kinda camping...in my motorhome...under the awning...drinking Keurig coffee and sitting in lounge chairs.  Yeah thats camping.

[Raskin]

Well...kinda camping...in my motorhome...under the awning...drinking Keurig coffee and sitting in lounge chairs.  Yeah thats camping.

ha-ha I camp in my back yard..now that's roughing it