Thinking About Giving Up Cigarettes? Doc Velocity Just Had a Stroke...

Originally posted by Dock9
Don't know if the following's been mentioned in this thread so far, but if not, I've just been reading posts in another site about the ease with which former smokers have quite, using the Alan Carr's Easyway method

I looked up the site and see it has offices all over the world - and luminaries such as Richard Branson, Ellen, Anthony Hopkins etc. have provided testimonials

There are several sites online for this Alan Carr

and apparently there's also a book of the same name, if you don't want or can't afford to attend the meetings

www.theeasywaytostopsmoking.com...



Not trying to plug this method. Haven't used it. But as many smokers are afraid they won't be able to stop, I'm simply posting this for them to explore if they like --- because on other sites, posters just like us are saying this method made it all very easy for them to stop smoking

Best wishes to the OP for a full recovery

I can vouch for this book and method.

After reading Alan Carr's book, you just simply don't want to smoke anymore and instead of regarding all the smokers around you with jealousy, you feel pity for their helpless condition of addiction to little white sticks

A word of caution though, if you slip back into smoking at a later date, reading the book the second time doesn't seem have the same effect - weird huh?

Thank you for posting this. I have been sifting through ATS for almost a year now & of all the posts i've read and been moved by; this is the one that got me to finally join.

But, with much respect to you and your religion, please give yourself more credit- this situation and the events leading up to it was never in gods hands- was it? You picked up the cigarettes that ultimately caused the stroke.
Good people took it upon themselves to act for your benefit.
You decided to change your life for the better.
We all have limitless potential.

That said, I'm quitting smoking (again.) dont know how to star or flag yet.
seacrest out-

glad to hear you are OK, and best of luck on your recovery and i hope you really stop smoking now. you are very lucky!

My uncles long time girlfriend is a very heavy smoker and was just diagnosed with lung cancer and they also found cancer every where else. The doctor was telling her for years to quit smoking. Its a very sad situation to see this happen. My Fiancee is also a very heavy smoker but he has just been clean of alcohol for 4 years now, so i didn't start getting on his case about the cigs until just recently...i hate to be a nag but its stories like this that keep me going. I want to grow old together with him not see him suffer through something horrible over smoking.

again...I'm very happy you are OK

Smoker here.

In an attempt to quit smoking while retaining that "hit" at the back of my throat, and all the rituals that go with regular smoking, I bought myself one of those electronic cigarettes.

I've just learned that my government will be banning these e-cigs in the summer. Many other countries have banned them too, using excuses about safety with very little credible evidence to back up these claims.

It's obvious (to me) that the tobacco companies have been paying-off governments to outlaw this thing, as it really has gotten people away from cigarettes, and also away from the "anti-smoking" stuff like patches, nicotine gum, etc, which are also owned and supplied by the aforementioned tobacco companies.

This is all conjecture, mind you, but it is my belief that this is what's going on.

So what am I going to do once e-cigs are banned? Simple, buy up as much e-fluid, cartridges and atomisers that I can afford, to last me a while longer, then simply stop once I can no longer get hold of these items.

I'm so annoyed with the shady practices of the tobacco companies (and various governments involved) that there's no way I'm going to buy their products ever again.

Some other ATS threads about the electronic cigarette, and the conspiracy surrounding them:
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...


[edit on 29-5-2010 by Pixus]

[edit on 29-5-2010 by Pixus]

That was quite an experience. Thank you for sharing it.
Aspirin is a blood thinner, but it has side effects. Garlic is a blood thinner. Garlic is an amazing cure all. at least it cures a lot of things, like super bugs. Another disease to avoid, eat apricot pits to avoid cancer. So many people die of cancer that don't even know about apricot pits.
My son quit smoking last fall. He struggled for years. The last time he failed to quit he said he felt suicidal. Then he found from the internet that cigarettes contain fluoride and that fluoride withdraw makes you feel suicidal. Then he quit.
Is it possible that it is the fluoride in the cigarettes that makes them cancer-causing? Apricots are really hard to get these days, we plan to plant a tree. It's also a good idea to plant a walnut tree before those get scarce. The government seems to be closing in on good health.


[edit on 29-5-2010 by m khan]

Originally posted by RRokkyy
Now I was having terrible pains in my chest late at night.I couldnt even stand so I crawled over to my mothers bedroom door and banged on it and told her. She said go back to sleep. I eventually with much arguing convinced her to call 911 and the next day they replaced my aortic arch.
Though all I wanted was some pain meds.

My grandmother had her aortic arch replaced. She didn't smoke or drink, ever, but was a little overweight but not much. She didn't have any medical insurance and didn't have any money, my parents were not well off but would have gone into dept for her gladly. But she simply refused the operation. The kaiser doctor operated without pay. She lived another 9 years after that. Wow, Obama's health care plan would have simply written her off. The doctor said she had a heart like a horse. He was pretty big hearted himself. Obama's plan probably wouldn't allow anything like that.
She never had cancer, but made great apricot jam.


[edit on 29-5-2010 by m khan]

reply to post by Doc Velocity


I had to come back and say this: try eating a large amount of natural almonds, plain roasted. It feels like a halo around the mind, one could physically feel it. Other good guesses: a little vinegar. Make a drink out of fruit/sugar and have some. Or drink it neat, or with water. There's a brand that is recommended...not sure if it's OK to say it. I'd have to look at it anyway.

You could have been in a speechless heap, so count your blessings.

I wish you a speedy recovery DOC but, on the otherhand, I am sorry it took a brush with death to convince you to stop smoking.

It just goes to show how strong an addiction to this drug called Nicotine really is.

Apparently it is very similar to the Cocaine molecule and hence why it is so addictive.

I am glad that I never caught the habit.... I used to smoke my own brand of cigarettes, called "Roll Your Own" years ago but amazingly I was able to stop that cold turkey within a few days.

My current vice of choice....Cold Beer !! 5% Alcohol and 95 % Water.
Water is good....5% Alcohol ain't exactly bad either.

reply to post by Doc Velocity


You have my thoughts and prayers, whether you want them or not! That was an awesome account of your experience. There's nothing like the claustrophobia of death's cloak closing on your shoulders.

i had to reread your account of the Stroke...

You never did have a NDE (near death experience) where your psyche traveled to your concept of heaven or whatever.


i reckon the 'you', the self/soul/Id did not need to get involved with that aspect of one's spiritual makeup... ah well, just as good, i guess your karma is kinda clean & you did not need to be confronted with a choice to return to the mundane world, or spend eternity in the bosom of ecstacy.

thanks again

reply to post by Doc Velocity


I want to thank you for posting this. I have been struggling to knock the habit off and on for years. Reading what has happened to you helps me realize what is really important. I wish you well and appreciate your efforts to get people to realize what we smokers are doing to our bodies. Today, I quit smoking because of this post, because I know its beyond time to wake up to the reality that these cancer sticks are killing me. God bless you.

Dan

Originally posted by muzzleflash
I read this thread and thought about it for an hour or so, and I want to discuss your quick assumption that this all boils down to smoking.

Maybe, maybe not.

What if it is not smoking? What if it is something else?

And lets think about this logically.

You said yourself, your getting old. Well our bodies fall apart pretty fast anyways.

So since you are this close to your deathbed, why would you quit smoking now? Wouldn't this be the funnest part of smoking cigs you ever had in your life?

Me? I am worried about accidentally burning the house down. Or my kids burning the house down.

You ever considered that your diet could be the cause of this?

Maybe you are eating something regularly that led to this?

It really could be anything.

Nice to see you are alive though.

I really think we should consider alternative explanations though, as the "it's cuz of smoking" explanation has become the "God did it" excuse IMO these days....

You said the doc mentioned artery congestion, doesn't that typically come from hamburgers etc?

I wonder when I will die and how, Hmmm? I won't stop smoking over fears of death though. Otherwise I would have to stop doing everything else I do too lol. Even driving the car can lead to serious painful and sometimes fatal consequences.

Compare a car wreck victim to a smoker. Which looks worse?

Who is going to swear off cars?

I mean you can actually live without a car. People have done it for thousands of years.

There were an estimated 6,289,000 car accidents in the US in 1999. There were about 3.4 million injuries and 41,611 people killed in auto accidents in 1999. The total number of people killed in highway crashes in 2001 was 42,116, compared to 41,945 in 2000.

www.unitedjustice.com...

And in car wrecks, you have instant decapitations, leg and arm cut offs. Cuts gashes and every other type of physical injury you can think of. Shattered bones crushed etc etc.

Car wrecks are gross. Grosser than smokers lungs. I can stomach looking at black lungs, but chopped up bodies? Thats too much.

Point is blaming smoking without hard evidence is rash imo.

What if you have bad drywalling from China? IDK I am just saying these days there are countless sources for toxic contamination from every possible angle.

What caused this could literally be from anywhere.

You started smoking in 1978. My wife's dad started smoking around 1958.

He has 20 years over you. No strokes, no lung problems, nothing. He seems totally fine actually for an old guy that smoked his whole life.

Since you are alive, what you do you think this?

Was there any tests/evidence that proved smoking caused this? Or was it simple assumption based on circumstance?

[edit on 28-5-2010 by muzzleflash]

Congratulations. You have officially posted the most retarded post on ATS ever.

Originally posted by muzzleflash

Originally posted by OptimusPrimate
reply to post by muzzleflash

 

Smoking does shorten you're life FACT...I hope your post was sarcastic...

If it wasn't I'm really shocked - perhaps you're being antagonistic for the sake of it?

I didn't say smoking is harmless. I said everything in life is dangerous. But I don't see anyone quitting cars or knives.

I don't see many people quitting prescription medications, despite the massive amount of adverse side effects and fatalities.

I consider the anti-smoking stuff brainwashed honestly. It's all that propaganda they hit you with. Sure it's bad for you, just like eating ice cream all day every day is bad for you. Too much of anything is bad, this is a old old saying that still is true today.

Hell we as a species still have war. (For dumb reasons too).

When I have to live in fear of constant war, and of chemical toxins coming at me from every possible item in my household, I start not giving a damn you know???

I start just doing what I want, and actually living life. I stop caring about all this BS.

I just accept the fact all of this will kill me. Then I Live.

But running around like a headless chicken saying "you know that will kill you" is pointless.

We all die. You can't stop it.

Just live and enjoy life. Stop worrying about "how to live longer".

Here is a story for you.
A guy quit smoking. Then he was hit by a bus.

Quitting smoking didn't extent that guy's life span!

Being a anti-smoking Nazi isn't going to save anyone's life. It's only going to take the Freedom out of their short lives before they die anyways.

Do you have any idea what kind of chemicals come out of your CAR EXHAUST???

Lock yourself in a room with a car turned on. You will DIE fast !!!
Lock yourself in a room with a cig smoker. Exactly.

My point is there are far more dangerous things in life than cigs. But yet there is no major push to stop those things. The mainstream accepts them without questioning it or anything.

But when the commercials on TV repeat "smoking is bad" a million times, the people repeat that all the time like its the most important thing we can do as humans to improve our health.

Trust me, if the TV commercials repeated "car exhaust is bad" a million times, people would be saying that all the time like it's a big deal too.

If you think my statements or questioning is "offensive" I don't care. I think you are offensive to me for being offended by my assessment of the situation.

Oh wait that was even more retarded. I hope nobody takes you seriously because it can kill.

[edit on 29/5/2010 by C0bzz]

Originally posted by m khan

Originally posted by RRokkyy
Now I was having terrible pains in my chest late at night.I couldnt even stand so I crawled over to my mothers bedroom door and banged on it and told her. She said go back to sleep. I eventually with much arguing convinced her to call 911 and the next day they replaced my aortic arch.
Though all I wanted was some pain meds.

My grandmother had her aortic arch replaced. She didn't smoke or drink, ever, but was a little overweight but not much. She didn't have any medical insurance and didn't have any money, my parents were not well off but would have gone into dept for her gladly. But she simply refused the operation. The kaiser doctor operated without pay. She lived another 9 years after that. Wow, Obama's health care plan would have simply written her off. The doctor said she had a heart like a horse. He was pretty big hearted himself. Obama's plan probably wouldn't allow anything like that.
She never had cancer, but made great apricot jam.


[edit on 29-5-2010 by m khan]

If you end up in an ER with any acute medical condition in the USA they will do everything they can to save you without payment. I had six surgeons working on me. However I just wanted pain meds without the surgery.

Sometimes Aortic arch replacement is done on an elective basis. That would be different. It is a very complex and difficult operation,that most hospitals cannot do, with a very high fatality rate perhaps 20 to 30 percent. It also tends to occur more in older patients. Only 40 percent survive for ten years or more after the operation.

Our current health care plan simply rights off 45 million uninsured Americans.

I enjoy lazer treatment, especially the booster shots after I clean out the g-d garage. :lol

I enjoy lazer treatment, especially the booster shots after I clean out the g-d garage. :lol

Originally posted by above
So it really was diagnosed as a stroke? Even though they failed to find the clot? If yes, then lucky you and that it resolved with blood thinners and you recovered.

What strikes me odd, is that the exact same symptoms can be associated with a panic attack, and a panic attack is cleared up by some of the medication they might have given you for stroke.

[edit on 5/28/2010 by above]

Although some of those symptoms are similar to panic attacks, like feelings of despair and hopelessness, I've had plenty of bad panic attacks and I never had any problems articulating words. It sounds like a stroke to me.

reply to post by Doc Velocity


All I can say is wow(!) and thanks for sharing this personal experience. This account should be considered a warning to every single one of us that are hooked on the most deadly drug in history, nicotine. I'm not a religious man but Doc, my wishes are with you. Good luck and keep us posted!

Thank you for sharing this. Hopefully the description of your experience will make others aware of any warning signs that they might otherwise at first dismiss. I find it fascinating that your sense of smell was affected.

Hopefully too this will give people who smoke a heads-up and incentive to quit.

I want to thank everyone who has responded with his thanks and well-wishes. I know this was one of the most powerful experiences of my life, inasmuch as I felt very much alive even as I was watching myself die, cell-by-cell, and I hoped that relating the experience from that first-person perspective might provide many out there with a little psychic preparation, in the event that you suffer such an emergency. God forbid, but of course something like this eventually happens to everyone.

In my life, I've imagined a thousand ways to die. And I came very close to experiencing a few of those — whether it was in a head-on collision or drowning or toppling off a 1000-foot mountain face (all of which have happened).

But I never imagined myself having a stroke... Having my brain peeled away from me layer-by-layer as I watched helplessly. This experience has awakened me not only to the reality faced by millions of stroke patients, but to those patients of senile dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and carotid artery blockage, all of which steal your faculties, your motor control and eventually your life.

I know, as the days pass and I get this whole experience in sharper and sharper perspective, I'll come to fully understand the imperative of changing my lifestyle — because, right now, I'm battling with a lot of changes, from diet to sleep habits to smoking — and it sucks. To paraphrase Lloyd Bridges in the movie Airplane: "Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit everything".

But, of course, it's the right time to take charge of my health... I've still got 50 years or more ahead of me.

Again, many thanks to all of you for your understanding, prayers and well-wishes. Honestly, I could feel the energy level increasing around here with every post. Love you guys!

— Doc Velocity