Oh thank you so much Rich! 
I really appreciate the detailed reply. I’m so very happy for you!! Celebrate today your milestone as I’m sure you celebrate every day. 
It does sound as though you were a pretty heavy smoker. What an example for all of us! Please don’t take this in a negative way, but it does show that this is doable when there is an “Elder” among is who is 9 years out and previously smoked heavily. I mean Elder in your quit, not in age!! 
You are a cancer survivor too???

Wow. I will be thinking about you a lot today and just knowing how possible this is makes it a wonderful journey. I’m in middle of my 3rd month. I really want this now for sure. Can’t say I was ever going to be ready as I think that is the nature of nicotine. Desire can bring one through a lot though, yes?

Thank you again, and thanks so much for coming back!!

http://forums.delphiforums.com/quit_smoking/messages/5839/1

I decided to post a milestone since I'm still up and wired ;p

Aye, I had lung cancer beginning with the first message of this thread. Operated on 3 years ago and still in remission.

I used to use cigs to lengthen workdays, as when I worked I'd be hours from home and could do jobs in less days.

3rd to 5th month is trying, you have to dig deep. Remember, a crave only lasts as long as having a smoke, or about 5-7 minutes.  One puff leads to a pack, that defeats every minute you suffered.  Just know the longer you hold out the easier it gets.  It can rear its ugly head about 9months or so, but read the tricky 8-11 thread, very helpful and we aired out many many ways to stay on your quit.  I quit with a smoking wife, so OWN your quit and do it only for you, and you won't have to hide any guilty feelings about your journey.  Make a list of reasons you're quitting and post them on your dashboard and your refrigerator. When your driving out at 2am for a pack of smokes look at that note and resist going into teh 7/11 and breaking your quit, etc.

This is all outlined in hundreds of messages here of course, but they are tools that will get you to the finish line.

Take care sweetie, see you around,

Rich

Wow...I think lung cancer is the scariest thing ever. I’m so happy it sounds like it was caught pretty early for you. Thank God. 
Did you start one of those screening programs and that is how it was found or did you get symptoms?

im curious about this because I’m 58 and have 35+ years smoking. My doctor has put in request for me to have the yearly low dose lung cancer screening because of age and history. I’m going to do it but now am waiting for them to start the elective testing things back up. 
Wow Rich! I am so happy for you!! You are definitely an inspiration and I LOVE your winged Giraffe!

Im definitely guarding my quit. With everything I’ve got. It is literally sacred to me. I feel stronger every day for sure, but would not dare stray from being on here every single day. I am grateful beyond words for my Forum Family.  
 

Ok, so I hope you don’t mind, but I have started at page one of your journal, and I’m hooked on your story! I also now know about getting your cancer diagnosis so don’t feel inclined to answer that part of my post. 
Are you still in the US or in the UK? 
My daddy was a carpenter. Smoked all his life, quit at 72 for a few years cause he had a bypass, then went back to 3 smokes a day. Camel no filters. He also smoked his pipe 3-4 times a day. Died at 94. Had been up fixing his roof the day before. Some people just have those genes. It is playing roulette though for anyone to bank on that, and a gambler I’m not.

But look at you with that family history of cardiac issues at a young age! Wow. I say again, you are an inspiration and a survivor. 
Celebrate your day in the biggest way possible!!!

Thank you!

Be my guest, I wrote this and kept it updated so it would scare some people into protecting their quit with everything they have.  Best screening is a lung xray, yearly, so they can compare pictures. IF they want to see more detail they will make you get a CT or a Pet CT.  I had a slight cough and an xray showed I had stage 3a non small cell and a tumor the size of a chicken egg hanging from the left lob.  I've very lucky to have survived this, and it only took 6 months to get that bad. Lots of chemo and pet scans, then I had an embolism which delayed the op another 3 months. It was an ordeal.  Then a week after surgery my wife was struck down with leukemia.  We are both in remission and doing better though.

Aye, the men in my family all died around 38', I only survived because of modern medicine and my heart valve has been controlled by a beta blocker since I was36'ish.  Crazy, cause I still smoked another twenty years ;(

Cheers

Rich

Congratulations my friend on 9 years free !! Hope you are safe and well.

That's great Rich!  Congratulations!!1 Well done!

Hey forum family.  I stopped by and thought I'd do an update.  I saw my chemo doctor on the 30th of June and the next day, July 1st had a heart attack.  Impressive eh?  I had just been told I was 3 years post-cancer surgery, essentially healed of the big C and of course, the CT scans I have endured showed that I had Crohn's Disease now too.  I will be starting infusion therapy for that soon ;(  I just hope the center is not the same place where I got chemo although those are nice people and can either be chipper or extremely depressed.  That is also the place where my love of motorcycles was reborn ;D

Saw the cardiologist yesterday and had bad EKGs again.  I have to put on a 30-day heart monitor.  Gads, when will it all stop?

Linda is finally getting her shoulder repaired. The ball on the top of that bone had dissolved away from the socket and they are going to use 3D printing to print the missing part of that bone and socket from a CT scan.  I hope it restores her once-great outlook on life.  The pain it causes her is constant 24/7.  Worse than leukemia that caused it.  I still can't believe they wouldn't address this for 2 years! Too worried about infection, and really it could still be called out.  This was the 3rd doctor in 2 years.

Sold my Sportster and bought a FatBoy crusier.  I've been out about 1k miles so far, which is a lot for an old retired phart ;p  Quit smoking everyone.  I saved every penny from not smoking and paid cash for it at at stealership lol.  Its so nice just getting on and going. The sportster broke down more than a Ford.  Heck it broke a couple of times from people test driving it.   That was a tense part of summer.

I hope everyone is fine and their quits are doing well.  Here's a pic of my baby ;D  I have to wear a helmet all the time now because of the HA and the blood thinners again.  A pin prick bleeds for hours, I am not kidding.

Stay well, stay safe from covid and I'll chat to you all later,

Rich

Hey Rich, love the bike......yes please be careful! 
 

Sorry about all the doc appointments/ hospital stays. But you sound positive and taking one day at a time! Hugs to you and Linda.....Prayers. Hope the tide rolls out soon on you and good vibes roll in!

Thank you.  I am careful as you can be but still make an occasional mistake, but they are getting less. The other day a young woman ran me off the road when she swerved into my lane on a blind turn. I ran up on the sidewalk luckily where a driveway was.

Cheers, enjoy summer :D

Rich