Andy started smoking when he was 12 and before he became smoke free, he would smoke 20 – 30 cigarettes a day. He admitted that when he felt stressed, he could smoke up to 40 a day.
Suddenly, Andy started feeling unwell and was admitted to hospital. It turned out that he had blocked arteries and needed to undergo a stent procedure. Following the procedure, it really struck Andy that he had suffered a serious health event and firmly believes that smoking was the cause due to its clogging action on arteries. He also knew that if he continued to smoke it would make any treatment for coronary artery disease less likely to work. Andy said: “The hospital staff informed me that if the stent doesn’t work then I’d need bypass surgery and I just can’t allow that to happen. Smoking is going to kill me. It’ll carry on clogging my arteries and I had to say NO MORE!”
During his stay in hospital, Andy expressed his desire to become smoke free and the hospital staff put him in contact with Nora, one of our Treating Tobacco Dependency Advisors.
When he was discharged from hospital he had follow-on community Smoke Free support and Nora talked through all the nicotine replacement products available, and out of all the options he decided to quit smoking with the aid of nicotine patches and gum. Andy said: “They really helped with the cravings. Once I forgot to put the patch on and I’d start to get that craving for a cigarette, so they are working. I’m reducing the amount of times I use the patches. I’ve gone from every other day and then every few days and now only at weekends if I’ve got a lot on. The gum is good for instant relief from cravings. I find it really helpful when I’m driving as that’s when I’d usually smoke, especially on long journeys.”
Andy has noticed significant health benefits since becoming smoke free, saying: “Food tastes so much nicer, I’ve got my appetite back. I feel I’ve got more energy and I don’t get as short of breath, especially when I’m running around with the grandkids.”
In addition to the health benefits, Andy has also experienced a significant financial boost, saying: “The amount I used to spend on cigarettes was stupid. I would easily spend £50 a week. I’m now saving the money I used to spend on cigarettes for a holiday!”
In a final statement, Andy expressed how much he valued Nora’s help, saying: “The help and advice she gave me was brilliant. There was one occasion when I was with my sisters who smoked and there were boxes of cigarettes everywhere. I lit a cigarette, took a couple of puffs and said that’s disgusting. When I told Nora, she didn’t beat me up for it or criticise me because I’d done that. You just want someone not to judge you just because you had a little hiccup and she didn’t judge me at all. She just told me to keep going. It’s also great to have someone there to talk about what I’m going through.”
Nora said: “As a Tobacco Dependency Advisor it was a pleasure to support Andy from where I first met him on the cardiology ward at Derriford and onwards after his discharge into the community where, to his credit he remained smoke free. He engaged in phone appointments with me every two weeks and continued to use his nicotine replacement therapy as supplied. As the weeks passed it was great to hear from Andy about his return to work and to hear that he remained smoke free reporting the health and financial benefits he has achieved and continues to achieve from being smoke free.”