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Natalie, 65, started smoking when she was a young child at age 6 after being given cigarettes from her older sister, saying: “Smoking wasn’t a big deal back then. I could even buy my own cigarettes from the shop when I was only 10 years old.”
Before Natalie became smoke free, she would smoke around 5 – 10 small, rolled cigarettes a day.
Natalie suffers from COPD and smoking was exacerbating her symptoms, saying: “Every year since COVID I get really ill with a cold. I get a severe cough which would then lead to chest infections. I even coughed up phlegm, it’s so disgusting. I hated it. I get really embarrassed about the coughing and hide away from people when it’s happening. My cough was so bad I was convinced I wouldn’t wake up one morning. I’ve got a family and grandchildren, what am I doing smoking!” Knowing that becoming smoke free would reduce her COPD symptoms, she knew she had to quit or risk deteriorating her lung function further.
Her daughter was concerned about her mother and got in touch with our stop smoking support services. We arranged an appointment with one of our expert health improvement practitioners, Steph, and it was a success story all the way…
Steph provided Natalie with specialised, one-to-one ongoing support, offering encouragement and understanding of the nicotine addiction process. Together they developed a personalised quit plan that included a quit date, strategies to cope with cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and behavioural change support.
To further assist Natalie with her quit attempt, Steph talked through all the nicotine replacement products available. Of all the options she decided to quit smoking with the aid of vaping as she had already managed to cut down by using a vape, saying: “Steph was really knowledgeable and taught me about all the nasty toxins that are in cigarettes. She also educated me about nicotine milligrams. The vape I was using before had only 6mg of nicotine in it which is really low. Without knowing it, I went from 20 mg of nicotine from the cigarettes right down to 6 mg in my vaping fluid. Steph said I should continue on the 6 mg and reassured me that I was doing really well. She then suggested that I could be sent 5 weeks’ worth of 3mg vaping fluids but I panicked and asked for a mix of 6mg and 3mg vaping fluids. Thinking back now, I should have stuck with the 3 mg fluids as I’m sure I would have been fine. Steph was very helpful.”
Natalie expressed how she found vaping a highly effective aid to becoming smoke free, saying: “Vaping worked well as it satisfies that hand-to-mouth habit action of smoking which I missed. I also enjoyed the feeling of having a drag on a cigarette which felt similar with vaping.”
Shortly after becoming smoke free, Natalie started to experience some remarkable health benefits. Natalie said: “I don’t cough anymore! I only have a tiny cough every now and again and hardly any phlegm. I can’t believe I used to cough so hard my chest would hurt. Smoking was making my COPD symptoms so much worse! I thought quitting smoking would make me put on weight. With my taste and smell slowly improving I thought I’d have a big appetite, but I don’t at all.”
Clearly, becoming smoke free has been a life-altering decision that has immediately improved Natalie’s health. From better breathing to no more painful coughing to a reduced risk of further lung deterioration. Her only regret is not quitting years ago.
When you stop smoking, good things really do start to happen. If you would like advice and support to quit smoking, like Natalie, contact the One You Plymouth team today, and we can help you take the first steps to becoming smoke free. Call 01752 437177 or email [email protected]