Tony started smoking at school when he was 14 and, before he successfully became smoke free, he would smoke around 15 – 20 cigarettes a day which was costing him around £100 a week.
Unfortunately, Tony started feeling unwell and was told he needed to undergo stent implantation surgery. However, on further investigation it turned out that the blockages in the arteries around his heart were too severe and he actually required urgent bypass surgery.
During his stay in hospital, Tony expressed his desire to become smoke free and the hospital staff put him in contact with Anne, one of our Treating Tobacco Dependency Advisors. Anne made sure that Tony felt comfortable during his hospital stay by providing him with nicotine patches and nicotine gum to help with the cravings, Tony said: “It’s hard to tell if the patches were helping me as smoking had been the last thing on my mind after the operation. Anne was brilliant. She started me off on the highest nicotine strength and they did seem to help with the cravings a bit and I’m gradually reducing the strength of the patches. Sometimes I would have bad days though, when I’d get the urge to smoke, and that’s when I’d have one of the nicotine gums. They were really effective and instantly relieved the cravings.”
After Tony was discharged from hospital, Anne continued to support him with follow-on community Smoke Free support. She continued to support Tony with his nicotine replacement products as well as 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, Tony said: “Anne was really helpful and encouraging.”
From the day of writing this success story, Tony has been smoke free for three and half months. He expressed how walking feels a lot easier now, but he is unsure whether this is due to the operation allowing more blood to flow around his heart or if it’s due to not smoking or a combination of the two.
Anne said: “Tony was really focused on not smoking again, especially in light of his health. He said he was feeling better and I think the fact he quit smoking has a part to play in this. Not only is he reaping the rewards of being financially better off, he will significantly improve his health. It was lovely to hear how his health was improving weekly.
His focus and positive mind set is what helped him achieve his goal and I am so pleased he has succeeded and being smoke free will continue to improve his health and wellbeing.”