For me, smoking has been there through everything: good days, bad days, cups of coffee, supressing hunger, stressful days, relaxing days, and those mysterious moments when I’d finished one cigarette and immediately thought, “That was nice. I’ll have another.”
After more than 40 years of smoking I had reached the point where smoking was less of a habit and more of a long-term relationship. One of those relationships where, if I am honest, neither of us were particularly good for the other, but we had been together so long that splitting up seemed almost impossible. Then I noticed my voice had started causing problems!
I found myself sounding increasingly like someone who had spent the previous evening fronting a heavy metal band and knew something wasn’t right. I visited my GP and was promptly put on the NHS 2-week cancer pathway (due to smoking). Within less than a week I was sat with an ENT consultant who told me I needed a Micro laryngoscopy, which is a rather impressive sounding medical procedure and not something I had ever imagined would feature in my life.
The consultant was a lovely man and said, “Your voice problems are due to smoking and time to stop.” These words didn’t come as a surprise and deep down I knew he was right and I needed to be told. The surgeon had spoken and something needed to be done and fast, so my last cigarette was walking through the hospital grounds enroute to have my surgery, but my inner voice was saying “let’s get this done and I can get out and have another cigarette” which sounds madness to me now!
I had my operation and the hospital stay turned out to be longer than I had expected. The recovery took longer because of the effects of all those years of smoking. While I was lying in hospital, wondering when someone was going to let me out, my body was busy reminding me that 40 years of smoking comes at a cost.
I was finally discharged by the medical team with strict advice to give up smoking and seek any help that’s available and the next day I contacted the Yorkshire Smokefree Wakefield team by email (I couldn’t speak after surgery). Within minutes (YES minutes, not days or weeks that I was expecting), a Stop Smoking Advisor called Carrie make contact. I wasn't just told “Right, stop smoking & good luck”, Carrie offered mountains of support, information and advice. Due to having throat surgery, Carrie felt the best route would be nicotine patches to help with withdrawal and contacted my GP straight away for a prescription.
And that was it, no dramatic farewell speech, no emotional montage, no cigarette-shaped coffin. I had started my journey to become a non-smoker with advice, encouragement, practical support and Carrie to talk to. It is undeniably the best support you can get. After 4 weeks, the cravings still turn up like an uninvited poor relation, but Carrie is always on hand to help me send them on their way.
I discovered that quitting after more than 40 years is hard and I always told the doctors, “I enjoy smoking, I don’t want to quit so please stop asking” This sounds so ridiculous now! I’ve had moments where my silly old brain has said “Go on, just one won’t hurt” but I have an internal argument with myself and say, “no thank you, I had my final cigarette weeks ago”. After over four decades of smoking and surgery so I wasn’t about to let that silly stick of burning tobacco boss me around. I’ve done something that neither myself nor anyone close to me thought I would ever do; I had given up smoking!
With the help of Carrie and the Yorkshire Smokefree service, I’m still a non-smoker and intend to keep that title. I’m so proud to be able to say, “I used to smoke but not anymore” Smoking has been a massive part of my life for over 40 years but it’s not going to be the rest of it. Sometimes, even the longest relationships must come to an end and this one has. Good riddance to my long term “partner”, we’re over, we’re done!
Thanks for sharing your story, Trevor. Carrie and the rest of the team in Wakefield are incredibly proud of you and everything you've achieved in such a short space of time. Congratulations.
