Rosemary

I stopped smoking because I needed an operation on my foot, for which I haven’t received a date yet. However, I am smoke-free and have done everything in my power to aid the healing process. My specialist sat me down and gave me a good talking-to for about 30 minutes, explaining that quitting smoking would improve the oxygen in my blood, blood flow, and, indeed, the healing process – my age is also against me here! I found the journey of quitting hard at first because it wasn’t really my decision to stop smoking; I was being told to. So, I would continue to stumble, having the ‘odd one’ before realizing this really is the wrong thing to do. Once I made peace with my head about the journey I had to go on, alongside the knowledge of how important it was for me to quit if I wanted my operation, the process became easier. I found that vaping helped me on my journey also. I would say that I ‘trickled’ off the cigarettes rather than just stopping all at once. Smoking had been a part of my life for over 50 years and indeed my whole routine every day. My advisor, Clare, talked to me about behavioral habits and changing my thought process, as well as providing the necessary prescriptions to support this.

I remember visiting the podiatrist for my routine check-up when my feet actually bled! This had never happened before when I was smoking and was a real milestone for me. The podiatrist asked me to explain why the sight of blood was making me so happy. It meant, of course, that my blood circulation was improving with more oxygen in my body, fewer deposits, and more circulation in readiness for my operation.

I feel lucky that I have come out of this ‘unscathed’ (mainly due to the years I have smoked), enabling me to enjoy the health benefits of stopping now prior to my operation.