A Personal MILESTONE

[old2soon]

    4/21/2002 I laid down my cigarettes. Been a nonsmoker since then. Bit over 20 year now BUT the damage to my lungs heart and other Important organs has been done. NOT a complaint just a sober look at what sadly has been self inflicted. On O2-5 liter on demand regulator-during the day and CPAP at night. The Fact I'm still walking on the lawn stead of being part of the lawn amuses me at times!  Thank You GOD!  RIDE SAFE.

[Patrick]

Good !  Keep hangin' in there.

[scooperhsd]

Posts like yours makes me glad I never picked up that habit (my dad was a smoker until he died from lung cancer at 57).

[old2soon]

       Near as I can recollect used to inhale nicotine 43  44 years BEFORE I QUIT!  RIDE SAFE.

[..]

Well done. One day at a time.

[Jess from VA]

Congratulations Dennis.  On surviving life's setbacks and aging, and keeping a good positive attitude.  

I myself have been having a series of setbacks come at me out of the blue, and am finding it harder to keep my usual positive attitude.  You get used to good general health and good luck, and when some if it starts to fade, it's kind of a slap to the back of the head, and brings on bad vibes.    

Deserve has got nothing to do with it...

Talking with my 91yo mom yesterday, who has had tremendous medical issues, knee replacements, back surgery, heart surgery, kidney stones, and more..... and she still has all her wits and her humor made me feel much better.  Welcome to my world Jess.

They didn't want to do a shoulder replacement on anyone her age.  But her well known medical history and happy positive (and brave) attitude, has her scheduled for one soon.

Damn the torpedoes mom.  

[Rams]

Congratulations Dennis!   Tobacco is an expensive and nasty habit.   We'd all be better off it we never took it up. 

Rams

[scooperhsd]

The only thing I can say about getting older - it beats the alternative....

In the last 2 weeks I had a lower abdomen x-ray - because my lower back was hurting.

disc problem close to hip and an unhealed broken #10 rib on the left side. Oh, and I have neurapathy in my right thigh that feels like pins and needles. No idea how I got the broken rib. I will be starting PT as soon as they get it scheduled. My core sucks right now....

[carolinarider09]

I think I started smoking sometime in college and continued until I was maybe 40 or so and then switched to a pipe.  My dad always smoked a pipe (well he did smoke some cigarettes for a few years but).  He lived to 92 I think.

I stopped smoking the pipe about 15 or so years ago.   But I took up vaping to do it.  Still vape a little now.   No nicotine, just "Stuff".

I call it "oral gratification". 

My only issue at mid-70's appears to be Afib.  But if I talk to much about that Murphy's law will take over.

Moving forward is always good.  Slow or fast, moving forward........  one day, one hour at a time. 

Now is the time to enjoy where you have been, what you are.   Memories ......

I have lots of slides I took while I was in the Navy and after.   Here is one from the USS Wasp, circa mid summer 1969 reading a letter from my future wife.  I think this was in the berthing area but.... its been awhile.

[Jess from VA]

That picture reminds me of my service.  

When I went in, you could smoke in buildings and your workplace.

This continued until my last tour in CA.

First, no smoking at your duty station... but I could smoke down the hall in our law library (which I was assigned to keep updated anyway, so I just moved in down there).  Then our new Col came in and he was anti-smoking, and he wondered why I was not at my assigned desk (cubicle), to which I replied... well sir, if you dial 26 instead of 21, I'll answer, and I can be at your desk in 20 seconds, either way.  Sir.  The fact I could outrun everyone in our Jag Dept (officer or enlisted) in PT testing, except our most junior enlisted man, didn't matter to him.  And, unlike he and several other officers, I was never near my max allowable weight.

Then, it became no smoking in any USAF buildings, so all us HQ 15 AF smokers went out the the end door of our ground floor, which was inside security fencing (and out of public view).

Then, that wasn't good enough, and we were told we had to go outside the main door to a small covered patio.  But then, with so many senior (and flag) officers coming and going, guys were not popping to attention in a reasonable military manner.  

So we were were finally ordered to go out to the end of the parking lot to a couple picnic tables under the brutal CA desert sunshine (with the tarantulas, jackrabbits and roadrunners), in plain view of half of all the offices in the building.  In no time at all, the picnic tables began to be referred to as the Group W bench (from the Alice's Restaurant movie).

By the time I left, all smokers were put on a list (of purported undesirables) which was forwarded to HQ SAC each month as derogatory data.   We were lepers from the leper colony.  

Then, when I got out and moved to a Federal building in DC, the same thing all over again.  Except they never made lists. 

[old2soon]

         Could Not smoke in your rack ashore or aboard. No Smoking while refueling your aircraft. Believe it was No Smoking within 50 feet of aircraft. You could on the other hand smoke while flying in the aircraft. No smoking in hangars ashore or aboard. Aboard No Smoking during unrep-under way replenishment-or during General Quarters. You could smoke in some of the shops aboard but by no means all shops. Trying to recall but I seem to remember smoking lamp was out at taps-2200 hrs. Even though the ship and air wings were 24/7 at sea. No Smoking in ranks.
          There is a sign on my front door that I Still chuckle a bit when I read it. NO SMOKING OXYGEN IN USE. In Bright Red letters! Oh wait that means me! 
          In Boot they took everyones tobacco away. Hair cuts-fuzzy cue balls-clothing issue basic cleaning items clothing and personal and the harassing/training started. A week 10 days later we got our smokes back. By this time we're sleeping 2  3 hrs a night eating regular and EXERCISING gittin leaner meaner and building muscle. We got 10 mins added to noon chow for a smoke! I nearly passed out!  But like a big dumb azz I powered thru and kept smoking! 
            Thanks Everyone for personal anecdotes and the Good Wishes!  RIDE SAFE.

[John Schmidt]

Hey old friend, glad to hear of your "anniversary" and that you're still on the green side. I quit cold turkey March, 1965. It's a long story as to how it came about but have never looked back.

[carolinarider09]

Boot Camp, Great Lakes IL. January 1968.  One of the guys got a letter from home.

He showed it to us, four (4) joints taped to the paper.   First time I ever saw marijuana.   

[signart]

Congratulations Dennis.  On surviving life's setbacks and aging, and keeping a good positive attitude.  

I myself have been having a series of setbacks come at me out of the blue, and am finding it harder to keep my usual positive attitude.  You get used to good general health and good luck, and when some if it starts to fade, it's kind of a slap to the back of the head, and brings on bad vibes.    

Deserve has got nothing to do with it...

Talking with my 91yo mom yesterday, who has had tremendous medical issues, knee replacements, back surgery, heart surgery, kidney stones, and more..... and she still has all her wits and her humor made me feel much better.  Welcome to my world Jess.

They didn't want to do a shoulder replacement on anyone her age.  But her well known medical history and happy positive (and brave) attitude, has her scheduled for one soon.

Damn the torpedoes mom.  

\
Jess, something you should be very wary about concerning letting your Mom go under anesthesia, cosidering her age. Do some research on putting an older person in good mental health "under" and then question her doctors very thoroughly. I could elaborate for some time, but won't here.

Now, O2S. Congratulations on your determination and a great outlook on life. Keep going, keep living all the life that you can.

[Jess from VA]

Jess, something you should be very wary about

Thanks for the advice, and I'm well aware of those risks, but my mom is her own boss.  She's been under many times. 

All children born with old fashioned ether, which gave her nightmares (in the 50s).

It's my understanding anesthesiologists pay the highest malpractice insurance of the entire medical profession.
 

I got Nitrous many times in my youth at the dentist.  Thank goodness.

Now I think most (and my) dentists won't use it at all for the risks to the patient (and their potential liability).

I have a very bad tooth (and swollen face) that will likely come out at 2PM today.  What a joy.

I won't get Nitrous, just a bunch of shots of Novocaine (and tennis shoe marks on my forehead).   



 

[old2soon]

Hey old friend, glad to hear of your "anniversary" and that you're still on the green side. I quit cold turkey March, 1965. It's a long story as to how it came about but have never looked back.

       John my Friend the groundwork Is laid! Share your quit story here! You and I and others Just MIGHT inspire some to Quit!  RIDE SAFE.

[scooperhsd]

The first periodntic appt I had, they used nitrous. It was so nice compared to some of the root canals I've had in the past (they were pulling out a molar - the dentist had alot of fun with that one). I wish I could get nitrous all the time for dental work, but I'll forego it if I have to pay out of pocket for it. My 2nd periodontal dentist was surprised i didn't take it - apparently them scraping below the gums bothers alot of people - but for me, it's not much worse than a regular cleaning

[scooperhsd]

Congratulations Dennis.  On surviving life's setbacks and aging, and keeping a good positive attitude.   

I myself have been having a series of setbacks come at me out of the blue, and am finding it harder to keep my usual positive attitude.  You get used to good general health and good luck, and when some if it starts to fade, it's kind of a slap to the back of the head, and brings on bad vibes.   

Deserve has got nothing to do with it...

Talking with my 91yo mom yesterday, who has had tremendous medical issues, knee replacements, back surgery, heart surgery, kidney stones, and more..... and she still has all her wits and her humor made me feel much better.  Welcome to my world Jess.

They didn't want to do a shoulder replacement on anyone her age.  But her well known medical history and happy positive (and brave) attitude, has her scheduled for one soon.

Damn the torpedoes mom. 

\
Jess, something you should be very wary about concerning letting your Mom go under anesthesia, cosidering her age. Do some research on putting an older person in good mental health "under" and then question her doctors very thoroughly. I could elaborate for some time, but won't here.

Now, O2S. Congratulations on your determination and a great outlook on life. Keep going, keep living all the life that you can.

I have some friends that the anesthisia really made the mother's dementia kick into overdrive.

[Bret SD]

    4/21/2002 I laid down my cigarettes. Been a nonsmoker since then. Bit over 20 year now BUT the damage to my lungs heart and other Important organs has been done. NOT a complaint just a sober look at what sadly has been self inflicted. On O2-5 liter on demand regulator-during the day and CPAP at night. The Fact I'm still walking on the lawn stead of being part of the lawn amuses me at times!  Thank You GOD!  RIDE SAFE.

Well done Dennis! May the winds of a long and happy life be at your back.   

[Serk]

Now I think most (and my) dentists won't use it at all for the risks to the patient (and their potential liability).

I have a very bad tooth (and swollen face) that will likely come out at 2PM today.  What a joy.

I'd be switching dentists... And here I was thinking of moving to a new one 'cause my current one charges $60 extra out of pocket for nitrous, but for me it's well worth it. And the chairs will give you a massage while they're doing their thing, so there's that too...

As far as the original topic, I smoked my last cigarette 14 years 9 months 29 days 6 hours 25 minutes ago..... But who's counting?