Well, she hasn’t had a cigarette or beer since last Sunday, Christmas Eve.
We had an ongoing discussion during the week about my concerns over how she was that night. She ‘fessed up to having only quit smoking for a couple of weeks after her surgery back in 1999.
She said she probably was smoking a pack a day every since.
She tells me this and I do my best to not let my disappointment show in my voice. She has so much and those damned cigarettes just won’t let go of her. And to think she’s been keeping this a secret for over six years is just unimaginable. Never knowing when I might just drop in, although I’ve never been much of one to just drop by.
All the things she’s complained about, the always being cold, the fact that food just doesn’t taste good so she doesn’t eat (and keeps losing weight), I just keep going back to the tobacco. After all, people have a hard time quitting and not gaining weight. Mom can most certainly USE the weight, she’s skin and bones.
Brian and I went to breakfast this morning and stopped by her house on the way home. We went up to the back door and it was locked. I called her on my cell and she almost yelled “where were you?” She was upset that I hadn’t called her like I usually do on weekday mornings. I said “we’re at your back door, let us in.” We gave her the Sharp’s non alcoholic beer we picked up for her at CostCo last week.
She showed me the nicotine patch and proudly told us that she’d not had a cigarette or a beer since last Sunday. I praised her and gave her a big hug (can’t do a tight one since she’s so thin, don’t want to break anything). She said she’s feeling better than she had been. One of the things she’s been complaining about is this cold she’s had that just won’t go away, and along with it, a queasy feeling. Maybe an empty tummy does that. I dunno.
But if she’s truly feeling better, that would be a positive reinforcement for what she’s doing.
I’m very proud of her for even trying. She’s a tough old broad and I know she can do it if she really wants to.
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