Hi guys. Thanks for the site! Can be tough finding people going through the same thing. Comforting that others are going through the same stuff I am as well.
A little about me: I starting dipping here and there in high school only on the weekends. Whatever we could get our hands on to be "cool". My regular dipping habit started as a freshman in college. Since then (12 years ago), I have been a regular dipper ranging from 1/2 tin per day to 1 tin per day. Almost exclusively Grizzly Wintergreen Pouches. I never thought much about it because "its only pouches" and "I can quite when I want". I never even considered quitting until about 3 years ago when I first started to notice basic side effects: teeth starting to yellow, sore gums, occasional bleeding from the dip and over brushing to compensate, etc. Then I met the girl of my dreams, got engaged, and quitting become a serious priority.
Little did I know, quitting is freaking hard! I first "quit" last year around Sept. 1. Made it about 100 days. Went through the "fog" and got through it. Things were going fine until the holidays rolled around. Friend offered me a pouch while drinking, accepted, then bam right back it.
Now I am 38 days into my current quit. The initial phase, "fog", etc. was much easier. I went through it not that long ago, so I knew what was coming. This time, though, my anxiety is through the roof, especially about the dreaded c-word. I seem to look at every little spec of anything in my mouth countless times throughout the day. Just can't get my mind off of it. Then you search on the internet and you see the worst pictures imaginable. Anybody else go through this?
Im going through it right now bother and have been for the past 3 or more weeks(day 46 for me). Its on my mind every day, all day. Any new bump i feel i think about it, and small pain i feel, i think about it. Some days are better than others but it does get better.
Found my breaking point to, Broke down and started to cry 2 weeks ago in front of my mother I was so scared and petrified of going out the way my granfather did (mouth cancer) scary stuff to watch but getting through it all.
Keep your quit going.
Jack, I think every one of us has worried at one time or another about a speck, spot or sore in our mouths. That is just another price we have to pay for our addiction.
The best piece of advice that I can give you is to go see a dentist. You are going to have to see one eventually. Why not go see one now? Chances are that everything will be fine. I have now been tobacco free for over 200 days and I have had both a dentist and a dermatologist check out my mouth since I quit. And I feel much better knowing they both gave me a thumbs up.
^^^ go see the dentist, it helps with your quit. I make them write it in my chart every time I go to my dentist, 1458 update that SOB!
Anxiety after quitting is rough, PM if you need help, I struggled with it hard as many did on the site. There are tons of resources and help on KTC, read up and arm yourself.
I've had the worst anxiety about disease ever. A couple of weeks ago I got pneumonia - at the time I was terrified. I thought that the chest x-rays and chest CT scans would find something - that there's gotta be something wrong with me. Bumps/pimples on my face that don't go away quickly... Sore throat near my Adam's apple... Those things spiked my blood pressure through the roof.
My most recent dental appointment: no problems - no discoloration.
Follow-up appointment with my doc: no problems - just need a slight increase in BP medicine.
The pimple things? Going away. The "sore throat"? Doctor wasn't alarmed at all - and it's gone.
I guess my body is healing itself. Slowly. Little by little. My task is to pray to the LORD for health and eat healthy and exercise and treat my body with respect after years of treating it like shit.
