My IntroductionÂ….
I stuffed my lip with this shit for 27 years. Started back in the college days and had been dedicated to having my dips until my quit date 11/19/2017.
A typical weekday schedule for having my fix was the morning commute, arrive at the office, post lunch, commute home, arrive at home, post dinner, stay up late and have more. Weekends would be every opportunity I was aloneÂ…yard work, errands, post meals, bathroom visits, etc.
I ninja dipped around the house….it eats me up how my son was always frustrated I was in the bathroom when he went looking for me. I also have great regrets telling him I would quit for him when he was an infant. I didn’t keep my word to him – he’s 16 now.
I told myself I was quitting a million times – having my last dip before midnight, only to buy a fresh tin on the way to work. Other than these foolish lies to myself I never tried all that hard to quit, best effort was a 3 month period about 5 years ago.
You would think I would have tried harder because over these 27 years I have developed hives and angioedema - where my lip and tongue will periodically swell in the middle of the night. Once the Benadryl brought my swelling back down, the dip would go in and everything would be forgotten until the next episode 3 or so months later. And more recently I am having acute sinus problems.
I never told my doctor’s or dentist I dipped, but I was finally caught. On my 11/4/2017 visit my dentist said she was concerned how my cheek gums looked – I had developed Leukoplakia. This finally scared me and I tapered way off until I quit for good 15 days later.
Ever since I quit my sinuses have been acting up and my cheeks throb. I went to my PCP and he gave me the all clear on the oral cancer screening. He sent me to the ENT for my sinuses who has me doing nasal rinses. He also gave me the all clear on the oral cancer screen. I went back to my dentist on day 30 of my quit and they said the Leukoplakia was not all that bad, they have seen much worse and gave me the all clear on the oral cancer screen.
Despite the recent “all clears” I have been struggling - not with cravings (I am still too consumed with my health) – but with a mixture of the physical symptoms (sinus problems, cheeks that throb, and an episode of angioedema where I used to pack a dip) and withdrawal symptoms (anxiousness over my health and fog, irritability, lack of motivation/concentration). For now I am taking everything ODAAT. I hope the symptoms I am struggling with are a result of my body healing.
Anyway, that's my story. I wrote this because I appreciate the site and respect the people on here and wanted to contribute my story in case it could help anyone down the line.
