After 7 days of quit - I'm still functioning. I'm sleeping, going to work, playing with my kids, spending time with the wife - all without nicotine. It's amazing. My only problem now is that I'm a hypochondriac - is this a normal stage of recovery? I swear I got the flashlight out and inspected the inside of my mouth thinking every little lump and blemish is cancer. I've spent hours on the internet researching cancer and treatment options - like I already have it. I can live without the dip at this point - but the constant worry over cancer is going to put me over the edge. Any suggestions?
go to the dentist. also read ktc.org the what to expect section.
you mouth is going through all kinds of changes as it adjusts to no longer being the place the poison entered the body.
Also if you are using seeds, all that extra salt is now being put in your mouth.
I went through similar stuff the first few days of my quit.
I also went through the same shit. (not the worrying about cancer part.) But damn my mouth hurt. I was not too concerned because as Kevin pointed out, info on this sight warns that your mouth is gonna go through some recovery.
My tongue still hurts sometimes because I can eat an entire (Big) bag of seeds in a day.
Give yourself a break from the worrying for a day. Just say, "fuck it, all is well" and believe it for the entire day. Talk yourself into it. Everytime the worry of cancer pops up, stop, recognize that your thinking about it. Then say, "Nope, I'm gonna be fine."
I consider this the reverse mind fuck. In a positive direction though.
Give it a shot. Let me know if it works.
I agree with Kevin, go see the dentist and put your mind at ease.
I have no idea if this makes any cents. Just taking a shot at helping.
Dude, well done on the quit. I'm proud of you. It takes big ole fucking brass balls to quit this shit. I was where you are now not too long ago. I know what it takes and what you are going through.
You can do this!!!!!!
ahh... welcome to my world my friend. i'm sorry to say that you're experiencing the same feelings of dread that i did (and still do now and again). i'm not a doctor so i'll just be talking from personal experience here - keep in mind that your mileage may vary.
since i've quit, i've diagnosed myself with lung, throat, brain, stomach, mouth and ovarian cancer. i've also had 2 heart attacks (which i took myself to the ER for both times), had extreme anxiety, had acid reflux, gerd insomnia.
i've even had rare forms of diseases that no one has ever fucking heard of but i developed because i quit dipping after 16 years. oh yeah, almost forgot an inner ear imbalnce cause i was so fucking dizzy during my 3 months of fog.
needless to say, i'm still here, alive and kicking. i don't have any of those things (with the exception of acid reflux which i had LONG before i quit dipping).
i still to this day worry when i get a sore throat or a sore in my mouth. i always tell people that a good rule of thumb is if something sticks around for more than 2 weeks then you should go get it checked out. jerry (from december 06) is a dentist and he told me the same thing (during one freak out episode a while back where i was sure that this was the end). i've found that going to the doc/dentist does wonders for peace of mind, but in the end of the day does nothing for you except get you another co-pay.
here's the way i look at things these days - i chewed for over 16 years... and during ALL of that time, i NEVER had anything wrong with me... no sores in my mouth, no cancer, no heart attacks, etc... would it be HIGHLY ironic and coincidental if ALL of this shit happened NOW... AFTER I QUIT?
like i said, there's nothing wrong with getting checked, but chances are you're out thinking yourself.
remember this - you've done the best thing that you can do for your future health... you've quit. we can't go back and undo all of that damage that we've done so i don't bother thinking about it at this point.
move forward day by day... it's worked so far for me ;)
sorry for the rambling - let me know if there's anything else i can do for you.
chewie
