Hi Loops,
Sorry to hear about that dreadful migraine. Sounded absolutely wicked. Let's hope you won't have one of them for another few years...
You wrote this above:
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Still feeling spaced out. Also have a new zit on my chin. However did sleep last night. Apparently feeling spaced out can continue for quite awhile - does anybody have experience with this? I would assume levels of neurotransmitters take awhile to re-establish themselves. I certainly didn't have this spaciness on Chantix - so it must be the un-filled nicotinic acetylcholine receptors still floating around up there. I read it takes 6 months for the brain to 'restructure' itself or whatever after nicotine withdrawal. That's fine, as long as this continues to get easier.
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Feeling spacey is something I'm familiar with. With me, I think it is low blood sugar in the brain that does it. Maybe that happens with giving up the smokes, too. I find that licquorice root capsules help me with that, although, of course, I can't know if your symptoms are related to low blood sugar. But seeing as they're dirt cheap if you get them from iherb.com, the "NOW" brand (about 4 or 5 US dollars), you could risk it anyway.
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I was looking up nicotine gum withdrawal and sure enough, migraines have been documented. Well at least they have pills for that kind of thing and hopefully it won't happen again.
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Modern medicine is sometimes a Godsend...
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So everyday, or actually every time I get a craving, I step outside and honestly give myself a choice, but I make myself aware of the real situation. No such thing as one cigarette or piece of nicotine gum - it's an all or nothing choice. So then I am not stuck in some 'quit box' where I don't have a choice about anything.
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This sounds like a very wise thing to do. I think it might also be a good idea to just take a few deep breaths when you step outside, too. I think sometimes that the "relaxing" feeling we
think we get from smoking is merely the fact that you tend to take a break from what you're doing and sit down and take a few deep breaths whilst you inhale the smoke. Of course, the nicotine just makes your heart race, your blood pressure goes up and it isn't in fact the least bit relaxing at all!!!
BUT, we con ourselves - as smokers - that it
is somehow relaxing, which is - this is my own pet theory - because we associate smoking with taking deep breaths. But, of course, we can take deep breaths
without having to stick a tube of white paper filled with dried-out plant matter into our faces!!! And, if we do so, then we really will feel more relaxed!!!
I wish you the very very best with this project. It could be the best thing you've done to yourself for a long time. But, like you say, you have a choice: but you have to be realistic. Either you go out and have a smoke
and instantly become a smoker again or you go out, take a few deep breaths and say, "No, I don't want to become a smoker again. I don't want to
ever have to go through these withdrawal symptoms ever again!!!"
Take care,
amanda