A smoker since she was 21, East Belfast’s Michelle Laffin has credited the South Eastern Trust’s Smoking Cessation Team with helping her quit her 20-a-day habit and embracing a zest for fitness.
Michelle explained how it was during a holiday last August that she had begun to feel unwell and, “Experience some numbness down my left hand side.” Michelle’s GP sent her to the ED at the Ulster Hospital and she was admitted for further tests to rule out a possible stroke.
Michelle described how it was being on the Respiratory Ward that she began to read leaflets and pamphlets on the ways to stop smoking that sparked what would become a life changing link with the Trust Smoking Cessation Team.
Michelle added, “I asked if I could see the Team and so they came to see me while I was on the ward. They explained how they could help me, that it was a 12 week programme and the support that was available. When I was discharged from the hospital – and I have to be honest – I took off my nicotine patch that I had been wearing and had a cigarette. I never felt so sick in my life. I felt like I was going to faint and thought to myself, ‘What are you doing?’ That was the last time I had a cigarette.”
Michelle became more determined than ever to quit smoking and with the help of the Cessation Team faced her journey to becoming a non-smoker head on. “Of course the hardest part of giving up was the first couple of weeks. The Team really helped me be accountable and when someone from the Team rang me to ask how things were going, I was so proud to say, ‘I haven’t been smoking’.”
The 53-year-old has chalked up a whole year of being a non-smoker and transformed her home into a gym. “I started exercising and making small changes very slowly at the start of my giving up cigarettes, the Couch to 5K app has been amazing for me and I’m running for 30 minutes, three times a week now and I go swimming every Saturday.”
Michelle continued, “Giving up smoking is the best thing I have ever done in my life. I’m just annoyed I haven’t done it sooner. It has really changed my perspective. I remember buying a blood pressure machine when I came out of the hospital. My blood pressure was always high but since giving up smoking I have great readings now, my risk of a stroke has clearly dropped.”
“Smoking is a terrible addiction but you can stop it and I have not looked back.”
South Eastern Trust Smoking Cessation Co-ordinator Karen McCann described how their team feel the upmost pride, “When we hear of patients who see their health improving when they take part in our programme.”
“We offer a Stop Smoking Service to all patients in the South Eastern Trust area. It is a 12-week programme and incorporates medication and motivational advice for patients. The evidence shows how by engaging with our Team you are four times more likely to success on your journey to becoming a non-smoker.”
Karen continued, “We offer one-to-one support over the phone and we also see patients who are on the wards. It is so rewarding to hear that a patient has become a non-smoker and the benefits they are experiencing in their physical and mental health.”
South Eastern Trust Health Improvement Midwife Lisa Caddy, explained how she and fellow Midwife Emily Moss, work within the hospital Stop Smoking team, to provide a specialist service to pregnant women called ‘Smokefree Wombs’.
“It’s our goal within Smokefree Wombs to help women be as healthy as possible during their pregnancy. We know this will lead to healthier outcomes for mother and baby, during pregnancy, birth and beyond,” said Lisa.
“We offer a 12-week Stop Smoking Service to all of our pregnant women and this can incorporate motivational support and medication. We would love to see you if you are deciding to quit smoking. We know that giving up smoking can be daunting, but with our help you are more likely to succeed and quit for good.
“Bringing a baby into a smoke free environment has life-long benefits for you and for baby.”
For further information or to find your nearest service please visit the PHA website www.stopsmokingni.info
