Hello Bolivar:

 

My husband was also diagnosed with a vascular problem, three abdominal aorta aneurysms, and his doctor said he was a walking timebomb just as I'm sure your doctor has told you.  He said you have two choices to make.  You quit smoking and I will attempt to repair the damage that nicotine has done to your body, or two...you can keep smoking and wait for your arteries to explode and you will bleed to death.

 

That was six years ago.  He either quit or continued smoking and face sudden death.  It was a certainty.  Circulatory and cardiac problems many times offer no warning of impending death like our lungs or organs do when we smoke.  Death is usually instantaneous and suffering is minimal.  One puff and it's over.  Done.  We don't live to see old age and we don't live to see those we love grow and thrive.

 

There is no agony like the agony a family faces when a loved one suddenly dies from a condition that would likely have improved if that person had stopped smoking.  Below I will give you links to people who lost their lives at a very young age because they did not think nicotine would harm them.

 

Don't think that quitting is agonizing.  Quitting can be the most rewarding experience of your life.  Never compare your quit with others quits or even your own past attempts to quit with this quit, because they are all different.  (Every quit is different)

 

My husband and I quit smoking six years ago after smoking four decades and he survived his surgery.  Our lives have changed dramatically since then and each day has been a gift.  We find it difficult to remember why we ever smoked or even why we continued now that we know about nicotine addiction.  We are thankful that things turned our the way they did and that we finally made up our minds to quit.  Read all the threads and links offered in the above posts and you will see how each day that passes nicotine free becomes easier and easier.  You will also see that gaining your freedom is a simple as never taking another puff.   You can do this.  We did and we love living nicotine free.

 

Memorial to family and friends

 

Wishing you the best,