How Quitting Smoking Helped Angela Dunn Face Grief
November 1, 2024
Categories: Primary Care
Tags: quit smoking, smoking, Smoking Addiction, Smoking Cessation, Smoking Cessation Counseling, Quit With WakeMed
Working at WakeMed comes with many perks. Besides the unbeatable culture and team spirit, employees are also incentivized to proactively address their health concerns. Angela Dunn, who works in the WakeMed Heart Center, was excited to learn that if she quit smoking, a habit she'd kept up for 46 years, she'd enjoy lower premiums on her health insurance. Eager to save a little money, she happily signed up for Quit With WakeMed, a smoking cessation program that boasts incredible success in helping people give up tobacco products.
Saying Goodbye to Cigarettes
"I met Jessica Revels, a family nurse practitioner for Quit With WakeMed, and with her help, I stopped cold turkey on March 15, 2024. I would vent with her, show my real emotions and just go deep. It was a relief.
"She got me started on a prescription Varenicline product that blocked the effect of nicotine on my brain. Right away, I began having vivid dreams — when I'd not had memorable dreams for years."
Waking Up to Grief
"I began dreaming about my sister, remembering and replaying our lives together as she had died early on. Quitting smoking helped me face my grief over losing my sister, and it helped me remember what I'd blocked out for so long.
"Smoking was a crutch I'd used to escape facing my emotions. I was typically a one- to two-pack a day smoker, but I realized the extent to which I relied on cigarettes to cope — when in 2017, my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer that metastasized to his brain. The treatments were hard, and I was caring for him and working full-time. My life had taken a 180 degree turn, and everything I'd known to that point to be true and stable was taken from me. I was overwhelmed — and I started smoking way more. Thankfully, he pulled through and is cancer-free today."
Learning Constructive Coping Skills
"Looking back, I can see how smoking prevented me from going through those emotions in a constructive way, so now I am in therapy to learn how to cope when life gets hard — without resorting to cigarettes. We all need help sometimes because life is hard, and I'm glad I'm getting the help I need to navigate my emotions."
Saying Thanks and Offering Hope
"I want to thank Jessica and give her a shout out for listening to me because it has helped me deal with loss and show my real emotions. To anyone thinking of quitting, I say, 'Go for it, and stay strong. It's tough, but you can get through it. Just don't give up.'"
About Quit With WakeMed – Tobacco Cessation Program
Quit With WakeMed is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary program designed to help you quit tobacco for good. Our team will provide you with the tools, therapies and support you need to be successful. Our approach has been proven to be approximately 10 times more effective than quitting on your own.
Our Services:
- Virtual appointments for your convenience
- Thorough assessment and discussion of goals
- Personalized treatment plans
- Prescription medications (as needed)
- Individual or group behavioral therapies
- Ongoing follow-up
About WakeMed Primary Care
WakeMed Physician Practices features board-certified primary care, internal medicine and family medicine physicians conveniently located throughout the Triangle.
Our exceptional, compassionate providers and care teams pride themselves on developing long-term relationships with our patients and families.
We look forward to caring for you and your family and to being your family’s medical home. Call or schedule online for an in-person or virtual visit with one of our primary care providers.