Weeeeeeeeell.......

I have done myself a disservice. I started with the 21mg patch. The box said if you smoke 10+ cigs a day that's the one you should have. Problem is I wasn't even getting 21mg of nicotine a day at my heaviest smoking point. 

You see different brands have different levels of nicotine in the cigarette. Kings, Lights, Menthol also play a factor in how many mgs you get out of each cig.

Long story short, I was more jittery, irritable, and clock watching on the patch and it just didn't make sense til I did some research and found out I was pumping way more nicotine into my body than I needed. It got to the point that I set the timer back to 1:30 where I was comfortable.

I stopped the patch on Saturday and it's been a lot smoother. The timer is back at 1:40 and tomorrow it'll go up to 2 hours. Now I hardly look at the timer before it goes off. I'm no longer jittery or agitated.

I did miss my quit date, but I'm still truckin' along. Jase and I talked it over and decided it was really for the best. Slow, steady, permanent. That's the real goal. I'm not even setting a new quit date. I am fairly certain I will just not buy anymore when my pack runs out.

I was reading a quit guide today and this part had me saying "EXACTLY"!

If you find a program that allows you to keep smoking while you are learning how to quit, you will have more of a chance of quitting calmly, comfortably and permanently. You need to be ready and prepared before you actually stop smoking so you don't feel like you lost your best friend or got hit by a freight train when you finally do stop smoking.

This is the info I found on nicotine dosages.
You may be on too high of a mg. dosage of nicotine patch. Contrary to what the patch manufacturers or doctors tell you, you need to look up the nicotine level of the cigarettes that you were smoking to know what level of patch you need to be on.

Nicotine makes your heart-rate beat 10,000 more beats a day and stresses out the heart.
There are 3 strengths of nicotine patches
21 mg
14 mg
7 mg

The patch manufacturers and doctors will ask how many packs do you smoke a day and then if you smoke a pack a day they will put you on the 21 mg patch.

They say if you smoke 1/2 pack a day they will put you on the 14 mg patch.

Many times people can't even sleep because the nicotine level is way too high.

To make sure that you are getting the right amount of nicotine if you are going to use a patch, look at a nicotine chart.

It depends on the nicotine level, not on how "many" they smoke.

Now I am going to list the symptoms I've been experiencing thus far.

Gas or flatulence- who knew?! I was full of hot air after all!

Constipation - This may last for several weeks. Cigarettes used to act like a diuretic and also like a laxative. Holy crap! Actually, not to crap! This one is the worst!

Swelling/Bloating/Tight Waistbands - This is due to fluid retention. Drink a lot of water and cut down on sodium. People tend to gain 3 to 7 pounds of temporary water weight when they quit smoking cold turkey. I am HUGE! Can someone send those waistband extenders?

Sinus Congestion - This is caused by a clearing out of the sinuses. It is almost as if (for a short period of time) someone turns on a little water hose in your head. This symptom may last up to 2 months. Fun!!!!

Cough, Throat Clearing

Hoarseness - This is also due to the fact that smokers are not "smoking" the soft tissues in the throat and the new non-smoker is getting some tender "baby" tissue almost like when a baby is teething. Basically, the tissue in the throat is regenerating. This may last several months.

Vivid Dreams- Again, fun!

FATIGUE, SLEEPINESS, DROWSINESS, AND DON'T GIVE A RIP! When you are not getting that punch of nicotine, you get tired, sleepy and lethargic.