While I'm new, I've been lurking so long that I feel like I know all of you that are long-time posters here.

Not only am I a proud mom to all my villagers, I'm also a proud mom of my 9 cats! The oldest is 16. She has diabetes, but is still in good health otherwise. The youngest three are sisters and they are 9. The rest of them are stairstepped in ages.

My age is 50 and I'm disabled with COPD. That's a combination of Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema. I have the Emphysema part and yes, it was caused by smoking. PLEASE, PLEASE don't any of you start smoking. If you already do please quit because the symptoms start showing up LONG before you normally get diagnosed. I'm on oxygen at night and if I do anything strenuous. You definitely don't want to wind up in my condition, that's for sure!!!

That's enough about me, and probably TMI for some.

Hope to get to know everyone a LOT better soon. OH, I won't be here for awhile once VV3 makes it appearance. I want to try to solve all the puzzles myself. If I come here I'm such a wimp that I KNOW I'd look at the answers and then I'll get mad at myself!! LOL

Happy Day!!

Hey! Hello Pookie9!! and welcome! Please, give a little stroke for me to your cats!!

(I stopped smoking the 12 december 2007 )

Welcome to the forums and enjoy your stay with us.

I am sorry to hear about your COPD, my mom has that as well from smoke'mg as well. She has been on the patch for 3 weeks now I am so proud of her. Yes I know how it is when you do some thing
strenuous you can't breath and shut down. I have had to go to a driffrent state to take care of my mom cause her other kids wont. She is on oxygen 24 7.

okay well back to say'ng hi and welcome. This is a friendly place to hang out chat in the shout box, make post and make new friends. Hope you enjoy it here.

Also I am a mother of 6 kids 4 mine and 2 step and about 31 fish and one lizzard lol. I am 31 will be 32 9/14

PS If you would like to PM and chat it will be okay. Have a good one today and 2morrow and many more to come


Sonya

Welcome to the forums!!!

Welcome Pookie! I feel so sorry for you and I'm trying to get my mom AND cousin to quit , and so far it's been futile.

WAY TO GO on the quitting smoking, Laurence!!!! I'm sooooo proud of you!! I gave the cats a little stroke for you when it was suppertime for them. That way I could get 'em all at one time!

Hi Lucas! I'm so sorry to hear that your mom has this disease too. You have reason to be proud of her for quitting, I'm proud of her too!! I'm sorry to hear that you had to move to take care of her. Thankfully my hubby goes to the grocery store and runs errands for me, but by the same token I need to do more so I won't lose what energy I have. It's a weird situation, you're out of breath but you have to do more to keep what you have and not get worse.

Talk about energy!! You must have it in bushels with 6 kids and Mom to look after, or at least you must have the energy in the morning!!

Thank you Krystal and Halidog! It's sooooooo nice to be on a great forum like this!! I love how young and old can mingle without problems. It's the best forum on the whole internet!!

Ah, Halidog......please don't feel sorry for me. I did it to myself, it's a part of me now and I finally accept that. For over a year I was lost in a world of depression that didn't seem like it was ever going to lift. Then last July I had a seizure and died. Fortunately my better half was here and through 911 he got my heart beating again. I was in a coma for 3 days and the doctors told him twice I wouldn't make it through. The best part is that I DID!!!!

That's the story behind my signature line......If you ever want to see a rainbow you've got to stand a little rain!! I did and I see that rainbow every day now. I've learned to appreciate the time I have on this earth. Which has been a blessing to me!!

Thanks so much for the warm welcome!! I really, REALLY like it here!!

Welcome to the forums I got my dad to stop smoking very difficlt though

Yes Laurence thats very good I am proud of you.

Well my mom lived into diffrwent states that I had to drop every thing and go take care of her then I moved her in with me and then she went back with her husband. Now she is doing better. My mom cant stand to smell any thing it shuts her down to where she stopes breathing. That is scary. But I know enough to help her come out of that state of panic.

The good Lord gives me my energy to push on the hard times.

People with COPD require alot of help and it is alot of energy let me tell you.

I am happy you made it out of the coma. Well my mom cant bath her self she is bad. But on the way to recovery.

hey and welcome pookie9. i'm happy to see that i'm not the only "crazy cat lady" here. i have 11 cats, 3 dogs, 1 horse, and 1 kid. well, 2 kids if you count my partner as one like i generally do. the animals were all strays and shelterites that i'm too soft to say no to.

sorry to hear about the empysema. my great-granda had it in his one lung. he started smoking in WW2, and didn't quit until the mid 90's. and then it was only because he couldn't drive anymore, and nobody else would buy for him. thankfully the neighbor kids that he kept trying to bribe were too young.

Lol!

Welcome to the forums my fellow long-time lurker! Hope you enjoy your stay here Pookie.

I'm sorry that you suffer from COPD... I know a few people who suffer from the emphysema portion of the disease and know how hard it is for them to do anything because of it as they are on oxygen 24/7. I'm just grateful that they decided to quit smoking at this point instead of continuing on as some do.

P.S. Congratulations laurence on quitting!

hello! wow, nine cats! i luv cats, they are my fave animal!
i hope you enjoy your stay in the forums

thats awesome! december 12 is my b. day!

Hi VVFanatic! Wow! Great job on your father, I bet he really thanks you now too.

Lucas, I'm the same way about smells. Perfume sends me over the edge, I simply have to get away from it.

Niki13, we sound like two peas in a pod. We live on a farm and somehow people think that ALL farms need cats. All of our cats have been dumped, with the exception of the 3 kittens that were born in our house after the mother got dumped. We had a full-blooded Black Lab dumped also and found out the reason after a trip to the vet. She had heartworms. After the treatment the vet said she was the worst case she's ever seen that lived. She died 5 years ago of old age. Believe it or not all of our cats are female and yes, we had them ALL fixed.

Hi Houjun! Yes, it's an extremely difficult thing to quit smoking even with the COPD diagnosis. Especially during the depression stage. The guy that came to service my oxygen machine said he went into house to service their machine and the man was sitting there smoking a cigarette while the oxygen was ON. He told the man he was NOT coming into the house until he either put the cigarette out or turned off the oxygen. Guess he forgot that oxygen is flammable.

Thanks Erica! Cats are such fascinating creatures. Hubby still would love to have a dog, but can you just imagine what would happen to the poor dog in this house?

Konnichi Pookie9! Welcome!

I will never smoke!My whole family smokes except for the ones that aren't old enough and one of my older brothers!I try to get
them to quit...But so far we are going nowhere...

Welcome Pookie9
These forums are great!
I'm glad that you made it
before it's too late!

Illness you fight,
with all of your might,
But it's all up to God,
to heal all our plight.

Now I'm a dog lover,
They'll do as they're told!
Cats just won't listen!
They're too bloomin' bold!

Welcome Pookie!!
I look forward to getting to know you too!

welcome! and ewwwwww smoking

Konnichi, HitsuHina. Thanks!

Cole, it's very hard to quit, especially if someone has been smoking for any length of time. Keep trying (nicely) to get them to quit. Tell them you're just trying to save them some heartache when they get older and can't breathe.

Rockmower, your poems are simply wonderful. You have a unique style of wisdom and comedy that is grrrrrreat!! It is only through God's will that healing comes, whether the illness is internally or externally. Cats ARE bold, that's for sure!! Although I do have one that will play catch and retrieve with her play mousies, I sure didn't teach her.....she did it herself!

Thank you HappyPlayer! I love your little bouncy happy face. It makes me smile everytime I see it.

Thanks Darkjinxkid! Love your attitude about smoking! The best one to have!