Smoking habits

[Gonidae]

even though I have managed to almost quit smoking i.e 1-2 ciggies per week, I find it extremely hard to maintain this level in face of my exams? any one share this frustration?

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[fargeese]

I have the same issue, I was only a stress smoker (i.e. I would go months and months with none until something happened) but that first semester was so stressful that I totally fell off the wagon. Now that I am on vacation I am back to being totally smoking free, but I too need to find some other way to deal with stress. Perhaps alcohol is the answer, ha ha.

 

[bclover]

I imagine that reverting to our former ways of handling stress is pretty common in vet school. Me? I can be a voracious nail biter. I was fine until the first round of tests, then off they came. I've got them in great shape over the break and I am hoping that I find a better way to handle things moving forward, versus chewing them to bloody pulp (ok, maybe not quite that bad, but you get the idea). Unfortunately I also developed a new problem this fall: grinding my teeth while I sleep - so we'll see how it goes...

 

[Electrophile]

I hear you, bclover. I apparently would grind my teeth sophomore year of undergrad from stress when asleep. I'm also a stress eater big time and I've gained a lot in the last 2 years or so from not exercising as much and needing convenience and fast food and too big of portions. I'm going to try and get back into shape though since I've apparently torn the medial meniscus in my knee and the only thing that will really help is getting back in shape and losing some weight. Would be nice to go snowboarding during spring break and not be huffing and puffing at 10,000 feet too...

 

[Gonidae]

if you smoke smoke something with good quality (i.e rollies)
grinding teeth? my dentist told me that there is some kind of special protector, it won't stop you from doing that but it will protect your teeth till you can relax and stop doing that.
how about arthroscopy to correct the meniscus, I tore my lateral during skiing, outch! (can't sweam, cant hike - real bummer) waiting for the summer to do the surgery.

 

[bclover]

Gonidae, thanks, in fact, I am going to the dentist later this week for my 6-9 mo. check up and ask about the grinding protector. And, Electrophile, I have always had a love/hate relationship with food, so I am trying to embark upon more exercise, better eating. My hope is that now that I have one semester under my belt, I have a better handle on how to allocate time and I can actually find some for myself - we'll see....

 

[Gonidae]

I am terrible with everything except studying, but i found that I can combine trnsport with a little exercise... I ride the bicycle every where, be it 25 degrees Celsius or -10, I ride them every where I go. good luck with the dentist bclover!
well if you like eating at least cook it yourself, here is a nice recipe for grilled/roast (I am not sure about the diff') chicken: take two pieces 1/4 chicken (femur+tibia/fibula), put it in a marinade of choice (e.g olive oil, rosemary, black pepper, beer, lemon juice, honey, mustard, paprika, clover, oregano and lots of garlic) wait few hours, stick it in the oven for about 1 hour at 200 C and eat!!! mmmmmmmm. don't forget the potatoes

 

[fargeese]

I also have the eating issue and gained 10 lbs this last semester, my solution is going to be to make the time to exercise, at the expense of school if I have to. I know that sounds ridiculous, but my GPA is higher than I need it to be based on my career goals (i.e. I have no plans for residency or internship) so better to let it slip a .2 or .3 and live healthy. I know that sounds ridiculous, but as long as I am learning what I need to be a good vet, I am going to someone else strive for perfection and instead go ride my bike.

 

[EqSci]

FYI for people who grind their teeth... I wouldn't recommend getting the guard! Insurance doesn't cover it (mine didn't anyway) and I find it impossible to sleep with this huge plastic thing in my mouth. Besides that I never know when I'm going to grind my teeth, so I'd have to wear it every single night to be effective. $500 down the drain.

ETA: Not to mention the TORTURE I went through to have impressions made. I've had them before and they're never comfortable, but this girl did NOT know what she was doing. She picked a too-small tray both times, and after I sat there for 3 agonizing minutes with horrible pressure on my mouth, tears pouring down my cheeks (think she would've gotten the hint), the skin scraped off several of the bony parts of my mouth and bleeding, she proceeded to come back into the room and tell me that she need to do it again because it didn't work right. It took weeks for the sores in my mouth to heal. Yes, I am traumatized. Worst pain I can remember.

 

[bclover]

So, EqSci, what do you do? Just live with it?

 

[Optimistic 13]

.

 

[sms25]

I grind my teeth and clench my jaw when I get really stressed. I've done it for years and would have intermittent jaw pain because of it. I didn't do anything about it until one day my jaw was so sore I could barely open my mouth. I went to the doctor and she said it was from my teeth grinding/clenching and I needed the mouth guard. I got the mouth piece and it has helped immensely with the jaw pain. It is a pain sleeping with it in and took a while to get used to, but I think it was worth it. I wear it when I know I'm stressed (exams, finals, etc.) or if my jaw starts hurting. My insurance covered part of the cost (it cost me $200). I always feel bad when I hear people tell stories about their bad experience at the dentist because my dentist is awesome. I've been going to him since I can remember and him and his hygienist are awesome. I had no problem getting the impressions done and being fit for the mouthpiece. For me it was worth the money. Now if only I could stop picking at my cuticles...

 

[mistifical]

I have a sexy bite-guard too!

And I was fortunate enough for my health insurance to cover it (it may have cost $100 instead of $600-something). It's helped me a lot. Yeah, its bulky and awkward, but my doc is awesome. She's very feminine and knows what works but can still be comfortable. I've seen bite guards made by other people and they are seriously big and bulky and I can't imagine wearing it. Mine also fits on my bottom teeth rather than my top teeth (I think she said this was because people find it more comfortable and easy to talk with should they need to wear it during the day when they are stressed). At the beginning of the semester I would study with it in, unfortunately, I've started to forget about it since I came home for thanksgiving...

Anyways, I like it, you just need to find a really great specialist to work with for it and I think you could be really happy, espcially if insurance helps out (but really, even if insurance didn't cover it... I'm happy). On top of protecting your teeth from grinding its kind of a noxious surface to grind on/clench and I've noticed less clenching and grinding (i'm marking it up much less than i was 6 months ago when i got it).

K. Done. I was really hesitant to get it, but I am so glad that I did.

 

[EqSci]

It's interesting reading about everyone else's experiences! Yep, I just live with it bclover. I had the same experience where it got so bad once that it was painful eating/talking/etc. for several days. That's when I went ahead and finally got the night guard. Since then I haven't had any episodes like that, even though I've had much more stress. Just some aching once in a while.

Maybe I should give it another shot - I'm sure I'll need it once I'm in vet school!! And I know it's not good for my teeth regardless (I've already worn down spots).

I find it interesting that so many people have the same problem. Do you guys tend to eat when you're stressed too?

 

[Optimistic 13]

.

 

[Gonidae]

Yep, sure do. Trying to work on that, though Now that I'm out of school I'm really trying to focus on getting my eating and exercise habits back on track so hopefully I'll be able to stick to a routine regardless of the stress of vet school...

good luck with that. it is very difficult especially for a stressed person, my brother taught me a method that can help... start small! small habits and increase when you are stable enough. I started with forcing my self to take my shoes off when I got home and sit down and drink a tea, before even entering my living space. it worked wonderfully and it was a primer for an excellent daily routine that included school, propper eating, after school study exercise and even recreation time... all in one day. couldn't go back to it though the following year

 

[twelvetigers]

I had to wear headgear at night when I had braces (wait, is my nerd showing?) so I can attest to the fact that you can learn to sleep in just about any situation given a little time. The first week was very tough.

 

[EqSci]

I had to wear headgear at night when I had braces (wait, is my nerd showing?) so I can attest to the fact that you can learn to sleep in just about any situation given a little time. The first week was very tough.

Oh, I did too! I think I had everything imaginable when I was a kid. Spacers, palette expander, braces, retainer top and bottom, that head thing with the rubber bands. I'll admit I only tried to sleep in my night guard one night and got fed up. I think it would make me drool too because I can't close my mouth very well with it in. Ah, life is so hard. LOL!

 

[EqSci]

Yep, sure do. Trying to work on that, though Now that I'm out of school I'm really trying to focus on getting my eating and exercise habits back on track so hopefully I'll be able to stick to a routine regardless of the stress of vet school...

Me too. I only have 3 classes this semester so I'm going to try to make a routine. My dog forces me to get out and do something, as he's VERY high energy, and my horse does as well. But even with that it's not enough to balance out everything I eat! I'd like to get it under control and get back in shape while it's still relatively easy.

I just thought the teeth grinding and eating are probably related ways to deal with stress, and people that do one probably do the other too!

 

[tealamutt]

I also have the eating issue and gained 10 lbs this last semester, my solution is going to be to make the time to exercise, at the expense of school if I have to. I know that sounds ridiculous, but my GPA is higher than I need it to be based on my career goals (i.e. I have no plans for residency or internship) so better to let it slip a .2 or .3 and live healthy. I know that sounds ridiculous, but as long as I am learning what I need to be a good vet, I am going to someone else strive for perfection and instead go ride my bike.

I took this attitude toward the end of the semester and lo and behold, once I started committing to exercise, my stress levels went down and grades got even better!

 

[bern]

My husband got me a Wii Fit for Christmas and it's the only thing keeping me sane--the yoga program is fabulous.

Most of the reformed smokers in my class have picked up the habit again, and those of us social smokers are outside smoking more and more frequently, especially on exam days. Been a couple of divorces, and we all look considerably older than we did a year and a half ago when we started...

Clinics or bust!

 

[sofficat]

For all you smokers (and nonsmokers) out there- what is the best way to tell someone they reek of cigarette smoke? I'm not talking about the 'I just went outside to smoke and the smell followed me in the door'... I'm talking the week old stench that is filtered in clothes and hair and teeth and you get slapped in the face when the chronic smoker enters the office. I'm not trying to be rude or crude, but I think we have all had experiences with those certain technicians and you have to practically be on top of them to help restrain a dog and you can't breath. It's not like you can tell them to stop smoking inside their house because it makes all their clothes smell like week old smoke or anything like that. Any suggestions?

 

[aFarmD]

For all you smokers (and nonsmokers) out there- what is the best way to tell someone they reek of cigarette smoke? I'm not talking about the 'I just went outside to smoke and the smell followed me in the door'... I'm talking the week old stench that is filtered in clothes and hair and teeth and you get slapped in the face when the chronic smoker enters the office. I'm not trying to be rude or crude, but I think we have all had experiences with those certain technicians and you have to practically be on top of them to help restrain a dog and you can't breath. It's not like you can tell them to stop smoking inside their house because it makes all their clothes smell like week old smoke or anything like that. Any suggestions?

I suggest make a compliment on somebody else that you like their cologne or perfume and they really smell good infront of the smoker with odor. For a smart ones, one time is enought for them. For others, you might have to repeat the compliment a few time; different days ofcourse. Good luck