Smoked a cigarette!

Darn it!!

My hubby was charged with careless driving on July 16, 2010 and he paid it immediately by cheque. It was cashed so we figured that all was fine. He however, felt very intimidated by the officer and felt the charge was way out of line. We got a Co. who felt the same way about the charge and felt it was just a fender bender. So my hubby went with our daughter to appeal court with the Co.'s representative on Dec 16, 2010. The charge was amended down to failing to yield and the charge for that fine was also paid by him in Jan 2011. The judge said that my hubby would get a refund of that charge of careless driving and the merit points would be reduced from 6 to 3. Damage to our car was just some paint job in the front barely over the deductible of $500.

Waiting for a refund of the careless driving fine..........

I called begin March to find out when the refund cheque would be sent. Guess what? They didn't see the payment!! Calls and emails with proof of payments back and forth. Got a letter of Notice of Fine and Due Date and Conviction Date on March 9, 2011. Got call from Court Services to pay up the fine for careless driving! DUH!!

Just found out today that the Ministry of Transportation wants from the court an amendment, cancelling the conviction of March 9, 2011. *sigh* :banghead:banghead:banghead We will hear from another person because the person I have been dealing with doesn't do that, also reducing the merit points have still to be done.

This has been going on for months and am sick and tired of this whole mess. My nerves got so bad that I had to have a cigarette and the awful thing is that it tasted too yummy! I don't want to go back to smoking. :cry:cry I fought so hard to overcome the urges to smoke for almost 2 years. This case is getting to me... fcuk!! I am in bad health for over 5 years and combined with the above is almost too much for me to bear. It's like banging your head against the wall dealing with bureaucracy.

I almost feel like taking the TO court services to court! They messed up royally!!

Done ranting and hopefully no more smoking!! My hubby still smokes that's why access to a cigarette was that easy!!

 

@ Moderator/Administrator.

Please delete this thread as rants are not encouraged. Sorry.

Thank you.

 

Sorry to hear it... been there done that... spent almost 4 years fighting social security trying to get SSDI for my wife who was dx'd with Primary Progressive Multiple Scelerosis 5 years ago...

 

Thanks Tim for understanding as you have been there as well, bureaucracy-wise.

My rant here must have helped in addition to 3 phone messages that I left to the same person within less than 2 hours. (Hehe, someone over there reading MG? lol) Got a call back, she faxed the necessary info to the Ministry of Transportation and the adjustment in merit points will be shown in 4 business days. I will check that out. The refund cheque will take 6 months.

One doesn't really need that, an illness as serious as MS and then in addition the bureaucracy. I am sorry to hear that your wife has MS and understand it. My daughter has mild MS but had to cut back from a full time managerial position to a part time job inside the same co. She refuses(d) all medications and has been under treatment with a naturopathic doctor since MS was suspected but not diagnosed yet. Yearly MRI scans do not see any progression which she contributes to the naturopathic supplements etc. She's been lucky so far, although she sometimes is worried she will end up in a wheelchair.

 

Thanks for your support.. we both wish the same for your daughter... if I may, do not dilly dally with regular physicians, although their intent can be good, they just don't have the EXPERIENCE with the disease. Go to a specialist and then, only maybe 1 in 100 neurologists are able to clearly dx MS and what type.
We were fortunate that Dr. Tim Volmer was still at Barrow Medical Center at the time. He is the only one who cleary saw what my wife had, and he is/was probably the #2 go to guy in the world... he is back in Colorado on the university level now as he couldn't keep up the he wanted and still see hundreds and hundreds of patients...
Dr. Bomprizzi who took his place is excellent.
Just a suggestion... luv my regular docs, but without specialization experience, they're incapable.
It is extremely distinguish the differences in the brain from migraine, normal water, etc., unless the disease is highly progressed.
Good luck... if you ever have questions, please feel free to contact us... we're always here to help...

 

Something similar happened to me and an insurance company. $5,000 our of my pocket and the insurance didn't pay a thing... AND.... I now have a pre-existing condition so even if i wanted to get other insurance I can't because it wouldn't be covered.

So my insurance didn't pay a thing, yet it is in their records so it is a pre-existing condition now.. and the $5,000 didn't fix a god damn thing.

 

Thanks Tim. Yep, it was about time to get a break from this crap. In my younger years I used to roll up my sleeves and say.... com'on gimme some more :-D and on one occasion pinched myself and questioned myself .... Am I human? Probably angered the gods. :-D Just need a little break now and then.

 

Thanks. Great that your wife has one of the best neurologists in the country. Trust in your doctors is so very vital and so is having a supportive hubby. That makes a huge difference.

My daughter sees her neurologist on a yearly basis but she won't touch any prescription medications so the doc ain't pleased about that. She is like her mother, (me) extremely sensitive to all medications' side effects. We support her in her decisions as do her husband and son. MS was diagnosed abt 7 years ago.

 

That's awful. Sometimes, when it rains, it pours eh? From a puddle to a ditch. Hopefully that will change in the nearby future.

 

Thinking of you Oma and hope things do clear up. I can related to what you said plus all other post in here. Just hope it all clears up soon. And I really hope the cigs stay away

 

It certainly does. I've been waiting about 18 months (with a horrible sciatic nerve issue no doubt :cry). I should be able to get coverage soon. Can't believe it's been that long.

 

Got a followup call from court services today and got told that the cheque will be expedited so we would get it soon. No time frame though. Yeah yeah yeah. Got to see it before believing it. Now battling again the urges to smoke again. It feels like starting all over again in dealing with those cravings. Ouch!!

 

Been battling them for 10 years. In my case, I do the following:

1. Play chess constantly, both live and online.
2. Always have something to occupy my taste buds (chewing gum, Lifesavers, Hershey's Kisses, whatever).
3. Always have something to occupy my fingers (keyboard, a pencil, my pocketknife, a random chess piece, whatever).
4. Try to be around non-smokers, if possible.

You get my drift...

 

I hope you get closure on this Oma, it is not good for the nerves dealing with bureaucracy.

You may remember from your time in your birth land that it is rife here as well.
My father in law died almost 2 years ago and we still have paperwork asking for payments regarding his house (local tax and ground tax) we disputed some of the demands and were told to pay first then go to arbitration, then we had to fight to get our money back.

It really makes you angry that they can demand payment but the reverse is not true, they take their own sweet time to repay any overpayment's.

 

Thanks silas. Yeah, so far I've been able to stay away from them but it ain't easy. After just one cigarette yesterday, all hell broke loose. Feels as if my nicotine receptors are waiting to be satisfied. The cravings are worse after I took that one ciggie yesterday. Was a smoker for 50 years and I've quit numerous times over the years. So far this time is has almost been 2 years, the longest time ever. I know all about cravings.

Thanks. Yup Caliban, I know all the tricks in the books regarding keeping these cravings in check. The doilies and table cloths I crocheted in the past can tell the tale, although about all were given away. I just snapped yesterday. Knowing yet doing is a different ball game. Hope to hang on and not to give in these strong cravings now. They are stronger than the day before yesterday.

 

Thank you for your support Bill. One cannot escape bureaucracy I guess. *sigh* Having to go still through paperwork 2 years after your FIL passed away is just awful and then having to fight for what was yours to begin with. You have been going through a lot Bill. It only can get better isn't it?

 

I think i was just born unlucky but at least i can still smile about it :-D

 

That's the only way to keep one's sanity eh?

 

Thanks to your support guys I have been able to NOT smoke any additional cigarettes. See, knowing myself and due to numerous failed attempts in the past I was terrified to get smoking again. I *knew* from experience that smoking only 1 cigarette would be business as *usual* again.

NOT THIS TIME THOUGH!! NOT YET ANYWAY!! :highfive :celebrate :celebrate

Still cravings but not as *urgently* strong as yesterday.


THANKS!!

 

Good to hear oma! I'm on month 4 of not smoking after having smoked a pack a day for 10 years and it feels damn good!

We all fall of the wagon every once in awhile the important thing was you got back on and kept goin' :cool

 

Fell off the bandwagon and restarted smoking up to 4-5 ciggies daily lately. Am royally disgusted with myself. Begged my hubby NOT to have his ciggies in the house but he won't do it. He's not to be blamed though, it's me sneaking into his jacket where he keeps them. The stench is unbearable in my house yet I somehow cannot stop this time. Feel it in my chest, it's not agreeing with me at all ... HAVE to stop!! All this work for almost 2 years for nothing. :cry:cry Don't know if I have the strength this time to stop again although I know I HAVE to stop!!

Dammit! Where is my willpower!

Yes, it felt good while I wasn't smoking and felt proud of myself. Not so this time.

 

Sorry to hear you are back smoking, i know just how you feel.

I stopped for 10 years and for the life of me can not tell you why i started again but now just can not stop.

I know it is willpower but it seems i don't have any :cry

 

Oh BILL!! I feel for you, having quit for 10 years and going back on! Once a smoker, always a smoker eh, just like an alcoholic and we know all about it. Hopefully we can muster the strength some time soon to quit again. I'm smoking right now and feeling sorta dizzy... I want to stop desperately but somehow I'm going into my hubby's jacket and can't stop this time around. After the 1st ciggie it took me a week before getting the 2nd one and now it seems to be a lost cause. Smoking makes me feel sorta nervous and adds to my nausea. I NEED to stop because it's not good for my condition, I feel it clearly. My doc will get a fit!! My hubby just caught me smoking and now I get hell from him, don't need that!! I keep on asking him to put his ciggies in the car in the underground garage but he won't.

Damn those nicotine receptors. :boxing :banghead

 

Hi Oma.

Sorry to hear about your maddening legal troubles and your renewed battle with cigarettes.
I was a relatively light smoker but it still caused health problems as I developed a cough
and had frequent congestion in my throat. I finally managed to quit for 4 years and was
better off as a result. It was a foolish move to start again as it is highly addictive.

Once I quit and had been away from it for a while, I had no cravings at all.
I remember sitting at the computer and thinking "wow, I used to sit here and smoke,
but now I don't want it and it doesn't bother me at all".

Time magazine did a cover article about addiction which is very good. It explains what
addiction is, how it occurs and includes some meaningful illustrations of the chemical processes
that occur in the brain.

TIME: "HOW WE GET ADDICTED...and how we might get cured" - Vol. 149 No. 18 - May 5, 1997

Often I think it is not just the addictive effects that contribute to continuing an unwanted habit, but also life's emotional complications.
I do appreciate the comments here as it is somewhat like a therapy group.

The pre-existing condition problem is one of the primary targets of the new health care legislation.
I know that some state legislatures are trying to block any implementation of the bill's provisions,
but I'm wondering what effect this might have on your current situation.

 

Here is a direct link to the Time magazine article:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,986282,00.html

 

Oma and Bill I am a nurse on a psych floor. Use Yoda a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x51EIXjhiEU

 

Thank you for your support mjnc! Even though the date of the link is a bit old I read the info with a lot of interest and found it quite interesting.

You're quite right in that life's complications can make it more difficult in trying to stay away from addictive substances such as cigarettes. I was actually crying when I did smoke that first cigarette after almost 2 years smoke-free. Not as much for the incident of what happened with that legal case but for the fact that I was giving in to smoke and knew that that could cause me returning back to smoking. I still had cravings during those 2 years although as time went on not as strong as in the beginning. I still would spot anyone smoking from quite a distance away or on TV, wistfully thinking back about the *good* times and mourning the loss and still always missing it. Probably due to having smoked for 50 years and thus the cigarettes had become a lifelong companion and *friend*. When I did quit I had the feeling that it was my last chance to do it. Now I have to start the battle all over again. After the 1st cigarette it took me about a week to smoke the 2nd, should not have done that. It affects my breathing and get a bit hyper. One good thing is that finally my husband decided today to move the ciggies to the underground garage and hopefully that should help a little bit.

Thanks again.

 

Finally we received the cheque yesterday. However I'm still smoking and don't seem to be able to quit this time around. Way too many nerve wrecking things going around here.