Patching the Patch

"I should very much like to hold it again — one last time..."

NicoDorem® patch, day two: Over morning coffee, Murat asked me how the patch was working. I told him that the craving to smoke is somewhat subsiding, then I asked him for a puff from his cigarette. I guess I'm on the slow road to quitting. I've noticed my worst cravings occur in the morning with coffee. But in just two days I have gone from smoking a pack and a half to random begging and stealing a puff here and there.


"Ahh! Ahhhh! Aaahhhhhhh... ahhhhhhhhhh... ahhhhh!"

The patch does not agree with oily skin. It kept falling off from my arm as if my body were rejecting an irritant. Isn't that how pearls are made? These daily patches come in three grades of strength: (step 1) 21 mg, (step 2) at 14 mg, and (step 3) 7 mg. I'm on step 2. I actually went through two of them yesterday. I found the first one stuck to my sock. The second one wound up at the hem of my sleeve. So I went out and bought some surgical tape and re-applied it to my chest. I'm surprised that it doesn't address skin types like oily, dry and combination skin — or marketing trends such as "with aloe", "green tea anitoxidents", "just for men" or "the lady-patch with calcium". What would a hairy person do? Would he (or she) have to shave an area as if preparing for surgery?

I'm finding that it's actually easier to quit in a warm-weather season when I can walk around. I tried the patch in winter and quit for four days, then I went back to smoking. A lot of it had to do with not wanting to leave my apartment due to winter weather — as tropical blood does not agree with the cold. Well, let's see what day three brings. I don't seem to get cranky as some people do, but I do have some minor short term memory loss. I hope that's due to the patch.

This Saturday Knit PH is meeting at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, but this time in the shade of the sculpture garden.