Thank you all so much for the information and the advice. My husband and I are gonna switch over to the "fake" cigarettes this week. (I know they still aren't great, but better than what we're doing.) I feel so guilty about smoking still, but the stress is getting to me.

Right now, I'm going through the process of telling my family what is going on. It's very difficult because I think their shock and sadness is the worst part of this whole ordeal, even including the months of horrible pain I went through before any doctor would prescribe me pain medication. I'm the eldest of six children and my little sisters are going to be pretty scared. Any ideas on how to talk about this stuff with little kids?

I'm going to call my doc and ask about the CCC options, especially if they're a good financial fit.

I keep myself pretty busy, mostly with my toddler and siblings and some online groups I'm in. The online stuff helps alot because it gives me the opportunity to communicate, which can be hard for me in real life since it hurts so much to talk and my speaking is slurred all the time because of my tongue.

Again, thanks for taking the time to respond to me, and I wish all of you good luck as well!