On your wonderful accomplishment! I quit a little over a year ago - December 2005 - after having the opportunity to see color pictures of the esophogeal cancer that killed my Grandmother.
You are so right that your mind controls you. I read a recent article that each emotion you have is preceded by a thought. For cigarettes to keep their power over you, you allow it by giving those thoughts power.

I've tried to quit before this time and failed, I gave into the "cheating' mentality and the obsessive thinking about how hard it was to quit and how crappy I felt without them, etc. etc.

This time I decided I was through, period... and it was so easy. I can't say I didn't crave them but I was never even close to giving in.

I think the media feeds our emotion and makes quitting harder, they fill our heads full of thoughts that it's harder to quit than heroin, near impossible, that you certainly can't do it without help... I say that's nonsense. We can do anything we want to do.

Good luck to you, I hope your health situation improves, and don't give up!