Smoking realities....

[witabix]

I want the people on LS to know the realities of smoking.

 

I have no political, financial, or religious views on this topic.

 

I have the view of someone who has been through this.

 

I am fifty years old.

 

I have been smoking cigarettes since 1980. I was 30 when I started.

 

I had my first heart attack on Sept 12 2001. I watched what I thought was the end of the world on TV. I spent six weeks in hospital. I am a male. I thought I was dying. I nearly did. I had stents put into my heart.

 

I had a second heart attack six months later. I lost all ability to have sex. I lost my interest in sex. I lost my interest in life.

 

I lost my partner.

 

I resumed smoking.

 

Met someone new.

 

2009, my second son is born, TWO DAYS AFTER MY THIRD HEART ATTACK. In the same hospital I am in, one floor beneath me. The doctors refuse to let me out of the cardiac center for the birth of my son.

 

Needless to say I did not listen, and explained to them that they were not hearing me correctly. I signed the papers and left, for a while.

 

I returned to the cardiac center. They sent me for the surgery that I needed.

 

This stuff has a major effect on your psyche. I lost another partner, and mother of my child.

 

Do not think for one moment that smoking affects only your physical life. It does, but the damage it does also affects the view you have of yourself.

 

A ruined man, with nothing to offer a woman. Contrast that with the Marlboro Man.

 

Not cool.

[Sphere]

Now you are fifty years old and started smoking in 1980 and that was thirty years ago, so how can you still be fifty? Surely, you are sixty? Sad story though, I can see why you try and educate people, kudos to you!

[witabix]

Now you are fifty years old and started smoking in 1980 and that was thirty years ago, so how can you still be fifty? Surely, you are sixty? Sad story though, I can see why you try and educate people, kudos to you!

 

Typo 1990. Ooops!

[denise_xo]

My father died a very slow and painful death due to lung cancer which eventually spread absolutely everywhere. It was nasty. He smoked between two and three packs a day from he was sixteen.

[LisaLee]

Wit, I really appreciate your post. My job entails that I am around smokers almost constantly. The worst cases I have seen are where the people need to be on oxygen 24/7 and will pee on themselves at night because walking to the potty chair makes them too winded.

 

One day at school a 21 year old girl came into a class room with extremely labored breathing. I joked if she ran from the parking lot to the building and she responded "No, I was just walking very fast." When we all gave her a perplexed look she said: "I smoke, so I may as well have been running." This girl is in her physical prime and she can't even walk at a brisk pace without becoming winded.

 

It is heart breaking to see someone struggling to breathe. Isn't it funny how we take for granted something that is so natural! And yet people continue to do it.

 

I'm sorry you had to go through your own tragedies with cigarettes, Wit. If you haven't quit now I hope you will soon enough. It's never too late.

Edited September 15, 2010 by LisaLee

[pureinheart]

I want the people on LS to know the realities of smoking.

 

I have no political, financial, or religious views on this topic.

 

I have the view of someone who has been through this.

 

I am fifty years old.

 

I have been smoking cigarettes since 1980. I was 30 when I started.

 

I had my first heart attack on Sept 12 2001. I watched what I thought was the end of the world on TV. I spent six weeks in hospital. I am a male. I thought I was dying. I nearly did. I had stents put into my heart.

 

I had a second heart attack six months later. I lost all ability to have sex. I lost my interest in sex. I lost my interest in life.

 

I lost my partner.

 

I resumed smoking.

 

Met someone new.

 

2009, my second son is born, TWO DAYS AFTER MY THIRD HEART ATTACK. In the same hospital I am in, one floor beneath me. The doctors refuse to let me out of the cardiac center for the birth of my son.

 

Needless to say I did not listen, and explained to them that they were not hearing me correctly. I signed the papers and left, for a while.

 

I returned to the cardiac center. They sent me for the surgery that I needed.

 

This stuff has a major effect on your psyche. I lost another partner, and mother of my child.

 

Do not think for one moment that smoking affects only your physical life. It does, but the damage it does also affects the view you have of yourself.

 

A ruined man, with nothing to offer a woman. Contrast that with the Marlboro Man.

 

Not cool.

 

I know you might not agree with me, although you have a lot of courage to post this. Alot.

 

I take it you still smoke. I understand.

 

I experimented with cigs when I was a kid, became a regular smoker at 17. Didn't smoke that much, quit at 27 when I found out I had cervical cancer.

 

Started again at 32...was just going to have a couple of cigs BTW.

 

At 47 I began to have some serious health problems (Graves Disease, with TED being more prevelent in smokers). A couple years prior my supervisor told me, "you'll never quit"...the reason he said that was due to the fact that he saw the severe addiction I had, cigs "were my friends". By this time I was up to 2 packs a day and had been known to consume 4 packs on a very stressful day/week.

 

I got scared, fearing I'd never quit and get TED (thyroid eye disease), that's where your eyes are affected and can protrude. TED is 50% more likely in smokers.

 

I began to notice more people carrying o2 bottles around, and my lungs hurt and also noticing that their skin had a strange texture and they were aged.

 

My SO smoked also and had smoked from a small child (we are both in our 50's now). He wanted to quit, I didn't think either of us could, but we started to go to classes that our med facility sponsored.

 

He quit June 30 in the morning, and I was shocked, he didn't smoke...so on July 2nd, I said to hell with this , if he can, then I can, and I smoked my last cig at 6pm in the evening. Thank God for our competative relationship at that time. This was 2 years ago and I didn't kill anyone...me and SO almost took out each other though.

 

I used the patches.

 

Witabix, I wish if you still are smoking for you to quit now, If I can anyone can...I was hard core.

 

I can't say it's been easy, I am still clearing it out of my body.

 

I did a lot of praying beforehand. You got my prayers for your health Witabix...BTW I just got off of caffeine also...IMO cigs and caffeine are the most powerful drugs known to man.

 

I could not have had the courage to post what you did because I was so afraid....

Edited September 15, 2010 by pureinheart

[witabix]

I take it you still smoke. I understand.

 

Nope, not for ten days now. This will be the third time I have given them up.

 

Cigs definitely contributed to a lot of the crap stuff that happened to my health in the last ten years. But if you haven't managed to kill yourself then its NOT TOO LATE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

 

I am out bike riding again to get my fitness back, I have been doing that for a while.

 

My health is pretty good these days. Never out of breath, even after a good physical exertion. Last long bike ride was a ten (five out, five back) mile one, up hills and stuff to get to a little private beach and a bird sanctuary. Left my leg muscles sore, but thats all. I was fairly nervous setting out on the trip but you can only really gain your confidence back if you challenge yourself.

 

I needed to stop smoking. The surgeons spent six hours opening me up and stitching half of my left leg into my heart. The man that went in after me never woke up from the operation. I don't want to go through that again thank you very much.

 

I would like others on LS who want to stop to also stop.

 

WWIU, YGG being two I can think of. Its not necessary to go through the hell I put myself through just to realise smoking is bad. For men it can be even worse with all the loses that go with it. But even in the short time since I kicked the habit, only days really, I have noticed some quite miraculous changes in certain bodily functions. That is also of course because of the surgery, it takes a while to get over that too.

 

But I am pleased with myself. I no longer spend anything on smoking. Anywhere between €60 and €80 a week saved, I don't know what to do with the money, (Joke, yes I do), my flat doesn't stink of smoke, neither do I or my clothes.

 

It has made a very big difference to me. I think I might even ask a lady out on a date again sometime in the future. So there .

[skydiveaddict]

Well done witabix

[pureinheart]

Nope, not for ten days now. This will be the third time I have given them up.

 

Cigs definitely contributed to a lot of the crap stuff that happened to my health in the last ten years. But if you haven't managed to kill yourself then its NOT TOO LATE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

 

I am out bike riding again to get my fitness back, I have been doing that for a while.

 

My health is pretty good these days. Never out of breath, even after a good physical exertion. Last long bike ride was a ten (five out, five back) mile one, up hills and stuff to get to a little private beach and a bird sanctuary. Left my leg muscles sore, but thats all. I was fairly nervous setting out on the trip but you can only really gain your confidence back if you challenge yourself.

 

I needed to stop smoking. The surgeons spent six hours opening me up and stitching half of my left leg into my heart. The man that went in after me never woke up from the operation. I don't want to go through that again thank you very much.

 

I would like others on LS who want to stop to also stop.

 

WWIU, YGG being two I can think of. Its not necessary to go through the hell I put myself through just to realise smoking is bad. For men it can be even worse with all the loses that go with it. But even in the short time since I kicked the habit, only days really, I have noticed some quite miraculous changes in certain bodily functions. That is also of course because of the surgery, it takes a while to get over that too.

 

But I am pleased with myself. I no longer spend anything on smoking. Anywhere between €60 and €80 a week saved, I don't know what to do with the money, (Joke, yes I do), my flat doesn't stink of smoke, neither do I or my clothes.

 

It has made a very big difference to me. I think I might even ask a lady out on a date again sometime in the future. So there .

 

 

(((((((((((Witabix!!!!!!)))))))))))))))

 

That is sooooo cool!

 

The biggest thing for me is not feeling the guilt of smoking...I left this sentance out in the last reply to your post because I didn't want to put a bunch of condemnation on you possibly...I always felt guilty and less than because of smoking.

 

Unless your SO is a smoker, I mean with my age anyway the "playing field" is limited, but with smoking it's really limited...who wants to kiss an ash tray? Please, for those out there that smoke, this is not meant to cut you down by any means, it is just my thoughts while I was a severe smoker.

 

I spent 200 US dollars a month on cigs.

 

It does open up a whole new world:D

[You Go Girl]

Thanks for this thread, Wit.

 

It reminds me that cigs are NOT my friend, but an enemy in disguise.

 

I too have a friend who went through a triple-bypass two years ago yet still smokes like a chimney two packs a day.

 

Now I don't want to be on the surgeon's table. Heart disease is the number one killer of women too these days.

 

I know what my stance is going to be after this D is final. Here's a terrific quote I learned from an LS poster--

"Do, or do not. There is no try." (Yoda!)

[witabix]

All I can say is you go You Go Girl....

 

Yes! A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware the Dark Side - anger, fear, aggression, the Dark Side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the Dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice.

(Green bunny! nearest I could get to a Yoda smiley )