Smoking?
babbles03-24-2003, 04:54 PMMy sister has now been able to be out of the hospital for more than a week, but, SHE IS SMOKING!!!
I am very upset with her. A couple of days ago she was talking about getting better (although I know that won't happen). Why would she start smoking? I want to ask her if she feels that if she is going to die anyway, why not smoke. How do I approach this with her and begin the open dialoge of what is going to happen and what I can do for her?Deb4703-24-2003, 06:15 PMHi, Babbles. My advice is this: if you mention this to your sister, do it with love; then let it go. Your sister has probably been through a heck of a hard time...maybe she doesn't think she will get better. Let's face it; with lung cancer, the odds aren't good. If smoking gives her some comfort for now, I have a hard time in telling someone to stop. We all know a person with lung cancer should not smoke: but we're all frail human beings...scared, and so afraid of our own mortality. Who of us can judge anyone else? My belief is that the best source of strength/protection comes from having a personal relationship with God. But I've been down the old addiction road myself; so I can understand how your sister feels now. I will keep her in my thoughts/prayers...Debannchane03-24-2003, 06:42 PMHi Babbles, I managed to give up smoking in January this year. Things were going really great and I didn't even feel the need for a cigarette until that awful day on Feb 18th when my Dr called me to his office to tell me that my x rays showed nodules on my lungs. I knew that this could be lung cancer and the first thing I did when I got out of the clinic was get into the car and light up one of my husbands cigarettes. I'm ashamed to say that I have continued to smoke since. I had to wait for 4 weeks to get the results of my second x ray and all through that time I kept praying that if I was spared lung cancer I would definitely stop smoking, unfortunately this isn't the case as I am still smoking. So even after a horrific scare like that, I still haven't learned my lesson. It gave me comfort somehow, it made things seem normal again if you know what I mean. So I carry on smoking like an idiot and I know I should really be back in the smoking cessation clinic. Maybe your sister also finds comfort and normality in smoking. It's terribly hard to give up under the best of circumstances, so it it twice as hard to give up when you are under alot of stress as your sister must be. Maybe she feels cheated like I did when I thought I had got cancer AFTER giving up, I felt it was all in vain, so I started smoking again. I just threw caution to the wind and thought, "What the heck". There's not really alot you can do to stop her, unless you are a smoker yourself you won't know how difficult it is to stop the habit of a lifetime. I wish you and your sister all the best and hope that you resolve this problem soon, God bless, Ann.NancyEllen03-24-2003, 09:58 PMWhen my father went to his oncologist last week, he was told he had lung cancer. My father was an avid smoker in the forties gave it up in the fifties and started smoking tipporillos (sp) in the eighties. He said he stopped smoking 7 years ago. Oncologist says he sees lung cancer with patients that stopped smoking 30, 20, 10 years ago. My 21 year old daughter smokes, my brother smokes. My fiance smoked until he gave it up in the eighties. What can we do??
NancyDan&cheryl03-25-2003, 11:57 PMOk, here's what happened to me. Dec.27th 1999. My lungs closed up. I couldn't get enough air to yell for Danny to help me. When he finally realized what was happening, he called 911. My blood Ox. was 54%. Could have had a heart attack, stroke or gone into a coma. I didn't, I ended up with a staph infection in my lungs. Same thing that killed Jim Hensen the muppet guy. I was in the hosp. for 10 days, right through the new millenum. Danny had quit a year already by this time, he had Polycythemia and had to have blood drained every week for a while. We still both wanted those stinking cigarettes. Your sister knows what the smokes are doing to her and until she faces the facts, she will keep on smoking. My two daughters are New Non-smokers. When their Dad died of lung Cancer, they both quit. I haven't had one since Dec 27th,1999...Cheryl .. Oh yeah, the Dr. told me yesterday that I am showing of emphysema.Pep03-28-2003, 11:49 PMMy mom did the same. Until she was placed in the hospital.
I am very upset with her. A couple of days ago she was talking about getting better (although I know that won't happen). Why would she start smoking? I want to ask her if she feels that if she is going to die anyway, why not smoke. How do I approach this with her and begin the open dialoge of what is going to happen and what I can do for her?Deb4703-24-2003, 06:15 PMHi, Babbles. My advice is this: if you mention this to your sister, do it with love; then let it go. Your sister has probably been through a heck of a hard time...maybe she doesn't think she will get better. Let's face it; with lung cancer, the odds aren't good. If smoking gives her some comfort for now, I have a hard time in telling someone to stop. We all know a person with lung cancer should not smoke: but we're all frail human beings...scared, and so afraid of our own mortality. Who of us can judge anyone else? My belief is that the best source of strength/protection comes from having a personal relationship with God. But I've been down the old addiction road myself; so I can understand how your sister feels now. I will keep her in my thoughts/prayers...Debannchane03-24-2003, 06:42 PMHi Babbles, I managed to give up smoking in January this year. Things were going really great and I didn't even feel the need for a cigarette until that awful day on Feb 18th when my Dr called me to his office to tell me that my x rays showed nodules on my lungs. I knew that this could be lung cancer and the first thing I did when I got out of the clinic was get into the car and light up one of my husbands cigarettes. I'm ashamed to say that I have continued to smoke since. I had to wait for 4 weeks to get the results of my second x ray and all through that time I kept praying that if I was spared lung cancer I would definitely stop smoking, unfortunately this isn't the case as I am still smoking. So even after a horrific scare like that, I still haven't learned my lesson. It gave me comfort somehow, it made things seem normal again if you know what I mean. So I carry on smoking like an idiot and I know I should really be back in the smoking cessation clinic. Maybe your sister also finds comfort and normality in smoking. It's terribly hard to give up under the best of circumstances, so it it twice as hard to give up when you are under alot of stress as your sister must be. Maybe she feels cheated like I did when I thought I had got cancer AFTER giving up, I felt it was all in vain, so I started smoking again. I just threw caution to the wind and thought, "What the heck". There's not really alot you can do to stop her, unless you are a smoker yourself you won't know how difficult it is to stop the habit of a lifetime. I wish you and your sister all the best and hope that you resolve this problem soon, God bless, Ann.NancyEllen03-24-2003, 09:58 PMWhen my father went to his oncologist last week, he was told he had lung cancer. My father was an avid smoker in the forties gave it up in the fifties and started smoking tipporillos (sp) in the eighties. He said he stopped smoking 7 years ago. Oncologist says he sees lung cancer with patients that stopped smoking 30, 20, 10 years ago. My 21 year old daughter smokes, my brother smokes. My fiance smoked until he gave it up in the eighties. What can we do??
NancyDan&cheryl03-25-2003, 11:57 PMOk, here's what happened to me. Dec.27th 1999. My lungs closed up. I couldn't get enough air to yell for Danny to help me. When he finally realized what was happening, he called 911. My blood Ox. was 54%. Could have had a heart attack, stroke or gone into a coma. I didn't, I ended up with a staph infection in my lungs. Same thing that killed Jim Hensen the muppet guy. I was in the hosp. for 10 days, right through the new millenum. Danny had quit a year already by this time, he had Polycythemia and had to have blood drained every week for a while. We still both wanted those stinking cigarettes. Your sister knows what the smokes are doing to her and until she faces the facts, she will keep on smoking. My two daughters are New Non-smokers. When their Dad died of lung Cancer, they both quit. I haven't had one since Dec 27th,1999...Cheryl .. Oh yeah, the Dr. told me yesterday that I am showing of emphysema.Pep03-28-2003, 11:49 PMMy mom did the same. Until she was placed in the hospital.