smoking while you have cancer

barbra1

I'd like to discuss how people deal with their smoking habit while they have cancer. How do they stop and any other info smoking brings up.

lexislove

I heard that smoking causes a third, thats 1/3, of ALL cancers. Not just lung. Esophagus, bladder,stomach,pancreatic, kidney.......

Ill tell you, I USE to smoke. I was more of a "social" smoker. I would only buy smokes when I would go out with friends for drinks ect..... I know its hard to quit. The day my surgeon said you have breast cancer.....was enough for me. It scared the crap out of me! FEAR...and the yes it CAN happen to me. Before when I smoked, I thought , meh*...me cancer ya ok. Stupid opinion.

That day with the surgeon was it....... Sep 14 2007 and STILL smoke free. Please stop....there is actually a stop smoking thread going on if you need support

mzmiller99

I agree - as an ex-smoker, and as someone who watched her best friend smoke all through her bc treatment until she died, I would look into any program that would help.  There are so many treatment options now, that were not available to us earlier, that there has to be something you can do for yourself.  And, if not for you, for your loved ones.  Your smoke is killing them as well.

susan_CNY

I am a survivor of multiple cancers. While dealing with surgeries I used a patch, was scared half to death 3 days after emergency colon surgery when my right lung collapsed, luckily I was still in intensive care and my wonderful nurse was right on the ball and saved my life. However I was and still am hopelessly addicted to nicotine.. As soon as I was healed from sugery I took off the patch and went back to smoking, A year later I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I immedialely went on the patch to avoid surgery complications but failed to continue after recovering from surgery. My onco was great, told me I should quit but also said treatments and quitting might be too difficult, if I felt was a choice, do what I had to do to get through chemo and rads. So thats what I did, I cut down, but I still smoke, is a terrible addiction, but I also feel confident that my cancers were not caused by my smoking, just the luck of the draw and I refuse to blame my weakness for nicotine any more than an obese woman blames her food addiction. Good luck in your attempt to quit, just don't kick yourself in the ass for smoking, we all have our weaknesses. I find former smokers and newly proclaimed vegetarans are people to avoid during treatment.

jancie

I failed 7 times to quit using the patch, gum, and hypnosis, Zoloft, and other anti-depressent drugs.

I wasn't until my doctor prescribed Chantrix and some valium for anxiety attacks that I was able to stop smoking and this came about one week after I got breast cancer. 

I smoked 3/4 pack for 30 years straight - I was addicted.  Not only was I physically addicted I was very emotionally addicted.  Cigarettes were my best friend, they helped me when I felt anxious, nervous, sad, etc.  I was one that absolutely loved my cigarettes and would go to the store at 2 am if I ran out.

Chantrix unlike all of the other drugs turns off the receptors in your brain that are telling your brain that you need nicotine.  It takes away ALL the physical withdrawal. 

But the mental withdrawal is just as horrendous to overcome.  You have to stay away from your triggers - such as eat follow up with a smoke, drink a beer, follow up with smoke, get on the phone with your best friend, put your other best friend in your hand and smoke away.  Definately stay off alcohol for a  couple of months and reduce any coffee intake.  I cut back my coffee from 12 cups a day down to 4 cups a day.

If you are thinking about smoking - come join our Stop Smoking Support Thread - lots of really awesome ladies over there that don't judge you at all.  Many of them stopped and picked it right back up but are stopping again - nobody judges.  We all know that this is one of the worst addictions to conquer!

I can't stress enough how much of a die hard smoker I was and how I was so addicted to them.

My doctor gave me this advice and I followed it.  I took chantrix for one week.  the 2nd week I cut down my smokes.  I started off cutting back to 5-6 a day for about 3 or 4 days.  Then I cut it back to 3 or 4 smokes a day for 3 or 4 days, and then down to 2 smokes a day for 2 days and then cut them out all together.

I mentally during that time processed thoughts such as "I don't have to have that smoke, I can wait a couple more hours and then a couple more."  I had mental withdrawal hissy fits right after eating but I took that time to tell myself that I did not need that smoke, it wasn't important and after about 10 minutes the craving would go away.  I kept reminding myself that smoking would decrease the effectiveness of the chemo I was getting ready to start and darnit if I am going to lose all my hair I had better get 100% out of my chemo.

I am now on day 15.  Yes, it is still hard but I am determined.  Also when things get really bad as far as stressful, going in for your first chemo treatment, going in for a bone scan or MRI, another biopsy, etc. - valium reduces that anxiety during those times and when I get so overloaded and stressed to where I am fighting myself to get in my car and go buy a pack - instead I pop a valium and come here to talk to you wonderful ladies and the urge goes away.

Skyrat

I have been a heavy smoker (at one point 3-5 packs a day) for 35 years.  In the past 4 years, I cut back to one pack a day, which I have maintained.  I had planned on quitting smoking until I was diagnosed.  I would not have been so stunned if I had been diagnosed with lung cancer, or another smoking related cancer - but I was diagnosed with breast cancer; one of maybe two or three cancers that has not been correlated with smoking.  I have continued to smoke - first through treatment, my onc felt that it would be too stressful to try to quit.  Then, once diagnosed a Stage IV, quitting smoking does not seem to be a priority.  Since smoking is one of the few true pleasures in life, I will continue to do so until cost or desire has me put the pack down.