Really need some big help here !! 😢

[rami_hariri]

Hello, i'm a 16 year old boy started smoking at 15 from peer pressure and smoked on and off I can go 3 weeks to 5 without smoking I just like it and not addicted to it . Ok so as summer started I started to smoke 1 cig per day sometime I Pass a day without smoking and so and there for 5 days I haven't smoked yet so Withdrawls symptoms started, but I had this terrible diarrhea twice a day in those day ( I have known that diarrhea is a symptom) and bloating when ever I eat ( also a withdrawl symptom) . Note that when I stopped the first time I got solid poop normal size ...
Sorry to mention also , i have been diagonised with crohn's 7 years ago and when I started smoking I was in complete remission and had stopped all medications without telling my GP and now I'm worried if is it Nicotine withdrawls symptoms or Crohn's symptoms should I wait a week before returning to my GP? Please help me it would be verry appreciated

 

[24601]

I don't know about withdrawal symptoms but I do know that stopping smoking will be important for keeping in remission and reducing the severity of your disease and need for medication. It can be considered a primary therapy for smokers with Crohn's disease and I believe even the occasional cigarette counts makes you a smoker.

Some links http://www.healthline.com/health/crohns-disease/quit-smoking
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15813828
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11266373

The healthline article says "quitting abruptly can actually worsen Crohn’s symptoms and ignite flare-ups."

Also "the consensus shows that within six months of quitting, ex-smokers experience significantly reduced rates of flare-ups—up to 65 percent fewer than smokers, rates equivalent to non-smokers. After one year of abstinence, health benefits prove even more compelling and long-lasting."

And whether you think you are addicted or not it may be helpful to get some medical advice on this and support for stopping smoking. There's nothing wrong with asking for help

I'd also be open and honest about what meds you are taking and not taking and your reasons for stopping. No point having your doctor think you are being treated when you aren't and hopefully an open discussion of the risks and benefits in light of all the facts can help you make the best decision for you.

 

[nitty]

Hi!

You are at a really difficult stage in your life right now. Being 16 is hard enough without having Crohn's to deal with, too.

I can understand you feeling as if you could manage without meds, especially when you are in remission. Many of us have been in that position, some stopped meds successfully and others, like me, have tried it and relapsed. Maybe you would have flared up anyway, regardless of the smoking, but the smoking really will not help.

You are in a good position now to make the decision against life as a smoker, before the addiction takes hold. You say you started due to peer pressure. I'll bet your peers are not facing life with IBD. The short-term consequences for them are not the same as they are for you. You already have enough to cope with, without taking on the effects of smoking on your Crohn's.

I agree with 24601. Hopefully you have a supportive GP who can help you to get back on track and listen to you. At 16 you should be able to talk to them without your parents being involved if that is a concern for you, although if they can be included that would be better (if your family circumstances are good). Or maybe you have an IBD nurse that you can contact?

How about looking at the Teens group in the Support section on this forum? There will be many on here in similar situations to you who you can get in touch with and perhaps get advice from - or even just moan to!

I won't go on to lecture you about the evils of smoking (ex-smoker myself and worked as a nurse on a ward of smoking-related amputees - enough said), but please put yourself first and be in control of your Crohn's, rather than your Crohn's controlling you. You can have an amazing future ahead of you!