Smoking & Crohn's Disease

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BloodDrama

BloodDrama

Joined
Sep 26, 2010
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34
I am a smoker.
I reduce or stop smoking when pain is bad but i still cant stop.
Is it possible to have remission with smoking, is there someone here that does?
Does smoking about 5 cigs a day hits the crohn that much?
 
You should not smoke with crohn's. Even tho you alread have it I was reading the other day and it said people who smoke are twice as likely to develope crohn's. Nicotine can trigger problems. Some people say they feel better when they smoke, so I guess it's who you talk to. Always best to quit if you can. Good Luck and others here will give some good advice.
 
It is possible to have remission, but statistically you will have worse and more frequent flares. But I know how hard it is, I am now down to a couple at the weekend.
 
I'm a smoker.
I've only had one major flare and in hospital, thro major stress!
Smoking calms me, stress nearly killed me!
Of course docs will tell you this! They're programmed from an early age to! Smoking contributes to every major illness in the world, right? I had some dickhead doctor tell me that it's my fault that I got Crohns cos I smoke!
So let me ask you all, how many Crohnies on here have never smoked, ever??? hey?
Everything in moderation.
 
My gastro never mentions it Rebecca, but I'm happy too, only on 10 a day. but it's so needed after a stressful day's work!
 
I smoked for years and my quitting had nothing to do with tummy stuff ~ totally unrelated. In fact, I developed all of THIS crud a couple of years AFTER I quit smoking. Which is no way an endorsement of smoking ... besides, I couldn't begin to afford cigarettes anymore, lol.
 
i smoke 2, told by the doc's to stop..jus can't. was off them for 2 months last year but went back on them during a stressful period in my life, haven't being able to quit since. would luv to. would rollies be less severe on the stomach compared to normal ones??
 
I smoke between 5-7 cigarettes a day, depending on my stress level. Every time I've tried to quit, my body actually feels worse. The crappy part was that I was actually all ready to quit and didn't want to smoke any more. I've come to the realization that it's not so much a deal between complete abstinence or smoking 2 packs a day, but realizing when smoking is actually more therapeutic than not smoking.

I know that anything but complete abstinence doesn't jive with health care professionals, but then again, there's a lot of things that my doctors have told me that doesn't jive with my body (e.g. "there's no correlation between diet and Crohn's," or "supplements don't really help, but if you want to take something, go ahead," or "no, that can't be an allergic reaction to the drug" while the only thing that calms the symptoms is antihistamines).

I try to listen and pay attention to my body as much as possible...I do a lot of different things to relieve stress, including yoga, meditation and breathing exercises. Like others have said before me, smoking is part of the stress-busting regime, even though it's considered bad.

I have smoked both while I've been in remission and during a flare.
 
The nurse I used to get my yearly check ups from says roll ups with filters are the 'healthiest' (i e least harmful) way to smoke. They don't put so many additives in rolling baccy. Then the nurse said 'don't tell the doc I just said that' lol. Don't know if that applies to IBD or just your lungs though.
 
Rebecca85 said:
The nurse I used to get my yearly check ups from says roll ups with filters are the 'healthiest' (i e least harmful) way to smoke. They don't put so many additives in rolling baccy. Then the nurse said 'don't tell the doc I just said that' lol. Don't know if that applies to IBD or just your lungs though.
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i was thinking that myself...next time you see her ask her..lol
 
I have stopped smoking for crohn

Crohn it self exaggerate your feelings and emotions. You have to know something, smoking inhibit the brain to produce certain hormones which eats out your guts, feel it during smoking. Before three months, my guts was burned by some oil fish supplements and this made me seriously think of stopping smoking because the weight loss is not tolerable anymore. I made full detox for my body, then stopping smoking was easy. The hard thing was cutting the habit not the nicotine.

Now I don't smoke anymore although i have all the reasons to smoke but i have no other options.
 
I'm a smoker too.

I seriously suggest everyone on this thread read Allan Cars Easy Way to Quit Smoking.

The reason I say this is because this book goes into detail about why we actually smoke and that in the long and short term it actually doesn't relax you. Every time you get a craving, your body is more stressed than a non smoker.

I so badly want to quit after reading this book as it has now uncovered all the lies we tell ourselves as smokers to justify the addiction. I was skeptical about reading it, but it does make a lot of sense.

Haha, I think I'm already sounding like a non smoker. I'm such a hypocrite.

Paul
 
ssv said:
The reason I say this is because this book goes into detail about why we actually smoke
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I don't need a book to tell me why I smoke.

I smoke because it is awesome. And it makes you 30% cooler, that's a scientific fact.
 
Christy said:
I smoked for years and my quitting had nothing to do with tummy stuff ~ totally unrelated. In fact, I developed all of THIS crud a couple of years AFTER I quit smoking. Which is no way an endorsement of smoking ... besides, I couldn't begin to afford cigarettes anymore, lol.
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First - Hi BloodDrama :) and welcome to this great forum!

OMG!! Christy - I also smoked for years, and this "crud" seemed to come after quitting.. how ironic. humm.. I quit in May of 2009, after years of smoking. I'm not saying the quitting caused all my problems by any means, but I did feel better for a long time after quitting.

I'm not sure what you take medicine wise, however, Wellbutrin use to be under the name zyban (if i remember correctly) and was prescribed to help people stop smoking. It was later found that it doubled as an anti-depressent. Just something to consider.. oh, and my mom smokes.. i'm trying to get her to quit.. have been. My Grandma died of lung cancer, and it scares me so to think of anything happening to my ma. I think she finally gave in and got one of those electric cigarettes. You put some liquid in this thing and ..(ok, i dont know how it works.. ) but I've heard of other ppl using it and it helping them quit.

Anywho, welcome aboard! And Best Wishes to ya! xoxo ~ GirlyGirl~
 
Doctors will ask you to quit smoking even you didn't have CD.
I do not smoke, but it I think is your choice.
 
Astra101 said:
I'm a smoker.
I've only had one major flare and in hospital, thro major stress!
Smoking calms me, stress nearly killed me!
Of course docs will tell you this! They're programmed from an early age to! Smoking contributes to every major illness in the world, right? I had some dickhead doctor tell me that it's my fault that I got Crohns cos I smoke!
So let me ask you all, how many Crohnies on here have never smoked, ever??? hey?
Everything in moderation.
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Me! I've never smoked a cig in my life.
 
I don't smoke. Never have, never will.Smoking causes strokes. Folks with IBD are prone to getting clots when we flare because it causes the blood to become "sticky" due to the inflammation in our body.

Add smoking to the mix and it only increases the chance of throwing a DVT or a PE especially when we flare. Why risk having a stroke.

I had a stroke when I was 37 and I didn't take hormones, smoke, drink, or do anything that would cause unnecessary drug interactions w/my Crohn's treatments. Trust me when I say this: DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO AVOID ANYTHING THAT WILL INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF THROWING A DVT, pulmonary embolism, or cause a stroke. Not being able to feel or move any part of your body is very scary. The pain in your head is far worse than a blockage AND recovery can last more than a year.

Take your medications faithfully, keep all MD appts., eat healthy when you can, exercise when well, and use common sense. I say this with much love and respect. This forum rocks!!! ~Gutless Wonderwoman
 
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So I am a pack a dayer (25), plus if it is a crappy day, sue me. Nope you can't because I spent it on the ugly monster, lol. Doctors, dentists all of them lecture about the evils of smoking. Nothing I don't already know. It does get things rolling in the morning with my coffee. I am off them though, not because I listen to wise ones, but I want an embroidery/sewing machine worth 10 gazillion dollars. I can't just have 1 or even just six. As for weekends only? I bow down to you, your resilience and self control. If you can stop, good enough, if you can't, good enough. Got enough to stress about as it is. That's my opinion.:worthy:
 
That's the wierd thing, I don't even think about smoking in the week now! I have almost no self control, so trying to quit completely always ends the same way 'I'll just have one.' 'I'll just have another.' 'Oh well I've blown it now!' so cutting back to weekends has actually been easier for me, on the rare occasions when I do want one in the week, the craving isn't so bad because I know I can have one in a few days anyway.
 
I smoke off and on (the only reason why I quit is to reduce heart palpitations but I don't think quitting has any effect on them or I quit cause I don't have enough cash). Smoking has never put me in a flare before and I'm still in remission after my surgery back in 1999. I used to smoke a pack a day when I was younger but when I smoke now its less than half a pack (I've recently quit again though). When done in moderation, you should be fine but if you notice a change for the worse, best to quit cause everyone is different.
 
We all have Crohn's and hate it. We wish we did not have it. But smokers are doing something that is so strongly linked to what I would say is a much worse disease - lung cancer - and others. If there was something actually proven to cause Crohn's, we would avoid it. What is the difference here?

ok smokers, go ahead and flame me. But I write this with love in my heart :)
 
Well my quit date will coincide with my colectomy whenever the date is set. Having UC has been my last excuse for still smoking. No colon, means no UC, which means no smoking.
 
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CDDad, I hear what you are saying. But we all do things that are bad for us. Eating fatty foods can give us cholesterol and heart attacks and strokes. Eating sugary foods gives us tooth decay. Getting stressed affects the immune system. And there are the poor unfortunate people that do none of these things, like my friend's wife, she slipped in the bath, hit her head and died.

Even though smoking is proven to cause problems, not every smoker will get them, and not smoking doesn't guarantee you won't. We think it won't happen to us, we concentrate on the short term gains and we think 'well, we could get hit by a bus tomorrow'.
 
vonfunk said:
I don't need a book to tell me why I smoke.

I smoke because it is awesome. And it makes you 30% cooler, that's a scientific fact.
Click to expand...

Ah ok, enlighten me. Which part makes you 30% cooler? The money down the toilet? Drug addiction? Yellow Teeth? Hacking cough? Tar and bleach and rat poison in your lungs? The way your clothes and skin stink (believe me you may be used to it but it's there!)
 
StarGirrrrl said:
Ah ok, enlighten me. Which part makes you 30% cooler? The money down the toilet? Drug addiction? Yellow Teeth? Hacking cough? Tar and bleach and rat poison in your lungs? The way your clothes and skin stink (believe me you may be used to it but it's there!)
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it's a joke. I will not go out of my way to defend my opinions and things that I write that are quite obviously jokes.
 
Well maybe my post was my opinion on smoking too ;)

Having now two chronic illnesses, I personally can't understand why someone would not only do that to themselves, but not do everything in their power to get better. But, drug addicts do do some crazy things to get their next fix.
 
My initial response was going to be "Two words: Steve McQueen" (that in itself would have been a joke, because he died of lung cancer, although his was due to long term asbestos exposure)

Now to answer your question as to why someone would do that to themselves.

For me, I was outright told that my quitting smoking a couple years ago was the environmental trigger that caused my initial flare and that my years of smoking is what was keeping my UC controlled. Unfortunately you can't unring that bell. And while my smoking has not put my disease into remission, it has helped control it. I notice a big difference between when I am smoking and periods where I do not smoke.

Using smoking to control UC is not the best course of action, and by this time everyone who does smoke is aware of the health risks (except in China, where up until a few years ago they were saying that smoking was good for your health). But really with UC, it's a choice of which cancer do you want to get. Smoking aside, due to how the disease has progressed in me my risk for colon cancer is much higher than that of the average UC sufferer. My inflammation runs the entire length of the colon and the majority of the colon is covered in pseudo-polyps. And weighing out the statistics, due to the disease progression, my probability of colon cancer is much higher than my risk of lung cancer.
This will be a moot point by this time next year, as my colon is being removed, and as it goes so do the cigarettes.

And that is why I smoke.

This thread was started by a smoker who had a valid question regarding Crohn's and smoking. Now my case is different because the symptoms of UC are actually lessened by smoking. We all know why smoking is bad, and worse for someone with Crohn's, no one is denying that, but this isn't a "tell me why I should quit thread".
 
Everyone who smokes and everyone who doesn't smoke knows the risk. This forum should be to talk and discuss without judgement. No need to hurt feelings. We are all friends here, and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but we all have our own vice to deal with crohn's.
 
I second that, Lucy.

I quit smoking because I got tired of it. Then my UC flared and hasn't stopped. My husband wants me to start smoking again because he is having a hard time seeing what I am going through. He, on the other hand, has steroid-dependent COPD from asthma only and I have a hard time seeing what he is going through.. somedays he has a hard time getting from one part of the house to the next because of breathing issues.

The tension in my house over this issue is getting really bad.
 
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Just a reminder here that the original poster hasn't been back, maybe because his post got hijacked. Please refrain from harsh posts. You all have the choice not to read this thread. Be good to each other. I used to be a smoker and quit many years ago, did it for myself and no one else... my Gi was pushing me to quit and so glad I did! :)
 
Who honestly knows how the hell anything affects us down to a certain detail. If smoking a couple cigarettes a day weighs less on your health than the stress of not doing it at all then maybe you've found some balance. You could always switch over to weed ;)

I only smoked cloves (at the maximum it was one a day) for a little bit after moving to LA and working through a pay crisis at my first gig. Sometimes I still miss the way those djarums tasted..
 
Pred made me stresfull and i started smoking again from just being frustrated of everything.
I hope i will be able to quit as soon as i get off pred :)
 
BloodDrama said:
I am a smoker.
I reduce or stop smoking when pain is bad but i still cant stop.
Is it possible to have remission with smoking, is there someone here that does?
Does smoking about 5 cigs a day hits the crohn that much?
Click to expand...

Hi BloodDrama,

There is no straight answer to your original question, but maybe I can help a little.
Every time you have a cig, you get a boost of nicotine. Within about 20 minutes the nicotine starts to decrease in your body and you start getting another craving. Craving equal stress on your body until you get your next hit of nicotine. Stress is not good for Chronies.
If you hold out on a cig for longer, you are increasing your stress levels and making it worse on yourself until you get your next hit of nicotine.
Its a vicious cycle, every time you have a cig, it relieves your craving and sets you up for more stress as soon as the nicotine level in your body drops.
So smoking less means you are actually adding extra stress on your body.
This is not to say that I'm advocating smoking, but just explaining how nicotine addiction works.

Most smokers believe that having a cig takes the stress away. The truth is, if you never smoked, you wouldn't have the stress of the craving to start with and you would be better off.

Does that make sense.

I hope both you and I can stop smoking soon.

Regards
Paul
 
SSV - Good luck with quitting. By the way, how are you on 50mg of prednisone AND 50mg of Imuran. I've never seen them prescribed together. My doctors usually will put me on imuran or asacol after I'm off pred and don't need anything as strong. Is that like a double whammy on your intestines?
 
Hi Manimation,

I went up to 50mg (from 40mg) of Pred for a week before starting the Imuran. Surprisingly the Imuran has seemed to take the edge off of the Pred side effects (grumpiness).
Even though I'm taking Pred, Pentasa and Imuran all together, it hasn't bought my bleeding under control. Although I have only been on Imuran for 12 days so its probably too early to tell yet.

As for the smoking, its a bit of a catch 22. I tried stopping and bled a lot more than normal. So now I'm hoping the drugs can stop the bleeding and then ill try quitting again.
Cheers
Paul
 
Hey, ssv.. similar story for me. I'm on a prednisone taper, Lialda, and Canasa, and have been on Imuran for almost three weeks. No more diarrhea, but the bleeding hasn't stopped at all.
 
Well its not only the stress, im generally not a very happy person and a cig can be my best friend at times...
 
i've just stopped smoking, on my 10th day cig-free now.... i've smoked all my adult life, so this is the first time while an adult that i haven't geared every day around smoking.

it is weird. it is really hard. my feelings and emotions swing from pride and elation to desperation and grief. one minute i feel so pleased i've got the demon out of my life, and the next i'm close to tears, missing it like a lost friend...

it never bothered me if people lectured me on how stupid i was to smoke, particularly with Crohn's, my dice with death all those years ago during surgery, the fact that i have kids i need to be around for etc etc... it didn't bother me because i knew how stupid smoking was. i didn't need to be told the risks, that i'd be so much better off healthwise and financially if i stopped..... smokers know all this. what a lot of them (us) don't know is how the heck to get off the addiction roundabout, make it stop, get through the first day without cigarettes, let alone the rest of our lives.

i watched my best friend breaking her heart earlier this year, when her father died of lung cancer, due to smoking. that was the final push i needed. that's when i made my plans to stop.... it's taken me all these months to put my plan into action, but i'm more than halfway there now, and i'm not looking back. hour by hour, day by day, week by week - i may always be a smoker in my head, but one who isn't smoking any more....
 
I smoked for years with my UC - I knew the smokes were making the symptoms worse - I'd be lighting up sitting on the toilet in extreme pain - crazy! I quit all the time - just didn't stay quit. Finally, 3-1/2 years ago, took Chantix for 3 months and haven't had a smoke since. I would love to be a social smoker, but I know I would be addicted again with the first drag...the Chantix was like a miracle drug for me...I know others it's worked for and also have friends that it didn't work for. I was in the lucky 60% that actually quit and stayed quit.
 
I've smoked on and off for about 15 years now. Everyday before I go pregnant with my son in '01, then intermittently. I quit again when I got pregnant with my daughter. Since her birth, I've smoked for six months here and six months there. I quit this last time right before Xmas '09. When I quit because of the pregnancies, I just did it cold turkey. It wasn't a problem mentally or physically because consciously it was not something I could do to my body while there was a human growing inside. This last time, I was still stressed and depressed about losing my mother, so I used the patch. They really help. I'm relatively good at the mind of matter. If you mentally are ready, the physicality came be overcome. It's very possible to quit. After so many years of smoking, it can become sort of a part of who you are, or rather, the person you perceive you are. I kept thinking if I don't smoke, what will I do. I'm struggling here to think of how to put this into words. Does anyone know what I mean?
 
Prioritise... If your health is important to you, you'll quit. Everyone knows the dangers of smoking.

I used to smoke and kept saying, "I want to quit" and a good mate of mine said, "no you don't, otherwise you would". He was right and that comment actually made me quit cold-turkey. People quit all the time, if you want it bad enough you'll do it.

I think everyone should do what they want, but you don't NEED them to relax, you WANT them. Non-smokers relax after a hard days work too.
 
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winemaker said:
Prioritise... If your health is important to you, you'll quit. Everyone knows the dangers of smoking.

I used to smoke and kept saying, "I want to quit" and a good mate of mine said, "no you don't, otherwise you would". He was right and that comment actually made me quit cold-turkey. People quit all the time, if you want it bad enough you'll do it.

I think everyone should do what they want, but you don't NEED them to relax, you WANT them. Non-smokers relax after a hard days work too.
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Very well said. I smoked for a few years when I was a stupid teenager, but quit in one attempt at about 19. My father was part of the "Tobacco Generation" of around WWII, and smoked from his late teens until he was about 45, when his doctor told him quit or get emphysema. He left the doctor's office and never put another cigarette in his mouth. It can be done, and it's not even close to the hardest thing you could face. Just DO IT.

I agree that the concept of smoking being a necessary "relaxant" is a non-issue. Like any addiction, smoking cessation causes withdrawal symptoms, which are relieved when you smoke, making you feel better temporarily. These symptoms of course eventually stop.
 
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My thoughts on this... I quit a bit over a month ago, it wasn't that hard because after a couple days everything seems so much better - more energy, taste buds waking up, etc... I realize people are different and I am lucky in this sense: once the nicotine washed off my system I have had no desire whatsoever to touch a cigarette. Did it before for 5 years, and this time I want it to be definite.

The thing with smoking and crohn's is... I was always told it was one of the worst combinations, but it all seems so random in the end, I was never able take to take the warnings seriously. This is actually a big big part of my frustration with crohn's - doctors and friends go on about the importance of relaxing, eating healthily, not smoking.... and then you do all this and -surprise- major flare out of nowhere!!!

So I smoked for two years, just feeling that I'd be sick as a dog anyway, might as well enjoy the cigarettes. I certainly knew I was wrong, but sometimes it's just too much... Glad I quit, though - the crohn's is still certainly giving me huge grief, but I obviously feel better overall.
 
My consultant kicked my ass about smoking and told me how much I wad hindering my crohns with it so I just stopped and have never touched one since, obviously it's not that easy for everyone but you'll be thankful you've given your body a fighting chance, plus you won't smell and you'll save money oh and less chance of lung cancer
 
I've been smoking for somewhere between 10-15 years continuously, and all the while at 1-1.5 packs a day. Yeah, I know - what bragging rights! My Crohn's will get worse at times when I'm stressed and smoke more. Who knows which it's more related to though.

I can't and refuse to quit though! Crohn's has taken away some of my strength, sex drive, ability to eat what I want, and have the same life that I did..

It will not take my smoking too!

:D
 
I started smoking because everyone was smoking, and then as I got older everyone quit.

Peer pressure got me into it, I'm sure as hell not going to let it win again.
 
vonfunk said:
I started smoking because everyone was smoking, and then as I got older everyone quit.

Peer pressure got me into it, I'm sure as hell not going to let it win again.
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ROFL.

Having said that, tobacco has got to be the least return for your dollar addiction there is. The world's full of so much more pleasant, less toxic vices you could be investing in. Seriously. Shooting up heroin in a subway restroom makes more sense to me.
 
I was smoking last year when I was under a lot of stress. jsut bumming cigarettes from people. i noticed that I ahd bowel movements not too long after having one. If I am ever constipated that is the one thing that will get my bowels moving.
My dad was a 3 pack a day smoker. He died of emphasyma. I wonder if his chain smoking as a kid had anything to due with my illness ?? He smoked everywhere even in the bathtub !!
I pray that anyone who smokes can find a way to stop. I downsized my lfie considerabley.. that includes a less stressful job. I am on the hunt for another one now. Not sure what I am going to do.
 
You are 60% likely to flare if you smoke. Like all stats, they are applied to the group, but not the individual.

Now I can say from my own exprerience that I never expreienced long term remission until I quit smoking. I had a 4 year remission after I quit smoking and I could only get remission for a couple months at a time before that. So for me smoking was a huge factor in my health.
 
Another thing to consider is that immunosuppressant drugs increase your risk of cancer. When on these drugs it will be harder for your immune system to find cancer cells and kill them before they get out of control. Smoking is a huge risk for several cancers. Combine that with immuno suppressants and the outlook is not so good.

This January I will have been a non-smoker for 5 years. I started when I was 12, and I know how hard quitting is. I must have tried a good dozen times before finally doing it.

There are drugs like Wellbutrin and Zyban that can make quitting easier to manage. Talk to your doctor about it.
 
at least when someone with CD quits their disease gets better, with UC it's the opposite, I'm waiting until the surgery to quit, because I don't want things to go south quickly before that happens.
 
fromthegut said:
I was smoking last year when I was under a lot of stress. jsut bumming cigarettes from people. i noticed that I ahd bowel movements not too long after having one. If I am ever constipated that is the one thing that will get my bowels moving.
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yeah, this one of the excuses i give to my parents about smoking. i get diarrhea alternating with constipation. after a couple days of constipation, i usually resort to stimulants (lots of coffee and cigarettes) to clear out my system.

of course i also smoke when i am stressed and it definitely seems to make my diarrhea worse...but at least it keeps me from pulling my hair out and smashing all the dishes.
 
BloodDrama said:
Its a crohns forum lol,
and yes its known that smoking helps UC.
Click to expand...

More to the point, nicotine seems to have some beneficial effects on UC. Nicotine patches, the new vaporizer cigarette substitutes, or even "chew" would all be better ways of ingesting nicotine for this purpose than is smoking tobacco.
 
David in Seattle said:
More to the point, nicotine seems to have some beneficial effects on UC. Nicotine patches, the new vaporizer cigarette substitutes, or even "chew" would all be better ways of ingesting nicotine for this purpose than is smoking tobacco.
Click to expand...

Actually they haven' properly studied why smoking helps UC, the study itself would be against the Hippocratic oath.
The other theory that it is the hydrogen cyanide in the smoke mixing with hydrogen sulphide in the colon to create some other chemical. Apparently UC sufferers have lower quantity of sulphate reducing bacteria in the gut than others.
It may even be a combination of both, as I've heard that people who try nicotine therapy but use other methods don't have the same level of relief as people who smoke.

I read up a lot regarding what the theories were, but still my GI won't write me a prescription.
 
I'm a smoker as well - I do want to quit. My new GI said there are some studies that show smoking calmns the crohns down in some cases. Either way it's a good idea to quite so I'm going to try by cutting down first instead of cold turkey = shock to my system.
good luck!
 
I smoke a pack a day. I want to quit..I do believe it affects the crohns. I tried to quit about a month ago and only smoked one or two cigarettes a day and just doing that made a huge difference. I felt sooo much better. Unfortunately it is a habit and an addiction, so I went right back to a pack a day. When I am having a bad flare up every smoke = toilet. I am going to try Chantix next.
 
Smoking and Crohn's

I'm curious as to the effect smoking has on Crohn's.

Now prior to being diagnosed with CD I was a casual smoker. I would only smoke 2 or 3 every 2 or 3 weeks when out with friends. Since I was diagnosed, I stopped because the doctor told me it would make things a lot worse.

Does smoking only affect CD when you're flaring, or can smoking actually cause a flare? Does it only have a negative impact on CD if you smoke in larger quantities?

I know it is wrong, but it was something that I enjoyed doing so I'm just curious if I could enjoy it again in the future, but obviously if it is going to make me flare then I shall avoid it like the plague. :p

Also, does passive smoking have the same effect? Quite a few of my friends smoke so is that a potential issue?
 
Hi

Hi

I used to smoke before I was diagnose and I didn't think it made that much difference until I quit and then stupidly decide that it would be ok to start again. This was a very bad idea within about a day I had terrible stomach pains and running for the bathroom. I have now not smoked for over a year.
I wouldn't have thought an occasional one would have much affect but is it worth the risk? And its always better not to smoke I know I feel so much better.

x
 
You are 66% more likely to flare at any given time if you smoke with crohns. My doctor recommend that I stay away from second hand smoke if I can.

I had a 4 year remission after I quit smoking, whereas before I was lucky if they lasted a few months.
 
Smoking and Crohn's Disease

Hi all,
Dose anyone with Crohn's smoke ?
I was diagnosed with cd sept 2006 and have smoked all of my adult life(45 last June).The doctors have been advising me to stop (easier said that done).
I have heard that in some cases of people suffering with cd that smoking helps true or false, i was just wondering if any other suffers have heard any comments relating to this ???????????
 
My gf has Crohns and was smoking. Since she stopped smoking a lot of her symptoms went away. It is considered bad if you smoke and have crohns as it is likely you will flare up. I know it's hard to give up but it's a good reason to if you have crohns.
 
Hey I am a smoker of 20 yrs...diagnosed last year with Crohns, was told to quit smoking...hard to do, I find if I don't smoke alot, I am not as bad, but if I try to quit I don't know if I'm in a "flare" or if it's my body going thru withdrawls...tried a few time to quit, but couldn't leave the house on those days so I still smoke a bit thru-out the day...
 
Smoking is bad for crohns. Stats show you are 66% more likely to flare at any given time. Before I quit smoking the longest remissions I have had were a few months at a time and after I quit I went on to have a 4 year remission. I think quitting had a lot to do with it.

In people with ulceritive colitis nicotine can soothe it, but not in crohns.
 
I was told to quit smoking... I'm going to do it in a week or so. I know it will be rough, but better than feeling sick all the time, if it truly improves my symptoms.
 
I smoked before I was dx. I quit when I was in the hospital shortly after dx and stayed quit for several months, it was horrible!! I was so sick ALL the time!!! I ended up being so stressed from my disease one day I decided to have A smoke, my cramps slowed and I find it helps. I do however find that marijuana DOES help with symptoms. Maybe it helps soely with stress which in turn is helping with the crohn's, or maybe I think it helps? Not sure, but either way it really isn\t good for us anyhow. LOL
 
I smoked for a few years before i was diagnosed. Still carried on til Sept 09, after my op i went to have one, and didnt like it. Havent looked back since.

But saying that, my mum has smoked since she was 14, been diagnosed with crohns for over 30 years, and hasnt given up - and personally i dont think it makes her any worse, but then doesnt make her any better
 
I've smoked for 31 of the last 36 yrs. I quit for 5 yrs and can actually say they were 5 of the best years I have had since I became a Crohnie 25 years ago. I think it depends on the person's situation. Some it helps, some it hurts. jmo
 
i think my smoking was a contributing factor and i have yet to quit and feel ok, although quitting soon, hopefully. aint easy
 
Astra101 said:
I'm a smoker.
I've only had one major flare and in hospital, thro major stress!
Smoking calms me, stress nearly killed me!
Of course docs will tell you this! They're programmed from an early age to! Smoking contributes to every major illness in the world, right? I had some dickhead doctor tell me that it's my fault that I got Crohns cos I smoke!
So let me ask you all, how many Crohnies on here have never smoked, ever??? hey?
Everything in moderation.
Click to expand...

I've never smoked, and I developed Crohn's in my teens. My husband's uncle smoked his whole life, developed Crohn's in his 50's.

I don't think smoking contributes to Crohn's; when I was younger I had doctors actually tell me nicotine HELPED Crohn's-so go figure.

There MANY factors that come together when ANY person developes a disease-and any doctor that blames the patient wouldn't be my doctor for long!
 
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Pirate: My first pass of your post made me think you were 36 years old and smoked 31 of them. I was like, damn they got you young, but if that baby in india can quit, so can you!
 
Great decision for those of you in quitting smoking. It doesn't do the body any GOOD...except for easing stress maybe, but there are other ways to get rid of the stress. I smoked sev. years too. I was smoking when dx with Crohns. I quit after my surgery, changed my lifestyle. Been in the fitness industry now 30 yrs. and been in remission that long too. Maybe smoking makes the disease worse, maybe not. It is an addiction. But I do know smoking takes a toll on the body and makes it harder to fight any disease we have. You can do it!!!
 
Bumping this thread for smokers, ex-smokers and people trying to quit, me being the latter. It's day 7 of no smoking and it's not as bad as I thought.

Know I have to kick the habit as it does make me worse off. The thing with me was, I'd feel like crap, tell my doc "I'll quit!", give up for month or so, feel better and then start smoking again :/

I think I need a slap upside the head instead of friendly advice. This time I believe is the time I'll quit for good. Just isn't worth it. And smell better! lol
 
I have smoked for over 20 yrs. I was diagnosed with Crohns almost 10 yrs ago, went quickly into remission. I stopped smoking in October 2010 and was in a flare by the end of December. I asked my GI if quitting had anything to do with the flare and he said only if I had "crossed over" to UC. He said they would give me the patch if that was the case.

IAmTheWalrus...I feel much better since I quit but I must say I sure do miss it. I never even smoked more than 1/2 a pack a day in all those years of smoking but it was difficult. Stay strong and you will be able to do it. Just think of all the positives that will come from quitting! If you need support I'm here for ya!
 
Smoking. Even one little cigarette per day results in vasoconstriction (a clamping down of the arteries) in the heart. So there is no such thing as smoking in moderation when it comes to smoking. Don't get me wrong...I think it's a person's choice. I briefly smoked and love every minute of it. But I also get to see what it does to people...so I don't do it. As for smoking and cancer....basically smoking increases the likelihood of most cancers manifest (hence it is called a carcinogen). Stopping smoking can be very difficult. I have had heroin users tell me that kicking the habit was harding than stopping heroin. The average smoker tries 7 times to quit before they are successful. However, there is now more help for smokers: patches, gums, lozenges, inhalers, electronic cigs, and medications.

Dr. S (spouse of a Crohn's sufferer...non-smoker and asthmatic)
 
I smoke...I had one GI that never even mentioned it and my new GI is adamant about me quitting....sometimes a cig helps calm down my symptoms and other times it will aggrevate them. I think it just depends on your body. I actually had heard that research was being done about smoking actually helping with crohns symptoms. This doesn't mean to pick up this habit,...just saying....
 
Does "smoking" include weed or just ciggarettes?

I am interested in this smoking discussion on Crohns...My question is this: whenever I hear that smoking is bad for Crohns, or that it can decrease medicine efficiency, does this mean just smoking ciggarettes/tobacco, or does this include weed as well?

What i am really asking is it the act of smoking itself that agitates the crohns, or is it smoking tobacco?

Thanks.
 

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