Smoking

[Kat24]

Just wondered if any of you with ostomies smoked?my hubby has always been anti smoking and my surgeon told me to give up otherwise the ostomy would fail??i did try but unfortunately I enjoy smoking and wasn't able to give up.just wanted people's views on this please

 

[DJW]

I don't/have never smoked. I know for a patient who smokes increases the chance of a flare and reduces the effectiveness of the medication. I'm guessing it has the same effect for someone getting second hand smoke.

 

[Daisy123]

I switched to e-cigs before my last resection and I then qualified for the surgery as an ex-smoker. Never looked back. First month is difficult but never looked back. I use NUCIG but there are many others. This was on the recommendation of my surgeon.

 

[VeganOstomy]

I was a heavy smoker long before my a Crohn's diagnosis and stoma, but you should trust your surgeon. Smoking causes all kinds of problems and nobody needs more health issues on top of existing ones.

 

[lenny]

My mother was a smoker for 30 some years. Thought she couldn't quit. Then one night she couldn't breath and it scared her to death. She had to go to the hospital in an ambulance. She quit that day. Too bad it was too late and she already had emphysema.

Don't think you can't quit. Expect that you will and do it!

 

[vonfunk]

I'm amazing at smoking, it's one of two things I do really well (the other being bourbon related). That aside, I have UC, so smoking has some positive medical benefits for the GI tracts, however with Crohn's it does the opposite and can make things worse. It's best to quit for either condition, but more so for CD than UC.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Just wondered if any of you with ostomies smoked?my hubby has always been anti smoking and my surgeon told me to give up otherwise the ostomy would fail??i did try but unfortunately I enjoy smoking and wasn't able to give up.just wanted people's views on this please

I don't really think you do want my views on this. You obvously didn't try very hard.

 

[vonfunk]

I don't really think you do want my views on this. You obvously didn't try very hard.

This response is horrifying. Any attempt, even a failed one, is a good start.The average number of times that it takes for a smoker to quit is 7. Kat came for opinions and support. As soon as a person starts seeking out the views of other people it means that they are on the road to quitting. She came looking for support not to be berated.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

This response is horrifying. Any attempt, even a failed one, is a good start.The average number of times that it takes for a smoker to quit is 7. Kat came for opinions and support. As soon as a person starts seeking out the views of other people it means that they are on the road to quitting. She came looking for support not to be berated.

I'll be only too happy to support her if she was actually trying to give up. She clearly went into it with no real goal of succeeding. The fact that she states that she enjoys smoking would indicate she is not really wanting to give up.

As someone recovering from cancer, I find it frustrating to say the least that someone, who is already not well, despite being told to stop by both surgeon and husband, has no intention of doing so.

Might sound harsh, but she asked for opinions. You can't do that and only expect people to tell her she's doing the right thing.

 

[vonfunk]

Perhaps you skimmed over the rest of the thread. But for the record, no one has said that continuing to smoke is the right thing. Not a single person.

You can be aware of something that is bad for you and still enjoy it. People smoke because they enjoy it. That's why quitting an addiction is hard and that is why people relapse. Self loathing is not always the final stage before quitting.

She asked for opinions on stomas and quitting smoking. She did not ask for judgement on her as a person, which is what you provided.

 

[LewisS]

I quit smoking exactly 311 days ago and I loved smoking! The first few weeks I hated humanity and felt like it was the end of the world - it got better and here I am, almost a year later.

The only negative is that around the time of quitting smoking, my symptoms worsened significantly. Perhaps it was a coincidence? I'll never know...

I have read that you should only quit in full remission and not mid-flare as it can exacerbate symptoms. Not a reliable source, but it makes me think about my own quit.

I don't have a stoma myself, but what I do know is that the carbon monoxide in cigarettes uses the oxygen needed in tissues to heal. Thanks Google. I knew this, but had to be sure of it before I post it on a forum full of medically knowledgeable people.

 

[Kat24]

Thanks for the replies I think!i also read this Lewis about quitting mid flare was bad but wasn't sure it was true.i think when I've finished my current course of steroids I'm going to give it a real try beware if I make some stressed out posts haha

 

[Kat24]

Also daisy do you still use the electronic cigs as I'm worried if I try these I will just be hooked on something else

 

[Kat24]

Tricky dicky in all honesty I don't want to give up but I know deep down that I need to.i have tried unsuccessfully quite a few times but I do realise that I'm making my problems worse and if I ever want to get off all my meds (I'm happy with my stoma he can stay!) I have got to do it.sorry if I annoyed you with my original post

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Tricky dicky in all honesty I don't want to give up but I know deep down that I need to.i have tried unsuccessfully quite a few times but I do realise that I'm making my problems worse and if I ever want to get off all my meds (I'm happy with my stoma he can stay!) I have got to do it.sorry if I annoyed you with my original post

You didn't annoy me as much as frustrate me, and believe it or not I didn't want to offend, I would very much like you to succeed, but you have to really want to do it, otherwise you won't win. If you start from the point "I enjoy smoking" you're going to find it even harder to quit.

Normally I would offer to see my scars and the amount of drugs I take to help someone give up, but as you're on here, you probably already have enough of both yourself.

For the record, neither time I've had cancer were caused my smoking.

 

[scottsma]

I was a nicotine addict from age 15.I loved smoking.
After at least 7 attempts I finally quit when I got a bad chest infection.
It's been 20yrs since my last cig.It wasn't easy.but it was the best thing I ever did.
I was dx'd with IBD 8yrs ago,so I doubt there's any connection.


It WILL be hard,but just do it one day at a time.You will feel so much better,and you will smell sweeter and be better off financially......Good Luck,you CAN do it !!!

 

[Kat24]

Tricky dicky I totally agree with you and I think the reason I have never succeeded before is because I didn't really want to give up.ive got to the point now where I'm fed up of being ill and living on meds that make my tummy better but make me feel awful!i know I need to do this and I WILL succeed,I've marked a date in my diary so there's no going back!

 

[Daisy123]

Also daisy do you still use the electronic cigs as I'm worried if I try these I will just be hooked on something else

Yes, but it doesn't bother me. You can go down to no nicotine at all in stages. I enjoyed smoking but it would have killed me. In four years, not one chest infection and no antibiotics which is great. I know this way I will never smoke the real things again. I don't drink, haven't for 20 years. I miss it, there is really no hope for me :lol:

 

[cleuger]

I'm an ex smoker quiting is not easy and I still get cravings after 8 years but I refuse to cave in to it. My daughter on the other hand has tried several times to quit and just couldn't do it. So I understand I did enjoy it but it was something g I was ready to give up and have no regrets however I will tell you everyone is different people have different reasons for smoking. Mine was it relieved my stress it was like a pacifier and to honost crohns did not rear it's ugly head until after I quit of course mine is crohns colitis not sure of the difference hope all goes well for you.

 

[Miss Underestimated]

With e-cigs, you can gradually decrease the strength of the liquid, but still have the hand-to-mouth movement, which in itself, is part of the addiction. I also got an immediate improvement in my lipid profile. My doctors were delighted.

The first week is hard. I kept some cigarettes available because I was actually afraid. I bought extra e-cigs to make sure I didn't run out and pick up a cigarette. I wouldn't suggest that anyone take up e-cigs if they aren't trying to get off regular cigarettes.

For people wanting to help someone else quit, positive reinforcement of all efforts to quit is what really helps. Things like "don't give up" and "keep trying, you will succeed" rather than the lectures and what seems like common sense.

 

[lenny]

A person visiting me right now, smokes outside, far away from our house, but smokes e-cigs in a room upstairs. My son's room is in the basement. Is there any chance this could hurt him? He has Crohn's and this is the first smoker he's been exposed to, really.

 

[VeganOstomy]

A person visiting me right now, smokes outside, far away from our house, but smokes e-cigs in a room upstairs. My son's room is in the basement. Is there any chance this could hurt him? He has Crohn's and this is the first smoker he's been exposed to, really.

I don't think you have anything to worry about. There is minimal second hand exposure in the same room as the e-cigarette, but only for nicotine.

http://m.ntr.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/6/655

 

[PatientlyMary]

Hi Kat!
I smoked for almost 20 years with undiagnosed Crohn's. Quit on my third try with nicotine gum. I couple of things that might help: I made a list of all the good/bad things about smoking and kept re-reading for reference when I quit. For one thing, I really enjoy my friends and family's little ones. But, when I was with them all I could think about was getting outside for a cigarette, not good. And kissing a smoker... blech!

Also, my friend put $10 (cost of her cigs) a day in a big glass jar on the counter so she could SEE how much money she was saving. She planned regular treats for herself (every 2/4 weeks) with the money to keep going. Focus on what you are gaining by quitting and you can get there too!