Sad news from the lake..

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by Lorix2
I'm sorry to hear about you're friend.

My friend is 40 and has terminal lung cancer. A smoker too.

I stopped smoking 6 years ago and I still fear this more than anything else.

---------------------------

There was another couple up here - been here since I was a child - and the DH was diagnosed with lung cancer many, many years after he quit smoking.. He had the entire lung removed and was VERY lucky.. About 15 years later they found it had spread to his spine, but he underwent radiation treatments and was well again for another 5 years or so.. Ironically, when he did die, it was from prostate cancer and VERY quick..

I am SOOOOO hoping that a partial or full lung removal will work for my neighbors DH.. And curiously enough? These folks are the ones that I had the tiff with over taking my lawn chairs and placing them alongside the road with a "free" sign on them - LOL.. I made my peace with them (and their actions) last year and we have gotten along pretty well - with a determined effort on my part to constantly remember that they're "older" and sometimes older folks just see things differently..

If anyone is so inclined, it would be great if you could include them in your prayers..

Thanks!

 

[avdeane]

C.Ann

So sorry to hear of your friend's cancer. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

 

[Poohbear123]

My Dad died of lung cancer also, May 30 1961 I was 3 years old.. He was 51. My Mom was a Widow at age 38.

 

[Pooh's Pal]

My thoughts and prayers are with you, your neighbor and her DH...

 

[CRB#33]

Sad news indeed. Sorry to hear this C.Ann.

 

[DMRick]

Quitting smoking "reduces" the chances of lung cancer - it does not "eliminate" it completely

however, the odds of getting lung cancer wasn't one of them

uh..C.Ann..what do you think "reduces" means? You do have incorrect info if you think quitting smoking doesn't reduce the chance of lung cancer (of course if you already have it, it won't go away). Yes, people who quit smoking may still get lung cancer..it reduces it but with no guarantees. It doens't say if you quit you will never have it. But reducing by large percentages is good enough for me. Quitting smoking does reduce your chances of getting lung cancer. I've had to deal with so many specialists having asthma (and a mom who had lung cancer). I have never heard of a doctor saying that quiting smoking wouldn't reduce lung cancer (you ought to see the commercials they are now showing in Ireland as they went smoke free in public places..they give you all the facts and you get to see the lungs, right on tv..yuck! We would never have such "real" commercials hee). They were crystal clear as to what smoking was doing to my lungs, and when I hit the 10 year mark, he very earnestly explained to me that my chances of getting lung cancer from smoking were GREATLY reduced (which I think is great! No, not totally gone..but greatly reduced). On my last visit he said my lungs were almost the same as someone who had never smoked. He too is young (everybody is young next to me)and right up on lung diseases..he works with them all day. Perhaps if someone already has a lung disease the odds are much higher you will get lung cancer, but yes, quitting will still reduce your chances of getting it.

Maybe you misunderstood him, if you heard him to say it wouldn't reduce (which means lower your chances of getting it) cancer or maybe he was talking about your particular case (I hope not!). All of the American Cancer Liturature says that quitting smoking will reduce your chances of getting lung cancer. In any case, I'm reminded all the time of how much better I am, just to be able to breath clearly and deeply since quitting. Do I still fear lung cancer..of course. I know what shape my lungs were in, and I always pray I quit in time.

 

[DMRick]

I'm not disputing that at all.. Just disputing the notion that quitting smoking equals no chance of having lung cancer in the future.. I only pointed out the percentages that you posted yourself - 30% to 50% - not even close to 100%..

Yes..that is what we are all saying ..it reduces it. You wrote it does nothing to reduce it..that's what some of us are not agreeing with.

You wrote:

Nope - it won't deter me at all because I was already aware of the fact that quitting smoking does nothing to reduce your chances of lung cancer if you have smoked at ANY time in the past..

And the longer out you are from quitting, they have found it reduces even more..but I'll take the 50% reduction..better than none! I might have had a 50% chance of getting cancer from my smoking..if I reduce that 50%..then I'm down to a 75% chance of not getting lung cancer. I'd prefer 100%..but hey, I'll take this.

 

[arminnie]

There are even some people like my 93 year old grandfather (at death) who smoked for probably 80 years and never had any lung or heart problems. But it is always still at least a little bit better at the minimum not to smoke.

C.Ann I really do wish you well in stopping even if it is only as little as a 1 or 2 % reduction. One of my best friends just stopped smoking after smoking for about 40 years. She had tried so many, many times but for some reason this last time really worked. She used the patch and took Welbutrin.

Even if it didn't reduce the risks at all just think of how much money one could save.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by DMRick
uh..C.Ann..what do you think "reduces" means? You do have incorrect info if you think quitting smoking doesn't reduce the chance of lung cancer (of course if you already have it, it won't go away). Yes, people who quit smoking may still get lung cancer..it reduces it but with no guarantees. It doens't say if you quit you will never have it. But reducing by large percentages is good enough for me. Quitting smoking does reduce your chances of getting lung cancer. I've had to deal with so many specialists having asthma (and a mom who had lung cancer). I have never heard of a doctor saying that quiting smoking wouldn't reduce lung cancer (you ought to see the commercials they are now showing in Ireland as they went smoke free in public places..they give you all the facts and you get to see the lungs, right on tv..yuck! We would never have such "real" commercials hee). They were crystal clear as to what smoking was doing to my lungs, and when I hit the 10 year mark, he very earnestly explained to me that my chances of getting lung cancer from smoking were GREATLY reduced (which I think is great! No, not totally gone..but greatly reduced). On my last visit he said my lungs were almost the same as someone who had never smoked. He too is young (everybody is young next to me)and right up on lung diseases..he works with them all day. Perhaps if someone already has a lung disease the odds are much higher you will get lung cancer, but yes, quitting will still reduce your chances of getting it.

Maybe you misunderstood him, if you heard him to say it wouldn't reduce (which means lower your chances of getting it) cancer or maybe he was talking about your particular case (I hope not!). All of the American Cancer Liturature says that quitting smoking will reduce your chances of getting lung cancer. In any case, I'm reminded all the time of how much better I am, just to be able to breath clearly and deeply since quitting. Do I still fear lung cancer..of course. I know what shape my lungs were in, and I always pray I quit in time.

--------------------------------

I did not say that it doesn't "reduce" the chances of getting lung cancer - I said it didn't "eliminate" lung cancer.. Did you even read what I posted? I said over and over that while it might "reduce" the chances, it did not "eliminate" them.. I also said that my doctor gave me a whole laundry list of health problems that could be REVERSED by quitting smoking and getting lung cancer wasn't one of them.. No "incorrect" information there.. Reduced? Yes.. Reversed? No.. The damage is done in terms of lung cancer.. If you can point me in the direction of any qualified doctor who can say that quitting smoking totally eliminates ones chances of getting lung cancer in the future (as opposed to the 30 to 50% REDUCTION they have determined) I sure would like to talk to them!

You totally misread my posts.. Reducing and eliminating are two entirely different things..

 

[DMRick]

If you can point me in the direction of any qualified doctor who can say that quitting smoking totally eliminates ones chances of getting lung cancer in the future (as opposed to the 30 to 50% REDUCTION they have determined) I sure would like to talk to them!

I didn't say that. I said it reduces..as did others try to say that to you. This is what you said (note..you said it does nothing to REDUCE your chances of lung cancer..now if you said it did nothing to eliminate it..I would be agreeing with you 100% as would others : ) Maybe this wasn't what you meant to say.

C.Ann wrote:

Nope - it won't deter me at all because I was already aware of the fact that quitting smoking does nothing to reduce your chances of lung cancer if you have smoked at ANY time in the past..

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by DMRick
I didn't say that. I said it reduces..as did others try to say that to you. This is what you said (note..you said it does nothing to REDUCE your chances of lung cancer..now if you said it did nothing to eliminate it..I would be agreeing with you 100% as would others : ) Maybe this wasn't what you meant to say.

C.Ann wrote:

---------------------

My apologies! You are 100% correct - however, that is not what I meant to say.. I was referring to the "total" elimination of the chances of being stricken with lung cancer regardless of how many years ago one has quit..

It truly was the insertion of the wrong word and in no way invalidates the info I received from my doctor.. Once you have smoked, the 100% odds of never being stricken with lung cancer do not apply.. Reduction - yes - total elimination, no..

 

[DMRick]

It truly was the insertion of the wrong word and in no way invalidates the info I received from my doctor.. Once you have smoked, the 100% odds of never being stricken with lung cancer do not apply.. Reduction - yes - total elimination, no..

Actually, once you have breathed in this world, you have lost that 100% odd. Nothing medically (saying you would not for sure 100% get a disease is 100% ..well, except I think it's 100% sure I won't get testecular cancer).

But at least now you know why we weren't agreeing with you. Some of us, thought you meant the doctor had told you there was no reduction..and I knew that was incorrect information. So you see..I did read what you wrote..I'm usually pretty good at that : )