Did you smoke?

15 years 4 months ago - 15 years 4 months ago #22173 by pemquid
Replied by pemquid on topic Did you smoke?
I, too, have never smoked, but have blc (tcc, low grade, non-invasive). However, I grew up in a small NYC apartment with two parents who smoked fairly heavily, and was exposed to more second hand smoke in college, and of course in all the other indoor places where smoking was allowed back in the 1950's-60's-70's before indoor smoking started to get banned. My Dad had bladder cancer in his 70's, but it was the "good" type and he only had one recurrence; at the time of his death from lung cancer(at age 84), I recall that he was down to one bladder check-up/year. My mom died at age 79 from lung failure complicated by severe osteoporosis (both of course probably related to smoking). I figure my blc may be due to a combination of hereditary susceptibility and exposure to second-hand smoke from birth through about my 30's. :unsure:

Ann

Small TA Grade 1, May-06; recur (2 tiny), same, June-08; TURBTs both times. BCG begun July-08, dosage to 1/3rd May-10, completed treatment December-11. All clear since 2008.

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15 years 4 months ago #22167 by FAYH
Replied by FAYH on topic Did you smoke?
I have never smoked. But I was exposed to a lot of secondhand smoke at my workplaces for several years.

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15 years 4 months ago #22163 by Julie
Replied by Julie on topic Did you smoke?
My husband quite smoking in 1988 and was diagnosed with CIS in 2001 in addition he grew up in a home with smokers. I think there is an interplay between smoking the what vulnerabilities a person has from their biological makeup. His Mother died of Lung cancer. His BC has metastasized to his lungs not the most usual place for TCC metastases. Not unheard of just not the first place they look which is the lymph nodes. His family has a history of kidney issues. I think cancers attack the bodies weakest points. Some of those are genetic and others are environmental.

I quite smoking in 1988 also. I did not smoke as much but I lived with his smoke also. I am still vulnerable to a smoking induced cancer. One reason I quit besides watching my MIL die of lung cancer is I kept getting pneumonia and bronchitis. After I quit I was no longer bothered by those ailments.
At least I don't think smoking causes osteoarthritis or diverticulitis but who knows someone may find a correlation.

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15 years 4 months ago - 15 years 4 months ago #22161 by timb
Replied by timb on topic Did you smoke?
i don't believe you can put it down to one thing. as pat points out, and we all have examples in our families, there are plenty of heavy smokers who have long lives. smoking seems like too easy of an out for the docs. also its a bit dangerous as it kind of blames the patient and, in a health system like ours here in uk, could lead to prioritising patients who have just made different lifestyle choices. I mean, no one asks you how many big macs you eat when you present with BC or how much you drink or what fruit and veg you get through in a week. most likely its multiple causes; bad nutrition, location, job history and a genetic predisposition etc etc etc.

the best reasons to give up smoking are that your life just feels a lot better. food is more enjoyable, you can exercise without getting out of breath, your skin and eyes look better within days of giving up and you save a shedload of money. these are real, tangible, immediately noticeable benefits.

t

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15 years 4 months ago #22160 by Patricia
Replied by Patricia on topic Did you smoke?
Just read a paper where they are now linking the aluminum industry with bladder cancer......a study done at Johns Hopkins.
THey Dont Know ........its the first question they ask of all cancer patients...do you smoke?.........my grandparents smoked and so did their entire generation and they did not have cancer. The big thing back then was TB.
Pat

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15 years 4 months ago #22159 by orpheus
Replied by orpheus on topic Did you smoke?
I think you would find that the majority of us BC warriors smoked at one time. As more and more of these cancers are revealed I think industrial and local polutants will be as much to blame. I think the genetic link to all cancers is strong as well. As most doctors seem to know nothing about psoriatic arthritis and BCG, obviously there is not enough research being done. I cheer whenever I find something in the news about growing new bladders from stem cells.
Pat is right about thinking of losing a bladder. It is somehow too awful to contemplate, but why? Thanks for showing us the way here Patricia.

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