Living with BC

Yeah,
I like him too. He has always been straight with me and he has been there too, he's a cancer survivor as well.

Whit

This may sound unsympathetic, but I hope you all who choose to continue to smoke, will do so away from your children and pets.

I have never smoked, but my parents smoked and I was always very sensitive to it. My feelings were never considered and they continued to do as they pleased. My dad died of lung cancer and now, I have bladder cancer. How do I know it isn't from their second hand smoke???

Whit, I like your Doctor. I'm glad you didn't take him out!

Whit, Chris, other nicotine users: You are welcome. I am glad to pass along all I learned through my training and observations with American Lung Association as well as personal experience of quitting myself. It took 3 tries to stay quit. An excellent pretend cigarette that offered me deep inhalation, gave me the correct breathing and a "kick" to the back of my throat helped tremendously. E-Z QUIT is a smokeless cigarette substitute which contains no nicotine but fills your need to do something with your hands and mouth, and to inhale deeply feeling a "kick" to the back of the throat. Other nicotine type aids like the patch the gum or the lozenges helped those who are addicted to nicotine but does not teach the proper relaxation breath to keep quit once the nicotine leaves the body and there remains a need to relax. I have no "stock" in this product :-D. Here is the website for E-Z quit which is also part of quitsmoking.com. www.quitsmoking.com/ezquit/index.htm

Awesome Whit,

I was diagnosed with cancer I believe on March 4th, and stopped my 20 year habit of chewing tobacco that very second. In fact I have not even had the slightest desire to use again.

I think that was about 6 months ago or ~180 days * $8.00/can/day = $1,440 saved!

Again, It took me about 4 months to get over the fact that I had a significant risk of bladder cancer progression/death, first clear cysto helped a lot. I got cancer right in the middle of a divorce (stress related?), the divorce process was actually harder on me than the cancer. (I'm still not divorced yet). Life can be overwhelming at times.

Thanks Rosie,

I know what you mean about breathing. Upon my Dx I also quit smoking
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1m 2w 5d 23:51 smoke-free, 1,499 cigs not smoked, $251.83 saved, 5d 4:55 life saved

I asked my Dr. what he recommended to help me quit and he went off on me and said "I can't give any more motivation than smoking gave you cancer, so what more do you need" he was absolutly right and I stopped cold turkey and my wife quit as well, go her. In the last 6 weeks though I have used the deep breath thing to fool myself into thinking that I'm smoking and it works great. I am still suffering from a degree of prostatitis brought on from having had a catheter. I posted elsewhere asking if this had happened to anyone else and got no reply.

Right now I'm trying to get myself right and my life back together.

Whit

Rosie,

You're welcome, and something else you mentioned about being free to take care of yourself after your job had been "downsized".  My husband had been/and still is unemployed (change at the top of the company/all new senior management), and we realized at the time of my diagnosis in December 2003 that his being unemployed made it possible for him to help me with my care after surgery.  He also did the household things I was unable to do, and all this because he was unemployed.  We actually felt that perhaps it was meant to be just for that reason, as I initially had great difficulty with incontinence (major for at least two months) and it's impossible to clean or do laundry when your bladder empties every time you stand up.
I'm glad you're doing so well with everything, and especially stopping your smoking.  Good Job!

Lou