Stop Smoking!!

[shooter32]

My father-inlaw passed away February 5th with a long battle "18 years" with cancer. He was the stongest man I have ever met. And the most BULL HEADED. He was 73 and smoked for 60 years. And smoked to the very end.

Onset of asthma - 1987
Colon cancer surgery - 1990
Heart valve replacement - 1999
Throat cancer surgery - 2002
Colon cancer surgery - 2008

After the second colon surgery doctors found two tumors in his lungs.Which they could not do surgery on. Doctors didn't think he would see Thanksgiving but he surprized us all. What a fighter.

A big thanks to the GREAT people of Hospice!!! They were just AWESOME with everything.

I'm not a smoker so I don't understand the addiction, but know it's a tuff one to over come. So to anyone out there tring to quit.. don't give up. Do it for yourself and your loved ones.

Good bye dad you will forever be in our hearts and you touched everyone you met!

[Timothy]

My condolences for your loss Shooter...

Smoking took both my parents and all five kids were addicted as well.  To the best of my knowledge we've all kicked the habit but it still took 30 years for me to get it done...it will be three years this August...

Timmy

[Texas_Bryan]

I'm with ya'll.  I enjoy my cigars and pipe once or twice a week, but I'll never touch those cigarettes.  Terrible habit, both grandparents on the mom's side died from smoking, and alcohol, complications.  But I'm not prepared to FORCE any thing on others, in NYC its $10 for a pack of smokes because they're trying to control their subjects lives.

Its the saddest thing once you take them to the hospice, I was 18 when I went to the hospice with my mom to pick out a room for my grandfather.

Weird about quitting though, I've known people who've tried to quit for years, and I've known people who quit on one weekend.

[Teresa Heilevang]

That'd be me.. I can smoke for 3 years and quit in one day.. Never been addicted and never actually liked to smoke. I am what you call a social smoker on occasion. Used to smoke all the time ( don't know why) never needed it .. I just "did"..
But I was never ever addicted to it. one of the lucky ones. Never been addicted to anything actually except homeade bread ...

Marshal has smoked most all his adult life .. quit once while he was still living in Norway.. but started up again.
 He quit for good ( he says this time it is for real) last Monday and so far we have only had to replace one wall as he has chewed it down to bare wood.. LOL 
I'm laughing but it is rough as hell on him. He is one of those that his body was and still is addicted to the nicotine.
 He has the Nicorette gum and last week he used the patches.. but the patches are just a bare smidgen of nicotine compared to a pack a day...
But so far this week ( 2 days) he hasn't worn a patch. He is doing great.. He's a bit on edge..restless as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. and exercising himself to death.. That is what he does when he wants a cigarette. He goes out and walks..runs and works out on the total gym.

He'll get there...........He's determined and I have faith in his determination. 

[Rob10ring]

My father-in-law made it through growing up and serving in the army without ever smoking. Then he started dating my mother-in-law and has smoked ever since. Last October, he found out that he had advanced bladder cancer. We found out that the top risk factor for this cancer was smoking. Other risk factors were being a white male, over 60 and working with many construction materials. He fit all of these. The smoking however, doubles ones chances of developing bladder cancer.

His treatment was very invasive. The surgical staff at USC Medical Center had to remove his bladder, prostate and other surrounding tissue, then they replaced the bladder with part of his intestine.

This has been a horrible ordeal for Larry to go through. Before the cancer, he was extremely independent. He was a home inspector at this point in his career and was off on his own pretty much all day. He used to enjoy hunting and made himself a promise while in the hospital that he was going to go more often when he got better. He really wanted to live during the rest of his life. I don't know if he'll ever be able to do that. Last week, I asked him if he was ready to go yet and he said that he couldn't walk more than a few feet without getting tired. He also said that he'd never smoke again, his wife didn't want to lose her smoking buddy and has made sure that he has a pack of cigarettes next to the bed at all times. He wears a fanny pack to keep his diapers in and can't really go anywhere in case he has an accident (#1 & #2). He has become a small withered old man.

I wouldn't want this to happen to any of you. Don't wait until it's too late to stop smoking. Get help if you need to. Just quit!

[Sponsor]

[Big Frank]

Tobacco is the only thing you can legally buy and use it as it was intended to be used and it will kill you. Guns don't kill everyone who shoots them. Cars are safe enough that we all use them. Junk food is okay to eat in moderation. And recently they've found out that drinking alcohol has health benefits. But tobacco does people no good, only harm, and there's no safe amount. I knew a guy who had one lung removed because of cancer and still smoked. When he got emphysema in the remaining lung he still smoked until it finally killed him.

[Pathfinder]

Shooter, our prayers are with you and your family at this time. I lost my Dad in 1990, so I know something of how this is affecting you.

BTW, your list reminded me of my Dad's - they just kept whittling away at him for decades. He died from complications from smoking too, although there were extenuating circumstances.

My sister also succumbed to lung cancer after being a smoker for a gazillion years, left 2 little boys under eight.

You will never stop thinking of your Dad, or missing him - and that is the right way for it to be. If you are lucky, the pain will subside after a while, but the tears will come when you least expect it - even almost 20 years later.