I am about ready to go back to smoking

Interesting topic!

I smoked from age 12 to age 30 when i quit because we had been trying to have a baby for two yr and i wanted to rule that out as a problem and just wanted to be smoke free while trying to concieve. Right after my pregnancy, i had my first flare. (i however can't connect the dots as i had alot of things that "set off" UC, such as stopping smoking, pregnancy, high levels antibiotics, and high stress during the pregnancy from preterm labor and preterm delivery) I remained smoke free for 4yrs with the exception of a few times. After the birth of my second child, i flared bad again. I then found a lump in my breast, and just could not take the stress anymore so i went out and bought a pack of cigs. I smoked for a good 8-9 mo. since i had one lump removed and 3mo. later found a second lump!!!! After all was said and done, i finally quite. That 9mo of smoking made NO difference in my flare at all. Tho, i had hoped that it might....then i would have something to BLAME continuing to smoke on...lol

Anyways, i decided to quite again. I have seen to many family members with lung cancer. Both of my grandparents passed away after batteling lung cancer, and emphesiema. My mother has been diagnosed with early stages of emphysema and STILL smokes. My father in law passed at age 60 from lung cancer and just recently my 31 yr old (yes 31 yrs old) cousin was just diagnosed with COPD/possible emphysema!!!! I am DONE with smoking and pray that i have not caused permenant damage from my yrs of smoking!

I'll never forget the time in Jan. 2002. I had just come off 2 10-week blasts of pred, from back to back scary flares over a number of months, and seemed OK over Xmas. I had to go to Havana (!) for two weeks to work in early January. about a week before leaving BAM! All flared up again worse than ever - endless cramp, blood and mucous galore, the whole thing. I struggled to the airport and to Havana. Bought a pack of cigs in the airport on arrival and did not look back for the full 2 weeks. Symptoms evaporated almost instantly and I had a productive and enjoyable trouble-free stay. On return - BAM! All screwed up again, and was put on entocort enemas, started Pentasa, both of which only partially helped. 6 months later I moved to Japan and had 2 gloriously UC-free years there as a chainsmoker. I don't need to detail what happened since I returned and still cripples my everyday life. My partner simply will not have smoking around the house, and I work on a smoke-free suburban college campus, so to keep peace I simply do not smoke when in town.