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Posted 4/26/2009 5:14 PM (GMT 0)
I feel the same way about the hard drugs for UC. They harm the body.

So it's not like I'm advocating the UC drugs and not cigarettes. I don't advocate any of them. (Although I can understand having to take them in certain circumstances. For instance, if you just found out that you have UC, haven't had time to try alternative treatments, and might loose your colon. ) But the colon is not nearly as important as some of our other organs. We should not be damaging those other organs in efforts to save our colon.

Cigarettes also produce second-hand smoke. I don't like having to walk past smokers and have their smoke go into my face. And I didn't like it when I lived in an apartment and the guy in the unit underneath would go on his porch and smoke. All the smoke would go into our window, and we'd end up coughing.

And then judging smokers helps them to quit. It helped me quit.

Whereas judging obese people is different. Sometimes it's not their fault that they are obese, and they already feel bad about being overweight. Why make them feel worse.
Posted 4/26/2009 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
Sudued, it's the exception. not the rule, that obese people are that way for medical reasons. Most are (like myself) because they don't say no to too much food, or the wrong food. They don't get up and move enough.
Also I have never yet known a smoker that quit because of being judged, the same for someone losing weight for being judged. The more the husband, mother, sister, harped about them being overweight, the more they ate.

It's something YOU have to want to do, not the people around you. Same with smoking, or anything else in  life.
Posted 4/26/2009 6:41 PM (GMT 0)

subdued said...
Pb4,

I was talking about people who have very slow metabolism rates.

I have the addiction gene (as mentioned in some of my previous posts). So don't rationalize your smoking on Colitis and the addiction gene (including that for cigarettes and overeating). I have both, and I don't smoke and I'm not overweight.

I also smoked in high school. As one of my teachers once told me, I smelled like an ash tray. I gave it up when I became pregnant with my first daughter at the age of 19. (I got married at 18.) Now my lungs are so clean I can't even tolerate second-hand smoke.

If you want to quit, I suggest going cold turkey if at all possible. It will help to remove cravings, especially if you have the addiction gene. Clean out your house, car, clothes, everything so that they don't smell. The smoke permeates everything, although you probably don't realize it, because you are smelling it every day. Get rid of all cigarettes, ash trays, lighters, matches, everything. Find other ways to relax. Instead of taking a 15 minute cigarette break, take a 15 minute walk, or stretch for 15 minutes.

Okay subdued but I do rationalize my smoking cuz when I quit for 3 yrs (a while back) my flare got sooooooo bad but I stuck with quitting for 3 yrs in the hopes it would get better, but it didn't so I started again and felt almost imediate relief which is when I discovered that 3/day worked (then dad died and I increased to 6/day) which my GP told me less than 10/day is not even considered as being an habitual smoker and not to worry about it.  I wish I had listend to my colon and rectom surgeon that warned me yrs ago not to quit smoking (cuz they knew then that there was a benefit for those with colitis).  When I quit before I used Zyban which worked great but I have no intentions of quitting my 6/day until they have a med that mimics the effects.

I did learn that smoking penetrates everything and I agree it was totally gross, I quit smoking before we moved into our current house we live in now and when we were packing up the old house I noticed smoke smell and even yellowing of some clothes in the back of my closet...then when we moved into our new (current) house and about a yr later started smoking it was an instant outside only rule, no smoking in the house (plus I learned about how even second hand smoke is a known trigger for CD so no smoking around my kids).

They actually say that it takes about on average 8 minutes for a cig craving to pass...but like I said I'm only a casual smoker and do not do it in my house or anyone eles even if they smoke in their house cuz I just don't like smoking indoors (it can add to the smoke smell which I agree can be gross, but so can some other smells like I mentioned above).

:)

Posted 4/26/2009 6:53 PM (GMT 0)

subdued said...

Whereas judging obese people is different. Sometimes it's not their fault that they are obese, and they already feel bad about being overweight. Why make them feel worse.

I actually became overweight after quitting smoking for 3 yrs (gained 47lbs) and that's the first time in my whole life I ever had a weight issue (2 pregnancies don't count cuz the weight fell off immediately) so I know what it's like to be overweight so I think it's perspective (you see it a certain way and I see it differently than you which is fine) but I don't think it really is that different, sometimes judging obese people might be what they need to do something about it (look at the show "Biggest Loser" which has been an insperation to many), but as you feel that some obese cannot help it, I feel the same about smokers, alcoholics, ect...addiction is addiction and often that is why people are overweight/obese, not because they cannot help it, statistically I heard the majority can help it...but hey, to each their own, and I'll add, that even as a smoker I don't like anyone blowing smoke in my face either, that's just gross whether you're a smoker or not...and rude.

:)

Posted 4/26/2009 7:58 PM (GMT 0)
I started smoking in high school and college and quit because I was constantly judged. I was never addicted, just smoked socially. But all I heard was "aw, you don't look like the kind of girl that smokes, I'm really surprised..." etc. So the judgment worked in my case. Once our school made us take it outside and I couldn't be a closet smoker anymore I was done.
Posted 4/26/2009 8:08 PM (GMT 0)

Definitely do not sit in judgement because I am not in everyone's shoes - just mine.

Just wanted to say that having a husband with Stage 4 lung cancer sways my opinion on smoking.  AND - I have been on prednisone - 40 mg. tapering and now 20 since February 1.  I am already considered obsese but by watching what I eat I have only gained 4 lbs. I know when I get off the prednisone I can lose at least what I have gained if not more.  Prednisone is not an automatic gain - it still depends on what you put in your mouth!

Just important to weigh and pros and cons for each one of us.

ElaineNY

Posted 4/26/2009 9:02 PM (GMT 0)
I used to think smoking was cool, and then I was judged. I was told I smelled like an ash tray. I saw how my teacher felt when she smelled the smoke on me and realized that my teacher was right--I smelled like an ash tray. So I quit. I started up again when I met my husband, because he smoked. Then we wanted to have a baby; so I quit. I didn't think to myself that smoking was a personal decision and not bother my husband about smoking. No. I talked to him about how smoking was bad for his health, and he quit too.

People who smoke usually smell like smoke, especially after they have just had a cigarette. People who smoke harm their bodies. People who smoke put smoke in the air. I've had to drive behind cars and get whiffs of smoke from smokers smoking in cars in front of me. I've had to live in an apartment unit in which the person in the unit under me would go on the porch and smoke, resulting in the smoke from his cigarettes coming into my window. I've had to go shopping and pass smokers smoking near the entrances and get smoke in my face. Thank goodness most people don't smoke anymore. Did you forget what it was like in the old days? Or did you not live then? Take a walk instead. You will find that it is much better for your and everybody else's overall health.

Watch some videos of what you are doing to your body when you are smoking. The grossness will help in gaining motivation to stop:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/914475/still_smoking_watch_this/

Please do not encourage others to smoke.

Yes. Most people are probably overweight due to eating unhealthy, eating too much, and not getting enough exercise. I do talk about the importance of eating right and exercising to improve one's health to people who are overweight for these reasons. And I've noticed that the people I've talked to have lost weight and are still losing weight and are healthier as a result.

It amazes me how some people (not all) will try almost anything to save their colon, even when they know it is bad for their health. Yet they won't even try something as simple as fecal transplantation, which puts the good bacteria back into the colon.
Posted 4/26/2009 9:42 PM (GMT 0)
I personally would not and do not encourage anyone to smoke and anyone I know that decides to quit gets all my encouragement...I've already explained my situation and the amount I smoke so I won't go there again and kops2da I've seen my sister in law die a horrible death likely caused by smoking but as I've also mentioned, we're not gonna be here forever and if smoking helps me get through living with crohn's colitis until they make a med to mimic the effects then that's the choice I'm left with.

Zyban worked so well and quickly for me I felt like I had never been a smoker in my life thanks to that Zyban and it was wierd to feel that way cuz I had quit many times before that, so when I decided to smoke again (definitely not because I craved it) it was purely to see if it would help ease my symptoms and for me it did/does (doesn't for everyone though) I had to retrain myself and was grossed out by it worse than when I initially started so I didn't think I'd even be able to become a smoker again, guess that's why I was fine with 3/day initially and smoked that amount for about 2 yrs until my dad passed (you can imagine was very stressful on me) so I found myself smoking 6/day and this was 4 yrs ago now and I haven't increased (and don't plan to) since.

To anyone that want's to quit, try Zyban and hopefully you'll have the same effective results I did.

I also exercise regularly and have altered my diet (just healthy whole natrual foods, nothing processed, fast foods, ect or sugar, artificial sweetners ect) so although because I smoke 6 cigs/day doesn't mean that I have no regard for my own health cuz I do.

:)

Posted 4/26/2009 9:58 PM (GMT 0)

subdued said...
And then judging smokers helps them to quit. It helped me quit.

Whereas judging obese people is different. Sometimes it's not their fault that they are obese, and they already feel bad about being overweight. Why make them feel worse.

I completely disagree that it's okay to judge smokers (who have a nicotine addiciton...no one chooses to smoke for the rest of their life or for years on end when they try their first experimental cigarettes) and not obese people. We shouldn't judge either.

In response to your statement: Smokers already feel bad about smoking, too. Why is it okay to make them feel worse? And I do NOT think judging smokers helps most to quit. I guess you're one of the exceptions. It just makes them more stressed out, and what do smokers do when they're stressed out? They smoke.

Telling smokers about the health risks of smoking isn't going to make us quit. We're not stupid. We know the risks. We're heard them a million times before. I, like most smokers, agree that it's a stupid thing to do. I am working on quitting, but when non-smokers preach to me it just makes me want to light up another one.
Posted 4/27/2009 12:59 AM (GMT 0)
Sarah,

I get addicted to things extremely easy. Yes. It is hard to give up smoking. But it can be done. And now that we have the Internet, there is a vast source of materials to help you get started. Look at anti-smoking videos. Picture them in your head every time you want to light up a cigarette. It helps.

I am genetically prone to addiction. My maternal grandfather was a drunk sleeping on park benches. He went to one of the first AA groups, and he was able to get off the bottle because he was in love and didn't want to loose the love of his life. My mother is an alcoholic. She rationalizes her addiction and says that she isn't like her dad by saying that she doesn't ever get so drunk that she has to crash out on a bench. Her trick is to drink throughout the day but never too much at any one time. I think she finally realized she was an alcoholic when she had to give it up for a medical condition and couldn't--not even for one day. She said she's been drinking since she was 15 and can't give it up now. My paternal grandfather was a chain smoker. He didn't have people trying to help him quit in those days, except for his doctor, and by then it was too late.

I can get addicted to almost anything--even chocolate. I only drink on special occasions, and even then I have difficulty not drinking again. So I don't have alcohol in the house. I crave for food 24/7. It doesn't matter whether or not I'm full. I tell my loved ones to help me out, and they do. They don't bring sweets into the house. If I buy something sweet, because I couldn't resist it, I will end up throwing it away later. I tell people that those sweets are trash and I'm not a trash can. Some of my family members are overweight, and I really, really don't want to be overweight, and I have worked hard not to be. It wasn't easy to give up smoking. Having kids, and not wanting them to smoke was my biggest motivation. I had to do it cold turkey. I looked at pictures of black lungs. I cleaned out the house. I made sure to let everyone know not to smoke near me. I chewed gum. I sucked lollipops. But I did it. You can too. You just need to want to do it really, really badly.

One of my sister's is overweight due to medication. She is schizophrenic and is mentally disabled because of it. She started taking medication for her schizophrenia in her teens. The medicine caused her to gain an enormous amount of weight. She exercises a lot and eats small meals, yet she is obese.

Being an alcoholic is a choice. Being a smoker is a choice. Being addicted to chocolate is a choice.
Posted 4/27/2009 5:30 AM (GMT 0)
Then being addicted to food is also a choice (chocolate is food), there are even some people that purposely want to be overweight, so that makes it a choice, not everyone that is overweight minds being overweight, many people would rather be overweight and there are smokers and alcoholics that want to be that way, it's their choice so in turn I guess no one should really be judged for their choices even if their choices in some way affect others and not just themselves, smokers can spread cancer via second hand smoke, alcoholics can kill people when they choose to drink and drive and overeaters help make the health care costs go up and affect people that way. I've been a non-smoker and a smoker, I've been an over-eater and gained weight as a result and am no longer an over-eater or overweight...yes we all have choices then but those choices can lead to addiction, even shopping can become an addiction and destroy marriages which tear families apart and cause financial ruin. Sorry to the OP for getting off topic, I think at this point it's safe to say we can agree to disagree and leave it at that.

Just for the record, I wasn't trying to judge overweight people, it was just an example I was using so please don't be offended by my example it wasn't meant to be judgmental in anyway (believe me I do know how it felt for me when I was overweight so I wouldn't intentionally try to hurt anyones feelings).

:)

Posted 4/27/2009 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
No one is going to win this debate, and no one is going to change anyone else's mind.
Posted 4/27/2009 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
Well, for me, smoking wouldn't be a life saver, simply because I'm horribly allergic to cigarettes and cigarette smoke. One time when I was at a bar (I know I wasn't 21 yet b/c I'd used a friend of a friend's ID to get in) and drunk, I decided it would be fun to smoke ONE cigarette. I woke up the next morning and could barely breathe! And every time I'm around cigarette smoke, I'm all stuffed up the next day.

I don't like being around inconsiderate smokers, but then again, I don't like being around inconsiderate people in general....

I agree with Joylu that nobody is going to win the debate nor change anyone else's mind.
Posted 4/27/2009 7:38 PM (GMT 0)
Holy moly this opened a can of worms! Im sorry if i offended anyone by saying 'smoking is a life saver', all I meant by that was that smoking relieves my UC symptoms which were constantly outta control and ruining my quality of life. Believe me, I smoked pretty hardcore, for more than a decade and it had a tremendous negative effect on my entire body. Problem being I was VERY addicted, I was weak, I couldnt control my urges to smoke at all and in the long run i became generally quite ill, ie high blood pressure, always sick, zero cardio etc.

Now though, having been down that path before im doing my very best not to exceed 2-3 smokes a day and cutting myself off if i feel the urge to smoke grow. Im just thrilled to finally have SOME control in this battle with UC, the key now is to not let the smoking get outta hand and wait for some medical advances in the treatment for UC. Im quite certain 2-3smokes/day for a few more years is far better than the prednisone, salfasalizine and piles of other pills ive been taking, i personally am gladly welcoming this change of pace.
Posted 4/27/2009 7:52 PM (GMT 0)
msobo do not be sorry, you have the right to share what helps you even if others are against smoking...it is what it is and no one will agree all the time and everyone has the right to share their opinions as well and there was no harm done as a result of your posting either, we just had a non-heated debate going on is all, nothing to worry about, no hard feelings.

There are tons of people that end up with UC after quitting smoking and researchers are well aware of that as well as the fact that carbon monoxide aids with inflammation in the colon (which is why I posted the link about that) so your experiance is common and you have every right to share your experiance and feelings on the subject.

Post away and don't be afraid to share any of your experiances that's what this place is for.

:)
Posted 4/28/2009 5:54 AM (GMT 0)

msobo said...
the key now is to not let the smoking get outta hand and wait for some medical advances in the treatment for UC.

Fecal transplantation and Probiotics help balance the bacteria in the colon. They should help your Colitis if you have Colitis due to an imbalance of fecal fora.

However, if you have UC because you are genetically prone to UC, then I really don't see there being any medical advances to combat the genetics issue anytime soon, especially given the fact that there could be a multitude of genes responsible for making someone prone to UC.
Posted 4/29/2009 4:04 PM (GMT 0)
Thx guys, hey subdued, what do you know about 'fecal transplantation' ? thats the first ive ever heard of that term. Also, im unsure about whether im genetically prone or if i had imbalance of fecal fora to cause my colitis. How can this be determined? Can u shed a little light please?

thanks
Posted 4/29/2009 4:26 PM (GMT 0)
Is fecal trasplant covered by insurance? I thought I read here once that it wasn't.
Posted 4/29/2009 7:14 PM (GMT 0)
Joylu, fecal transplant is not usually covered by insurance. subdued did fecal transplant at home using her granddaughter's poo. I'm sure she'll fill you in on details if you ask!

msobo, there's really know way to know for sure whether your UC is because of a bacterial imbalance or not. One way to kind of know is if probiotics really work for you, or as in subdued's case, fecal transplantation works.

Another thing I thought of in this whole thing, which is likely to re-open the can of worms. Smoking is known to cause lung cancer and emphysema. I'd personally rather face surgical removal of my colon due to my colitis not being controlled than to face needing a lung transplant or living with "bad" lungs. I mean, one can live without a colon, but certainly not without lungs!
Posted 4/29/2009 7:18 PM (GMT 0)

msobo said...
Thx guys, hey subdued, what do you know about 'fecal transplantation' ? thats the first ive ever heard of that term. Also, im unsure about whether im genetically prone or if i had imbalance of fecal fora to cause my colitis. How can this be determined? Can u shed a little light please?

thanks

You can get tested to rule out other reasons for having Colitis. UC is when you don't have Colitis for any other reason. In my case, I most likely have antibiotic-related Colitis. I don't think my GI ever tested me for it though. He was more concerned with reducing the inflammation at the time. Genetic testing is also possible, although I don't know where and how you would do it.

Fecal transplantation is used to reintroduce bacteria back into the colon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_bacteriotherapy

I didn't get it done in Australia though. Couldn't afford it. And didn't have the patience to wait. I did it at home.

If you notice positive effects from taking Probiotics, then you could have an imbalance of fecal floral and fecal transplantation could help you. You can't get all the variants of bacteria from Probiotics. For me, fecal transplantation is like a super-Probiotic.
Posted 5/5/2009 6:54 PM (GMT 0)
Wow, never heard of anything quite like this before, but hell if it works so be it. Thanks again for the info.
Posted 5/6/2009 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
It doesn't help me!
Posted 5/19/2009 10:03 AM (GMT 0)
Smoking can lead to Colon Cancer; I think the reason why cigarettes help with relief is because they are relieving some anxiety...which you might be able to get from an anti depressant and or anti anxiety med. I stopped smoking 6 years ago and you couldn't get me to pick them up for anything...there are so many bad consequences to keeping that habit up. But, good luck, just my opinion.
Posted 5/19/2009 1:00 PM (GMT 0)
I guess I am not firmly on the side of the angels on this topic. I truly feel that if smoking relieves one's UC then it is a viable option, especially when we are reduced to dosing ourselves with harsh meds if we quit smoking. Stating that smoking causes emphysema and lung cancer is a bit misleading - smoking raises the risks of those problems and others, but does not definitively lead to them for most people who smoke. Furthermore, a light dose of 1-6 cigs a day lowers the risk compared to packs a day. I blame the antitobacco movement and its wealthy corporate backers for increases in the incidence of IBD over the past several decades.
Posted 5/19/2009 1:29 PM (GMT 0)
No doubt, Mittzo.  I mean, even aspirin is dangerous, right?
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