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Posted 11/4/2015 12:11 AM (GMT 0)
Hey guys.

I'm currently waiting to talk to my specialist and the IBD nurses about this. So, the care in the UK for me hasn't been great and although I would say I'm in remission it is not symptomless and I generally feel crap if I wake up before 9:00AM. I have tried the general tablets such as mesalazine and I want to live my life properly as I am 21.

Basically, I am an ex-smoker and I am considering starting again to put myself into remission and I will not be stopping again if it helps. I would like some thoughts and peoples experiences on this please. I know it might seem stupid, but I would rather die at 60 and live my life up until then care free. I am sick of not being able to eat nice food and big portions, and I am sick of being limited to what I can do with my life.
Posted 11/4/2015 12:41 AM (GMT 0)
I'm sorry to hear that and I hope you are able to feel better and have a fulfilling time!

You may not have the same thoughts when you are 30, 40, or 50. I'm in my 30's and I remember when I was a little kid thinking I'd rather not have to brush my teeth "all the time" and be a kid. If I have issues later in life that's fine. Luckily, my parents didn't let that last long but I'm pretty sure I'd be unhappy now if I had taken that damage for so long. It's not exactly the same thing but something to keep in mind.
Posted 11/4/2015 12:59 AM (GMT 0)

TooManySteves said...
I'm sorry to hear that and I hope you are able to feel better and have a fulfilling time!

You may not have the same thoughts when you are 30, 40, or 50. I'm in my 30's and I remember when I was a little kid thinking I'd rather not have to brush my teeth "all the time" and be a kid. If I have issues later in life that's fine. Luckily, my parents didn't let that last long but I'm pretty sure I'd be unhappy now if I had taken that damage for so long. It's not exactly the same thing but something to keep in mind.

My mother has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease so I am well aware of what can happen when you smoke your whole life, but the fact is that when I smoked I was in symptomless remission and I'd rather be able to actually pass my university course than have an accident on the train and have to go home. It sucks.
Posted 11/4/2015 11:06 AM (GMT 0)
Why not try Nicotine?
Posted 11/4/2015 11:30 AM (GMT 0)
Dying of slow suffocation over a period of many years is not a care-free way to die. I guess I know from having had severe anaemia several times that breathlessness absolutely sucks - I couldn't keep up with my 70-year-old mum in a shopping centre, needed to sit down all the time, that kind of thing.

At least look into nicotine patches as an alternative. Hopefully bananagirl will respond in this thread - she uses them.
Posted 11/4/2015 11:35 AM (GMT 0)
Maybe give patches a try before you go back to smoking?
Posted 11/4/2015 12:23 PM (GMT 0)
I third the patches before you go back to smoking!
Posted 11/4/2015 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
I used them for four months after quitting and they were probably the worst four months I have had. I had to switch to Champix to quit instead.
Posted 11/4/2015 4:52 PM (GMT 0)
I smoked from the time I was a child until age 60. Promptly got UC when I quit. So I understand your rationale. I currently use an e-cig but it doesn't help with UC. My GI says most ex-smokers aren't helped by the addition of patches or an e-cig. Now I am dealing with COPD and pulmonary hypertension which makes UC look like a walk in the park and I probably only have 5 years to live. It's up to you. I personally would return to smoking so you can enjoy your youth. But be prepared for an early death. The only way to do that is to use your youth wisely by studying the nature of the essence of life and death. In other words: religion, deep understanding. In my case, Buddhism. Best.
Posted 11/4/2015 5:12 PM (GMT 0)
there are medications that are helpful aside for meslamine types
firstly, are you on max doses of both oral and rectal?
if not you can move on to the next tier of drugs like imuran or 6mp
after that there are biologics that bind to the tnf which calls for inflammation, mainly remicade (there is a biosimilar in uk), humira and simponi
there is also a medication called entyvio that basically doesnt allow the inflammatory cells into the gut
it is localized so it only affects the gut
one downside is that it wont help extra intestinal manifestations of IBD because its only in the gut - so it wont improve ibd related arthritis

if you really want to smoke I will not tell you not to, however I am not sure where you get the idea that it will be a pain free death at 60
cancer is painful even if one chooses not to treat, there are loads of respiratory illnesses.
the lungs get more brittle so its harder to exhale (emphysema) there are a billion things that I can list but you can google them yourself.
most smokers have issues far before they are 60
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