Have You Been Experiencing More Than Normal Pressure To Stop Smoking?

ghostsofpompeii

Have you ever noticed that no matter what ailment you may be experiencing, be it a hacking cough, hemorrhoids, acne, arthritis,or a pickle ball injury the first thing a doctors wants to know is if you are a smoker, and if so you need to quit a.s.a.p. I've been getting quite a bit of that lately due to my recent diagnosis of prostrate cancer. I have Urologists, Oncologists, Radiologists, and even my family doctor harping on that. Even though I've explained I don't inhale pipe tobacco - and since my wife's stroke back in May of 2023 I've probably only smokes about four or five bowls. Now if my problem was lung, throat, or mouth cancer I might understand the lectures. But prostate?! I don't know about anyone else,but I've never stuck a pipe in my ass to smoke it. And that's what I'd have to do to get my prostrate gland to come in contact with smoke. I just don't have the pucker power. 

On every medical history form I've filled out in the past few months tobacco usage come even before alcohol and recreational drug usage. 

PappyJoe

@ghostsofpompeii
I could never understand how they equate smoking to things like vaginal or breast cancer, brain cancer, liver cancer or even leukemia. Then a doctor tried to explain it as smoking causes all cancer. His theory that the health care industry and the anti-smoking industry links smoking to all types a cancer to boost the statistics of the number of deaths caused by cancer. The higher statistical numbers translates into more research grants and donations.

That being said, I had my annual medicare demanded "wellness check" last week. The nurse practitioner who conducted the "wellness check" specifically asked me if I smoked cigarettes. I explained to her that I have never smoked a cigarette but I do smoke an occasional cigar and I do smoke a pipe. She asked when the last time I had smoked a pipe and I honestly told her that the last pipe I had was "four days ago.". 

She also asked about my alcohol usage but didn't make any notes that I saw about needing to stop drinking. 

motie2

@ghostsofpompeii

ghostsofpompeii

I think it all boils down to the fact that the tobacco lobby doesn't have the same clout as the liquor lobby. It make no sense to go after the tobacco industry with both barrels blazing after legalizing marijuana. And while the powers that be like to offer statistics of deaths supposedly caused from smoking, the yearly stats for alcoholics dying from scleroses of the liver are not as highly publicized, And those deaths sure hasn't stopped the beer commercials from airing during televised sporting events. And  excessive alcohol consumption can lead to more than lung and throat cancer. One of my good friends required hip and knee replacements at the age of 30 due to binge drinking throughout his teens and 20s'. 

motie2

@ghostsofpompeii

daveinlax

I’ve never disclosed smoking or alcohol use to any medical professional. I don’t want to be lumped in with a 3 pack a day smoker who starts his day with a bloody and a beer.