Hey smoking ain't that bad.

C

Cassie xx

New member
I have had doctors attempt to "shame" me when they ask me if I smoke and I tell them yes.
I also had one doctor say to me, so you haven't made the decision to quit yet.......and I thought that sounded a little like manipulation to me, but i said no, but i've cut back.
I think the people who are complaining about the smell of smoke on someones clothes are way over the top. There is no smoking in public places, no smoking in your doctors office, etc. If you happen to come in contact with someone who's clothes have a faint odor of tobacco smoke, I don't think it will kill you. My mother is an ex-smoker, of camel non-filter cigarettes. She quit and now she will feign a cough if she smells smoke and it's very annoying and manipulative in my opinion.
 
Has anyone ever been annoyed by a doctors that shows less respect for a patient just because I smoke cigarettes??
I'm on medicare.Retired,smoke a pack a day.
My visit is for arthritic pain medication that I need for the rest of my days on earth,and needed refills.When I said I smoke he started all sorts of crap with me.

Theres not a state in the country that has legally banned sales, and the last 2 doctors I've seen didn't give me a fair shake.I mean the last time I checked it was a free country, and I have the right to ask for or deny treatment for smoking and I don't see why it should be legal to be force fed.

I called my HMO office to complain, they told me to call someone else, and they're probably going to tell me to call another number.
If there are any reasonable ones, how can I find a doctor that will respect my privacy in my state? (Mass)

And last of all I agreed to the terms of this forum without getting informed whom will be answering these questions and maybe even some more serious issues,I am seeking advice with.
So who does answer questions and will they be accurate,on topic,and professionally answered ?
 
I am not a smoker but through education I have been taught that smoking is the number one cause to many diseases. Some professionals do not show enough tact when trying to educate their patients and will get rude about it. If you are an established regular patient your doctor he should know you are sensitive about smoking and if he doesn't know then tell him. Open the line of communication and he might back off a little.
 
The people who answer you are just plain old folks like myself...just peer support.

I lived in Mass for 20 years and found the docs to be pretty average...they will all give you a good lecture on quitting and in some cases...since I also have bad arthritis, the meds themselves can hurt you if you are a smoker...that may be part of the rant. What are you taking?

And if you think you don't get a fair shake for being a smoker...try having had a past history of mental illness. Been fine for many years(almost 60) but everything I have is "all in my head" until proven otherwise by my getting sicker and they have to figure out what is wrong. They get lazy and then blame it on my past.

You aren't the only one.

As a good friend of mine says...everyone is crazy to one extent or another.

gentle, friendly, smoke free hugs...............Jenny
 
I have asthma and other health problems, and I would prefer not to have to wait in a doctor's office filled with the stale smell of cigarette smoke, which is residual on a smoker's clothes and hair and breath for long periods after they smoke.

Just the slight trace whiff of tobacco smoke on someone's clothes or hair, or breath, causes me to suffer from nasty Asthma breathing problems, and get sick to my stomach, sends my blood pressure into orbit, and causes rapid, weak heart rhythm for hours and even days. And...... there are many more like me who are extremely sensitive to a variety of allergens, triggers and irritants.



I do support your choice to breathe and ingest the many harmful chemicals in cigarette tobacco.



It is a shame that you cannot get your meds mail order so others would not have to be exposed to the second hand smoke and residual smoke, and then you wouldn't have to be exposed to a less than cordial relationship with a doctor.



I agree with you, but if I were a doctor, I would totally ban smokers from my office, in order to protect my other patients from the discomfort and possible health risk from second hand smoke and second hand residual smoke. It's a question of, whether or not to protect the general public over the rights of a single individual.



It is also a question of whether or not to protect the rights and privacy of a doctor's other patients, AND also the health of the doctor. The doctor and his patients also have a right to have their own privacy respected by not subjecting them to the health hazards of second hand smoke and/or residual second hand smoke.

I wish you good health, and success in getting proper treatment for your arthritis. But..... we know that smoking and second hand smoke and residual second hand smoke can be harmful to someone's health and also can cause or negatively effect arthritis.

So..... I don't think that you are going to find too many people in support of your potentially very harmful smoking habit. This is not because people just don't like cigarette smoke, it is because most people want to protect themselves from harmful exposure to harmful substances.

Best of luck and health to you, and I hope that one of these days, you decide to stop smoking and thus be kinder to yourself and your own health! :wave:
 
You DO have the right to smoke, but let me tell you what happens. My dad smoked til I was 13-pipes primarily. He quit because "it just doesn't taste good anymore."

I had a DVT and was throwing clots into both lungs after my back surgery. The doctor told me that I must smoke because I have lung damage that's seen in a smoker. I told him not once, not ever, but my dad had smoked until I was 13. He looked at me and said that I was a good example of second hand smoke causing lung damage.

So, if you want to smoke that is your choice, but consider what you could be doing to those you love....
 
Just the smoke on a person's clothes, or on their breath, or in their hair, makes me deathly ill, even if its been hours after that person has smoked!

I am extremely sensitive to either second hand smoke, or the residual smoke. I've been struggling with heart failure for over 23 years, and just the faint odor of cigarette smoke on someone's clothes significantly stresses my heart, causing rapid, weak heartbeat; higher blood pressure; difficult breathing; sweating; fatigue; disorientation, all of which are typical Heart Failure reactions to irritants.

For me, it's not just a preference, or a habit on my part, it's a matter of life and death. I avoid smokers like the plague. I do not ever feel like I am being unfair to smokers. I am just trying to protect my own health, life and wellbeing. What would anyone else do in my shoes?

So...... am I annoyed by doctors who try to protect my health, and the health of their other patients, from the health hazards of second hand, or residual, cigarette smoke?

I am more annoyed by those who would put my health at risk because of their own harmful addictions.

A doctor should protect the health of ALL of his patients, not just those patients who would do harm to others due to their bad habits. A doctor should NEVER needlessly expose his patients to harmful substances, just for the sake of someone with a bad habit.
 
i have been smoking since i was 9 yrs old and i am now well into my 60s,i aint saying smoking is good for you but i think things are all blown out of proportion with regards to smoking,every ailment is put down to smoking and its as plain as the nose on your face that the medical world is using this as an excuse for the majority of illnesses,i know a friend who never smoked in his life had cause to attend the doctor and the first thing he was told was to stop smoking..........where do you go from there ?.
 
First off, I don't smoke, I quit over 13 years ago. But I do feel that you have every right to smoke and people that preach to you about it drive me nuts. My suggestion would be to find a doctor that smokes, they would be much more understanding and tolerant of your habit. My PCP smokes, but he is one hell of a doctor! I literally owe him my life as he was the one who found my colon cancer several years ago after 3 other doctors had missed it. I hope that one day you choose to quit for your own health, but if you don't that's okay to. This is still a free country and until smoking is against the law, fire it up all you want! God knows you pay a but load of taxes that would otherwise come out of my pocket!!! ;)
 
metereater,




removed inapprpriate comment.



Regardless of whether you smoke, drink or abuse drugs, a doctor takes an oath to help and treat. They are not there to judge. They are paid to give their best advice and treatment to each individual patient. Part of that advice and treatment is to advise a patient as to complications that can or will develop with certain habits. You can react to medications differently if you smoke or drink. Certain herbal medications can counteract prescription medications.

By the way Smoking is bad for your health in the long run, however, you have every right to smoke if that is what you choose. You just do not have the right to blow smoke towards other people. (I am not saying that you do)

If you feel that you are being mistreated by a doctor, than your first line of defense is to speak up and inform this doctor that he/she is not being very professional and that you are paying him/her for their opinion and that you respect that they have a job to do by informing you of the dangers of smoking, however, you choose to smoke and what type of medication can they offer to you that will help you knowing that you are a smoker.

If you feel that one particular doctor was unethical, than you have the option of filing an official complaint with the Commonwealth of MA. Since you do not go into details of what some of these doctors did or did not do, it is very hard to judge whether what they did or did not do is considered unethical.




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Do you have a primary care physcian...if you do not, that is were you need to begin. This doctor should be able to handle all of your medical needs. If it is rhuemotoid arthritis that you suffer from, than you really need a good rheumotologist.




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Let me know how you are doing

Brenda
 
I have been smok'n for last 4 years.now i reduced smok'n by using Nicobrevin it is a complete 28 day course it is easy-to-take, odourless and tasteless capsules it clear my bronchial passages, improve breathing & gastric system.
 
metereater,

If all you are thinking about is your own health, then I quite agree that you have every right to smoke. Most of us have a less than stellar health habit or two, and if it gives you pleasure, then go for it. We all need to find a doctor with whom we can feel comfortable, and if you don't want to listen to lectures about smoking, then you have the right to find another doctor.

On the other hand, everyone has the right to breath. And some of us have real problems being around cigarette smoke. This means that wherever you are lighting up, chances are that someone's health is being compromised by your smoking. Some of us have some real, life-threatening responses to being around smoking.

I agree with Machaon. If I walked into a doctor's office where I smelled smoke, even if it was lingering from the last cigarette that had been stubbed out a while ago, I would turn around and look for other healthcare facilities.

As I say, you have the right to smoke. You have the right to find healthcare that encourages you to live your life to the fullest without badgering you about something that gives you pleasure. But I have the right to breath. Perhaps you might think of that as well while you are enjoying your smoke? :angel:

Best of luck getting your meds! -- Rheanna
 
Hi,

I smoked 30 years ago and enjoyed it. I can see why using a legal substance can be compelling and why people don't get it that some of us cannot tolerate the poisons. If i did not have hep C and learn I would be like the live and let live crowd...they don't get it that they left off the "let live" part for others like me. Yes if you refuse to listen a doctor could just fire you as a patient rather than to hound you. But maybe he considers you worth saving if perchance someday he can get through to you. Maybe he likes you.

Ask firemen what smoke inhalation does. Smoking isn't just breathing in tobacco flavored and scented air. Yes you can legally smoke or use a lot of other poisons. That doesn't mean that a good doctor should ignore it. How would you like to find out you have throat cancer and for the insurance company refuse to pay for surgery, saying your doctor records show you told your doctor to stop warning you? They would be right to do so. I think you are irritated because you know the doctor is right. Maybe even others have tried to convince you to stop.

If you actually have no damage yet, thank your lucky stars. Have you seen what long term chain smoker lungs look like? I have. They look like beef jerky. The medical profession isn't exagerating the damage. Smoke inhalation cooks the throat & lungs. Lungs can regenerate if they have enough time between damages. However the very young, elderly and those with immune disease/allergies are at more risk for permanent damage.

I quit smoking when I could hear my lungs wheeze when I danced. Now I have hep. C from a transfusion, which becomes deadly if my liver is compromised by poison of any kind. One day my doc asked me if I had started smoking or was around people that do. I said no, and he asked if i was sure. I asked why he asked. He said my liver enzymes indicated exposure. Then I remembered being at a family picnic where my two brothers smoked cigars. It was breezy and we were outdoors. I didn't mind the smell, and thought the smoke was dissipated by the breeze. Nope...it had significantly raised my liver enzymes meaning my liver was trying to fight the toxins. I hold my breah as much as possible just to walk past a smoker. The smoke gets on the skin and has to be processed by the liver. I have to stay away from drugs, insecticides, hormones and chemicals added to foods, and any kind of smoke. I had to get rid of our wood burning stove. The liver once damaged does not regenerate like the lungs will. When it's too damaged we die.

Second hand smoke even if we don't notice the smell does significant damage to people with compromised immune systems and many other common diseases. So smoke if you want, but you are only kidding yourelf if you think it's not a serious issue to your health and ours.
 
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