I am sick of hearing this question:
Person: "Did your mom smoke?"
Me: "Yes"
Person: Oh....(add silence here)
Ok folks, lets go back to when our parents, husbands, friends began smoking and WERE NOT aware of the dangers. It was cool to smoke, and even I, a child of the 80's was surrounded by so much second hand smoke, that all my memories consisted of a fog. I am not a smoker, but are my chances high that I might get it? You bet!
Just answer people the way I do. When they say "do you smoke" or "did you smoke", I just say, "you know, you don't have to smoke to get lung cancer. There are plenty of non-smokers that get lung cancer but people don't understand that", and I go on and on. They are so sorry they asked, they just stop talking.
Susan
You know the "did you (or did he/she) smoke" question used to tick me off so much, but now I expect it and I am able to do what Susan does. Turn it around on them and educate them. At the same you're making them think twice before they ever ask that question of anyone in similar circumstances again.
Khari
I agree with Susan 100%, you can also let them know that 60% of people diagnosed with lung cancer DO NOT SMOKE!
Is NSCLC a non-smokers cancer anyway?
I hope one day this stigma will go away, its so unfair.
x
That statistic is not correct. The newest research is that 82% of all lung cancers are tobacco related. That would include.....current and former smokers, those who chew tabacco, pipes, cigars, secondary smoke. We don't want to lie.
I think one good answer could be: what difference does that make now?
It's like the stupid news reports that someone died from being shot 5 times. Who cares if the person died of one, three or five gunshots?
Once a person has an lc dx, the important focus should be getting them cured or at least to a point they can live with the lc as a chronic, but treatable illness.
I think from now on when they ask me if I smoked im just gonna say no I didnt just to see there reaction lol
Good one Kandyxxo! Next time someone asks if my Mom smoked I will tell them she just recently put the crack pipe down...... The nerve of some people!
This is the reason why there must be more education on Lung Cancer. Sometimes I get frustrated with all the local stores that collect for every cancer except lung cancer. I hate that question too. Unfortunantley most people ( those not currenlty affected) by this painful disease are aware of the causes or what one goes through. ALL CANCER SUCKS!!! Maybe that could be a new slogan!! The only thing we can take from this experinece is educating others and suporting those dealing with it. I pray for all of you.
Jessica
I always answer that question with. why, have you ever smoked? did you ever try? may be just one. or how about one when you were drunk ect... after the lame answerer of, well I would ones in a while when i drank, or just for few weeks. I will answer with, well you are an ex smoker and you could get lung cancer too. even if you had one. all the paper work iv ever filled in doesn't care weather you had one or one hundred the question is " did you or do you smoke"... it doesn't matter. even if you smoked, every body's been exposed to cigarette smoke.
sorry I had to vent. I hate that question just as much as I hate the talk of always having a positive attitude, put a gun to some ones head and tell them to have a positive attitude. "get real"!!
You don't want to read this....but acceptance is a very impt. first step in conquering anything....
Heavy people who don't want to be asked about what they eat.....those with liver problems don't want to be asked about what they drink....and those with lc don't want to be asked about their tobacco use. And, of course, outsiders, perfect strangers, even friends and family really have no right to ask personal questions. However, denial is at the root of many diseases.....those with the fatty livers don't want to believe they drank themselves to that condition....those with diabetes don't want to believe that in many cases their diet choices led to their condition....and for some reason many current and former tobacco users choose to deny that their tobacco use caused their cancer. Denial never helps.
I think one good that can come out of all this lc horror is educating people not to use tobacco. If someone asks if you smoked, say "yes, and I regret that I did." What can they say then? That ends the conversation.
But, the fact remains 82% of those who get lc get lc from tobacco use. Of the 18% of lc patients who didn't use tobacco, most are women. They now believe that over 95% of men with lc got lc from tobacco use.
In fact, the newest research indicates that smokers are more apt to get lc from asbestos etc. than those who didn't smoke. So, they are looking for the links between tobacco and adulterated DNA which makes people susceptible to lc.
The truth will set you free....will help you to move forward to help yourself and educate others. Every time a smoker denies that smoking caused health issues, he enables some other poor soul to smoke and share the denial. The dangers of smoking should be on every billboard. The scary anti-smoking commercials now on TV will save lives.
I just read yesterday in Cure Magazine that the end of tobacco use would stop 30% of ALL cancer deaths. That is a daunting statistic.....
Our role is to support each other, but also to educate everyone and HELP people to take the right path. It's not a question of blame; no one can change what's past. But, it's about helping people to make better choices from this point forward.
D1, excellent I agree honey.Education is key to almost putting an end to lung cancer.If cigarettes were non existant most of us wouldnt be sitting here.
It is time for the Lung Cancer Rebel Alliance. Our first act is to set this smoke/not smoke thing straight.
What I recommend is when the ask the question answer like so:
Then watch their expression change. Maybe you changed one persons prejudice, just maybe.
The 60% of those with lung cancer are not smokers is in fact a true statement. To be more accurate it is 60% of those with lung cancer are former and never smokers.
Lung cancer in never smokers is the 6th biggest cancer in itself.
A great place to get educated on the most current facts is:
http://lungcanceralliance.org/press/pressroom.html
Mike,
Once again-Amen-You just spared me from a pretty nasty retort. Thank you. Betsy
Wow...D1 said it just right! Smoking is no good anyway you look at it. I would never want anyone to think it's ok to smoke because you can get lung cancer either way. Both my parents smoked...a lot. My dad died in Jan. 08 from NSCLC and my mom was diagnosed 5 weeks later with EX-SCLC. My response to anyone who asks, "did they smoke?" My answer is "Yes, even though anyone can get lung cancer. Your chances are just greatly increased when you smoke."
Also, I know there are a lot of you who never touched a cigarette...and I commend you for that. But, how many were exposed to any second-hand smoke while you were growing up? My little sister never put a cigarette to her lips, but know she is at a much higher risk to lung cancer because she grew up with smoke in the house.
I hope I didn't open a can of worms. I just hate cigarettes and smoking! I smoked for 2 years around the age of 18. But now, with so much education out there on the damage it can do, it breaks my heart and makes me mad to see anyone smoke!
Sincerly,
Kelly
I tell everyone I smoked for 38 years..Went cold turkey when I got sick. Tried to quit many times that I was so addicted ... then tell them don't smoke if you do quit now. It's not worth the chance of getting this. I know my sister that had small cell lung cancer said that she quit smoking but we know that she didn't. So alot of people say they quit but don't or cannot..I really feel that I'm doing so good because I did quit smoking...
I didn't know if I wanted to reply to this thread or not, it is one difficult subject.
My whole family smoked, the whole country smoked. Do any of you watch Mad Men? That's what I grew up with, smoke in the home, smoke in the office, smoke in every building you walked into. Boy, you can see so cleary when the smoke clears.
I did quit, it's been almost 13 years now, I'm still scared beyond belief.
I watched my dad drink himself to death and now I'm watching my mom smoke herself to death. It's heartbreaking, I don't blame either one of them and am not angry...anymore.
Thanks for reading,
Sherry
Dont you just want to SMACK them when they ask this? I know i do!!
seMPer fidelis
Dave
In 1997, I was returning a rental car at Geneva airport, cutting it close of course, and I was irked that no one was down in the garage to accept the car. I picked up the Hertz phone and an employee promtly came down into the bowels of the garage to collect the car. I asked why they didn't have anyone down there (for impatient Americans like me), and I got an education. The employee told me, in perfect English, that it isn't safe to be in a garage due the exhaust, and that it's against the law in Switzerland. They only come down physically when someone returns a car. We tend to think that we are so cutting edge in the USA, but over a decade ago they were already safeguarding their employees in Switzerland. On Long Island, it was a minefield to get smoking outlawed in the workplace, restaurants and bars. You still can't breathe in Las Vegas hotels and casinos. So, society is partly to blame....However, now we know better, and we must all do all that's in our power to help ourselves and help others. I for one am furious when I have to walk through smoke clouds to enter hospitals, restaurants, etc.
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