Being around smoke, especially cigars and cigarettes, is a big trigger for me.
I was at a house party last night and I left after 45 minutes as by this time everyone was smoking nearer and nearer to the back door and windows which were wide open and creating a nice smokey atmosphere. I left as soon as I felt a slight niggle so I was fine and feel OK today. I'm not too bothered as I was wanting my bed anyway, however I do not like the choice being taken away from me.I know people don't realise but it is incredibly frustrating. I don't go to clubs because they are too cramped and stuffy and now have to limit house parties too. My friends are being pretty understanding which is good, I think they know me well enough by now.
I also find it frustrating how smoking is banned from indoor public areas but people who are smoking seem to edge close to doors as possible, especially as the colder weather sets in. Some hospitals have this problem which I think is terrible as the staff will know the dangers of it and should enforce the rules better. I always hold my breathe when I have to walk past anyone who is smoking. Oh how I wish it would go away.......
Hope this didn't offend anyone who smokes. I am just frustrated at the lack of awareness and if I wasn't asthmatic I wouldn't know any better. Since I have mentioned this to my Dad he has because a lot more aware of who he is near when he smokes. Look at me, spreading awareness.
Also, how the hell did anyone cope before the smoking ban???? I was only just into high school when it came into play but I didn't have asthma then so little old me never noticed. My Dad told me people used to smoke on planes...... dear oh dear that is my worst nightmare, nowhere to escape to. I wouldn't have flown if that was the case now.
9 Replies
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showing your age now Unigirl ;-p
When I was growing up and through my teens/uni years smoking was everywhere - pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes... couldnt get away from it. Hence the current ban indoors feels like heaven to me! I couldnt go anywhere indoors which was public without suffering badly for several days afterwards. I dont remember the smoking on planes, (Im not that old LOL) but I cant fly now anyhow.
I dont get especially irritated by people smoking outside. Thats life, and I guess I dont feel its right for me to impose my issues on people in a public outside space. Its no worse than car fumes, bus stops and all the other things which upset my lungs - cant ban those either! (not that I would lol). I have friends that smoke - they dont smoke in my house or garden, but I guess that I view the choice thing differently at someone else's house. Its their house, hence I wouldn't want to take their choice away, to smoke in their garden/house. I think its something we will all feel differently about.
Hi Unigirl,
It is a tricky one. Most of my friends are very aware of my asthma and don't spoke near me but I do find it frustrating when I have to move because others are smoking (I'm also a bit like this when people spray perfume in the staff room at work!). On the otherhand, I am in a public space so it's not up to me what they do.
It did annoy me the other day when I went to OOH and had to walk through a tunnel of people smoking outside the hospital underneath the no smoking sign! There was one girl there for her cough who kept popping out to join them!
I'm in Spain at the moment and it's nice weather so having the slight 'want to sit outside but there are people smoking...' dilemma - luckily it mostly seems ok for me if it's outside and apparently smoking indoors is not allowed here either or I might have issues.
I get that if it's in public or someone else's house you can't tell them what to do and they have a right to, but at the same time I feel it's not completely unreasonable to expect that someone might modify their behaviour out of consideration for others. I had this situation recently and while I was stuck as I didn't feel like I could ask them not to as it was their house, at the same time I thought given there were guests it might have been nice if they'd asked if anyone minded before lighting up. There's no obligation, but while you have every right to eg sit around in just your pants swigging beer from the bottle and burping loudly in your own house, you probably wouldn't if you had guests so I feel like maybe it's not completely unreaasonable to expect a little modification of habits to avoid making your guests uncomfortable! I would ask if anyone minded if I were a smoker - even before I had troublesome asthma I felt like it was something that wasn't really nice to inflict on others without giving them a choice ( the smell and the way it gets in clothes and hair) and I hated all the smoking indoors - luckily at leasat it didn't cause health problems then.
Last time I went to hospital I had to get through the smokers outside the door to minors grr - did not help when I was already v SOB!
Hey, No words of wisdom unfortunately, but lots of sympathy! It was smoke (from a coal fire as apposed to smokers) which put me in hospital on monday. BUT I just have to breathe in smoke from smokers for my lungs to really start twitching!
Laura x
When i was 18 (way back in 1997 before the smoking ban) i went away to Ireland, (ironically) on a pilgrimage wih a coach full of people from my church.
About half the coahload were smokers and although i'd been given a seat near the front of the coach of course the smoke drifted forwards. Not only did they smoke on the coach, they smoked everywhere including in the dining room and to make matters worse i'd been allocated a room with a smoker (not originally but someone else needed to move cos she could do the stairs).
By the 3rd day i was REALLY struggling - to the point where i couldn't breathe enough to eat - my dinner on that day was 2 spoonfuls of soup, half a piece of meat and a bit of ice cream. Although i'd been coughing it was this refusal of food that made people really worry - and i had to leave the dining room part-way through that meal. A man who'd befriended me / took me under his wing (i went on my own and was the only one under about 50!!!) came out with me, when i got outside i sat on the floor with my inhaler and wanted to cry but didn't even have the breath for that!! The priest asked me did i want a doctor but being young and not wanting to make a fuss i refused, In hindsight i probably should've said yes and i might've got a nebuliser or something but i just continued to struggle for the rest of the week. After this episode the priest decreed no smoking at our dinner table and i was moved to the very front of the coach for our day trips etc where the door had a sliding window that could be opened.
One woman (a smoker of course) really annoyed me - one day when were eating she turned to me and said ""I wish you'd stop coughing!!"" As if i was doing it for fun!!!!!!
The other annoying thing about this time was that i'd been so well i'd been taken off my steroid inhaler so couldn't even increase that, i was just glad that i'd taken more than 1 blue inhlaer with me cos i really battered it that week!!!
Sorry for hi-jacking your thread, you just really reminded me of this incident!!
Nurse furby, I only found out cause I was on an old plane with ash trays in the arm. Seems weird that it was ever allowed considering it would just flow around and around with the air con. I honestly don't know how you coped before. I just wouldn't go if I knew there was guaranteed smoke but it is very limiting. I was at my friends house the other day and he started smoking next to window so I just asked if he could go outside because it would set me off and I think he knows what I'm like so was understanding and just put it out.
I don''t always get irritated by outside smoking, just when its near me, ha. I understand when I am at someone elses house that its their choice but if they smoked near me it would mean me leaving and I dont think its too much hassle to go outside but I wouldnt be upset if they didnt.
Philomela, I remember reading your post. I pretty much agree with everything you just said.
oh no laura, hope you feel better soon, are you out now?
junglfairy that sounds horrible, I don't know how you even survived. Did the person you were sharing with smoke in your shared room? you're not hijacking, i love hearing everyones experiences. smoke does seem to spread everywhere doesn't it. people don't realise that having a window open doesnt mean the smoke drifts out, some of it does but the rest if wafted right to you.
Smoke is one of my triggers too, my neighbour smoke outside in their back garden but why do they have to stand next to my fence which always upsets my lungs.
oh yes she smoked in our room - and not only that we didn't even have a window, we had a skylight that only opened about 2 inches and was about 10 feet above us!!!!
I can't have been the only asthmatic on the trip but i wasn't aware of anyone else struggling like i was :-s
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