Why am I getting so much anti and giving up smoking on the CLL site
smoking: Why am I getting so much anti and... - CLL Support
smoking
Written by
brad8
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9 Replies
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Hello Brad,
I'm not sure I know what you mean?!?!? Can you elaborate? Please.
brad8 in reply to
When I see posts for Cll there is 65% posts for giving up smoking with them
You may have joined and are following the give up smoking group on the platform by mistake? This could explain why you might be receiving give up smoking discussion notifications along with your CLL news posts?
I agree that there's reasonably regular mention of quitting smoking from members, (along with other advice that is easy to give but much harder to do, like losing weight and improving your fitness) but I don't know how often that advice comes from smokers who have quit. It will be interesting to see if you get any comments from members who quit as a result of their diagnosis.
I presume you are a smoker and that perhaps you are feeling a bit sensitive about the wisdom of continuing to smoke with your CLL diagnosis, or perhaps you've already been wondering if you should quit and accidentally joined the HU quitsupport community as Nick suggested, because smoking isn't that commonly mentioned.
I think Len has answered your question well, to which I can add the following:
1) There's an increased risk of infection (particularly respiratory) for smokers compared to non-smokers:
tobaccoinaustralia.org.au/3...
Respiratory infections, in particular pneumonia, are a common cause of death in CLL patients.
2) Smoking is known to paralyse the mechanism by which the lungs self cleanse: lungcancer.about.com/od/Smo... So if you have a smoker's cough, you have to acknowledge that you are paralysing a key means by which your body reduces the chances of toxins and pathogens affecting you.
3) Anaemia is a common complication of CLL, so keeping your means of oxygenating your blood as healthy as possible seems a wise precaution.
While I've never smoked, I appreciate that for smokers that decide to quit, it can be a very difficult to do so. The common comment from my smoking friends 'Quitting is easy, I've done that lots of times!' says it all. Hopefully any member that decides to quit smoking will be supported by others that have done the same, plus there is a popular HU community about the same size as ours that supports members wishing to quit smoking healthunlocked.com/quitsupport
As Len says, we can all choose whether or not to accept and follow (well meaning) advice given by other members. It's up to us to research that advice and decide if it is accurate and relevant to us and whether we want to act on it.
Neil
in reply to AussieNeil
Hello neil,
I smoked since I was a teenager (58 now😿). I stopped, two week's after I was diagnosed with CLL April 2014. I found it easy! Looking back, I think I was so terrified of cancer, giving up was not an issue.
Even though I have gained a stone in weight, I'm (smug?) delighted to call myself, a non smoker.
lankisterguyVolunteer
Hi Brad,
If you follow the statistics, many of us with CLL may have shortened life spans, and most of us want to change the equation for our own personal survival. Eating healthy clean food, regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, etc can improve our survival chances.
We are all immune compromised and at higher risk of secondary cancers, infections from bacteria, viruses and funguses. Smoking is suspect for negatively impacting the immune system and proven for raising the risk of many cancers, so along with being overweight, exposure to too much sun, and close contact with sick people those lifestyle choices can alter the life span equation in the negative direction.
Along with all the advice shared here, you can choose which to accept and follow and which to ignore.
Len
If you are going to smoke after a CLL diagnosis then you should also drive without a seatbelt, leave your house unlocked and believe you have really won the nigerian lottery and send them your bank details!
Bit silly really.
I have not smoked in 15 years
Smoking itself has no impact on the CLL and CLL is not a result of smoking. This is all over the literature and all CLL specialist view. It is detrimental to smoke none the less and as Neil has pointed out may contribute to other complications. I have been told it is advised to quit smoking should a bm transplant be in the picture to avoid complications from that proedure..
There is another angle to this and it is the meds. Taking certain grade/class of meds for CLL while smoking may supposedly increase risk for certain things which I am not going to name.
