Since giving up smoking....

[michael555]

I've been going quietly mad

Stopped smoking on April 19th

My sense of smell has improved at least by 100%, when travelling on bus, some people are really smelly. Really

I don't hack my guts up every morning.

I've been going quietly mad

Suddenly, I have untold energy

Food tastes good, never realised this for quite some time

I can swim 20 lengths rather than eight

Riding the bike is less bother

I've been going quietly mad

To counteract that, I've ben feeling really really proud of myself

I've been saving money, although that's the last reason I gave up. But. I've bought some PC Games and albums I wouldn't have bought had I been smoking.

I've now stopped smoking five weeks. Man, I twitchy. Have so much energy, it scary.

What made me stop? Throat cancer.

I survived. Those who also subscribe to BBF may have read my story.

Those who don't, realise it really ain't a lotta fun.

Like I said, I was lucky.

And no, I ain't gona turn into one of those born again non-smokers.

Hell, I miss smoking, I used to love it.

But, truth is, it messes you up. You cannot deny that.

I'm 55 years old. All that smoking caught up with me.

All you twenty years old or whatever, please, give that crap up, don't go through what I had to.

If you need further convincing, I'll post pix of the incision they made to my throat/neck/ear, it ain't pretty. In fact, it so bad, I growing a beard now.

Don't wanna preach, in fact I ain't, just letting you know

True!

But smoking is a drug same as drinking.

Fact: Smoking and drink kills more people on a daily basic.

 

[floppybootstomp]

True!

But smoking is a drug same as drinking.

Fact: Smoking and drink kills more people on a daily basic.

Michael, mon ami, I've had to give up nicotine and puff, I'm blowed if I'm going to give up a few pints of Guinness or a glass or two of red wine and maybe a brandy or two at Christmas time.

And yes, I'm aware that too much alcohol can give a person mouth cancer but what the hell, I need something to keep my sanity

And I don't quite understand the last line of your post. I have a feeling it maybe should have read:

'Fact: Smoking and drink kills more people on a daily basis than..... (insert other causes of death here)'

 

[Anon_F]

Michael, mon ami, I've had to give up nicotine and puff, I'm blowed if I'm going to give up a few pints of Guinness or a glass or two of red wine and maybe a brandy or two at Christmas time.

And yes, I'm aware that too much alcohol can give a person mouth cancer but what the hell, I need something to keep my sanity

And I don't quite understand the last line of your post. I have a feeling it maybe should have read:

'Fact: Smoking and drink kills more people on a daily basis than..... (insert other causes of death here)'

I gave up about 8 years ago, i di however have the odd puff on nicotine replacement inhaltor when i feel the need, it will not kill me, it's the rest of the crap in ciggies that does that.

As for giving up beer, i you drink in small amounts thats fine, i drink may be 3-4 units a week, some weeks none at all. As for giving it up, some doctors say a glass of red wine a day is good for the heart!

 

[floppybootstomp]

If anybody's interested, an update, I'll keep it brief, so here's what's going down in date order:

1) I assumed I was cured, but consultant ordered PET scan 'to be on the safe side'

2) Had PET scan at St Thomas' Hospital, August 18th.

3) September 1st, get letter from Guys Hospital, they've moved my appointment forward one month, they want to see me September 8th.

4) To me, it's obvious they've found something, otherwise they wouldn't want to see me, so I phone Hospital. They will not tell me over the phone, insist I have to see consultant.

5) I spend one week imagining the worst, highly stressed, disoriented, permanent stomach ache. Possibly the worst week of my life so far, the mind is a powerful thing.

6) Visit Guys Hospital, consultant tells me 'Scan showed small instance of what may be cancer at the base of my tongue on the right hand side' He said 'If it is cancer, it means we've found the primary, which is good news as it means we can clear it up with radiotherapy'. Didn't sound like good news to me, I thought I was cured, but I guess he's right.

7) He had warned me that infected lymph gland 'was almost always a secondary and it's essential to find the primary as if it goes undetected it may grow, migrate and ultimately prove fatal'

8) Appointment made for biopsy on September 25th. This involves a small operation, I'm out for 20 minutes and they take three samples from my tongue.

9) I come round in the recovery room, groggy, and am eventually delivered to ward. I'm dozing on and off, in fact I sleep most of the rest of the day and have trouble sleeping at night, this is where an iPod and a good book are good things. I reflect that this short 20 minute op has made me feel more groggy than the 4 hour op I had in April. Strange.

10) At some stage while I'm dozing the guy who done biopsy/op visited me and confirmed it was cancer. He said I was going to have to have radiotherapy and possibly chemotherapy. He told me they wouldn't need the biopsy results to confirm cancer, they could see it visually.

Great. So much for 'a small instance of cancer' then eh?

He explained this to me while I was still dozy from op, it didn't really sink in til next day.

11) Stay in Hospital, bored, til 2.30pm, have an MRI scan to my throat, this makes me feel disoriented. Sit down for 10 mins, feel ok, they give me my notes and ask me to deliver my notes/case history back to ward. On the front of my file is a big notice saying something like 'DO NOT LET PATIENT LOOK AT THIS' so of course I found a karzi, locked door, sat down and took a look.

12) The notes say something like 'Episcopic lesion to right hand side of rear of tongue, extending to osephagus' but I can't be exactly sure of wording, and there's a photo of the infected area, but it just looks like a load of raspberry jam to me.

13) Deliver my file back to ward sister, go home, later go down pub, get rat-arsed.

14) later in week, go to pub, three friends offer credit cards to get me private treatment if it will help. I 'm touched but I make a rational decision that my main man, my consultant, is a good guy and I'm probably getting best treatment anyway, though I'll never be sure of that will I?

And besides, if I survive I'll be paying them back one way or another the rest of my life, lol

15) Prior to the op/biopsy, I'd seen a pre-admissions nurse, a Polish lady named Grazyna, who kinda laid it on the line for me. Ok, I asked a lot of questions, perhaps I shouldn't have, but she sure as hell gave me straight answers.

To sum up, without going into detail, she told me:

a) Radiotherapy and Chemotherpay are not pleasant.
b) She actually said to me 'Are you strong enough to stand the pain, the discomfort, the misery, for a cure?'
c) Yes, I may lose my tongue if the cancer spreads, in which case I'll receive speech therapy.
d) Yes, I may lose my sense of taste.
e) The cancer may come back
f) Yes, it may kill me
g) The treatment may make me feel weak, may give me a sore throat, my hair will fall out, I may not be able to swallow, if I can't swallow I'll be admitted to hospital and put on a drip for a while.
h) The treatment will last 6 weeks, five days a week, commuting between Greenwich & Guys Hospital (LOndon Bridge). Then it will take 3 to 4 weeks to recover back to normal. So, roll on Christmas eh?

Well, Grazyna, don't be applying for an Ambassador's job anytime in the future eh?

16) Right now, my head's pretty messed up. I'm scared. I wonder if it's worth carrying on but think yes it is, I have 3 daughters.
17) This is possibly my darkest hour, no ****.
18) I wonder, two months since scan, has this stuff migrated?
19) I can only trust the good folk at Guys hospital to cure me, what else can I do?
20) When you're told you have cancer the overwhelming thought is 'This doesn't happen to me, this only happens to other people'. When I wake each day, stone cold sober, and acknowledge the fact I have this disease, it's pretty much a big downer, gotta say.

So, I could go on, add more, but that's basically it.

On Friday October 6th I visit the hospital and the consultant will inform me of the treatment I'm having, which will be based on the results from the biopsy and MRI scan. It's likely, as I said, I'll get radiotherapy & chemotherapy. Ain't life fun eh?

I'm assuming the treatment will start Monday October 9th, but I don't know for sure.

I have an ordeal to face, I hope I have the courage to get through it.

I have no God to fall back on other than my faith in human beings, who, mostly, I really like.

And, to finish up, this crap was caused by 30 years of smoking, no doubt, so if you're young and smoking please quit, please, that would make me feel better, nobody should have to go through this ****.

Oh yes, lol, me explaining this may, just may, explain my attitude in a few posts I've made recently I shall have to learn better self-control

 

[BigJay]

I'm in no real position to say too much on this subject, lucky for me, cancer has not played a big part in my life and I've never smoked.

But I have to say, good luck Flopps, I hope thing work out for you and your family.

 

[floppybootstomp]

I'm in no real position to say too much on this subject, lucky for me, cancer has not played a big part in my life and I've never smoked.

But I have to say, good luck Flopps, I hope thing work out for you and your family.

Thanks.

Oddly enough cancer had never played a big part in my life until now.

I've lost a friend of the family (grandmother's boyfriend); a schoolfriend and a brother in law to cancer, that's about it, really.

It's non-heriditary, no cancer on both sides of my family, I may have set a precedent.

In the words of my consultant, Mr Jean Pierre Jeannon (do a Google) 'Smoking will not affect some people (in the throat region) and they may live to be over a 100 years old'. In other people (like me) it will. The steady stream of smoke sets up something like an allergic reaction which expresses itself in cancer'

So, there ya go. Another Benson & Hedges anybody?

 

[crazylegs]

I'm so sorry to hear that flopp's, and cannot put into words my dissapointment at reading your post and hearing you have to have more treatment, especially Chemotherapy...If i could help you in any way i would but i know i can't..


And even though i don't really know you, i felt a pit in my stomach whilst reading your post, so I can't imagine just how you feel...

It's no consolation but My Uncle david (63) is going through blood screening for his cancer at the moment and starts his chemotherapy sessions on the 11th oct, We spoke wednesday and i cut his hair (gave him a number 3) and he said he was worried and wasn't looking forward to losing his hair from the chemo, I'm going to be picking him up from the hospital because i don't think he's gonna feel like getting on buses as he doesn't drive...I just hope he doesn't feel to bad when i collect him as it's gonna eat me up inside aswell...

I really really hope that your treatment goes well flopp's and you make a full recovery....I know it's easy for me to say mate, but keep that chin up and never say never...

I'll be thinking of ya...

 

[ChristopherP]

Tony - So sorry to hear the news.

There are loads of treatments availiable to rid your body of this - they will fix you up a treat no doubt.

Chin up ey - will power and meds you'll be free of this in no time, you take care and if you need to chat you know where to find us.

 

[cirianz]

hugging you Tony

 

[muckshifter]

Ones own ailments pale in to insignificance at hearing this news Tony ...

The mind indeed is a very powerful weapon which can be used against yourself ... you can also use it to more positively. yeah, easy to say, but you have to look to the future, you have to!!

Three daughters, 21st burpdays coming soon, very soon, marriage, children, that's grandchildren to you, babysitting, changing nappies ... great fun.



You know the phone number, talking can ease the mind ... anytime, day or night.

 

[Adywebb]

Tony - I've said my piece at another place, but you know how much this saddens me and that I am thinking and keeping everything crossed for you.


I know you will beat this

 

[Ian]

I've got my fingers crossed for you Tony, you can beat this You don't seem like the sort of person that gives up, which is a damn good quality to have!

Your hospital seem to be really on the ball, and your doctor seems to know his stuff

 

[Anon_F]

Good luck Flopps

 

[Taffycat]

I'm terribly sorry to hear your news Flops, and would like to join Ciri in giving you another big hug.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Just got back from the hospital where I was offered two choices:

1) Surgery, which would mean removal of a large part of the back of my tongue. This is a major op which would leave me with impaired speech and possibly no sense of taste.

2) Chemotherapy and radiotherapy for 6 weeks followed by 4 weeks of recovery.

And I suppose a third choice would be death

Guess which option I chose?

Here’s what it’s all about.

Chemotherapy lasts three days with a three week recovery period. It consists of a machine bombarding me with proton rays, which zaps the cancer. It will make me nauseous but they can give me drugs to overcome this.

It may affect my sense of hearing for a while, shutting out higher frequencies, but I’m told this is rare and if it does happen my hearing will return to normal over a few weeks anyway. Before treatment commences I have to have an audiology test at the hospital.

It may affect my kidneys as the dead cancer cells are excreted through them. Again, this is rare but if it happens I get drugs to treat them. Before treatment the hospital are going to test my kidneys.

Interestingly, I won’t lose my hair.

The radiotherapy lasts six weeks and the longer it goes on the more it will affect me. I will have a very sore throat, I probably won’t be able to swallow at some stage. It may make me feel nauseous and it will certainly give me a dry mouth. Again, I can take drugs to overcome the nausea.

I will have to have a face mask made to shield other parts of me from the radiation.

I have the option to have a feeding tube inserted into my stomach in case I am unable to swallow at all at any stage. This is done with a light anesthetic and the tube is inserted down my throat, into my stomach and then out through my stomach, so it can’t be seen when I’m dressed.

Then if I can’t drink or take in protein through being unable to swallow, I screw bottles of stuff into the tube and pour them into my stomach. This saves me having to be admitted to hospital for 24 hours at a time just to be drip fed. This tube is an option, I don’t have to have it, I may not need it, but it can’t be inserted once treatment has started. I will probably go for it.

The cancer I have is very common. As it does tend to migrate locally (within the throat area) they will be radiating both sides of my throat. I was told the only other area apart from the throat this cancer migrates to is the lungs but they say there is no danger of that happening within the time since I had the PET scan (Aug 18th) and the start of my treatment. However, when it’s all over, I will be scanned again anyway.

They say that it typically takes two years to spread to the lungs.

I will lose my sense of taste and food will taste like cardboard. I’m told my sense of taste will return ‘after a time’ but it may be permanently impaired. This is possibly the worst aspect of the whole thing.

Once radiotherapy has finished, recovery will take 3 to 4 weeks and will be the worst time of all, apparently. I will lose weight. I’m about 168lbs right now, 5’ 10” tall (I’ve shrunk 1.5” since I was aged 20) and I could lose up to 30lbs in weight.

I will be seeing a dietician/nutritionist with advice on how to put weight back on.

Treatment will start within one to four weeks. Before then I see several people for advice, including folks who give moral support, shrinks, I suppose, an audiologist, a dietician and the people who carry out the radiotherapy and the chemotherapy. And Julian, who will make the mask.

I was told not to believe anything I read on the Internet, only the information on Guys & St. Thomas’ own website and not to judge my forthcoming ordeal on anybody else’s experience as everybody’s cancer differs, treatments vary to suit the individual and individuals react in different ways to treatment.

The chemotherapy I’m receiving is called Platinum, but that doesn’t mean much to me.

I was told that their prime concern was to keep me as comfortable as possible during the treatment and they were confident they could cure me and that the cancer would not come back following treatment provided I stayed stopped smoking.

I can phone them anytime I like and if I want to be admitted to Hospital at any time, just to phone them up and they’ll come and get me.

I mentioned treatments in other countries, particularly America and she said ‘Treatment in the USA is a little different to here in London, they tend to take a more aggressive approach and the whole program is based around economics. Their treatment works but can be impersonal.

‘We’re a teaching Hospital, we write books and journals for worldwide publication and we like to write success stories where not only is the patient cured but can testify to treatment being as comfortable as we can make it’.

That made me feel a little better, I suppose.

And again, she told me my treatment would be individual and everybody reacts differently.

I was asked how I felt and I said I was scared and my mouth was dry; no self-pity as 30 years of smoking has given me this legacy; I want to live; I love life; I will beat this thing; I thanked her for her time and expressed anxiety about loss of taste and the feeding tube.

She then said I was going to do Ok and I’d make it.

So, there you go, six to ten weeks as an outpatient plus a small op to remove the tube, a horrible ordeal, but I should live.

And yes, I’m scared. I was told to do something good this weekend and not to think too much about it so I think it’s time to take up residence at the pub

Right now it’s raining heavily outside but it’s mild. On Wednesday evening, coming home from the pub, I felt the cold for about the first time since April and today I wore a coat for the first time since April as well.

I suppose this is the worst time of the year so best time to get treatment. I figure if treatment doesn’t start for 4 weeks, it’ll be near to end of January before it’s all over. And Christmas won’t be much fun.

Still, I should live. I was told that even as little as ten years ago surgery would have been the only option. And 30 years ago they wouldn’t have had the technology to detect the cancer at an early stage, meaning what I have would probably have been fatal.

One last thing, I don’t want to come over as one of those born again pain in the bum anti-smoking nutters but please, if you smoke, please quit, it really ain’t that hard to do and I’d hate to think of any of you having to go through the ordeal I’m about to face.

 

[Ian]

That sounds really positive Floppy, as they really do care! I don't think you'd get any better treatment than that if you went private - I wish all hospitals were as good as that one

 

[Abarbarian]

Only just came accross this thread . Best of luck to you floppy .

Chill out and have that weekend in the pub its the best thing you can do to get over the shock .

However there is a lot you can do to help yourself after that . First and foremost in the 3 to 4 weeks you have until the chemo is . Clean your diet up . I cann't stress this enough . Eat the healthiest foods you can . Loads of fresh vegetables and fruit and garlic . Cut out the alchohl , cut down on the coffe and tea . Drink herb teas espcialy Echinacea . Cut down on the red meats and eat more seafood (not fish and chips) . Go for foods that have a high content of vitamin A, C , E , and consider taking a course of vitamin supplements with these three .


All of this won't cure you but in 3 to 4 weeks but .

it will help to boost your imune system and help to flush out your kidneys and liver . Leaving them in a much better state for whats to come .

Once again . best of luck and I hope all goes as well as it can .

 

[muckshifter]

‘We’re a teaching Hospital, we write books and journals for worldwide publication and we like to write success stories where not only is the patient cured but can testify to treatment being as comfortable as we can make it’.

Laying out Roman style while nurses crush grapes between their thighs and ... well that's a start.

Tony, what can one say ... you're tending one of the best hospitals in the world. Listen to them, follow what they say and be well again.

* keep the mask for halloween *

 

[Adywebb]

Good luck Tony - we all know you're gonna beat this, but we also know its ain't going to be no picnic.

We will all be thinking of you

 

[floppybootstomp]

Thanks everybody, your thoughts are apreciated

Only just came accross this thread . Best of luck to you floppy .

Chill out and have that weekend in the pub its the best thing you can do to get over the shock .

However there is a lot you can do to help yourself after that . First and foremost in the 3 to 4 weeks you have until the chemo is . Clean your diet up . I cann't stress this enough . Eat the healthiest foods you can . Loads of fresh vegetables and fruit and garlic . Cut out the alchohl , cut down on the coffe and tea . Drink herb teas espcialy Echinacea . Cut down on the red meats and eat more seafood (not fish and chips) . Go for foods that have a high content of vitamin A, C , E , and consider taking a course of vitamin supplements with these three .


All of this won't cure you but in 3 to 4 weeks but .

it will help to boost your imune system and help to flush out your kidneys and liver . Leaving them in a much better state for whats to come .

Once again . best of luck and I hope all goes as well as it can .

How do you know all this stuff? You in the medical profession?

It does sound like good advice to me though, I have to admit

I'm not going to stop drinking alcohol, this will be one of the few pleasures I have leading up to treatment, when I guess I'll have to knock the booze on the head for several months. Which won't be a biggie, tbh.

I only ever drink two cups of coffee a day, in the morning.

I do try to eat healthily but as I'm living on my own, I rarely eat fresh vegetables, too much bother, all that preparation, just for one person. To offset this however, I do eat a tremendous amount of fruit and fruit juices.

I don't take any vitamin supplements, the only thing I take from health food stores are the Kwai once a day garlic pearles. I believe in garlic. Whenever I have an infection, I take about six of these pearles a day and usually within a few days the infection clears up. Better than antibiotics. Not that I get that many infections, lol

And I do love dishes with fresh garlic. And all day long I'm swigging mineral water, mostly Evian.

So, Abarbarian, thanks for the advice

I'm just back from the pub, slightly tiddly, lol, I spoke to my 3 best mates.

I figured as my sense of taste is likely to become shot for a while, there's one dish I've always wanted to eat. I've never in all my life tried lobster. So next Saturday 14th October the 4 of us are driving to Whitstable, a seaside town in Kent famed for it's seafood, and we're going to have a lobster lunch. Whilst I can still taste it.

I just hope I ain't allergic to lobster........ I doubt it, only thing I know I'm allergic to is horses. Atishoo.

After meal, we'll walk around then go on a pub crawl for the evening. Me mate Roy has a beach hut there where we can crash out, not that comfortable, sleeping bags, but it's free and we'll be drunk.

In the morning we will drive to Broadstairs, a little way along the coast, and have breakfast with Billy.

Billy is 81 years old and lived in Greenwich all his life and has retired to Broadstairs. A fantastic character, Billy is one of those old guys you actually listen to, his stories make you literally laugh out loud.

And that's it, really. I got crap to look forward to so I'll have a lot of spare time.

I figure with that spare time I shall attempt one or all of these things: Learn Photoshop; Learn Linux a bit more; Learn Web design using Deam Weaver 4 (an old version, I know, but it still works).

Thanks for listening