Not good news :(

[Iggypoppin']

Hi guys. Just thought I'd share this, AFF are great for support so that's why I'm posting. I have had a few problems with breathing and last month I had an appointment with my GP. He got me to do a few tests and I got the results yesterday, I have emphysima in it's early stages. It is an irreversible disease that eats away the lungs. I am a smoker but now plan to quit. This is the worst news I have ever received and I'm pretty cut about it, despite the fact it's my own fault. Anyway I'll leave with saying, I will be ok and I will stop smoking but hopefully I won't have caused too much long term damage.
Naish.

[Giant Cranium]

that sucks. how old are you? good luck

[Iggypoppin']

20. I'm sort of in shock, being so young. But a 7 year smoker too.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by 76txcoupe

Hi guys. Just thought I'd share this, AFF are great for support so that's why I'm posting. I have had a few problems with breathing and last month I had an appointment with my GP. He got me to do a few tests and I got the results yesterday, I have emphysima in it's early stages. It is an irreversible disease that eats away the lungs. I am a smoker but now plan to quit. This is the worst news I have ever received and I'm pretty cut about it, despite the fact it's my own fault. Anyway I'll leave with saying, I will be ok and I will stop smoking but hopefully I won't have caused too much long term damage.
Naish.

Damn, that sucks *** man and my thoughts are with you, but is it only small and won't progress further if you quit smoking or is it one of those things now you got it and you're screwed even if you do quit?

[Iggypoppin']

It will be less severe if I quit. It is only in it's early stages though so I can still reverse most of the problems by quitting. I will have breathing issues for the next 40 years minimum however.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by 76txcoupe

It will be less severe if I quit. It is only in it's early stages though so I can still reverse most of the problems by quitting. I will have breathing issues for the next 40 years minimum however.

Thats better than kicking the bucket though, I got a workmate with inoperable cancer in its early stages, where it is, they can't cut it out or he'll bleed to death and he's switched to eating nothing but healthy good foods, no alcohol etc and he is waiting on results to see if its going to do anything. Said something about "not feeding it with bad food".

Quit smoking mate, you got the rest of your life to live.

[Kryton]

its a shame it takes most people to get to this stage before they realise that smoking is actually bad and 'it' will happen to them.

Its a big wake up call - especially when your just 20.
Luckily, you caught it early and are doing something about it now, before it really is too late.

Hope it all works out well and you dont have to suffer too much.

[Bucknaked]

That is bad news. At your age, you wouldn't expect what your going through to happen to someone much older.

I quit 9 years ago and haven't looked back. It's a hard road to take, but you have your reason now to do it, so good luck and lets hope you can slow down this disease.

[EgoFalcon]

Very bad news, 20? dam thats very young. So sorry to hear that mate, hopefully doesn't get worse, all the best from now.

[blackxrsix]

Sorry to hear mate,keep your chin up buddy keep fighting just think of all the up coming burnout comps and all the other good times ahead.I got the same way last year when i badly broke my leg and stuffed my body with blood clots i was ready to give in but you just start to think of all the good times youve had and you realise its worth fighting on.Good luck with the recovery i will hang a skid for ya at autofest!!!!

[Iggypoppin']

Thanks guys, means a lot. I'll get through this. Quitting is hard !!

[DJM83]

Hope all goes well mate, and so young aswell. At least you got it in its early stages which id see as a positive.
When i was younger 18 or so all my mates smoked and always tried to get me into it i always refused. And to this day ive NEVER had one. Although i do enjoy the odd beer so id never criticise somebody for smoking.

[Peuty]

Damn son, that's not good news at all.

Get better.

[Whoosha]

Originally Posted by 76txcoupe

Thanks guys, means a lot. I'll get through this. Quitting is hard !!

Dude that sucks big time ,, but get on to it qwick and you will survive to road trip Mexico again .. I smoked from 14 to 40 up to 2 packs a day , then just walked away from them, it aint easy but with a bit of will power you can beat it. and with the right incentive you can do it to, it just a mind set every one is different If you need a mate we are just a PM or phone call away..
Cheers Whoosha

[Iggypoppin']

Guys seriously thanks so much...

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by 76txcoupe

Guys seriously thanks so much...

Alot of us have never met you mate and probably wont but the one thing that brings us together is cars and someone that shares the same interest as me deserves some support even if it is via AFF. Chin up mate.

[pauljh74]

My Grandad passed away from Emphysema in his late 60's more than 30 years ago. Apparently in his last few months he told my Dad to give them up to avoid ending up like him. It took my Dad 25 years to finally take his advice. He's still smoke-free after 5 years. At 20, you've taken the step that took my Dad 45 years longer to take.

[ea90gl]

Wow mate sorry to hear, especially for the age. What were your symptoms and how long did it take for you to get yourself looked at? Hope it's not too hard on you and things can remain good, by the way have you thought about more opinions from other doctors?

[Smoke Pursuit]

Lesson to everyone else on here that smokes.. Give it up before its too late!!

[Iggypoppin']

Symptoms? Hard to breathe, chest tightness, black crap throw ups.. Was bad. I'm currently on the quit program and it's incredibly hard to stop.

[Fled74]

Damn, that sucks. Best of luck to you with the quit program.

I smoked nearly a pack a day when I was 15-16 (I'd steal my dad's Marlboros). When I turned 17 I quit cold turkey. I'm 35 now and haven't touched them since.
My dad, on the other hand, is 68 and despite contracting (and recovering from) nicotine-related pneumonia, still refuses to quit. His doctor warned him about emphysema, but he's too set in his ways to change. I'm pretty sure he was a smoker even before I was born, so that's a seriously long time.

[Dave_Obsession]

One of my best mates is in a similar boat to you mate, he was diagnosed with mild emphysema a few years ago (he's now 25), and in the last couple of years he's already had a couple of trips to the hospital with breathing 'issues'.

Hopefully this news has hit you like a freight train, because it doesn't get any better.....it will take a lot of hard work and willpower to get back on track...

After seeing what my mate has had to go through, I don't have any sympathy for smokers anymore - at the end of the day I don't see the justification in paying to kill yourself.....people talk about having vices, but there are better things to do than smoking....

If you really want to change things you'll need to man up big-time and make some big decisions...

Originally Posted by 76txcoupe

Quitting is hard !!

Of course it's hard, there's a reason that the tobacco companies use nicotine as opposed to anything else in cigarettes....because it's one of the most addictive substances known to man!!

But if you ever needed an incentive to give them up, I'm pretty sure you've been given it......to have emphysema at any age isn't great, but to get it at 20 years old is a pretty big wake up call........you haven't even lived life yet!

Grab the bull by the horns and promise to yourself to not go back.

Promise this to your friends and family (it's much harder to break a promise to somebody else than to yourself); write it (your resolution to give up smoking) on a piece of paper and make some copies - have them around the house as reminders (place them in places you frequent - bathroom etc).

It's just as much a mental thing as it is physical - do you REALLY want to quit??? You need to change your mindset.

Start with small goals - no smokes for a day, then 2 days, then 3 days, then 1 week, then 2 weeks etc.....eventually the 'non-smoking' behaviour will become habit and then you're well on the way.

Change your behaviour - have something on hand that you can do whenever you feel the urge to have a smoke - whether it be something like squeezing a stress ball or a set of handgrips, counting backwards from 100, drinking a glass of water, doing 10 push-ups.....you need to disassociate the urge from the actual action of putting the ciggie in your mouth, and re-associate it with something else.

Change the places you go to - make a point of not being around others while they are smoking - do everything you can to remove yourself from situations where you may get the urge to have a smoke.

Some of these things may not be easy for you, but at the end of the day, do you want to die from this or not?

Originally Posted by UK National Health Service

Smoking’s bad for your health, but exactly how does quitting make life better?

More cash
If you smoke 20 cigarettes a day, quitting will save you over £2,000 a year.

Better sex
Stopping smoking improves the body’s bloodflow, so improves sensitivity. Men who stop smoking may get better erections and women may find their orgasms improve and they become aroused more easily. It’s also been found that non-smokers are three times more appealing to the opposite sex than smokers (one of the advantages, perhaps, of smelling fresh).

Improved fertility
Non-smokers find it easier to get pregnant. Quitting smoking improves the lining of the womb and can make men’s sperm more potent. Becoming a non-smoker increases the possibility of conceiving through IVF and reduces the likelihood of having a miscarriage. Most importantly of all, it improves the chances of giving birth to a healthy baby.

Younger looking skin
Stopping smoking has been found to slow facial ageing and delay the appearance of wrinkles. The skin of a non-smoker gets more nutrients, including oxygen, and can reverse the sallow, lined complexion that smokers often have.

Whiter teeth
Giving up tobacco stops teeth becoming stained and means you'll have fresher breath. Ex-smokers are less likely than smokers to get gum disease and lose their teeth prematurely.

Better breathing
People breathe more easily and cough less when they give up smoking because their lung capacity improves by up to 10% within nine months. In your 20s and 30s, the effect of smoking on your lung capacity may not be noticeable until you go for a run, but lung capacity naturally diminishes with age. In later years, having maximum lung capacity can mean the difference between having an active, healthy old age and wheezing when going for a walk or climbing the stairs.

Longer life
It’s common knowledge that half of all long-term smokers die early (half of them by middle age) from smoking-related diseases including heart disease, lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. Men who quit smoking by 30 add 10 years to their life. People who kick the habit at 60 add three years to their life. In other words, it’s never too late to benefit from stopping. Quitting not only adds years to your life, but it also greatly improves the chance of a disease-free, mobile, happier old age.

Less stress
Scientific studies show that people's stress levels are lower after they stop smoking. Nicotine addiction makes smokers stressed from the ‘withdrawal’ between cigarettes. The pleasant feeling of satisfying that craving is only temporary and is not a real cure for stress. In addition, the improved levels of oxygen going through the body means ex-smokers can concentrate better and have increased mental wellbeing.

Improved senses
Kicking the smoking habit gives your senses of smell and taste a boost as the body recovers from being dulled by the hundreds of toxic chemicals in cigarettes.

More energy
Within two to 12 weeks of stopping smoking, the circulation improves, making all physical activities, including walking and running, much easier. The boost to the immune system from quitting will make it easier to fight off colds and flu. And the increase in oxygen in the body makes ex-smokers less fatigued and less likely to suffer from headaches.

Good luck with it mate, I'm sure if you have the right support around you from family and friends you'll be alright.....

[grandpa_spec_F6]

Hope it all goes well for you mate Damn good to hear its been caught in early stages.

As DJM83 said, we may have never met eachother in person, talking from behind a mouse and keyboard possibly thousands of miles apart, but generally on AFF i've found that there is a common respect, concern and willingness to help out your fellow man/woman. (unless you are arguing with the mods ;) )

Hearing that has made me suddenly feel a little uneasy about the ciggy break I was contemplating... you're doing some good already haha

All the best

grandpa_spec_au

[Iggypoppin']

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm a battler so hopefully this can be put behind me. But seriously AFF is a big help the kind words mean a lot to me. I'm still smoking but less and less each day, by the time I'm 21 I hope to be totally clean of smokes.

[GT0132]

Originally Posted by 76txcoupe

Thanks guys, means a lot. I'll get through this. Quitting is hard !!

Sorry to hear your news.

After being a 10-15 a day smoker since 1979 I quit 12 months ago through hypnosis - seems to have done the trick. However, unlike you, I wasn't diagnosed with a medical condition, so you shouldn't need any incentive to quit.

Good luck champ

[Pinkbits]

Sorry to hear the bad news & hope things get better from here on.

Another incentive suggestion. Put the money that you would be normally be spending on smokes into a jar and reward yourself with other things.
As you slowly reduce the amount you smoke you will have all that extra cash.

I have never smoked so can only imagine the angst you are going through and hopefully things improve for you.

Good luck with it all.
Pinky.

[Spudz27]

Originally Posted by 76txcoupe

I'll get through this. Quitting is hard !!

Wow that really sucks. Especially so young, maybe you can use it to deter other young people from taking up the habit, I wish you well.

As for quitting being hard. It isn't hard if you WANT to quit, or have a good reason like yourself. That is the key, most people (including myself when I was younger) say "oh yes I am going to quit", but they don't really want to. I started smoking a pack a day, sometimes more when I was 13, one morning when I was 22 I just woke up and said "I don't want to do this **** anymore", also my partner was pregnant with our daughter, but I actually didn't feel like it anymore, my partner being pregnant I guess was a bonus to help me. I went cold turkey and even had a pack sitting infront of me. The 1st 2 days were the worst, after that I was fine. That pack of smokes sat on my capping for 6months, and not once did I have one. I am now 27 and I have not had a cigarette since then.

So all I am saying is if you want to give it up quick, cold turkey is the best, with the motivation it isn't as hard as it seems.

[Pinch]

Sorry to hear the news Naish.

A lot of good advice already, so just wishing you all the best with it.

[Skotty]

Not good at all man... alas I've been trying to give up I got a pack infront of me at the moment and I've had maybe 5 in the last week out of it..

[V3RSAC3]

Damn Naish, that's is not good news mate!. We hope you are ok, you're a strong lad you'll do whats best =D ... we're here if you need anything! ;-) . Well, not ANYTHING persai. Um, your mate borrow's your car, borrow his GF for that ;-) :P