snuzsuz

What did the doctor say?

Snuzsuz, i just read your comment about feeling guilty about smoking, even after a lung cancer diagnosis. But, look at you go! You were diagnosed nearly 3 years ago!!! I have a friend who was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer over five years ago. She did and does smoke like a fiend. And, she is NED.

I smoked for lots of years too. I had just quit a few years before getting diagnosed. I too accepted the diagnosis as being somewhat deserved ... i knew i was tempting fate with every cigarette i smoked, especially after having my dad die from lung cancer. So, when the diagnosis came, it was like it finally caught up to me.

While i accept that my choosing to smoke contributed to my cancer, i really don't beat myself up. I wish you would not either. You might have gotten lung cancer even if you never smoked a single cigarette.

Hello snuz, I'm sorry that you feel guilty for smoking. It is a curse, but you didn't know it when you started. My mother had throat cancer and copd, but quit smoking 30 years ago. Then, 20 years after that, she got leukemia. I can't equate that to her lifestyle or treatment (only surgery). So, sometimes things just happen to us. My brother had throat cancer 1.5 years ago and he continues to smoke too, even though he was told his cancer will definitely come back. He tried to quit for the first time in his life. He managed to stop for a couple of months using Chantix. But, he blamed the stress of work on his inability to quit, but he's retiring in a month. I don't think he'll quit then either. There's just different kinds of stress in our lives.

I had the same problem with my shoulder. It was very painful. It ended up being a pinched nerve from using the computer. Bad posture I guess. Anyway went to physical therapy and had them work on my neck. It worked. Hope you're better soon.

Hi Susan,

I'm glad your getting positive feedback from your Doctors!

For questions that you want to ask everyone, click the questions tab at the top of the page, then type your question there, that way everyone will see it. Lots of great people here with a wealth of cancer experience and knowledge. They are happy to help.

Glad you found us here.

Greg P
3xSurvivor
Team WhatNext
Community Mgr.