31 replies to this topic

[Stand]

Does anybody out there that has sustained a spinal cord injury actually smoke? I used to smoke and now it totally disgusting just too smell it. Cigarettes that is. Also curious how many people smoke pot to help with their spasms or any other issues?

[roo]

hi there been a para now for 23 years and i smoke like a chimney cigarettes that is ,,and for my spasms i go to the thermal spa pools never tryed the the pot {well a pot of tea or coffee is good in the mornings it wakes me up}

[pinkcloud]

I packed up the cancer sticks for 3 years. Got sci and started to smoke to cope with a sedate life. An excuse used by many slaves to the nicotine, maybe. Now I breathe in more nicitine fueled air than 'car fumed' air - whoops sorry I mean 'fresh air'. or do I?

Living with this much pain for 3 years means I no longer wish to live to the ripe old age of 80, to eventually die in my own urine drenched bed, surrounded by white walls and no mental stimulation in an NHS bed - so I'll enjoy them and take the risk of dying a bit earlier. Maybe surprisingly most doctors I have spoken to agree with me

Did I like the smell of stale fags after - no way. Did I still like smoking people, heck yes - I'm not an envious person whom would hate others just because they have what I didnt have anymore. After all, there was not much worse an un-attractive personality trait come accross as a pre-sci smoker where people felt it ok to openly insult me for smoking.

Mind you, how can I blame them when their 'holier than thou halo awarded to them for not smoking' was blinding them to any mirrors they looked into and thus the lack of ability to see their own 'faults'

Edited by pinkcloud, 08 April 2011 - 06:53 AM.

[cathie]

yes to both cigarettes and occasionally pot

[RSUK]

while i was on bed rest in hosp i quit for 9 weeks and even got to the point when i could tell which nurses smoked and didnt like the smell. then for some stupid reason the first time i was allowed into chair the first thing i go and do is have a coffee and fag outside. luckily only have the odd one on a down day now and maybe a few socially down (or should i say outside) the pub.

never really been into pot but can imagine it may help SCI injured.

[123]

Before my SCI I was a very heavy smoker - I sure liked my fags!! Now I've had to virtually give up because I suffer from severe chest pain and I can't afford it (I won't lie, the latter is the main reason). I don't worry about the health implications at all as I know too many non-smokers who are crippled up with cancer, arthritis etc. Most illnesses have nothing to do with smoking and, besides, if it was all down to the 'cancer sticks' how come so many children fall ill? Health is a lottery as far as I'm concerned - you win or you lose. The only thing that 'stinks' is the self-righteous crap you get from the non-smokers who obviously lead model lives eating their 5 a day, exercising regularly and abstaining from alcohol. Oh, and lets not forget that we're all guilty of benefiting from the proceeds.

[dom]

RSUK, on 08 April 2011 - 08:48 AM, said:

while i was on bed rest in hosp i quit for 9 weeks and even got to the point when i could tell which nurses smoked and didnt like the smell. then for some stupid reason the first time i was allowed into chair the first thing i go and do is have a coffee and fag outside. luckily only have the odd one on a down day now and maybe a few socially down (or should i say outside) the pub.

never really been into pot but can imagine it may help SCI injured.

Ha LOL i did exactly the same! they used to allow smoking in the day rooms then and everyone was puffing,i think it made me feel 'normal' again,

[isobar]

Nicotine hinders healing.

[mellowgator]

i am battling the nicotine addiction. i didn't smoke for years except when i went to a bar and then we had 2 hurricanes come through and i started smoking daily because of stress. i now am using electronic cigerettes in replacement. they are pretty good and i don't have that flimmy cough any more.

as far as pot. it's so good for pain and spasms.


mellowgator

[rollingtrouble]

mellowgator, on 08 April 2011 - 01:44 PM, said:

i am battling the nicotine addiction. i didn't smoke for years except when i went to a bar and then we had 2 hurricanes come through and i started smoking daily because of stress. i now am using electronic cigerettes in replacement. they are pretty good and i don't have that flimmy cough any more.

as far as pot. it's so good for pain and spasms.


mellowgator

I was wondering about those "electric" cigarette things, do they really work that well? I mean do they satisfy the nicotine urge well enough to leave the real things alone? Gary...

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[sciiaf]

mellow gater,

do those actually work? the electronic cigarettes? obviously there's no nicotine but do you still suck in and breathe out something? or is it the cig in finger to mouth feeling?

can you recommend what brand of elect cig you use? i started up smoking because of stress and boredom, and some days i am going through half a pack, it's horrible, i never imagined myself as a smoker, at least not a heavy one, plus the cost!

[sh1wn]

I smoked before I was injured and still chew now, cancer is way down my list of things that can go wrong. I grew up with both parents smoking and started around 13 or so and it wasn't until I was hurt that I noticed how bad smoke smells! I try not to be a smoke nazi but I have no problem asking people to do it outside. As for the pot I just eat it.

[dom]

isobar, on 08 April 2011 - 01:34 PM, said:

Nicotine hinders healing.

Haha tell us something new!

[Millard]

Stand117711, on 08 April 2011 - 05:00 AM, said:

Does anybody out there that has sustained a spinal cord injury actually smoke? I used to smoke and now it totally disgusting just too smell it. Cigarettes that is. Also curious how many people smoke pot to help with their spasms or any other issues?

I used to smoke...heavily. 2 pack a day for abut 28 years. I got to the point where I couldn't take a deep breath without chest pain and coughing. (It did absolutely nothing for or against spasms.) At night, my wife said I "rattled" like a snake. Three days after I quit the rattling went away and by the end of the week I could take a deep breath with no pain. When I first quit, I liked being around smokers and I'd stand close and sniff. Now, 18 years later, the odor is disgusting to me and I can smell a smoker when they enter the room. I swore I'd never would harass anyone about smoking because I got tired of hearing it before I quit and I still will not chastise anyone for their habit.


My brother (an AB) started smoking when he was 13 and always has been proud of it. Last year he raced his two chihuahuas up his stairs...he lost! He went to the doctor and discovered he as emphysema and asthma and has to learn to live with it.


Be well, party hard and enjoy life.

[Illinois Boy]

I've smoked since I was 13, 2-3 packs before, 1 now......

But for last 4 months, I've been using the electronic.... 3rd and best kind now......

About $2.50 per pack if you break it dowm...
All the nicotine and vapor smoke, without the tar...

Jim

[mellowgator]

rollingtrouble, on 11 April 2011 - 04:39 PM, said:

mellowgator, on 08 April 2011 - 01:44 PM, said:

i am battling the nicotine addiction. i didn't smoke for years except when i went to a bar and then we had 2 hurricanes come through and i started smoking daily because of stress. i now am using electronic cigerettes in replacement. they are pretty good and i don't have that flimmy cough any more.

as far as pot. it's so good for pain and spasms.


mellowgator

I was wondering about those "electric" cigarette things, do they really work that well? I mean do they satisfy the nicotine urge well enough to leave the real things alone? Gary...

the electronic cigerettes are pretty good. you get a real since of smoking. there is a water vapor that comes out that looks like smoke but it doesn't smell like it. they have different levels of nicotine you can buy and if you want you can gradully decrease the amount until you're over the addiction.

sciiaf, on 11 April 2011 - 05:14 PM, said:

mellow gater,

do those actually work? the electronic cigarettes? obviously there's no nicotine but do you still suck in and breathe out something? or is it the cig in finger to mouth feeling?

can you recommend what brand of elect cig you use? i started up smoking because of stress and boredom, and some days i am going through half a pack, it's horrible, i never imagined myself as a smoker, at least not a heavy one, plus the cost!

the electronic cigerettes work pretty good. they do have nicotine depending on what type you buy. yes you do inhale the vapor which gives you nicotine just like a real cigarette without the smell.

i'm not sure i'm using the best brand. there are several and they do have people who review them. i use the smoke 51 duo. i am always able to find 51% off coupons for them so they're pretty cheap.

[pistol_pete]

I was a smoker before my accident. I used to really like smoking. I wasn't a heavy smoker, but I smoked enough.
Even in the middle of working a bushfire I'd stop and light up, it eased the nerves.
After being laid up in hospital, I didn't go outside for 2 months, I found that I'd pretty much given up and lost the urge, which I'm pretty happy about.
I knew it was bad for me and vowed I'd give up by the time I was forty ( yeah Right).

I lit up a fag for the Mrs the other day and nearly spewed.

I do smoke a pot pipe maybe 2-3 times a week for recreational reasons with medicinal benefits. The spasms ease up for the night.

[sciiaf]

what brand of electronic cigarettes do you use? where did you get them? i tried one once, something i saw in a magazine or online and it sucked,

[pistol_pete]

sciiaf, on 12 April 2011 - 10:03 AM, said:

what brand of electronic cigarettes do you use? where did you get them? i tried one once, something i saw in a magazine or online and it sucked,

"it sucked"...HaHaHa good one

[Illinois Boy]

sciiaf, on 12 April 2011 - 10:03 AM, said:

what brand of electronic cigarettes do you use? where did you get them? i tried one once, something i saw in a magazine or online and it sucked,

Tried 3 brands, this is the best and oldest on the internet......
Click Here

They have a lifetime warranty and good phone support....

Jim

[Abdifatah28]

I smoke a couple a day I started last year. The funny thing is I used to hate smoking

[Grinch83]

So I used to smoke about a pack a day before my injury. After my rehab was finished I stayed smoke free for about 8 months or so. Now, I will occasionally have a couple on a Saturday night while I'm at the bar with friends. I know it's still not a great idea to even have just a few smokes a month, but compared to being addicted and smoking a pack a day, I'll take it. I have no desire to smoke during the week, it's really only when I have a couple of drinks in me that I start getting the craving, and even then it's more of a social thing than a physical addiction.

Anyway, I get a strange sensation when I have my first one or two smokes of the night. I get a burning/tingling sensation in my abdomen, butt and left leg. I'm classified T7 complete, though I've been getting some slight sensation back over the past few months (really just some awareness of weight on my legs and if you knock on my knees I will feel the vibration). The burning sensation is like a more intense version of my regular nerve pain. My opinion is that it has something to do with circulation or something in that nature, but does anyone else get this sensation when they light up for the first time in a few days/weeks? What the hell is it?

[airart1]

its where the cigs are changing your blood pressure and restricting the blood flow is all........

[Aparr]

I gave up smoking the day of my accident. I can't say the smell disgusts me because there are days that I want to pick them up again. However, I know my lungs couldn't handle it. Not to mention their expensive as hell.

[Snakeye]

Started smoking cigs behind the barn at the age of twelve. Still smoke..Don't give a damn to live to a ripe old age in this condition anyway..My sense of smell has been screwed up since I got my bell rang while in my twenties so oder doesn't disgust me a bit...Plus, being contrary by nature I enjoy upsetting yuppies by smoking around em every chance I get..Smoked more weed than I can remember...

[lifeisgood]

Snakeye, on 19 November 2011 - 01:34 AM, said:

Started smoking cigs behind the barn at the age of twelve. Still smoke..Don't give a damn to live to a ripe old age in this condition anyway..My sense of smell has been screwed up since I got my bell rang while in my twenties so oder doesn't disgust me a bit...Plus, being contrary by nature I enjoy upsetting yuppies by smoking around em every chance I get..Smoked more weed than I can remember...

OH LORd! lol I must be a "yuppy" but I used to smoke but gave up in college, (took a few months to clear my lungs of crude! so count me in as a overly sensitive anti smoke in my face person. For a while, if I was exposed to smoke, I would for sure end up with a cold..and since my level affects my cough..that shit was annoying and took weeks to overcome. So if I ask nicely maybe you would accomodate me )

[A trophy guy]

Aparr, on 18 November 2011 - 06:57 PM, said:

I gave up smoking the day of my accident. I can't say the smell disgusts me because there are days that I want to pick them up again. However, I know my lungs couldn't handle it. Not to mention their expensive as hell.

I can relate to this, I think. I was a smoker for years before my accident. I didn't quit immediately afterwards, however. I kept smoking for about the first year or so after my accident. But I knew it had to go. It just felt so, so, idk, bad. It felt life-robbing. And quitting honestly has been the best thing I've ever done. It surpassed my highest expectations. I've been smoke free for ten years now.

[Aparr]

Congratulations A Trophy Guy. It hasn't been that long for me. I'm only 2 years and 4 months post.

[Snakeye]

I've discovered the best way to deal with temptation is to give into it...

lifeisgood, on 19 November 2011 - 01:40 AM, said:

Snakeye, on 19 November 2011 - 01:34 AM, said:

Started smoking cigs behind the barn at the age of twelve. Still smoke..Don't give a damn to live to a ripe old age in this condition anyway..My sense of smell has been screwed up since I got my bell rang while in my twenties so oder doesn't disgust me a bit...Plus, being contrary by nature I enjoy upsetting yuppies by smoking around em every chance I get..Smoked more weed than I can remember...

OH LORd! lol I must be a "yuppy" but I used to smoke but gave up in college, (took a few months to clear my lungs of crude! so count me in as a overly sensitive anti smoke in my face person. For a while, if I was exposed to smoke, I would for sure end up with a cold..and since my level affects my cough..that shit was annoying and took weeks to overcome. So if I ask nicely maybe you would accomodate me )

Edited by Snakeye, 19 November 2011 - 02:05 AM.

[Snakeye]

lifeisgood, on 19 November 2011 - 01:40 AM, said:

Snakeye, on 19 November 2011 - 01:34 AM, said:

Started smoking cigs behind the barn at the age of twelve. Still smoke..Don't give a damn to live to a ripe old age in this condition anyway..My sense of smell has been screwed up since I got my bell rang while in my twenties so oder doesn't disgust me a bit...Plus, being contrary by nature I enjoy upsetting yuppies by smoking around em every chance I get..Smoked more weed than I can remember...

OH LORd! lol I must be a "yuppy" but I used to smoke but gave up in college, (took a few months to clear my lungs of crude! so count me in as a overly sensitive anti smoke in my face person. For a while, if I was exposed to smoke, I would for sure end up with a cold..and since my level affects my cough..that shit was annoying and took weeks to overcome. So if I ask nicely maybe you would accomodate me )

Consider yourself accomodated, but just this once...Happy breathing...