Ostomy Memories of Smoking

Whatever it was that I did, or failed to do, that brought upon me the ulcerative colitis, determining what it was seemed to mystify the doctors that I saw. It’s psychosomatic, several of them announced. As far as I was concerned, given the pain that I was in, I put that diagnosis on a par with the Monty Python knight who, having just had his arm wacked off, kept insisting that it was “just a flesh wound.” It took me several years after ileostomy surgery in 1964 to throw off the shroud of disability that I’d wrapped myself in, and then I was okay. I finished school, got married, and by 1977 I was working hard, we had a two-year old daughter, and another on the way. Through the entirety of my illness, no one had mentioned that smoking wasn’t good for me and that, as a general good health measure, I ought to cut it out. I was smoking two to three packs of Camel cigarettes per day and enjoying each and every one of them. One day I was working late and, once I got off, rushed toward home hoping to get there in time to read my usual bedtime story to my little girl. I knew that I only had one cigarette left in the pack, but getting home quickly was too important to stop and buy another pack. Then – hooray – she was still up, whereupon I sat her on my lap on the couch and started to read the evening’s story. What happened next still amazes and bothers me, but—in hindsight – it was fortunate that it happened. I ignorantly and selfishly lit up that last smoke and, naturally, under the circumstances, with my daughter in my lap, smoke got into her face. “Oh papa,” she complained, “that’s pooey.” I haven’t had a cigarette since. [BTW, the cost of a pack then was fifty cents.]

Good for you for having the strength to quit a 2 or 3 pack a day habit, and for being wise enough to listen to the wisdom in your daughter's words. It's hard to remember how prevalent smoking was back then, and it's shocking to see film footage of doctors talking while smoking. But UC psychosomatic? Wow! That is shocking.

Laurie

Good for you. People do not realize how bad it smells as it gets in your clothes and hair, besides your breath. I have been watching some old game shows on TV. There have been several where some people will be smoking on them; it seems so strange to see. Best wishes and stay safe.

My Mom smoked back in the day, and as kids we hated it. But you're right..........it was so ingrained in the culture that no one gave it a second thought. Born in 1964, I remember a commercial on TV called "Johnny Smoke". It was a poorly animated cartoon about a cigarette cowboy who spread death. That one commercial scared the crap out of me as a 3-5 year old and I never forgot it. It's what really turned me off to cigarettes and I never took a single puff of a cigarette ever....because of it. Weird how some things stick in your head. Here's that commercial..........maybe you'll remember it.

https://youtu.be/uFvTvmMviJg

Later,

bob

Wow, I never saw that anti-smoking video.  I wish I had, and good for you keeping off the damn things.  I started at age fifteen; I was 32 when I quit. 

My Ostomy Journey: LeeAnne | Hollister

Wow, thanks for sharing that video, Bob. I had never seen it either.

Way to go to all ex-smokers out there. I had smoked for 50 years and played in dance halls and bars for 39 years. When in the hospital for my ileostomy (and had come out of my coma long enough to have a clear mind), I saw that they were about to place a nicotine patch on me. That was the moment that I changed my life around and gave myself a second chance at life. That was five years ago, and I have not had even a smoke. We all have it in us to deal with our own demons; we all just deal with them in different ways. Stay safe, everyone.

I think I was about fourteen when the oral surgeon was trying to remove the impacted molar or wisdom tooth. He was having a rough time and was actually doing a hammer and chisel thing to get it out. I couldn't feel anything, but what was annoying was the ashes from his cigarette that kept dropping on my face. He would take a drag, take a giant inhale, and let the smoke exit from the corner of his mouth opposite where the butt was in place. When it was about an inch long, he told his assistant to get rid of it. I think she used a hemostat, and he continued without the instrument and the butt.

Mike

Mike, I believe every word of what you just said. But today it's hard to imagine such a thing taking place. Smoking back then was as common as breathing, despite the obvious harm and ramifications it was causing. Reminds me of alcohol today. I have friends who swear they could not have a beer each night... if they had to. So they're not alcoholics. So I say... okay, let's give it a try. Today is Monday... how about not having a beer until... oh... Thursday? They say... no reason to do that... because they know they can. But in reality... they can't. And I know a lot of people who drink but don't consider themselves alcoholics. With cigarettes, no one was addicted; they could stop if they wanted to... but there was nothing wrong with smoking... so no one wanted to. Yeah, that didn't turn out too good now, did it? People amaze me. It's the primary reason I just can't convince myself to believe in God. If we are His crowning achievement... He should be ashamed... and probably should take a few more classes before making things like... life. Ugh.

;0)

bob

I am not going to debate religion; I will just say He gave us free will.

WOW, Bob. Double WOW! You just dropped a bomb and I'm trying to decide whether to run from it or find a way to survive it another way. I know a little, very little, about God even thought I talk to Him/Her daily. It’s taken over 70 years and I’m just learning about people and finding as much disappointment as elation. I know quite a bit about addictions like cigarettes and alcohol. Fortunately drugs weren’t very available when I was young or I’d be expert on that subject, or dead. I WILL reply to your post after giving it all the attention it deserves. I just don’t know where to begin.

It’s also taken over 70 years to learn how much I don’t know.

Respectfully,

Mike

Hi Mike,

No need to reply... I was just on a rant. People do that to me.

Lovely,

I'm not so sure we have "free will." Maybe we do, but it's very heavily steered at times... like puberty... or during women's childbearing years. I'll just leave you with this "gem" and leave it at that. Remember... don't shoot the messenger!

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/free-will-could-all-be-an-illusion-scientists-suggest-after-study-that-shows-choice-could-just-be-a7008181.html

Regards,

Bob

Did scientists make the brain? Like I said, I don't think this is the place to discuss religion or politics. JMO

Hello Bob.

There have been a plethora of studies showing a similar phenomenon with regard to the things that people 'buy'.

For my part, I think the saddest manifestation of this, is when people ( mostly women) 'choose' (buy-into) a relationship and convince themselves that they made the right choice, even when that relationship turns out to be abusive. I label this abusive behaviour as 'bullying' and have written many books on the subject, the latest being 'B. Withers against Covert Bullying', to be published DEC 2020.

I am always surprised when abused women tell me that they did not recognise that they were being bullied until it was pointed out to them, and even then it was hard to come to terms with. Many of them also convinced themselves that that it must have been 'them' that were at fault, thus exhonorating the perpetrator! This seems to be an extreme ( if distorted) example of believing in free-will/choice and how some people (abusers) will exploit this (failing) for their own gratification and benefit.

Just a thought!

Best wishes

Bill

What I like about this site is the diversity of topics, and that we can debate just about anything, for the most part, in a civil manner. Civil debate is healthy. If a person doesn't feel interested in debating a particular topic, he or she always has the option of abstaining. I don't feel that shutting down a debate because a person doesn't feel comfortable with the topic is ever the right answer. This site is an opportunity to discuss different ideas; as long as people aren't being attacked personally, I think it's reasonable to discuss any topic. Strong opinions get expressed sometimes, but that isn't a personal slight - there are lots of people with strong opinions here. When we muzzle our ideas, we fail to have meaningful discussion. If we can't have meaningful discussion, how do we ever move forward?

Laurie

So Bob, please rant and thank you for the brain link. Having the ability to make a decision suggests to me a form of control over part of one’s life. I don’t think one would intentionally make a bad decision but there’s no guarantee. So controlling the decision process doesn’t control the outcome. So now I have to really think about it. How difficult will that be?

Mike

Hi Lovely. I just need to clarify my thinking on the religion thing. Creation, evolution, magic or whatever got us here and how here got here is different from religion. Phew! How one expresses their interpretation of those phenomena becomes religion.
I’m leaving the “free will” thing for some smarter folks.
Respectfully,
Mike

Hey Laurie, thanks for the advice.  I like to think we can learn from each other while discussing just about any issues.  I guess there might be limits but, like you said, we can abstain.  In fact, Bob and Lovely said we have the free will to make that decision.

Mike

I am not Jewish, but a friend of mine, a Rabbi, explained parts of the Old Testament something like this: when the slaves were freed from the Egyptians, there were some rules they needed to follow to stay alive. One of these rules was about pork. Bless the hogs' little hearts, their meat would spoil very quickly in the desert while they were on the move. If Peter had said, "OK folks, don't take the pigs because there is a good chance it will spoil," many would probably ignore him and die because of it. To get them to abstain, he said instead, "THE LORD THY GOD says thou shalt not eat pork!!!" Then, they paid attention! The Old Testament is not a history book!

I add this to ward off the inevitable: the world was not created in 7 days. Of course not. And bad things do happen to good people, and otherwise intelligent people make horrible decisions. Evil exists. It exists in many forms. The man who bullies his wife does so because evil exists. The devil is alive and working diligently to lead us astray.

People used to believe that the world was flat. A great many things we take for common today would cause an enthusiastic burning at the stake had you expressed a belief in their existence in medieval times. Knowledge, and hopefully wisdom, come with age, experience, and dreaming about what can be.

No, God did not create us with the knowledge we have today. We are given free will...to smoke or not to smoke, to use drugs or not. I quit smoking after smoking two packs a day for 25 years. I stopped drinking because once I started, I couldn't stop. Gee, but I liked smoking and enjoyed drinking even more. Addictions are powerful and difficult to stop...thus the word addiction. I had a choice and started both. I had a choice and at separate times for each, was able to quit smoking and stop drinking. That was horribly difficult! We are destined for good, but we have a choice. God gave us that freedom...to bully your spouse...or not.

So someone needs to convince Trump to tell his minions, THE LORD THY GOD says thou shalt wear a mask, and get the Covid-19 vaccine shot when it becomes available.  Fat chance!  

I had the same experience with my doctor. I did some research online and I think it was caused by antibiotics. I had been on them a few times before my disease. I told my doctor this and he said he didn't think so. I have a 6-inch stump and it was bleeding all the time. I asked my gastroenterologist why it was bleeding all the time even after all the meds they were giving. He told me it was because there was no poop going through and it needs the bacteria. So, I got some probiotics, dissolved them in water, and shot that in. It worked; no more blood. Once in a while, it starts to bleed and I know it is time to shoot some more in it. I wish I had known about this before because I might have had to have a stoma and bag.

Hi Bluejay.  I think your reply was intended for a different post.  It certainly is interesting, informative and valuable for those in similar situations. (Whether they smoke or not.)

Respectfully,

Mike

Yeah, I guess so. I am new to the site and still trying to learn to navigate. Sorry.  

This is one of the worldview theories of the philosopher or psychologist. It cannot be said to be 100% true. Everyone perceives smoking differently for themselves, and for each person, this information will affect them differently.

Hey PM, thanks for the reference.
I guess I'm just not smart enough, experienced enough, or educated enough to either agree with or dispute the offerings of these bright people you shared with us. I am old though and sometimes paid attention to what was going on in life; mine and sometimes, mine compared to others. I made zillions of choices over the years, some right, some wrong, and some I wish I had made differently. I made the choices that seemed appropriate at that time. Looking back, I wish I had been smarter. Which brings another question; what does “smart” mean? Are my choices based on my education, my IQ, experiences, or other stuff that makes up me? Oh! I think I got it. I made the choices I made because I'm me and I could. But I could've chosen not to.
Sorry. I don't know how I got here. It certainly wasn't by choice.
Respectfully,
Mike

Did you ever come across the information on nicotine's ameliorative effect on UC? https://www.everydayhealth.com/ulcerative-colitis/symptoms/link-between-smoking-ulcerative-colitis/

RE: UC psychosomatic. It doesn't shock me that Henry's doctor made that claim. When I was diagnosed with UC way back in 1974, I was only 14 years old. The colitis came on very suddenly one day when I was enjoying a picnic at a park and barely made it to the old-fashioned outhouse. I wish that day 49 years ago could be erased from my life. After two months of suffering, with bloody stools 8 times a day, I became anemic. I had to get a blood transfusion. A sigmoidoscopy, drinking the barium shake for the first time, enemas, taking prednisone pills, and another sulfate drug. However, the biggest atrocity was being sent for psychological evaluation. They had me in with the mental patients for a month. Yes, that actually happened. It's unbelievable that they actually thought there was a direct link between UC and mental health. I hope they don't do that anymore. Just because they can't explain the cause of this condition, they come up with a theory that it's psychological and run with it. Quacks!