How tragic! Yesterday in the grocery store parking lot, I saw someone with a portable oxygen tank...

[NurseJackie]

... a cannula tube running to their nostrils, an N-95 mask pulled down below his chin so that he could finish smoking a cigarette.

What a miserable son of a bitch he must be. I wonder how much time he has remaining. Probably not long, if he's no longer trying (or he's just a slave to the nicotine and no longer cares.)

I'm so grateful that I was able to give it up over five years ago. I feel so much better because of it. It's never too late to quit.


(Stock photo.)

[Freddie]

1. COPD killed my sister-in-law

From smoking. She did quit smoking but it was too late. Every time she got the slightest cold she’d get deathly sick and spend weeks in the hospital. 2 years ago she got a cold she couldn’t recover from. Only 65, I miss her every day.

[NurseJackie]

77. ...

[applegrove]

92. So sorry.

[Swede]

2. I've never got hooked on nicotine, but I know it's the hardest to quit.

When a young relative was dying of cancer, I'd go to the smoking spot outside the hospital with the cousins. A lot of nurses were out there smoking too.

[demigoddess]

7. I happen to know that can get hooked from secondhand smoke, so many parents are

Last edited Thu Apr 15, 2021, 05:58 PM - Edit history (1)

getting their kids hooked on smoking. And they essentially are giving their kids their death warrant. And a lifetime of affliction.

[PJMcK]

3. Isn't that dangerous?

Oxygen near a combustion source seems like a fire waiting to happen.

[ProfessorGAC]

44. Might Not Be Pure O2

Tank might have oxygen rich air. Even as little as 30% represents a 50% increase over normal air.
Those O2 generators people can use to dump the tank don't deliver pure O2. It enriches the O2 content, thogh.
And remember, oxygen is not combustible. It is essential to getting other things to burn.
Enriched air enriches burn rate, for sure. But, the O2 itself isn't an inherently risky material.

[backscatter712]

53. It is a fire hazard to smoke anywhere where the O2 could be enriched.

People can really burn the hell out of themselves smoking on oxygen.

[ProfessorGAC]

69. If It's Pure O2

Many people are using enriched air.
Also, I didn't say otherwise, really.
Clothes are combustible and I did say higher oxygen content accelerates the burn.
Is it advisable? Certainly not.
Is it a bomb waiting to go off? No.

[applegrove]

93. I had a friend whose father was on oxygen and he smoked. His oxygen

blew up on him and he ended up in hospital with his face burnt. He never recovered. So sad.

[unblock]

4. Saw that all the time in my emt days.

Usually it's all we can do to get them to stop smoking with an open oxygen tank nearby just for the time were there (fire hazard).

Some of them regretted ever getting started, most didn't care, none of them felt they had it in them to even try to stop.

[hlthe2b]

5. It is a horrendous addiction. I can't tell you how many physicians, nurses, researchers and others--

I have had at least a passing acquaintance with--all who knew better-- suffered the horrendous consequences of never stopping smoking. Denial may have made them start, but addiction kept them smoking.

Even when laryngeal cancer requires a permanent tracheostomy, I would see them holding the lit cigarette to the opening to get that nicotine hit.

Beyond sad.

[a kennedy]

6. I quit May 2nd 2005, hardest thing I ever did, miss smoking at times, but the

best thing I ever did. I am going to make an appointment with a pulmonary doctor tho, lungs are making noises......just pray it isn’t COPD, but I think it might be the start of it.

[NurseJackie]

9. That's my fear too. Did I quit too late?

I guess that's the wrong question. It's never too late to quit! A better question would be, did I wait too long to quit before there was irreversible damage? --- I hope not.

[a kennedy]

15. Yup.....I know, was it to late. What I keep thinking, I smoked for 37, I really don't

think NOT smoking for 16 is gonna off set smoking for 37. Damn, I know I’m gonna be paying the price for smoking at all. Damn.

[NurseJackie]

17. I try to focus on the positive of having quit (even if I was late).

I don't stink.
My house doesn't stink.
My truck doesn't stink.
My pets don't stink... and their eyes don't water.
I can be in the company of non-smokers without having to excuse myself for smoke breaks.
I can go shopping without having to hot-box and suck-down an entire cigarette in the parking lot.
I can exit a store and NOT immediately have to light-up.
I can travel on an airplane without going crazy.

EDIT TO ADD: I don't burn holes in my clothes. I don't have burn-holes in my carpets. I don't have holes in my furniture. No dirty ashtrays to clean. No nicotine-stained computer monitors, mirrors, windows. No cigarette butts in the lawn/driveway. Cleaner teeth. Less raspy voice. Much less coughing. And end to continual non-stop throat-clearing.


Between my husband and myself, we were smoking about 2 cartons a week. At Maryland prices (then) that was about $130 a week.

How much have we saved? Do the math: 5 years x 52 weeks = 260 weeks. 260 x $130 = $33,800 !!!!

I'm sure the actual savings is even more considering the prices of cigarettes that I see advertised in stores.

[a kennedy]

20. You're right on ALL points.......happy I did quit.....just wish it would have been sooner.

But you are right. and thanks for the positive attitude I should be having too.

[NurseJackie]

23. I added more to the list above...

... more to be grateful for.

[Skittles]

61. like you said yourself, it's never too late

even if you were to develop a disease because of past smoking, treatment will be more effective on someone who has quit smoking!

[NurseJackie]

63. I hadn't thought of that. You're very smart...

... for someone who's not even 20 years old.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I do feel rather foolish for having waited for so long.

[Skittles]

65. it was advice I read on a website

you know, to those folk who were like, well, if it's already too late I may as well just keep smoking!

I quit 10 years ago but I will always love the smell of tobacco!

[NurseJackie]

66. Sweet pipe tobacco (in a pouch) reminds me of my grandfather...

... it has a distinctive aroma. I still can't stand the smell of pipe smoke, cigar smoke, cigarillo smoke, etc.

I dislike incense smoke... but oddly enough I enjoy wafting campfire smoke (not sitting directly downwind and being choked-out.)

[Skittles]

68. yup, my grandfather smoked a pipe

I can smell it now!

[Diamond_Dog]

8. My late cousin, a Navy veteran,

Fell onto hard times late in his life, and was diagnosed with emphysema and diabetes. He got kicked out of several apartments because of his habit of smoking with an oxygen tank on. One place run by a religious organization gave him a second and third chance to stay, but he couldn’t do it. Very heartbreaking.

[Aristus]

10. I know the popular explanation among older smokers is "In my day,

we didn't know it was bad for you!"

How can you not know it's bad for you? It's f*****g smoke!

There's nobody alive today who didn't at least grow up with radio. Didn't they ever hear on the radio of a catastrophic fire somewhere? And the reporter in on the scene trying to get the story:

"What killed them, Chief? Was it the flames?

"No, it was smoke inhalation..."

And why the hell are people coming up in this day and age still taking up smoking? It looks bad, smells bad, tastes bad, it's expensive, and it killed such legendary bad-asses as Ulysses S. Grant, Yul Brynner, and the Marlboro Men.

This isn't finger-wagging. This is me clutching my head in anguish that so many people are voluntarily poisoning themselves in the process of dying of preventable illnesses.

If you're not going to think of yourselves, smokers, can you at least spare a thought for your medical providers who love you and don't want to see you suffering?

[a kennedy]

18. My husband who never smoked, says he could tell when the tobacco companies changed

the composition of tobacco because he could smell the difference in the smoke. His parents smoked and when I met him I smoked he always said he knew the tobacco companies changed the formulas to make smokers KEEP SMOKING BECAUSE OF THE smell. Back in the day I think people could maybe quit smoking easier then now just because of the drugs put into tobacco to make it much harder to quit.

[appalachiablue]

34. Manufacturers added hundreds of

chemicals to make tobacco more addictive including vasodilators to transfer nicotine to the bloodstream and brain faster.

I've read that smoking is harder to quit than drinking alcohol or taking opium. Actor Dick Van Dyke who quit smoking and alcohol years ago also said that stopping smoking was much harder to do. Tobacco/nicotine addition is pure evil.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

28. As long ago as the 1930s people commonly called cigarettes "coffin nails".

And the Surgeon General's report, clearly stating that smoking is very bad for you came out in 1964. Anyone who started smoking after that is an idiot. We've known for generations that it wrecks your health and can kill you. Not to mention how smokers age a lot faster. Just go to any high school reunion 25 or more years out from graduation, and the smokers may as well have it tattooed on their foreheads.

[Aristus]

30. It's still startling to see newspaper reports from, like, the 1950's,

featuring a picture of some guy. "Mr. So-And-So, aged 34..." and he looks at least forty-five or so.

I always guess "smoker"...

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

31. That is most likely it.

Look at news anchors these days, and look at ones of an earlier generation. Back then they mostly all smoked, and it showed. Today few if any of them do, and it shows.

[Demsrule86]

84. They called them coffin nails in 1896. People have known for many years that

smoking will kill you.

[lastlib]

11. Probly not long, if he keeps up.....

...smoking that cancer-stick while using oxygen..... That's a recipe for a big BOOM!

[greatauntoftriplets]

12. A cousin (who was my godmother) did the same stupid thing.

We all worried about her setting her apartment on fire. She's long gone, but I still don't get how she could let her addiction rule her life like that.

[malaise]

13. Isn't that a fire risk as well?

Insanity!

[ProfessorGAC]

46. See Post #44

Modest risk. Nothing huge.

[malaise]

47. Thanks Prof

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

14. I hate cigarettes. They killed my mom, her sister, and my nephew,

who was also my very dear friend, before they reached the age of 60.

A horrible, powerful addiction that is so strong it even drives some of its helpless captives smoke while they are on oxygen. I feel really bad for folks who are addicted to nicotine, it is like a real life physical demon that enslaves millions to its will.

[NewDayOranges]

16. It took me 8 years to quit smoking...

I smoked my last cigarette May, 17th, 2003.

I recommend hypnosis - it was the only thing that worked for me!

[a kennedy]

19. I took Wellbutrin......only thing that helped me quit, and was the hardest thing I ever did.

Congratulations on quitting.

[Owl]

64. How did the Wellbutrin help?

[beaglelover]

72. It alters your brain chemistry and makes it easier to quit.

You start taking the Welbutrin and set a quit date about a week after that. It worked for me when I initially quit in my late 30s. Stayed quit for 2 years about. I still take Welbutrin because I liked that it evened out my moods. I used to have an extremely short temper, but now I don't. Unfortunately I started smoking again and the next time I quit I'll sue the patches.

[a kennedy]

73. It helped me not be so jittery......as in like, when am I gonna have my next smoke, when can

I have another cigarette. Just really helped with my nerves. Don’t think I could have quit cold turkey without it.

[beaglelover]

74. That's how it helped me too. It still does even though I started smoking again.

I can go on 13 hour plane rides and not be craving a smoke. And I can usually wait to have one until we get to where we're staying. I know I can quit these damn things again....I just have to get them out of my routine.

[a kennedy]

75. Good luck with quitting.....

It’s funny, I did try to do different things when trying to quit. I drive with both hands on the wheel....even now and I quit in 2005. But changing a routine REALLY does help if you can do it.

[beaglelover]

78. Thankfully, smoking in the car is one routine I won't have to break! I only smoke at home.

So, I think getting back to the office after summer will help with my quit since I won't be home 24/7. Thanks for the well wishes.

[applegrove]

94. Champix or Chantix worked for me. I never crave. Best thing i've ever done.

[Binkie The Clown]

22. It took me 30 seconds to quit.

I was sitting in the doctors office with my wife when she got the diagnosis of terminal lung cancer. After 45 years of smoking, I never picked up another cigarette. The consequences suddenly became very real with an intensity all the pamphlets and educational films could never duplicate. That was about 12 years ago, and I never missed it, and never thought about it again. In fact, I thought to myself that if I started counting the days and weeks and years, that was evidence that I wasn't really over it. I was over it when I honestly forget when it was that I quit.

I don't recommend that as a way to quit! But however you do it, DO IT!

[unweird]

26. Second that

Used Wellbutrin myself and still needed that last push that hypnosis provided. Was on and off Wellbutrin a couple of years before attending one of those group sessions. Going on 20 years without a cigarette since then.

[Binkie The Clown]

21. I knew a woman who used to smoke while riding her stationary exercise bike. True story. nt

[NurseJackie]

24. Yikes!

I gained a bit of weight when I quit smoking, but my doctor said she'd rather see me carrying around an extra 50 pounds instead of carrying a pack of cigarettes in my purse.

[multigraincracker]

25. I smoked for 40 years and haven't had a smoke in over 6 years, but

I am down to 1/3 of a piece of nicotine gum now.

[NurseJackie]

27. Nicotine gum, patches and lozenges were my pacifier for about three months while I quit.

The patch was my "constant drip" of nicotine, but the gum and lozenge was the "kick" I needed (wanted) and it was enough to help me get through the worst cravings.

Technically, one isn't supposed to use patches AND gum/lozenges... but it really helped me.

I used the "step down" patches but I never got all the way to the final (smallest) nicotine patch. Toward the end of the process, I was FORGETTING to put on a fresh patch in the morning. (Previously I couldn't wait!!!)

When the urgency to have a new patch was no longer a part of my day, I knew that I could just go ahead and quit EVERYTHING related to nicotine.

So I did.

I still have a "souvenir" patch and a "souvenir" box of gum... and somewhere buried DEEP in my freezer is a five year old "emergency" pack of cigarettes that I stashed away because I was afraid I'd need them. They're still there. I guess it's like a trophy and a testament to the fact that I never opened them.

[multigraincracker]

29. I cut it in thirds and then chew it with a piece

of sugarless gum.

I've been lucky and they can't find any COPD. They did see 4 nodules a few years ago. They followed them up every 6 months and they got smaller and smaller and are now gone. I do smoke two puffs of pot at bedtime.

[peggysue2]

32. The first time I quit (and yes, it took several attempts) . . .

my youngest son was put into the hospital for bronchial pneumonia. He was seven years old. The doctors told me it was aggravated by my smoking. Quit on a dime, only to have numerous backslides. However, I never smoked inside the house again.

It's been over thirty years now that I quit for good. I think the biggest thing for smokers is the return of taste and smell, particularly smell (at least for me). Generally, smokers do not smell the stink of the cigarette. Until they quit.

I recall walking into our small library after quitting for several months and rubbing shoulders with a woman who smelled literally like an ashtray. It's a hard reality to accept because all those years I'd been casting off the same odor. For those who are particular about their homes? Cigarette smoke permeates everything--your drapes, linens, mattresses, rugs, etc.--and leaves a yellowish film on windows and mirrors and all kinds of surfaces.

My mother was a chain smoker. When she reached a certain age, she was unable to keep up with housecleaning though she insisted she was cleaning day and night. I took a stab at her kitchen windows one morning and was thoroughly grossed out with the orange film all over the glass; it ran in rivulets as soon as I sprayed the surface with glass cleaner. She, of course, was totally unaware of the windows or the dingy wallpaper also covered in that nasty film.

That being said, my mother smoked nearly to the end of a very long life (almost 92). And she had numerous breathing difficulties which made the last few years a misery. Yet after all that time, she just couldn't/wouldn't quit. She was very stubborn, LOL.

So, the lesson for me is the sooner you can quit, the better. It's bad enough struggling with the normal infirmities of aging without struggling for every breath the way my mother ultimately did.

[NurseJackie]

35. 🥳🍷🍷🍷 Congratulations to you! That's fantastic! And...

Generally, smokers do not smell the stink of the cigarette. Until they quit.

And, YES!! That was (and is, and remains) one of the biggest motivators for me to stay quit. I never KNEW how offensive smelling I was to others. I'm retro-actively embarrassed and horrified at the thought of it.

Now, I can spot a smoker at 20 paces away from me. (Less now with masks... but pre-covid... once I clocked a smoker in the grocery store, I'd do my best to stay one aisle ahead of them, or turn and circle-back if they caught up with me.)

Two lots over from us, there's a man whose wife won't let him smoke inside, so he smokes outside on his deck... cigarettes, flavored cigarillos, and cigars. UGH! --- Most evenings that it's clear and comfortable outside, I cannot open my own windows because his smoke wafts in and it makes me want to retch. (There's SOMETHING he's smoking that smells like a skunk! No lie. No exaggeration... until I realized it was his smoke, I had often assumed that we had a skunk in the woods that was frightened by something.)

I see people digging DEEP in their pockets, or rummaging in their purse for any extra loose change they may have, just to pay for the cheapest "floor-sweepings" brand of cigarettes that they can afford. It's tragic.

[LizBeth]

33. Wow...

[Vinca]

36. Someone should tell the guy oxygen is an explosive gas.

Cigarettes and oxygen were the cause of a fire last year in a town near us. I think the person died, but I don't remember specifically.

[NurseJackie]

37. Oxygen is not flammable, but it can cause other materials that burn to ignite more easily and to ...

Oxygen is not flammable, but it can cause other materials that burn to ignite more easily and to burn far more rapidly. The result is that a fire involving oxygen can appear explosive-like.

https://www.vitas.com/family-and-caregiver-support/caregiving/providing-care-at-home/demonstrations-the-dangers-of-oxygen-and-smoking

[Vinca]

57. I stand corrected.

[NurseJackie]

58. I always thought the same thing too...

... I imagined it would be like leaving on a gas burner.

[beaglelover]

38. Reading this thread makes me realize I REALLY need to quit smoking.

[NurseJackie]

39. Good luck! I quit many times over the years... but I'd always find some excuse to start again.

I guess I was just "taking a break" from cigarettes all those times. But this is the longest I've ever been quit and I was able to do it with a nicotine patch for the daily "drip" of nicotine... and for those times I felt like I needed the feeling you get from that first long draw off a cigarette... I'd chew nicotine gum for about 10 chews, then wrap it up for later.

You're not supposed to do it that way (risk of nicotine overdose) but I was already a 2x pack a day smoker to begin with ... so I justified it by telling myself it was no different than the nicotine I was trying to wean myself from.

It worked!! I never even finished the "step down" process. After a couple of morning of FORGETTING to put on a new patch, I knew I didn't need them any more.

Previously, I'd have a cigarette before I brushed my teeth in the morning. Previously, I'd want a FRESH PATCH before getting out of bed in the morning. That's how bad it was... but I'm sure you know the feeling too.

I feel for you... but I wish you all the luck in the world.

Another tip: BRAG on yourself to friends and family. ANNOUNCE to everyone that you've quit. Their support will help a lot. And (for me) the thought of disappointing everyone who was so supportive, well... that was a big motivator when I was thinking about giving up.

[beaglelover]

40. Thank you for your kind post.

I've quit before so I know I can do it and I'm getting to the point where I really do want to quit. I'm turning 57 next month and have smoked on and off since age 21. I'm not a heavy smoker, less than 1/2 pack a day, but it's enough to feel the effects of smoking at this age.

My Mom who had smoked since age 17 quit last year at age 85 using the patches, so I'm going to use them this time as well. If they worked to get her quit, they should work for me.

Thanks again for the encouragement.

[maxrandb]

67. I think it was WC Fields who said; "quitting smoking is easy, I've done it a thousand times"

I can't kick them and it's beginning to affect my health.

It is really a strong addiction. I've heard that people have quit hard drugs, but couldn't beat nicotine.

[BlueLucy]

41. I quit October 2012

Eased off nicotine with vaping until it was zero.

[NurseJackie]

43. I tried "vaping" with the disposable ones that were cigarette shaped.

It was okay, but the single "cigarette" device never lasted too long. For that "hit" sensation that I needed while on the patch, I just chewed the nicotine gum for a few bites, then wrapped it up and put it away for later.

[Chautauquas]

42. I quit on December 8, 2016

after smoking for 42 years. Went in for emergency surgery when my appendix burst and when I returned home 8 days later I decided I was done smoking. I still get cravings occasionally but they pass quickly.

[NurseJackie]

45. I do too...

I still get cravings occasionally but they pass quickly.

I do too...

With morning coffee. Or with a glass of wine sitting around the campfire. (Habit/trigger times.) But I'll take a couple of slow and deep breaths of fresh air, and that relaxes me and the urge passes.

[Happy Hoosier]

48. Quitting is different for different people.

It was very, very hard for my Mom. She decided to quit after I showed her a picture of her holding her first grandchild, in one arm and a cigarette in the other hand. She tried. And failed. And tried again, and failed. The only thing that worked fro her was "Cold Turkey." She just stopped and never smoked again, but the first six weeks was HELL for her.

OTOH, it was cake for my Dad. When my Mom started her attempts to quit, my Dad quit too. And none of us noticed. He never said anything. He said he thought if he kept smoking, it would make it too hard for my Mom, so he just quit. And we didn't notice it until after Mom was "over the hump."

But in general, it can be tough to overcome bad habits.

I've been fat all my life. It took a diabetes diagnosis lat fall for me to really get what it takes to do something about it. I didn't change my diet to lose weight, but to get control of my blood sugar. That has worked. But weight loss has been a nice side effect. I've lost 65 pounds so far, and expect to lose another 30 before the fall (or least by the end of the year.

[NurseJackie]

50. Contrats on the weight loss!! I need to try (harder) to do the same.

[backscatter712]

51. Smoking while using oxygen is stupid-dangerous.

If a lit cigarette gets exposed to pure oxygen, it can start one hell of a fire.

Pure oxidizers are not to be messed with.

[onethatcares]

52. 22 years quit for me

went cold turkey. Sometimes I think about that line by John Prine, "Gonna smoke a cigarette 9 miles long" When I get to heaven.

But until then I'm not paying what they want for me to kill myself slowly.

Smoked 42 years, now I hate the stench, but marijuana still smells good to me....

[NurseJackie]

55. The smell never bothered me either...

... but now, I'm totally horrified to realize how offensive I must have smelled to others.

[onethatcares]

56. Yeah, the odor when

you walk into a smokers house, get in their car or stand next to them can get pretty strong....whhhewww. My wife quit 2 years after I did and kissing her was like licking an ashtray at times.

[NurseJackie]

60. The Mister and I quit at the same time. Neither one of us would have succeeded...

... with the other still smoking. In good times and bad... and it was definitely bad for awhile. But we made it through.

Most all hotels that I stay at are 100% smoke free... but there have been times when I needed to switch rooms because the previous guests had cheated and smoked in the room. EVERYTHING was saturated in smoke stink: drapes bedding carpet wallpaper, yuk!

I even cancelled an AirBNB stay because the non-smoking unit had been SO VERY smoked in by the previous guest.

[NurseJackie]

82. I was a dedicated smoker when that came out. I remember it.

I also remember thinking "that will never happen to me". Meanwhile people I love are dying from lung cancer... I was truly in denial.

[Catherine Vincent]

59. I guess it's hard for some people to quit

I've never smoked and I'm very happy about that.

[NurseJackie]

62. You were very smart. I came from a family of smokers...

... smoking was even allowed at my high school (there was a smoking section in the back... even the teachers joined in).

[BootinUp]

70. I'm 2 years + and never will again

I had successfully quit b4 and then started up again twice before. Never again!

[NurseJackie]

76. When I previously failed, I referred to it as "taking a break" from smoking...

... or taking a break from quitting. It was a trial run. And each time it got a little easier to psych myself up for it, and knowing in advance what to expect (and knowing that each intense craving would pass after a few minutes) made it easier to work through them.

I was young and stupid and everyone around me smoked. Everyone on TV and in the movies smoked. My parents smoked. It was just the thing to do.

[alphafemale]

71. Hopefully his addiction won't burn his grandkid alive due to the O2 tank fire.

He could at least vape you'd think.

[NurseJackie]

79. There's an ignition source inside the vape device, too.

When one draws on the tip, the battery powered element heats up (like a light bulb element?) in order to vaporize the special liquid. If that's in a highly oxygenated atmosphere, it could over heat and burn out of control too.

[alphafemale]

80. Not as much as a match or lighter to catch tobacco on fie.

Addiction makes people lose their minds.

[NurseJackie]

81. Agreed! I have LITERALLY walked to a convenience store...

... more than a mile... IN THE SNOW... to buy a pack of cigarettes! It's insane.

[Demsrule86]

83. Years ago when My MIL was in hospice for breast cancer, there were more than a few on

02 due to smoking. They would disconnect from the 02 so they could smoke. Many had what was called then Emphysema. My Mom smoked most of her life and died of Emphysema.

[NurseJackie]

85. When Mom was in the nursing home, the staff would roll some of the residents to a patio area...

... and let them smoke. They all were forced to wear these bibs (or fireproof hair salon capes) in order to keep the cigarette embers from being knocked off accidentally and burning their clothes (or their skin).

I always had mixed feelings about that. They were dying anyway and had limited time anyway... so what the hell?

It was a slow firing squad and each smoke could be their last.

Still... sad and tragic.

[csziggy]

86. My MIL who died of COPD smoked until she was on oxygen full time

Before that, she'd wear her oxygen set up, go out on her porch, turn off the O2 and light up. She had 40% of a lung removed in the early 1980s but the asshole doctor told her that the cancer was not caused by her smoking.

She lived to 87, having smoked since her teens, and died an agonizing death. My husband was traumatized when he was in the room while they had to do an emergency intubation. The last year of her life was painful for the family and agony for my MIL.

She was a wonderful person and could have lived much longer if she had never stopped smoking - or if she'd stopped when they took part of her lung out. I will never forgive the doctor for not telling her to stop smoking.

[NurseJackie]

87. I'm so sorry...

... maybe your story will help someone else and save them from the same tragedy.

[csziggy]

88. Thank you - I hope it makes someone think before lighting up. nt

[RANDYWILDMAN]

91. Grandpa died from emphysema, free cigs in the Navy

It was brutal when he was on the small tanks, but at least he could go out, later on the big tanks he could not leave the house.

I miss him everyday

He died the day after my birthday May 18th 2003