Philip's Story of Quitting
My Quit Story
At the age of 65 after almost 50 years of smoking I I finally quit. I had tried numerous times over the years always unsuccessfully so why was this time different?
It all began on 1st October, which was the start of Stoptober, and purely a coincidence! The 1st October was also the day of my first TURBT to remove a couple of lesions from my bladder having been diagnosed with bladder cancer just the week before.
I had a further TURBT and eventually had to have both my bladder and prostate removed.
I learned that smoking was the number one cause of bladder cancer and on hearing this, I felt so guilty that I had not heeded the many warnings from my sister and others. I suppose you just don’t believe it will happen to you.
Quitting the cigarettes was suddenly the easiest thing I have ever done. I guess it comes down to incentivize.
It could be said (and has been) that I left it to late, however, despite cancer still being present in a couple of lymph nodes, my health is far better than it would have been had I continued with the cigarettes.My blood pressure almost back to normal and I can breath so much easier! On top of this I am £270 a month better off, result!
I always try to urge people I see smoking to give up even though I know they probably won’t listen. After all I never did, but I hope people listen to my story and think about taking the plunge.
Whatever stage you are at with bladder cancer including worrying about pre-diagnosis symptoms, please think about your smoking habits. Smoking is the biggest risk factor for bladder cancer. It also increases the risk of a cancer returning and is connected to the risks of developing heart and lung disease.
We know that if you are a smoker, giving up can be very difficult. There are lots of sources of help to support you through the transition to becoming a non-smoker.
Talk to your nurses (CNS) or your GP and ask for support and advice. They may refer you to the NHS online stop smoking services, Quit Smoking, which offers help and advice. Or Visit the STOPTOBER page here.
