tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post7465364275000369176..comments2024-03-28T10:32:27.517+03:00Comments on Stories from the trauma bay: Sign from aboveDocBastardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224592098492491365noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-69128646776874305212014-12-08T21:22:02.150+02:002014-12-08T21:22:02.150+02:00my summary would be that they are not as bad for y...my summary would be that they are not as bad for you as cigarettes, but worse for you than no cigarettes.Ken Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166383392696452631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-90469113305192595202014-12-08T21:15:49.228+02:002014-12-08T21:15:49.228+02:00There was an article not so long ago in Scientific...There was an article not so long ago in Scientific American about e-cigarettes. It stated pretty much that there hasn't been much research on them, and the few studies that have been conducted, report only positive effects (these were made by the producing companies, basically ruled as inadequate proof because bias bias bias). It did say that e-cigs contain little of the regular cigarette crap (tobacco, tar etc.) but other potentially as harmful additives.<br />Jacob Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05785593242015740448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-41552464612259485092014-12-08T17:19:07.111+02:002014-12-08T17:19:07.111+02:00Although these are pretty obviously better than re...Although these are pretty obviously better than real smoking, eating more tuna has to be a better way to get your Vit B3!Ugihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00453326095140897474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-65696450764519658322014-12-08T00:16:51.319+02:002014-12-08T00:16:51.319+02:00Good question, Caitlyn. They sure seem like they ...Good question, Caitlyn. They sure seem like they should be a good idea (better than cigarettes, anyway).<br /><br />I may just have to do a post on e-cigarettes in the future.DocBastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12224592098492491365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-23155627338676777402014-12-07T01:39:39.486+02:002014-12-07T01:39:39.486+02:00Don't even get me stated about dealing with fa...Don't even get me stated about dealing with family members who smoke!<br /><br />My 80-year old mother had a quad bypass nearly 4 years ago (she did not have a heart attack; her blockage was found on cardiac ultrasound, and the doctor credits her not having a heart attack on the ACE inhibitors she's been on for years). She's being treated for osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, atrial fib and COPD and has hospitalizations for exacerbations of the latter two problems. <br /><br />She "demands" answers from her internal medicine doctor as to WHY all of this has happened to her and why he can't stop it or predict when she will "get sick." <br /><br />She's smoked for 60 years. There's your answer, and only by the grace of God has she not been diagnosed with lung cancer, which is what her mother died from at the age of 88 after ... 60-plus years of smoking. Will she quit? Of course not! "But I've cut down!" she says. Clearly cutting down is not enough! <br /><br />Let's just say I don't have a lot of empathy for those people who persist and then demand their health care providers "do something!" as their health declines as a consequence of tobacco use in whatever form.CaliGirl9https://www.blogger.com/profile/06639398512708841968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-30784932013864830452014-12-06T07:37:20.073+02:002014-12-06T07:37:20.073+02:00don't know Doc's opinion, but it is defini...don't know Doc's opinion, but it is definitely a cleaner way to dose yourself with toxic stimulants than by inhaling combustion by-products.<br /><br />Ken Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166383392696452631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-64762980920798568572014-12-06T06:42:29.570+02:002014-12-06T06:42:29.570+02:00Hey Doc, while we're on the subject, what is y...Hey Doc, while we're on the subject, what is your impression of e-cigarettes? I know that they haven't really been studied long enough to have a conclusive "these will kill you painfully" verdict, but have you had the chance to poke around in the lungs of a user? They seem like a better alternative to the tar of regular cigarettes, but several non-smokers I know who are interested in the "medical benefits" of nicotine have started to use them too. The logic goes that obesity will kill them, nicotine and the oral fixation satisfaction will keep them from binge eating, and therefore e-cigarettes will actually extend their life because they eliminate the cancer, heart disease, and COPD complications.<br /><br />Obviously a "better safe than sorry" attitude is best, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts. I've done my own research, but I've yet to find any studies with good results and much of the other information out there appears to be propaganda from the manufacturers or users trying to justify their habit. Thanks for your help!Caitlynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11151451848927136642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-50852975841434125822014-12-05T20:14:31.849+02:002014-12-05T20:14:31.849+02:00He doesn't want to die but he doesn't wan ...He doesn't want to die but he doesn't wan to give up his ciggies? I don't see the reasoning in performing a heart transplant on someone who smokes. Chances are the smoking led to his need for a transplant. Smoking cessation should be a prerequisite for transplant consideration. There are too few donors and too many waiting in line. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-57224985720872620452014-12-05T17:24:10.614+02:002014-12-05T17:24:10.614+02:00I can understand why people have a difficult time ...I can understand why people have a difficult time quitting - what baffles me is that children keep starting.Ken Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166383392696452631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-65922359306584947282014-12-04T14:09:26.494+02:002014-12-04T14:09:26.494+02:00similar story here. my mother was driving and she ...similar story here. my mother was driving and she dropped her pack of cigarettes. took her eyes and one hand off the wheel as she went searching for them. we ran off the road, hit an embankment and became airborne. the driver of the car behind us said that our car flipped at least 3 times. we were both wearing seatbelts thankfully. mother had no injuries; I had a bump on the head, a sore neck and bruising. I also got to have a ride in an ambulance and I got to wear a c-collar for six hours while I waited for cervical x-rays. smoking kills in a variety of ways!Bunnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-64527022837403747832014-12-04T06:04:03.059+02:002014-12-04T06:04:03.059+02:00The devotion to the "cancer/COPD stick" ...The devotion to the "cancer/COPD stick" (as one of the Cardiologists I work with likes to call them), always astounds me. I sit there counseling a patient on how we are referring him to have an evaluation for Heart Transplant because his heart is not pumping anywhere near how it should be. All he can tell me is that 1) he doesn't want to die, and 2) he doesn't want to give up his ciggies. The Doc has been Counseling him on this for years, I have been for the last year, and finally took the firm stance of telling him "I know you don't want to die, that is why you are *finally* willing to be evaluated for a heart transplant. That being said, if you are a candidate, and if you are fortunate enough to receive a new heart, you need to be prepared and give up your ciggies. Also I will forewarn you, the transplant team will push you very hard about the smoking, it's not good for you period." About 2 weeks later, the Doc came up to me and asked how I got the guy to finally quit. For this gentleman, Tough Love worked, though it often doesn't.<br />Anon RNAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-91263448572369056742014-12-04T03:20:43.877+02:002014-12-04T03:20:43.877+02:00My story is similar. 12 years old and started stea...My story is similar. 12 years old and started stealing cigarettes from my parents. One night friend and I stole a pack and off we went on our bikes (night, no lights . . .). Next I remember I was being lifted into the back of a station wagon, foreign country waiting for ambulance out of the question. Compound fracture tibia and fibia, busted off tooth, and lots of embedded gravel. Two weeks in hospital, nine months in casts. Never tried another cigarette after that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-30327075851497571112014-12-03T01:09:25.807+02:002014-12-03T01:09:25.807+02:00What's puzzling is her fear of driving, gettin...What's puzzling is her fear of driving, getting in a car or even seeing headlights yet she blithely continues to smoke when one might argue that had she not been a smoker the accident wouldn't have happened. I guess it's the same reasoning, or lack thereof, that allows people who must speak through a hole in their throat due to cancer continue to smoke through that very same hole.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-6921634359139358382014-12-02T20:26:39.185+02:002014-12-02T20:26:39.185+02:00Here's what gets me, she's worried about t...Here's what gets me, she's worried about the possibility that she may get into another accident that is more than a fender bender. I get that she's feeling a bit of post traumatic stress, but she isn't worried about the overwhelming likelihood that she is going to experience heart disease and COPD if she continues to smoke. Denial never ceases to amaze me.Lisa https://www.blogger.com/profile/09324961653370110887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-24205227432769596072014-12-02T17:12:50.837+02:002014-12-02T17:12:50.837+02:00if only people would be so dedicated to their heal...if only people would be so dedicated to their health as they are to those $%^$ cigarettes. my wife asks me why I'm not more supportive when she quits smoking.<br /><br />It's because I know she's not really quitting, she's just changing brands to Nicorette for a few days.Ken Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166383392696452631noreply@blogger.com