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Health issue question

F

fegbri

fegbri
Joined
Oct 18, 2008
Messages
194
Location
Berlin NJ
Hello all. I just celebrated 11 months cigarette free. As ironic as it may be I celebrated with a fine cigar :whistling:

Well, long story short, I have been having throat discomfort. At first I thought it was allergies, but it really hurt when smoked cigars. Went to Dr. and he stated it was inflammation and swelling due to years of smoking. He said the cigars, even though not inhaling, will continue to damage the throat/esophagus and continue to raise risk of cancer.

Has anyone else had this or a similar health issue? If so did you stop, slow down, change habits?

I may have to say goodbye forever :(
 
Replying as an ex-cigarette smoker also, and as a health care provider, and because I'm also very interested in this topic.

Although I haven't spent a huge amount of effort on it, I have researched the topic a bit. From what I've read, health effects of cigar smoking aren't as well studied or documented as the effects of cigarette smoking. My guess is that we are still at risk for heart disease (as we are taking nicotine into our systems), although probably significantly less than cigarette smokers. Cigar smokers (from my experience) for the most part do not inhale per se...but some amount of smoke is almost certainly inhaled into the lungs...how much? Who knows. I'd wager that we are still at risk for lung diseases (cancer and COPD), but my body tells me (no smoker's cough, breathing is easier than when I smoked cigarettes, etc) that I'm almost certainly doing my lungs less harm than when I smoked cigarettes...and common sense says the same. I'd guess that we are still at risk for mouth/throat cancers...possibly as much as or more than cigarette smokers, though probably less than tobacco chewers. I do retrohale some, which burns my nose a bit sometimes...so my guess is that it's probably a somewhat riskier behavior than when I would blow cigarette smoke out of my nose (which never bothered me at all).

I guess the short answer is "I honestly don't know." LOL

I can say that my body tells me that my 3 cigar a day habit isn't nearly as harsh as my previous pack-and-a-half a day cigarette addiction was. I do occasionally have a slightly scratchy throat, but it's rare and it's mild compared to what I used to experience from cigarettes.

I'm very interested in hearing what others have to say on this topic. Anyone ever read any real medical research on health effects of cigars?
 
NASTY said:
Just say goodbye for a couple of months. Smoke your finest cigar after that and if it reoccurs, then it's time.
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As tough as it is to contemplate, this is the best course. Your body will tell you what it cannot handle and you would be wise to listen. I am really sorry to hear the news in any case.
 
Another thing to look at is adding extra Vitamin C to your diet. Whether its a glass of Orange Juice or some other form, do it. It will help ease the "scratchy" throat. I learned that even a glass of Watermelon juice worked wonders on the throat when you smoke 40 cigars in 2 1/2 days. We was told that while touring a tobacco farm and factory. Something to think about. Having survived Esophageal Cancer, I always have something with Vitamin C on hand for when I know that a cigar will be burnt.
 
gahdzila said:
I'm very interested in hearing what others have to say on this topic. Anyone ever read any real medical research on health effects of cigars?
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I'm a university researcher (though not in medicine) and have looked at the research on health risks of cigar smoking. It seems that that the current consensus based on large-scale studies such as this one and this one and this one is that cigar smoking is related to various types of cancer, especially cancers of the upper digestive tract (mouth, tongue, esophagus) and (if you inhale) the lungs. The relationship between cigar smoking and illness doesn't seem to be as strong as the relationship between cigarettes and illness, though.

Overall, there seems to be general agreement in the research that the frequency with which you smoke, the size of the cigar you tend to smoke, and the way in which you smoke it (i.e., inhale or not) is related to the risk you have for cancer and other types of illness. Bigger cigars smoked often (several times a day) and inhaled seem to pose the greatest risk.

However, if you smoke one or fewer cigars per day, don't inhale, and never smoked cigarettes or used chew before, your risk for all types of cancers seems to be about the same as someone who has never used any type of tobacco.

Bottom line: the less you smoke, the less risk you have for getting cancer. If you smoke a couple times a week (or less), your risk is probably so low that it won't be a significant factor in your overall health.
 
Smoked one today (A GOOD one!!) and it was not a pleasant experience :( Going to give it one more try this w/e. If not a good experience, there will be a major sale coming to CP...but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Thanks for all your help guys!!!
 
fegbri said:
Smoked one today (A GOOD one!!) and it was not a pleasant experience :( Going to give it one more try this w/e. If not a good experience, there will be a major sale coming to CP...but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Thanks for all your help guys!!!
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As stated above if it were me I'd give it a rest for few months and then smoke a cigar and see what happens. I wouldn't rush in to selling my stash just yet. Give your* throat some time to heal first and try it again.
 
Even your avatar is getting scratchy
laugh.gif
(unless it's just my work computer)

Fegbri, you have been away from a cig for 11 months, did you have any swallowing or lymph node swelling problems during those months?

Reason I mention is, maybe a second opinion from a specialist may show "exactly" what is causing the irritation. My dad (heavy smoker) went to the hospital with what he thought was strep throat. After 2 specialists (ear,nose,throat and gastro) the conclusion was dysphagia from nerve damage. Feels like swallowing razor blades he said. Once medication (Tegretol and Lyrica) were introduced, a week later and he felt 100% pain free.

Good luck brother.

Dave
 
When I originally quit cigs, I stayed away from cigars for about 5-6 months. (To make sure I really quit) :thumbs:

I have only had about 10 cigars in the past 5 months, with about 75% ending up in some sort of discomfort. Don't think I need to waste time and money on specialists if when I don't smoke, it doesn't bother me.

We'll see. It is all good advice, I guess deep down inside I know what I SHOULD do... :angry: ...just hoping it will go away and I don't have to make that decision.

I'll post results on Sunday...wish my mouth, nose and throat luck!!
 
I'd say, wait longer---three months or so.

A couple days just isn't enough for an inflammation of some kind to settle down and go away.

I can smoke 5-6 cigars in a day, but not every day. I save those days for camping and road trips. Most of the time, 1-2 a day is plenty, and not every day. When I quit cigarettes, I took a couple months off before taking up cigars, and only smoked one a week for the first year or so.

When I was a kid, my family knew a guy that had half his tongue cut out for cancer. He smoked drugstore cigars all day every day. So I guess it can happen, comes to that. But it's not something I really worry about.

~Boar
 
I'm not a doctor (nor do I play one on TV) but I agree with the 'give it a few months and try it again' advice.

In the meantime, HERE's the less frustrating, NSFW version of your avatar.
 
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