Elaine
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Posts posted by Elaine
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Pls don't anyone think that Becky and I are not being polite nor postive. That is not the case! Sometimes, like in all conversations, one thing flows to the next. But the fact that this topic flowed in the direction it did, just shows me how important it is to be careful of how to approach the breaking of the stigma and what you call myths.
Thanks
elaine
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BITE ME BACK! I
The tobacco money, if used properly, would benefit non-smokers. Any cure would be a cure for ALL, not just smokers.
SO you are saying the fraud committed by the industry is NOT something THEY should be responsible for? Are you saying the government who has as its responsiblity to protect its citizenry should not also be held accountable?
I think there are a whole host of people and entities that as a whole are responsible. One of those groups IS smokers. It's a shared thing.
And you seem to somehow be saying that people choose to be addicted. Seems to me that choice and addiction are contradictory words. There is choice involved, yes., but it's nore complicated than choice or else it wouldn't be an addiciton.
And your dirver of the truck and the smoker--again, I don't think you are comparing apples to apples here. Unless of course it would be possible to be addicted to running over people, and since that is possible, my question would be--is it probable?
I will also disagree-- I do think that preventing smoking will significantly cut down on the numbers of LC patients. But I don't think that spending tons of money on silly ads will do much to prevent smoking. Taking cig off the market--now that would, quite a bit. I can already hear you" talk" about a black market. Heck we as a nation love to build prisons, so why not build some more!!!
Go get your shots and call me in the morning, lol
Love
elaine
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LOL-- you did already! Or did I start the discussion on blame?
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Mary Ann,
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Oh Good, I get to argue with Snowflake!
Truthfully, as an addict of both caffeine and nicotine, I don't see the two as being anywhere near the same as far as in the damage one can do nor in the ability of one to kick the habit.
Nicotine, as a drug is the MOST addictive substance ever studied--including heroin. If I were addicted to heroin, I could go into a 30 day lock up to get off of it. To get locked up for 30 days to get off cig--there is no place I could go that is for the expressed prupose of kicking one's nicotine addiction. I supposed being locked up in the hospital for the treatment of lc, is about the closest I could get.
The tobacco companies WITHELD data about the harms of their product, and what is worse, they withheld the manners in which they experimented with the dosage of nicotine in cigerettes to find the most addictive dose. Then when people started quitting, they actually upped the dose to make it harder, increasingly increasing it over time. All the while knowing the 10-20 per cent of the users of their product would die because of the product.
They also came out with low tar products and basically said that these were safer cigerettes, when we know NOW that is NOT the case. They knew long before the public did that it was not the case, yet failed to tell the public this until FORCED to by recent tobacco settlements. It was fraud.
When I don't have caffine, I get a headache, sometimes mild, sometimes moderate. That is the only side effect I get. I dont know how many people die of their addiction to Coca Cola. I assume some do. Perhaps they get run over by your Coca Cola truck, instead of your beer truck.
Cigerettes, are more than physically addicting, they are physchologically and socially addicting. People with addictive personalities are more susceptible to their power. And addictions ARE powers. Ask anyone who has been addicted to anything.
The US Governement has many agencies, including the FDA, that have as their responsibility to safeguard the health and safety of the US citizenry. Ephedra kills three-whoosh, it's off the market--Cigerettes kill millions and still they are for sale.
Shouldn't we be protecting the rights of those who want ephedra to be able to have it? Why aren't we doing that? Wonder what the big difference is between ephedra and tobacco? Look at the lobbyists for the tobacco companies and farmers. Look at the amount of taxes cig produce for the governments.
Ultimately, it was my responsibility to quit. I will agree with you on that. But when you say: "Blame for the act of smoking goes to the smoker, blame for cancer should not." --you are really saying blame for the cancer is on the smoker--and you can't tell me that that is NOT what you are saying, unless, of course, you think that there is some coincidence that most of the people who get LC have been or are smokers.
These are the kinds of discussions that NEED to happen and be resolved, or else there is no sense trying to go public with trying to break the stigma or the myths.
PS: How long have you had those asbestos underwear? Maybe those caused your cancer!!! Ouch. Don't they itch or burn or scratch???
love (and I mean LOVE)
elaine
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Thank you for the update and I hope things continue to go well.
elaine
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Praying!
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Welcome Doug!
Could you tell us a little more about your DX. What was the type etc.?
There is a place that you can put your profile in the signiture line as others do.
Thanks and welcome aboard!
elaine
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Lisa
I know there are so many faces of lung cancer and so many invisible faces. One thing to remember , is that no matter how we can get the message out--through what faces-- if money comes in, then ALL the faces will be helped.
Hebbie--
Sheesh, maybe one of the stories could be a Lifetime movie!
Also, I think you have a good idea about the epidemic or also maybe that women smokers and non-smolers are at twice the risk of males. I know in my house my husband smokes at least twice what I did, (though I started smoking at a younger age, I think) but he is 6 years older than me. I think the double risk is a sub point to make under the very real fact that for women it IS an epidemic.
elaine
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In honor of David, I am going to let this ride and let you keep your title-- for awhile, anyway.
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Bill
Obviously I am no expert having done no chemo, but it could well be that the blood is in response to the tumor breaking up due to the chemo. I think someone once posted that on here once.
Ask the Dr. if that is possible.
best to you
elaine
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Larry,
The more I read the board, the more clear it becomes to me that women with thyroid issues also seem to get LC. Don't know exactly the connection, but it is becoming increasingly clear to me that there is one.
elaine
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Cat
Stigmas are very strong forces, and I do think that if we intend to do our best to break this one, then some analysis of the best way to do that needs to be done. On the board, we have sort of brought up that we need to break the stigma, but we haven't really had a deep discussion on how best to do that.
One way would be to highlight non-smokers, but I personally don't think that is the answer--being that the stigma is so strong. With AIDS that is the first thing that was tried--highlighting young hemophiliacs (sp)--Ryan White and others. So an argument COULD be made that we need to do the same thing as a starting point--highlighting non-smokers. I personally don't think that will work,-- the reason being is that the hemophiliac situation was unique in that a HIGH percentage of hemophiliacs did get AIDS before the blood supply was monitored for HIV. Non-smoking women, on the other hand, are at a very low risk of getting lc. So it is not comparing oranges to oranges, in this scenario.
So again, I think that my point is that a brainstorming needs to be done on the ways to best approach the matter of the stigma.
Oh, and remember its a one hour show--about 42 minutes really with commercials so...... Ideally a whole week in Novemember would be what is needed, but that's not going to happen so I think paring down the MESSAGE needs to be a main consideration.
I also think that the OPRAH magazine would be a better starting place. You can do a lot more in print-- and what's in print often leads to TV air time--not just on her show but others.
I don't watch TV much, but is there some show on LIFETIME that would be suitable?
just some more thoughts I am mulling around.
elaien
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I thought about this a lot, the last time someone, Gail, I think was contacting Oprah.
I think there should be someone who never smoked. Someone who quit smoking many (at least 15-20 years before DX)years ago and someone who smoked up until DX. Probably all women, since it is the Oprah show.
I don't think that by focusing only on non-smokers, that the stigma will be broken. I think that to show all three "types" with such varying histories, all facing the same thing, is the best way to break the stigma. If not, people will always point to the non-smoker as merely an aberation (sp)--a fluke--, which will still lead to the smoker being ignored, as still someone who is to be blamed.
I don't think we should duck from the smoking issue, since IT IS a factor. The smoker still needs to be able to "talk" about how hard it is to quit, how the government supports tobacco farmers and industry, how the tobacco settlement has not been used to help the people that the cig companies Purposefully, by engineering the nicotine in cig, made the addiction to their product severe and hard to break for many people.
Likewise, I think it is SO important to have someone on who quit smoking many years ago, who was lured into feeling safe, and then BANG!.
I think we should all stand together, and not separate ourselves into categories that stand alone. We all come here together to offer support to each other whether we smoked, smoke, or never smoked. To me, that is the front we should also offer to the world.
I welcome anyone else's opinion on what for some is a touchy matter.
I also think we should have a video of some kind to show those who have died, something like maybe even Rick's Tribute. This time with men, women and smokers and non-smokers and quitters.
We need NEVER forget those who have passed on before us. They are who we fight for now.
love and fortitude
elaine
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Tina
Nice letter. I am going to steal a part of it. Thanks.
elaine
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Just a reminder from civics class: ALL US House of Rep Reps are up for election.....
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LOL
Me over-analyze?
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Cat
Here's a thought: So they heard from Wexler and maybe Graham. So what would make them do this because of them? What is the clout? Why would an insurance company bow to this pressure? What are they trying to hide or protect themselves from? That is the deeper problem... I am trying to figure out what's up here.
I realize that a call from the press would put pressure on them because they don't want bad publicity so they can enroll members--but what is the pressure point that a congressperson puts on them? Hmmmm
elaine
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Kansas and Senator Daschle (Senate Minority leader from SD) done.
elaine
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Eileen
That is what I don't understand: Why are they giving me an argument? Is it because of insurance? I got suscpicious when they gave me two totally separate reasons- and it was clear they had forgotten the first reason they gave. (Stumbled speech and searching through the charts.) I know I shouldn't be so frightened, but I nearly passed out with panic last time. It is so humiliating. Plus now with what happened to David C, I am in terror. Can't they just listen.
elaine
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Curtis
You are a great guy. I wish you nothing but the best life has to offer. My own dad lost his wife (my mother). My mother was 30, and left behind three young children age 3-9. When I read your posts, it reminds me of my father's heartache. And I guess mine too. I hope you are able to once again find joy.
love and fortitude
elaine
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Weepies? Heavans! What are those?
None of us get them! Nancy. I would think something were wrong if you didn't get the weepies. Glad you are feeling better. love and fortitude
elaine
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Hebbie
The one I had this past Feb, I was not out at all. It was horrible and I don't think I could do it again. They said I would be partially under, but I felt like I was perfectly conscious. I am petrified of doing it again.
elaine
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I had a bronchoscopy about twenty years ago and they put me completely under--which was great for me!!! The Drs I now have refuse to put me under saying it is not a medical necessity one time and the other time I asked they had a different answer saying it is not done????
What's the deal? I would like to know others' experiences with this procedure. Were you able to be put under if that is what you wanted?
Feeding Tube
in LUNG CANCER IN THE NEWS
Posted
Another weird thing is this: I was talking to a alternative medicine Dr and he asked me about thyroid and I told him I was checked for it many times in the past but nothing ever showed. He then said that sometimes it doesnt show on the test. He then asked if I had a lower than normal body temp--and I said yes I did. Ever since I could remember my normal body temp was about 97- 97.6. He said that is an indication of thyroid trouble that may have gone unfound and that people with low body temps also seem to be at higher risk for cancer.
So anyway, ...
elaine