A New Darwin Award Candidate

[Bio-T]

I had to pick my daughter up from the Hospital last week. This is a Heart Hospital only. When I had made arrangements to meet the Nurse bringing my daughter out the main entrance, I got the car and parked out front to wait.

I noticed a male patient wearing a jacket, very cold for here, and under the jacket he had his hospital gown on. He was pushing a stand with an IV and it was hooked up to his arm, plus a monitor. Nothing unusual I thought until he reversed course walking and took a drag off his cigarette. He was on a smoke break. He had snuck out of his room, went outside, and was smoking. I wish him speedy recovery.

 

[John D]

Reminds me of the time my girlfriend's mother was flown off an offshore oil rig because she had significant trouble breathing. She got to the hospital to find out she had alot of fluid on her lungs (she has Asthma as well). It was quite an intersting sight rolling her outside the hospital several times a day in a wheelchair (because it beat her out to walk), and then seeing her try to have puff on a cigarette.

 

[Whimsey]

40+++ years ago my father use to sell life insurance. And in the "old" days the agent went to the house to pick up the premium payment. Usually on a 2 week or monthly basis. Part of his territory was an old industrial town well past it's prime from WWII. He had some longterm customers who ended up in ironlungs and they were still smoking

. Needless to say he was so taken back by that and he gave up smoking himself cold turkey in 1963 after smoking since the very early 40's. Ironically he died 4 years ago from a form of lung cancer not associated with smoking

.

Whimsey

 

[Shannow]

3 1/2 years ago, my Mother in Law had her throat cut out due to cancer of the larynx.

While undergoing radiation treatment, one of the women in the hostel that she was staying in was complaining about how sore her own neck was from a similar operation.

This woman then proceeded to ask her doctor how soon she would be well enough to start smoking again, and if there was a prosthesis for use in the tracheotomy.

 

[Cutehumor]

a woman in the ICU where I work was in because she has COPD. of course, I told her she needs to stop smoking. she said "I have my oxygen tank at home and I'll turn it on when I smoke"

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

quote:

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Originally posted by Cutehumor:
a woman in the ICU where I work was in because she has COPD. of course, I told her she needs to stop smoking. she said "I have my oxygen tank at home and I'll turn it on when I smoke"

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If I hear a large "bang" coming from the Western Skyline, I'll instantly know how it happened...

 

[Drew99GT]

quote:

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Originally posted by ToyotaNSaturn:

quote:

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Originally posted by Cutehumor:
a woman in the ICU where I work was in because she has COPD. of course, I told her she needs to stop smoking. she said "I have my oxygen tank at home and I'll turn it on when I smoke"

---

If I hear a large "bang" coming from the Western Skyline, I'll instantly know how it happened...

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Some people are just straight up addicts. They'll never be able to quit until they're dead. I've been an on and off smoker for a while now but I'm really givin it up for good. Everyday when I'm stressed out from school and work, I feel this intense craving deep within. I just keep tellin myself I want to be able to go flyfishing everday in retirement well into my 70s.

 

[moribundman]

Addiction seems to be weird thing. Some are more affected by it than others. When I was a teenager I did smoke on occasion, sometimes quite heavily, mostly during the summer when hanging out with my buddies. I'm sure there were weeks or months during which I smoked daily. Yet I never had the "I need it!" urge, and when I was 20 I simply stopped. I say stopped, because it wasn't like I was "quitting." There was no real desire or need to light up. Going by my personal experience, I would be inclined to say that anyone who can't quit smoking is a weak loser. However, the fact that so many people seem unable to quit makes it clear that not all people react the same way to addictive substances.

 

[T-Keith]

A guy in MN blew up his house a few years back from smoking with an oxygen tank. It's more common then you'd think.

 

[medic]

quote:

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Originally posted by T-Keith:
A guy in MN blew up his house a few years back from smoking with an oxygen tank. It's more common then you'd think.

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As a rule, explosions due to oxygen use are very rare. Fires caused by oxygen use and smoking is a little more common. These fires are usually localized to the person using the oxygen and the immediate area.

If you think about it, these people on oxygen at home still cook with gas stoves and have natural gas heat. They use toasters and other objects that cause sparks on a daily basis. The main problem with smoking is that it saturates the hair and clothing of the person using it, causing the flammibility to multiply greatly. Under the correct circumstanses, when lighting a cigarette, they can ignite their hair and clothing.

To dispel another smoking myth - fires in the bedroom from smoking are no more common than in any other room.

 

[JohnBrowning]

As an EX-Smoker I can honstly say that most smokers do not see themselfs as addicts and do not realise that they have an addicts mindset!If they admit they have a problem then they would have to take action so denial see's them through the day. I hated being a slave to nicotine and I did not want my oldest boy to have to grow up in a smokeing house. I figured he did not need me training him to smoke! SO when my wife was 1 month pregnant I gave it up after smokeing for 10 years and at the time I was up to 3 packs a day!!

 

[moribundman]

Good for you and your family, John. Was quitting difficult for you? Do you still feel the need to smoke on occasion?

 

[SteelheadGuide]

My Mom remarried when I was about 10. She was married to my Step-dad for about 20 years when he decided the grass was greener on the other side. He had Asthma his entire life and worked in areas filled with Asbestos,all the while smoking 3 packs a day for 30 years. After he left my Mom he got lung cancer,and was lucky enough to get a new lung from a non-smoking 25 year old kid. After he was released from the hospital my best friend (one time step-brother) called and said his Dad was smoking again. His Dad died at 53 about six months later.