Hi Julie

I had cancer myself ten years ago and smoked throughout! My husband has just been diagnosed and stopped smoking straight away, which I personally think was foolish but it's his choice.

Listen - this is what I did: the chemo made eveything taste so bad it was purgatory to have a cigarette, it made me retch and feel awful. And after every dose of chemo, I would force myself to have that first cigarette no matter how it made me feel. Once I was in hospital for three days without a cigarette and the smart-alecks on the ward were saying I should use this as an opportunity to give up. Not I. As soon as I was out of there I had a cigarette although it made me feel dizzy. I think I was just determined to have my own way and not be forced by this b*****d thing to change the way I wanted to live. In those days we still had smoking rooms in our hospital and the atmosphere there (apart from being thick!) was much more cheerful and relaxed than in the non-smoking lounge. I did give up smoking years later but I'm glad I didn't do it whilst I had cancer. In fact one of my doctors told me not even to think of giving up, the stress of giving up would be worse for me than carrying on smoking.

As for Mr Booze - that's the only way we're getting through this. My husband and I used to be weekend drinkers but I don't think a day's gone by since his first scan when we haven't had at least a glass or two. His chemo hasn't started yet, and I hope he gets through it without too much difficulty but when I was on it, however hard I found it to eat, I never, ever had trouble getting down a drink. Pub lunches kept me going: the company, the "normality" I think is important. I couldn't taste the food but I ate it because everyone else was eating and we'd paid for it (I'm in Yorkshire) so I wouldn't waste it. We're using the same technique to help my husband now - in fact we're off again today with some of our lovely friends.

Enjoy!

Hi Julie

I had cancer myself ten years ago and smoked throughout! My husband has just been diagnosed and stopped smoking straight away, which I personally think was foolish but it's his choice.

Listen - this is what I did: the chemo made eveything taste so bad it was purgatory to have a cigarette, it made me retch and feel awful. And after every dose of chemo, I would force myself to have that first cigarette no matter how it made me feel. Once I was in hospital for three days without a cigarette and the smart-alecks on the ward were saying I should use this as an opportunity to give up. Not I. As soon as I was out of there I had a cigarette although it made me feel dizzy. I think I was just determined to have my own way and not be forced by this b*****d thing to change the way I wanted to live. In those days we still had smoking rooms in our hospital and the atmosphere there (apart from being thick!) was much more cheerful and relaxed than in the non-smoking lounge. I did give up smoking years later but I'm glad I didn't do it whilst I had cancer. In fact one of my doctors told me not even to think of giving up, the stress of giving up would be worse for me than carrying on smoking.

As for Mr Booze - that's the only way we're getting through this. My husband and I used to be weekend drinkers but I don't think a day's gone by since his first scan when we haven't had at least a glass or two. His chemo hasn't started yet, and I hope he gets through it without too much difficulty but when I was on it, however hard I found it to eat, I never, ever had trouble getting down a drink. Pub lunches kept me going: the company, the "normality" I think is important. I couldn't taste the food but I ate it because everyone else was eating and we'd paid for it (I'm in Yorkshire) so I wouldn't waste it. We're using the same technique to help my husband now - in fact we're off again today with some of our lovely friends.

Enjoy!