What do you think my chances of dying from smoking are?

Question

I'm 18. I've smoked cigarettes for two years now, on average about 20 cigarettes a day.

My grandma died of lung cancer and didnt even smoke.

I want to quit NOW because I've noticed I have a lot of trouble breathing lately, my heart flutters and pumps faster when I smoke now, and I have constant smoker cough.

So what do you think the chances of me developing cancer are if I stop now?

Answer 1

if u stop now it a good chance that you wont get cancer.

Answer 2

the sooner you stop the better you'll live. apparently it takes more than 5 years to remove almost all the effects of smoking from your lungs. and that depends on how long you smoked.

you're already having problems and that's only after 2 years of smoking and you're only 18. it takes a bit longer usually for people to perceive all the damage they've done to themselves.

i'm not going to say that your chances of developping a cancer are lower than someone who never smoked but they will certainly be tiny next to someone who didn't quit smoking.

once you quit, things will get a lot better, you'll see. i think you're making the good decision. don't wait. good luck

Answer 3

Tiny. It takes about 10 pack years to set the stage for lung cancer, and you've only done two. Of course, even non-smokers get lung cancer from things like radon and second-hand smoke, so your risk will never be zero, but the typical smoking-related lung cancer victim is someone who has smoked heavily for many, many years. Still, it's good to stop before your risk does start to go up, and since the first few attempts typically fail it's best to try now. Or consider using a non-tobacco source of nicotine, like the Commit lozenges or an e-cigarette -- they shouldn't cause cancer at all.

Answer 4

Your chances are less if you quit now.

Go out and buy the stop smoking book by Allen Carr. Its a bit goofy but if you get the point, it really works.

Also, got to http://www.quitnet.com

Its a free site and there are forums for people 18 and under who are quitting. Its a popular quit smoking site and helps a lot... so do check it out.

Quit kiddo... trust me, I smoked for 20 years... its easier now than later.

Answer 5

I've worked on a Respiratory Ward; it was known as the oyster beds - gross.

The patients usually died in their mid 60s from emphysema.  They would   lean over their bed tables on 2 pillows trying to breathe.

If it wasn't emphysema they were dying of it was some type of lung cancer.  I used to assist in having their lungs aspirated (drained) of 2 - 4 litres of bloody discharge.

On night duty we (the nurses) would sit in the office and guess which patient it was coughing - we got to know the different coughs really well.  Their faces would go blue as they were trying to breathe.

It wasn't just their lungs and throats that copped it - they got PVD, peripheral vascular disease which made their extremities blue, heart problems and other conditions as well.  

If you quit now you shouldn't have any of those worries.