Survey on bad habits

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Nik Colon

Survey on bad habits

Postby Nik Colon » Sat May 14, 2016 12:17 am

Since I was recently reminded of such, I was just curious as to what bad habits you had/have, etc. Drinking, smoking, etc.

Mine: I drink beer on the weekend and smoke cigs. Not as much as I used to tho. My diet hasn't changed except that I can't eat as much (yet somehow gained weight, now stable). NEVER did any illegal drugs (tried pot yrs ago, but that's it).

I know soooo many people, family included, who have done so many things wrong and never had any illness other than the cold or flu!

So, yes, I'm pissed off, stressed, etc! Just want to know who else feels like me and if you have changed or said f-it!

Almost everyone in my family history were drinkers and smokers, none died of either! So yeah, it pisses me off when others suggest anything I did contributed to me getting cancer!

Sorry, just stressed

My cancer song (kinda, the FU part)

https://youtu.be/CAV0XrbEwNc

Orissia
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed May 04, 2016 10:20 am

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby Orissia » Sat May 14, 2016 2:27 am

I'm a mixed bag: I've been overweight and eaten a lot of junk food and smoked, but then for the greater part of my life I've been slim, superfit, ate very healthily including juicing. Now I'm diagnosed I exercise when I have the ability to (dependent on energy and pain levels) and eat depending on appetite (so when appetite is bad I eat anything stodgy and calorific) but when appetite is normal I eat really healthily.

I've never drunk much alcohol.
Stage 4 colon cancer w. mets to liver
No surgeries, primary tumour & mets still in situ
MSS, KRAS wild type (normal)
2014 Folfox w. Avastin
2015 Folfiri w. Zaltrap
2016 Erbitux fail
June 2016 SIRT done; approved for TAS 102/ Lonsurf
Looking to participate in MSS immuno trial when they start recruiting, if Lonsurf fails


Married since 2007 with a 8 year old daughter.

Carolinabluetec
Posts: 415
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 11:52 am
Location: Greenville, SC

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby Carolinabluetec » Sat May 14, 2016 9:50 am

I am pushing 70 years old and I am a smoker. I also drink potato vodka martinis routinely when the mood strikes. I have two glasses of red wine with dinner each night. If you give up all of your bad habits you may possibly live longer, but it will certainly seem longer. :mrgreen:
03/14 DX Adenocarcinoma Sigmoid Polyp
05/14 Da Vinci Sigmoid Colectomy
06/14 T3N0Mx, staged IIa
07/14 Xeloda 3000 mg/day 14 on/7 off 8 rounds
12/14 Finished Chemo
01/15 CT NED :D
07/15 Colonoscopy NED :D
08/15 CT NED :D
03/16 CT NED 8)

Joannerogers
Posts: 260
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2015 4:50 pm

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby Joannerogers » Sat May 14, 2016 2:21 pm

Yes I smoke and I enjoy it. Yes I eat the wrong foods and enjoy it. My dad who is 81 has smoked since he was 15 and he's never had cancer. My mom died of colon cancer at 72 and never smoked. I think it's in your genes if you get it or not. Some people who get onto me about smoking says it doesn't help. It does aggravate me though because I don't know who's right. I want me to be right because I find it hard to give up the cigs. I hate to find out that if I give up one of the enjoyable habits that I have and I still come back with a reoccurrence .
53yo married 27 years, 2 children, 24 and 25
Diagnosed april 23,2015 rectosigmoid
Starting CEA 1845
Port placement and liver bx April 27
Folfox started april 29
Avastin added on May 6
Stage IV crc with mets to 50% of liver

10/13/15 dc'd transfusion #12...toxic
Pet/ct scan on 11/3/15
20% liver resected all margins clear 11/30/15
8/18/15 cea 21.
9/15/15 cea 13.9
10/13/15 cea 14.4
1/22/2016 cea 2.5
LAR 02/15/16 all clear

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spinnz
Posts: 74
Joined: Sat Dec 05, 2015 4:19 pm
Facebook Username: Diana Wiseley

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby spinnz » Sat May 14, 2016 3:16 pm

I smoked for a lot of years, but quit 4 years ago.(I'm a vapor now) I typically weigh 10-15 pounds more than I should. I eat a lot of healthy food, walk and do yoga, but rarely pass up ice cream or cookies...

Edited to add that I also like to drink wine and bourbon. :D
Dx age 53 10/8/15
Lap/robotic converted to open sigmoid colectomy, partial small-bowel resection and right salpingo-oophorectomy 10-9-15
CRC stage 3b, T3N1aM0
Margins clear of malignancy
1/27 lymph nodes
Well differentiated
CAT / MRI's indicate NED
FOLFOX + Neulasta- 2 rounds 11/15
Xeloda, 1 week on 1 week off 1/16- 5/16
1/5/16 CEA 1.0, 5/16, 1.0
Factor 13-bleeding disorder
NEW DX
11/15/18 IDC

tarheelmom
Posts: 168
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2016 5:55 pm

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby tarheelmom » Sat May 14, 2016 3:33 pm

Never smoked. Never drank. Red meat 1-2x/week. Avoided processed meats. BMI:27. Active: hiking, softball, swimming, walking. No history of any cancer in family. High stress job that I love. Married to my soul mate. Still got cancer.
52 y at dx, mom to 4
DX: RC on 2/22/2016
Stage I, T2N0M0, 0/32 LN
23 mm x 7 mm moderately differentiated invasive adenocarcinoma
3 cm from anal verge
4/12/16: ULAR, TME, & temp ileostomy
6/14/16: ileo reversal

Jachut
Posts: 1137
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 11:16 pm
Facebook Username: hutchinson@aanet.com.au

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby Jachut » Sat May 14, 2016 4:28 pm

Never smoked. Drink very little, a glass of wine once or twice a month. Eat WAAAY too much sugar. Exercise regularly.

The biggest health risk I've taken is sunbeds, although only for a very short period of my life. Oh, how I love to be evenly brown all over. Sadly, they're now illegal in Australia, or in Victoria anyway. Skin cancer. Actually being an Australian its probably certain I'll have skin cancer at some point - much more likely than a rectal cancer recurrence.

I actually feel that you shouldn't feel guilty about your vice. If you smoke but eat well for example, everyone focusses on the smoking but fails to realise that if they, say, are being sedentary, eating processed foods they're also playing roulette with their health. But yeah, if you smoke, drink, eat badly, never exercise and visit the sunbed every day, well, you'll probably have a short life but no doubt a happy one.

Nik Colon

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby Nik Colon » Sat May 14, 2016 6:25 pm

Jachut wrote:Never smoked. Drink very little, a glass of wine once or twice a month. Eat WAAAY too much sugar. Exercise regularly.

The biggest health risk I've taken is sunbeds, although only for a very short period of my life. Oh, how I love to be evenly brown all over. Sadly, they're now illegal in Australia, or in Victoria anyway. Skin cancer. Actually being an Australian its probably certain I'll have skin cancer at some point - much more likely than a rectal cancer recurrence.

I actually feel that you shouldn't feel guilty about your vice. If you smoke but eat well for example, everyone focusses on the smoking but fails to realise that if they, say, are being sedentary, eating processed foods they're also playing roulette with their health. But yeah, if you smoke, drink, eat badly, never exercise and visit the sunbed every day, well, you'll probably have a short life but no doubt a happy one.

I used to lay out every day in the summer from sun up to sun down, I also had a tanning bed. It's been at least 20 yrs now since I did tho. Now I look like a ghost! Especially my legs!

Ron50
Posts: 699
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2006 7:04 pm

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby Ron50 » Sat May 14, 2016 7:02 pm

I used to smoke but quit around 35 years ago. I drank socially but haven't touched alcohol for over twenty years. At one stage after my cancer was removed I was walking at least fifty miles a week for nearly three years. I lost around thirty five kilos and lost all feeling in my feet and legs. Neurologist does not know why. I then suffered acute pancreatitis and lost my gallbladder. My surgeon asked me if I was trying to kill myself with all the walking. What I learned was that it is totally impossible to keep doctors happy. I'm either too fat or trying to kill myself. I eat sensibly as I have type two diabetes (from high dose prednisone) My history blood count for glucose never gets above 6.6 and I always get an extremely well controlled when I have a revue. I don't eat much sugar . I like red meat and fish. I eat a lot of fruit and veggies. I have lots of serious medical problems but cancer appears to no longer be one of them after 18 yrs clear. Ron.
dx 1/98
st 3 c 6 nodes
48 sessions 5Fu/levamisole
no recurrence cea <.5
numerous l/t side effects of chemo

Nik Colon

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby Nik Colon » Sat May 14, 2016 7:25 pm

Ron50 wrote:What I learned was that it is totally impossible to keep doctors happy. I'm either too fat or trying to kill myself.

Ain't that the truth!!!

I love all kinds of food (still a little picky tho), but 2 I hate, off the top of me head, mushrooms and seafood (except tuna).

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ziggymonster
Posts: 538
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 3:23 pm
Location: California

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby ziggymonster » Sat May 14, 2016 7:38 pm

For the last 20 years I ate a very good low fat, low calorie diet.....juiced with minimal red and processed meat...still got cancer in fact 2 cancers....so I said screw it I now eat what I want. And I have been a heavy drinker for 40 years....still drink, except for the first 7-10 days after a chemo. Maybe it was the drinking that did me in, next chemo on Tues....now is Sat @ 5pm so time to have a number of cocktails. Saw my onc yesterday, she said go for it...so I will...you know doctor's orders.
DX advanced prostate cancer 2002
2014 still fighting mPca , failed surgery, radiation, hormone
DX Stage IIIa Rectal Cancer 12/12 1 of 12 nodes +
LAR permanent colostomy 1/13
Folfox 2/13 - 7/13 clear CT CEA 1.2
7/14 liver met chemo the resect in Oct
6/15 2 pos lung mets watching for now

JDinNC
Posts: 771
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 9:49 pm
Location: Murphy, N.C.

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby JDinNC » Sat May 14, 2016 8:06 pm

I've never smoked cigarettes but tried pot and quit smoking it 35 years ago. I don't like wine and prefer a draft beer which I rarely drank. I've never drank coffee and don't care for tea. My downfall was sweets....I loved sweets. I was never overweight since being tall was to my advantage. Before cancer I was 155, now I'm 128 ....no thanks to chemo. Never exercise but was always a brisk walker. There is no cancer in my family..I will be the first person. From what I recall from reading my pathology report, my cancer is environmental. I've always loved refinishing furniture, painting and building things. So I've been in contact with all sorts of chemicals over the last 50 years. I even had a pool cleaning service. I've just been diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma, so now I'm dealing was two stage 4's cancers.

Like others...I have friends that are way overweight, eat crap and have no health problems. Does it hurt knowing how it's all going to end...of course...but what can I do.. :roll:
61 y/o female @ DX...........
T3N0M1
6/13 DX- stage 4
Sigmoid colon cancer.
One met to lung
7/13 colon resection
8/13 lung resection
7/17 four years....NED
8/18 five years....NED
MELANOMA
63 y/o @ DX
6/15 stage 2a
7/15 surgery on arm
7/15 NED
4/16 recurrance
5/16 remove metastasis from back
5/16. Started immunotherapy
8/16 discontinue treatment
7/18...PET scan...NED

triordie1994
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri May 06, 2016 1:51 pm

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby triordie1994 » Sat May 14, 2016 9:13 pm

grew up in a house with secondhand smoke for 22 years.
ate oatmeal and toast for breakfast for most of my life since the 3rd grade. added honey and cinnamon a few years ago.
bing drank in college. drink about 2 drinks/beers per week since then.
i exercised a lot running since 1989 and recently completed 2 ironman triathlons during the past 2 years.
ate very little red meat.
ate very little processed food.
ate lots of tomatoes from backyard garden.
ate lots of donuts and m&m peanuts and refined sugar.
had some bad luck i guess.

don't know what to change really except refined sugar consumption. don't feel like eating much anymore out of fear of not knowing whether what i'm putting inside of me will cause cancer. hopefully that will change as time goes on and i'm not worried of getting cancer back again.

for all that I have done in taking care of myself I feel that I cannot trust my body anymore which is really disappointing. feels like a best friend betraying you.
40 yo w/ wife & 3 children
IMMT 2014
IMC 2015
Dx 03/28/16
R/hemi colec 04/15/16
CRC T3N1MO 05/03/16
Pending FOLFOX 12x 2-weeks w/ 2-day infusions
IM? 201?

Nik Colon

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby Nik Colon » Sat May 14, 2016 9:59 pm

ziggymonster wrote:now is Sat @ 5pm so time to have a number of cocktails. Saw my onc yesterday, she said go for it...so I will...you know doctor's orders.

YES!!!

Nik Colon

Re: Survey on bad habits

Postby Nik Colon » Sat May 14, 2016 10:03 pm

triordie1994 wrote:grew up in a house with secondhand smoke for 22 years.

for all that I have done in taking care of myself I feel that I cannot trust my body anymore which is really disappointing. feels like a best friend betraying you.

I grew up with smokers also, my mom quit yrs ago tho, sis never did oddly, but growing up, it was a house of smoke! About 99% of people I knew did.

Not my parents, but many smoking while holding their babies! So different then (yes, that bothered me even then)

My hub has a scar on his chest from his dad dropping his pot pipe on him as a baby
Last edited by Nik Colon on Sat May 14, 2016 10:12 pm, edited 3 times in total.


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