It pains me to say that my time with the Brotherhood is drawing to a close. I want to thank everyone here for there generous support and friendship. The kindness and generosity I discovered here has been unlike anything I have seen anywhere.
Unfortunately, my uncle was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. The doctor told him it would be easier to list where he didn't have cancer. This prompted a look into my family history. The sad truth is that cancer is the leading cause of death on my paternal side and has claimed nearly everyone on my maternal grandmother's side. Basically my family's predisposition is much higher than average. So, I talked to my doctor.
It appears at this point that I am fine. However, he did note changes in my respiratory rate and oxygen saturation levels that he feels may be linked to my increased consumption of cigars. For my health and the well being of my family I am choosing to quit smoking cigars. I have about a dozen or so left and when they're gone I will be done.
Thank you again to everyone here that proved to be so friendly and generous. I will be missing you guys.
Sir, I'm not a doctor so my argument at this point is sheer discussion. I also want to offer my prayers for your uncle. That said, doctors are not medical masters, in fact, I've found most to simply be advanced at playing the 'memory' game. They see a few symptoms and they identify the combination as a condition.
You went to ask your doctor if you had risk factors, and told him you smoked cigars. Even if he had no idea why your respiratory rate or oxygen levels may be low, you told him what he was going to tell you.
What he didn't tell you is that most studies completed, since the 1960's mind you, have shown cigar smokers that don't inhale and smoke less than 5 cigars per day have no increased risks over non smokers. He also didn't even consider that caffeine may be the greater cause of an increased heart rate, but even those effects are just as short lived as nicotine on the body. Regarding your oxygen saturation, if you inhale, by all means, stop. If you don't, then you have to ask what other things were considered. Did he compare you to what you "should" be because of your age? Was it low enough that he should recommend you see a pulmonologist to eliminate asthma as a factor? Did your doc find enough concern in those numbers to follow through or did he prey on your concerns and just tell you what he wanted, thinking he was doing a good thing? Did he tell you that lack of exercise is just as likely a solution for those concerns and that some regular cardiovascular exercise would do you good?
Many people dismiss the fact that cigars, if smoked occasionally and not inhaled are a wonderful method of eliminating stress. Even the Surgeon General in the 60's, the same one that said to to 5 sticks a day was okay, mentioned this. Stress is a higher risk factor for many more things than you'd imagine.
What your doctor may not know, or isn't telling you is that research in the past several years have begun to show the greatest cancer risks occur in our diets. It's been known for decades that cancer cells feed primarily on glucose. The recent school of thought is that if you have consistent higher levels of blood sugar, that puts you at a higher risk of cancer. You don't even need to be overweight or obese to carry high blood sugar levels, it's all in how your hormones work. If I were in your family that would be the first change I would make.
Before I finish I want to say this. You obviously have concerns based on your family risks. I applaud you for taking these seriously and having the desire to reduce those risks for the sake of yourself and your family. You take these risks far greater to the heart than most people, even those who have been personally affected by their bad habits (example : an obese person being told they're developing type ii diabetes yet continuing to overeat and makes no effort to lose weight)
You need to do everything you can to reduce those risks, and I'm not telling you to ignore something that may be a legitimate risk. You and your doctors know more of your situation than I do. But I hate it when people in positions of authority tell people things that they've chosen to tell them based on their biases or personal opinions and not due to the relevant situation. If I was you and my doctor gave me a simple checkup based on my concerns and didn't dig any deeper than that, I'd find another doctor. You went there to eliminate specific risks, he sent you away with a generic recommendation without even examining if those mild concerns may be caused by direct, legitimate concerns.
My rant is done, whatever you choose, for whatever the reasons, they're yours. Good luck in your future endeavors brother.
