Who’s going to stop you if it’s what you really want to do? However, it has been found that cigarette smoking and having had an appendectomy can lead to ulcerative colitis. This is a disease where inflammation occurs in the colon and rectum (otherwise known as the large intestine). The most common symptom of this is abdominal pain and diarrhoea mixed with blood. There is medication to prevent flare ups of ulcerative colitis, but sometimes surgery is needed to remove the colon.
People who have UC are more at risk of developing colonic cancer, so it is advisable, if you have it, to have regular check-ups. The doctor will use a colonoscope to make an internal examination and to screen for any pre-cancerous changes. This should be done every one to three years.
The risk of cancer is not a new one for smokers, they have long known the very real dangers and yet there are millions who continue to smoke, knowing that they are increasing their chances of getting this disease. It is easy for those who don’t smoke to disapprove, and to make judgements, but it isn’t easy to give up smoking, particularly if you are going through a stressful period in your life.
There is, however, a great deal of help these days to assist those who genuinely want to give up tobacco, from over the counter remedies and stronger, prescribed aids, to counselling and support groups.
Support groups are a useful way of overcoming your addiction because they can help you to recognise the triggers that have you reaching for your cigarettes and they can give you strategies to help you overcome them. They are also a useful resource when your determination is flagging and you need that extra motivation.
People who have UC are more at risk of developing colonic cancer, so it is advisable, if you have it, to have regular check-ups. The doctor will use a colonoscope to make an internal examination and to screen for any pre-cancerous changes. This should be done every one to three years.
The risk of cancer is not a new one for smokers, they have long known the very real dangers and yet there are millions who continue to smoke, knowing that they are increasing their chances of getting this disease. It is easy for those who don’t smoke to disapprove, and to make judgements, but it isn’t easy to give up smoking, particularly if you are going through a stressful period in your life.
There is, however, a great deal of help these days to assist those who genuinely want to give up tobacco, from over the counter remedies and stronger, prescribed aids, to counselling and support groups.
Support groups are a useful way of overcoming your addiction because they can help you to recognise the triggers that have you reaching for your cigarettes and they can give you strategies to help you overcome them. They are also a useful resource when your determination is flagging and you need that extra motivation.
