A Public Service Announcement from Broken Record

Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by Broken Record, May 24, 2006.

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  1. Broken Record

    Broken Record Biscuit Eater Staff

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    I just wanted to share some personal news with all of my friends here at GoTitans.com. I have been a smokeless tobacco user for 21 years. Two weeks ago, at my regular dental cleaning, my dentist noticed a patch on my gum and suggested I have a biopsy to determine if I have oral cancer. I stopped the snuff that day.

    This past week has been one of the hardest of my life. On top of going through serious nicotine withdrawals, I’ve been waiting by the phone for results of the biopsy. Every time the phone rang, I got shaky. I’ve been talking with a new friend who had the same cancer I was fearing. Let me tell you something, if it doesn’t kill you, you might wish that it had. If you don’t believe me, check out his website and see first hand.

    People say that smokeless tobacco isn’t as dangerous as smoking and blah blah blah. Don’t buy it. If you use smokeless, please consider quitting today. If you don’t use it, don’t ever touch it. Nothing good can come from it. You are only paying money to kill yourself.

    My biopsy results came back negative today, so I got away lucky. Lots of others don’t. Nicotine is a useless and terrible drug.

    … and now back to your regularly scheduled program:winker:
     
    #1 Broken Record, May 24, 2006
  4. LazyManJackson

    LazyManJackson Starter

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    21 years being a smokless tobaco user, wow!
     
    #2 LazyManJackson, May 24, 2006
  7. Ewker

    Ewker Starter

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    congrats on kicking the habit. It is hard to do but your life is worth it
     
    #3 Ewker, May 24, 2006
  10. Broken Record

    Broken Record Biscuit Eater Staff

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    Thanks Ewker. You ain't kiddin. It hasn't been a stroll in the park, but it is definitely worth it.
     
    #4 Broken Record, May 24, 2006
  13. Broken Record

    Broken Record Biscuit Eater Staff

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    Yeah, and ya know, I didn't really even think about it. After my biopsy, the dentist was filling out the forms and that question was on there. I had to do the math and I was pretty shocked. I went home and added it all up and I've spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000 on Skoal in the last 21 years.
     
    #5 Broken Record, May 24, 2006
  16. avvie

    avvie It's another cold day in Hell Tip Jar Donor

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    I'll bet your wife is happy. Hard to believe she put up with it all this time. :ha:

    I'm happy to hear about the negative results. I quit that stuff the minute that I looked in the mirror and saw my gums receeding.

    You're the second one this week....the guy that's singing on "What's The Story?" (Donny Thompson) just today found out that he didn't have larynx cancer. He's been in fits for a couple of weeks. Not only was he concerned for his health, but he makes a nice living as a club/restaurant performer and voiceover talent for commercials.
     
    #6 avvie, May 24, 2006
  19. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

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    Good news, Brad.

    I started chewing on a dare from some other guys on a hunting trip when I was a senior in high school. I didn't really start on it until college but was a can a day for about 10 years or so.

    I too had the receeding gums and burning sensation along with that rough spot inside my gum which was very red. I went cold turkey the day the pain exceeded the pleasure and that was 10 years ago.

    It's funny when you get the cravings. It's always the worst when I play golf. So I cut back on that too. ;)
     
    #7 TitanJeff, May 24, 2006
  22. Blazing Arrow

    Blazing Arrow The 12th man

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    Good for you. Congrats!

    My wife gave up smoke for me before we got married.

    I have always admired how she just up and quit one day and has never looked back.
     
    #8 Blazing Arrow, May 24, 2006
  25. Starkiller

    Starkiller 9

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    Glad you are OK.

    Personally I've never really understood why people start, but that's just me...

    I had 1 grandfather who quit a 3 pack a day addiction to cigarettes and went for the rest of his life (many years) without another one, though he did trade that for a costly addiction to peppermints... :ha: Also a grandmother on the other side who quit cold turkey as well. But her twin sister has been smoking on and off (mostly on) for decades and can't seem to quit.
     
    #9 Starkiller, May 24, 2006
  28. A.D.

    A.D. It's (insert day of week here) & Colts still SUCK Staff

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    Broken Record, thanks for sharing your story with us. I wish you all the best. And thanks to the other contributors as well. I hope this will raise awareness of this issue.

    Guys, do yourself and your loved ones a favor. Take care of yourself and see your doctor once a year. Get an annual physical, including bloodwork, urinalysis, and chest X-ray. If you're over 40, have your doctor test for colon/rectal cancer and prostate cancer. Your medical insurance should cover most of the cost.

    I can speak with some authority on the subject. I'm a former smoker and two-time cancer survivor and feel blessed to be cancer free now. Like many guys, when I was younger I didn't take care of myself or see a doctor. I'm lucky to be alive now, since in both cases the cancers were caught in the early stages. A routine chest X-ray detected the second cancer and saved my life.

    I knew one guy who died only a few months after his chest X-ray detected a lung tumor. Too late for him though, it was determined to be inoperable. So sad. "But for the grace of God, there goes me," as the old saying goes.

    The point is that cancer can be fast-acting. The sooner you get a checkup, the better. Especially if you're a tobacco user or if you have a family history of Cx.

    Encourage the women in your lives to take care of themselves also, including annual mammograms and Pap smears.

    And try to quit smoking or chewing if you currently do. Despite what the tobacco companies say, tobacco can be lethal.
     
    #10 A.D., May 24, 2006
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