Better To Be An Empty Pipe Than A Broken One I Suppose.

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mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
I took up pipesmoking in September 2015 almost immediately after quitting a 36 year RYO habit. The main reason being I still wanted the taste of tobacco and the effects of nicotine but without the more serious health hazards of the former, of which I was suffering badly at that point.
So far so good. I very soon found and joined this excellent forum and jumped in with both feet. I took to buying whole lots of old pipes to refurbish mainly to give me some physical activity but also to keep some for myself and sell the rest. This worked so far but I never sold a single pipe......now I'm lumbered with boxes of pipes gathering dust though i do have a nice personal rotation.
After many queries on this forum I came to fine tune my tobacco preferences (straight Virginias and VaPers mainly) and through my friendly American facilitator managed to amass quite a cellar of my favourites.
Then all started to go tits up!
For a few months now I've noticed that I am getting increasingly out of breath very quickly by just doing the simplest of things. For example, getting up from the sofa to fetch a beer from the kitchen leaves me a puffing and panting mess. On occasions I thought I might even collapse! Something had to be done.
I decided to cut my 5 - 6 bowls a day down to 2 - 3 a day but with little to no improvement. I went on to smoking only my smaller pipes......same result. Even only smoking partial bowls didn't help, I was still wheezing and coughing up brown phlegm.
So I have decided to knock it on the head entirely for now and possibly come back to it in the future but perhaps for only the occasional smoke. I've read about some guys who only smoke at weekends and never quite understood that but perhaps that might be a route for me to take.
I've invested in a load of nicotine patches and yesterday was my first full day with no pipe and I can feel a slight improvement already.
I tell you chaps, struggling for breath is no joke, it's actually quite scary. Hopefully once I get back to breathing fine I'll be able to return to the pipe but in far less measure than I have heretofore.
Failing that I might just have to open my own tobacconist outlet just to rid myself of zillions of pipes and many pounds of tobacco.
Here's looking forwards :puffy:
Regards,
Jay.
PS: Before anyone asks, no I don't inhale my smoke though clearly some smoke is making its way into my lungs.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,565
27,067
Carmel Valley, CA
Sorry to learn of this, Jay. Smoking cannot ever help with breathing problems, but it may be that the problem was not caused by smoking, and that a cure can be had for whatever it is.
With best wishes- and don't be a stranger here!-
John

 

bnichols23

Lifer
Mar 13, 2018
4,131
9,554
SC Piedmont
Shoot. Dang, Jay, sorry to hear that. :( :( Still, I'm glad you're "still whinnying with us"! You're right, better empty than broken. Hang in, bubba!

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Get a handle on your health first. Quitting for a while would probably be wise. Moderation is always a good idea, even if it means special occasions only. However, don't unload all your pipes. Carefully maintain a good rotation, a minimum of twenty (okay that's a silly arbitrary number, but you get the idea). Likewise with the tobacco. Keep a selection that will keep and age well, and see how you do health-wise. You aren't going to enjoy a pipe if you are unwell. Like the man said above, a day at a time. Chime in here any old time; no one knows what you're smoking or if you're smoking at all. Forums is more about sociability than smoking per se. Keep us posted.

 

bluto

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 24, 2018
737
8
My father in law had copd , but still stayed active into his late 70s , yes he smoked and quit but mostly in his mind it was an occupational hazard , he worked around heavy equipment and probably breathed more diesel laden air than most.
The human body is a remarkable thing , I think it is possible to repair itself to good health with just basic support , nutrition ,clean air and water and a positive mindset
Cheers

 

jazz

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 17, 2014
813
65
UK
Sorry to hear this, Jay. I'd say hang onto things for a while and see how it goes. Hopefully, you will be able to enjoy what you have amassed even if infrequently. Cigarettes and the damage they cause are no joke. After 20 something years on roll-your-own myself, I too can feel the damage and have also cut them out. I just wish I had been on the pipe the whole time instead of those wretched things.
Anyway, all the best and don't be a stranger.

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
Thanks for the comforting words chaps, I feel quite humbled. My post by the way was not a veiled way of saying goodbye to you all, I have no intention of voluntarily leaving the forum though I might not be so prolific as before. I mean if I left who would there be to pull folks up for their grammatical or spelling bloopers? :wink:
I have been diagnosed with emphysema and COPD which of course is due to smoking but unrelated to smoking, my collapsing spine has twisted it into an 'S' shape which does create pressure on one or both of my lungs. For example, it's impossible for me to sleep on my left side as a mere twenty seconds in that position also leaves me struggling for breath......so this is not 100% down to smoking but going the route I have now chosen can only be a positive move.
Regards,
Jay.

 

jaytex1969

Lifer
Jun 6, 2017
9,517
50,591
Here
The older we get, the better we were! :lol:
Thanks for sharing with us. We will be your therapists and send you no bills, though your diagnostic abilities will also be called upon.
If you step back, after all, who will comb the BBC for essentials like this?
Goats drawn to happy human faces.
jay-roger.jpg
(#2)

 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,568
15,211
SE PA USA
Jay, I'm happy to hear that you have the strength of mind to try and do what's good for your health. I do hope that you are under the care of a physician. Coughing stuff up isn't due to pipe smoking, and you should get that checked out ASAP.

 

pepesdad1

Lifer
Feb 28, 2013
1,023
675
Spinal stenosis is no fun. I, too, am a suffer of such. Don't rid your self of your pipes and tobacco...just put it down. Take care of your health and your friends here will keep your company.

 
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