How Do You Evaluate The Risk?

[Milleniumsmoker]

Hi Everyone,

I’m wondering how you all evaluate the risk of pipe smoking in terms of other known health conditions?

Ever since I was hit with Covid, I’ve had bad issues with digestion, exacerbated by cigarette smoking. Having finally gone off all forms of tobacco for a bit, I’m at the point where I’m hankering for a pipe or cigar.

Knowing I will at the very least fall back into having 1-2 bowls a day, I’m a bit hesitant to try it again. I have never been able to smoke anything without having nicotine each day at least a few times a day. In the past I’ve noticed less issues with pipes, but for me at least, nicotine tends to be an irritant.

That being said, several foods are irritants as well. So I’m kind of thinking, if I’m going to have trouble, why not enjoy myself lol? For me, smoking pipes is first and foremost about the taste, the act of collecting tobaccos, tins, and accessories, and the hobby aspect. I’ve had to give up the majority of my favorite foods and principally eat at home due to the numerous dietary restrictions. For me pipes have always been a way to relive those childhood memories about favourite blends, tastes, and such, and now more than ever I’m craving those sensory experiences.

Any thoughts from anyone, especially anyone who indulges with known health issues would be most appreciated as I try and figure this out!

As a disclaimer, I don’t definitively know for sure it was Covid, maybe it’s just old age. I’m just going off want several doctors have said about Covid possibly ruining your digestion. Or maybe I’m just unlucky lol.

Thanks!

 

[Sigmund]

I dont have an answer for your larger question. However, I can say that cigarette smoking bothers the hell out of my digestion. I do not have similiar issues with a couple of pipe bowls a day. When I smoke cigarettes I have to eat tums or rolaids. I suppose thats one reason it was never hard for me to quit. I felt so much better.

 

[RookieGuy80]

I recently took a look at the health risks of my pipes and other hobbies/habits. For me (and for me only), it's a no brainer. Let's see, there's the motorcycle. My wife's entire family is quick to point out that is a huge health risk. And then the cigarettes I only very very recently quit. Those will be a health risk I'll have to deal with for the next several years. Years in the military have given me more gifts than just the constant ringing in my ears from 3M earplugs. Living and working in Baltimore, Maryland has its own associated risks, amd not just from other drivers.

For me and for me only, the health risks associated with smoking a pipe are pretty far down the list of worries in both immediacy and severity. And if I avoid risk to the point of denying myself reasonable pleasures, why am I avoiding the risk? Why am I trying to live longer if I'm not enjoying that life?

Again, this is for me and me alone for my life. We all have to make the best decisions we can for our individual varying milage.

 

[woodsroad]

If smoking is umpleasant, why do it?

Asking for confirmation from fellow smokers doesn’t change the fact that your body isn’t happy with it.

 

[sablebrush52]

It’s really simple. Denial mixed with rationalizing, and magical thinking, the national standard.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Tobacco use of any kind doesn't cause me digestive issues and I indulge every available form of it. If it caused me any sort of issue like that though, I'd give it up.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

a Lifelong cigarette &pipe smoker here,yet occasional Swedish Snuss and Cigars in addition, what I can say is that a bowl or two per day doesn't have any impact on one's health,one way or other,

 

[Peterson314]

I've smoked a pipe off and on for 20 years, and I've never had a nicotine craving. I usually don't smoke in the winter, and I've taken years off just because I forgot to get my pipe back out. I tried cigars first, but they were never my thing. I've never had a cigarette or a nicotine vape. On average, I probably smoke 4 bowls a week. That's a pretty low exposure, and an acceptable risk for me.

I smoke a pipe for a moment of solace. If I was worried I couldn't enjoy my pipe, it would be hard for me to enjoy my pipe.

 

[ThermionicScott]

As a disclaimer, I don’t definitively know for sure it was Covid, maybe it’s just old age. I’m just going off want several doctors have said about Covid possibly ruining your digestion. Or maybe I’m just unlucky lol.

How old are you? I was about 42 when I finally realized that I had acid reflux/heartburn. The symptoms had been building for years, but I hadn't given much thought to those coughs I sometimes got after eating.

 

[johnnyflake]

You are never going to know how your system will react until you get back to smoking your pipe. Talk is just talk and everyone will have an opinion, but until you try the pipe again, you'll never know.
Once you do, I doubt that will take very long for the problem to return, if it's going to return! If it does return, then you'll have more decisions to make. If it does not return, hell man, you'll be back to the pipe.

With respect to acid reflux/heartburn, I started to have that problem years ago. After seeing my doctor and some tests I was put on a prescription, a tiny little white pill, Omeprazole 20mg. I take one every day in the morning. I have never had an issue with the acid reflux/heartburn again!
Talk to your doctor about it.

 

[Milleniumsmoker]

How old are you? I was about 42 when I finally realized that I had acid reflux/heartburn. The symptoms had been building for years, but I hadn't given much thought to those coughs I sometimes got after eating.

Behind you by 2 years. I miss the good old days when a pack of unfiltered camels did nothing more than give me a bit of a cough in the morning lol

 

[Milleniumsmoker]

You are never going to know how your system will react until you get back to smoking your pipe. Talk is just talk and everyone will have an opinion, but until you try the pipe again, you'll never know.
Once you do, I doubt that will take very long for the problem to return, if it's going to return! If it does return, then you'll have more decisions to make. If it does not return, hell man, you'll be back to the pipe.

With respect to acid reflux/heartburn, I started to have that problem years ago. After seeing my doctor and some tests I was put on a prescription, a tiny little white pill, Omeprazole 20mg. I take one every day in the morning. I have never had an issue with the acid reflux/heartburn again!
Talk to your doctor about it.

That is most true, I think that’s pretty sound advice. Mainly it was so much work to go off smoking altogether at first I don’t want to have to do it all over again, but I miss the hell out of the pipe so some experimenting sounds worth it.

Oddly enough the initial quitting was no issue, but I’ve found a few months out I want to smoke very badly. It’s strange because when I quit about 15 years ago it was super hard at first but then easier after. Go figure.

 

[BingBong]

You are never going to know how your system will react until you get back to smoking your pipe. Talk is just talk and everyone will have an opinion, but until you try the pipe again, you'll never know.
Once you do, I doubt that will take very long for the problem to return, if it's going to return! If it does return, then you'll have more decisions to make. If it does not return, hell man, you'll be back to the pipe.

With respect to acid reflux/heartburn, I started to have that problem years ago. After seeing my doctor and some tests I was put on a prescription, a tiny little white pill, Omeprazole 20mg. I take one every day in the morning. I have never had an issue with the acid reflux/heartburn again!
Talk to your doctor about it.

Yup, I have hiatus hernia (along with a boatload of other issues) and was put on Omeprazole because I completely lost my appetite (turned out to be a rather more complex issue). But, a word of caution: long term use of Omeprazole will severely inhibit magnesium take-up, so rather than take a daily dose mechanistically, I hold off until absolutely necessary.

In general, though, pipe sits well with digestion except the other day, when I smoked a whole flake of St Bruno in my large bowl Hardcastle and got to the end dizzy, with stomach cramps and a light sweat. It was great!

 

[ItsKarl]

My sister-in-law and her husband had it made. Good jobs, both health freaks, and three beautiful kids. Then, in his 40s, her husband was diagnosed with a very aggressive and rare form of leukaemia. It started going downhill really fast, and his chances were very slim. For three years he battled it until he finally came out on top. But just as he had come out of it, my sister-in-law, also in her 40s, was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Her prognosis was initially more promising, but after three years she lost the fight.

On the other end of the scale, my father lived to the ripe old age of 91. In early 2020, he suffered acute and total kidney failure, and was on dialysis until he finally succumbed December last year. And while he had a good run, his final years were not happy. And I could tell that even at his advanced age, he still wanted to live - even though for the last six months of his life, all he did was exist. When they took him off dialysis for the last time, he lasted seven days. And while the doctors told us that dying from kidney failure is a comparatively comfortable way to go, that is not what I observed. My father suffered. I'll spare you the details, but I hope I never go out like that.

My point is, life is short and then you die. If you die at 20, 40, 80 or 100, you still feel like it's too soon. People linger because they hold on; even in old age people still by and large do not willingly accept their fate - and that scares me more than anything. I used to think that when I'm old, I won't mind - "gammel og mett av dage" - but fearlessness in face of death is mainly a privilege of youth. Death is never kind, and if you die "peacefully" the final hours aren't going to be pleasant. Whether cancer takes me before my time, or I live out all my natural years. And once I'm gone, I'll no longer be in a position to regret that I didn't live healthier. So what am I risking, exactly? I'll end up six feet under some day no matter what. Maybe my epitaph isn't going to be, "Here lies Karl - he was a healthy man", but so what. I am going to try and enjoy life as best I can while I have it. And worrying is only going to give me gray hairs.

And another thing: My wife is nine years my senior, and she smokes cigarettes. What I dread more than anything, even though it is hopefully still far off, is having to bury her. Losing a spouse is what seems to shorten life expectancy anyway, and I won't mind reducing mine if that means making an exit at around the same time.

 

[Milleniumsmoker]

My sister-in-law and her husband had it made. Good jobs, both health freaks, and three beautiful kids. Then, in his 40s, her husband was diagnosed with a very aggressive and rare form of leukaemia. It started going downhill really fast, and his chances were very slim. For three years he battled it until he finally came out on top. But just as he had come out of it, my sister-in-law, also in her 40s, was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Her prognosis was initially more promising, but after three years she lost the fight.

On the other end of the scale, my father lived to the ripe old age of 91. In early 2020, he suffered acute and total kidney failure, and was on dialysis until he finally succumbed December last year. And while he had a good run, his final years were not happy. And I could tell that even at his advanced age, he still wanted to live - even though for the last six months of his life, all he did was exist. When they took him off dialysis for the last time, he lasted seven days. And while the doctors told us that dying from kidney failure is a comparatively comfortable way to go, that is not what I observed. My father suffered. I'll spare you the details, but I hope I never go out like that.

My point is, life is short and then you die. If you die at 20, 40, 80 or 100, you still feel like it's too soon. People linger because they hold on; even in old age people still by and large do not willingly accept their fate - and that scares me more than anything. I used to think that when I'm old, I won't mind - "gammel og mett av dage" - but fearlessness in face of death is mainly a privilege of youth. Death is never kind, and if you die "peacefully" the final hours aren't going to be pleasant. Whether cancer takes me before my time, or I live out all my natural years. And once I'm gone, I'll no longer be in a position to regret that I didn't live healthier. So what am I risking, exactly? I'll end up six feet under some day no matter what. Maybe my epitaph isn't going to be, "Here lies Karl - he was a healthy man", but so what. I am going to try and enjoy life as best I can while I have it. And worrying is only going to give me gray hairs.

And another thing: My wife is nine years my senior, and she smokes cigarettes. What I dread more than anything, even though it is hopefully still far off, is having to bury her. Losing a spouse is what seems to shorten life expectancy anyway, and I won't mind reducing mine if that means making an exit at around the same time.

I am so sorry for the pain you and your loved ones went through. I really appreciate you taking the time to share. To be honest, you just put into words and summarised the sentiments I’ve been feeling, but couldn’t really express to myself about enjoying life while we can and why we should. I think that is so true nothing is certain. I remembered hearing that in an article I read about those who live to be old, they recommend having one thing you truly look forward to and do it every day. And you’re right, if you live that way, it won’t matter when you go.

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with me and everyone else. I’m truly grateful!

 

[Milleniumsmoker]

Yup, I have hiatus hernia (along with a boatload of other issues) and was put on Omeprazole because I completely lost my appetite (turned out to be a rather more complex issue). But, a word of caution: long term use of Omeprazole will severely inhibit magnesium take-up, so rather than take a daily dose mechanistically, I hold off until absolutely necessary.

In general, though, pipe sits well with digestion except the other day, when I smoked a whole flake of St Bruno in my large bowl Hardcastle and got to the end dizzy, with stomach cramps and a light sweat. It was great!

You’re so correct about limiting Omeprazole and other antacids, that was actually what threw me off originally. I had a bad diet in college, used that medicine for years for heartburn, and then it apparently altered the bacteria in my gut, causing digestion issues. At least according to the doc. So yes, gotta be careful with that one.

 

[olkofri]

Proton pump inhibitors like omeprazole shouldn't be taken for more than 15 days. It's not a magic bullet, and the long term effects are starting to be found to be nasty. Even the medication's monograph states that it shouldn't be taken long term (more than 15 days)—then again, it also says "or as your doctor directs you"... typical big pharma legalese for washing their hands off your predicaments.

Do note than anxiety causes stomach issues too. And worrying about illness causes anxiety. So does guilt over lifestyle decisions.

 

[sardonicus87]

Short answer, I didn't evaluate it.

Like, I didn't do some calculation about it. I smoke 3/4 pack of cigarettes per day and I smoke an average of 1 bowl of pipe tobacco per day.

I'm semi-active. I should exercise, but I don't. Regardless, my blood pressure and resting heart rate are great. I haven't had a physical, though I should. If I notice something wrong, I go to the doctor... but I rarely notice anything wrong. My weight is good (approximately 10-11% body fat), though many might say I am underweight (5'8" and 126-128 lbs), but I was always this skinny before anything I did unhealthy like starting cigarettes.

I generally eat well, but I also eat garbage food too. I don't drink and it's not about being sober, I like beer, just many give me headaches, some don't, and it's more about not spending the money when I was just having one beer per day (I don't like being drunk). I don't drink very much soda, and I probably get more caffeine (coffee) than a doctor would like.

I take a magnesium supplement and that's it.

I know tobacco is bad for me. I don't care how bad for me it is.

I ride a motorcycle. I wear a full face helmet, leather over pants, leather vest, riding boots and fingerless leather gloves at minimum for protective gear. If I wreck, my arms and fingers could easily be eaten up with road rash, but at least I'll be able to sit in a chair without that being an issue. It's a risk I accept to not be too damn hot and uncomfortable (even textile mesh jackets made for summer riding are stupid hot, especially here).

Tomorrow, I leave for a 700+ mile (one way) trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, I'm stopping in Clarksville tomorrow night then riding the Arkansas Dragon Thursday.


These are immediate risks. I spent more time looking at the weather conditions for this trip than considering tobacco use.

If life gets to the point that my body is wrecked and living isn't worth it anymore, I am "going out with a bang". Whether that means I'm 80 and in diapers or 40 and a quadrapalegic from an air conditioner falling on my head while walking the streets.

I'm going to enjoy my life however long it is, with no "regerts". That doesn't mean I'm going to do anything stupid or too risky, I'm not a nihilist, and I do take some precautions. But I'm not going to worry myself to death over it or anything else or try to be so safe as to be bored and boring, or worry excessively to the point it makes things unenjoyable.

I just don't think about what could happen 10-20-30-40 years from now due to my tobacco use. I know the possibilities, and I don't care.

Ordinary people seem not to realize that those who really apply themselves in the right way to philosophy are directly and of their own accord preparing themselves for dying and death.​

– Socrates​

 

[woodsroad]

Yup, I have hiatus hernia (along with a boatload of other issues) and was put on Omeprazole because I completely lost my appetite (turned out to be a rather more complex issue). But, a word of caution: long term use of Omeprazole will severely inhibit magnesium take-up, so rather than take a daily dose mechanistically, I hold off until absolutely necessary.

I’m just glad that your hernia took a hiatus.

 

[brian64]

Personally I just get an adrenal rush out of being in the super-edgy, extreme high risk danger zone group of pipe smoking old men with digestive issues.