How will quitting smoking affect the health care I’m receiving?
Ask your doctor to re-evaluate you after you have not smoked for a while. Your doctor may, for example, lower your doses for cholesterol or blood pressure medications after you stop smoking. • What if I fail? Most smokers relapse. Ask your doctor to help you come up with a Plan B in case your first strategy does not succeed. • Have I already done irreparable harm by smoking? It’s never too late to quit. Discuss your disease risks based upon your smoking history. • Should I be screened for lung cancer? Most doctors don’t recommend it. On the one hand, a chest X-ray could potentially catch tumors early, and maybe offer better treatment odds. On the other hand, screening may pick up something that looks like cancer but actually isn’t. Having an operation to check out a suspicious spot on the lung may therefore subject you to unnecessary risk, pain and expense. • Will I ever feel good again after quitting? Smoking is a serious addiction, not just a bad habit. The worst withdrawal symptoms
