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Smoking & Chemo

ssb1579
ssb1579 CSN Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
First let me preface this with the statement that I am NOT a "smoker." At 29, I have a colorful group of friends and about half of them smoke (and we are all intelligent, educated individuals who know the risks). I'm around it a lot and, on occasion, I will partake with a cocktail. I started ABVD (one time 10 days ago) but had such a bad reaction to Bleo that they took me off of it: Now it's just AVD. Bleo is the drug notorious for causing lung problems, but now that I'm not on it, is my risk the same BAD, DAMAGING, HARMFUL risk as anyone else's? In other words, I know I shouldn't smoke, but if I do and I'm off bleo, am I technically at the same risk as anyone else? And I do understand that my white counts will be low so fighting off disease/infection will increase with anything. Thanks in advance for reading my loaded question and responding with dignity.
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  • sandybe
    sandybe CSN Member Posts: 40
    #2
    Smoking and Chemo
    I think you already know the answer to that one. There are always risks with smoking, no matter who you are. I had ABVD for Hodgkins Lymphoma with a mediastinal tumour, and am also around smokers alot. I tolerated the chemo quite well with moderate side effects last year. This year the cancer came back and I ended up having to have radiation to my chest. Radiation was very difficult and I have been suffering for months with pneumonia. I don't know where your lymphoma is located, but if you need radiation to the chest you might want to rethink the smoking thing. Besides the obvious, it also makes healing much slower. Good luck with your chemo.
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