Nicotine?

[malone]

Hi Guys, I have a question after reading about smoking and IC. I quit 8 yrs ago although I was diagnosed over 20 years. I quit with the help of nictine chewing gum. I have gone into some sponaneous remissions for short periods of time but now I am wondering if the gum could be hurting me I may sound a little nuts but if anyone has any experience or answers i will be forever grateful (or talk to you at 3:00am during a flare and it is just too lonely--okay I will do that anyway!) So please if anyone has any insight...Thanks again...feel good..Malone
P.S. I guess I forgot to say I never stopped chewing the gum. I am down to about 6 pieces a day.

[patricia1]

Hi Malone, first congrats on stopping smoking. I myself quit cold turkey about 3 1/2 yrs ago. I smoked for about 8 yrs not long, but long enough to wreck total havoc on my lungs. They are just about as bad as my bladder. In the hospital one time when I was about 30 told me I had the lungs of a 50 yr old and if I keep on smoking I would have emphysema before I was 40. It still took another 2 yrs to quit. Cant answer about the gum. Did I read it right you are still chewing the nic. gum. If so maybe it could still bother your bladder since the gum has the nic. in it. I mean that might make since since the gum still has it. Wishing you the best.

[ICNDonna]

Are you saying you have been chewing nicotine gum for eight years? That's a long time. I also stopped smoking twenty years ago with the assistance of nicotine gum, but I stopped it within about six months. The way I did it was by switching over to cinnamon gum --- it worked for me. You might try cutting that six pieces in half for a week or two, then continue to reduce until you are away from the gum.

Nicotine can definitely be a bladder irritant. I know when I got away from smoking and from the nicotine it made a difference.

Donna