Am I still a smoker???

[megmoo]

Just been to see nurse for blood tests & when asked about my smoking, I proudly announced that I had not had a ciggie for 6 months. This was met with great delight until I mentioned that I now use e-cigs!!!!

I was told that as I still 'take' nicotine, I am still classed as a smoker! I asked if this is the same for people on patches gum etc & was told yes. I find this hard to believe as there stats for stopping would be really low surely. She said that as I had made the first steps to quitting ( her words not mine) they would invite me in to go on the inhalers so I can reduce my nicotine addiction.

I politely pointed out that I did not wish to quit & vape as a healthier alternative for me & my family. Also that if I so wished, I could reduce my nicotine strength on e-cigs which are a lot cheaper than there inhalers.

I asked how they could class me as a smoker when there is no smoke involved & that all the research ( I have done quite a bit) compares nicotine with caffeine so should everybody be cutting down on caffeine and have there consumption noted on medical records? She couldn't really answer this and said she would contact the NHS trust to see how I should be classed & get back to me!!!
The meeting left me feeling very cross that people who should know better don't and really worried about the future of vaping.

I can't imagine not vaping now so need to look seriously at how I can guard against a 'straight jacket' legislation from the EU. Any suggestions?

[DiscoDes]

I now just say that I do not smoke.

Taking this to the nth degree, what about if you were addicted to Aubergines or Tomatoes?

Soooo much ignorance about e-cigs and nicotine!

[robby]

It`s ignorance of the facts Moo, and really disappointing from someone in the medical profession. Do they classify people who are subject to passive smoking as a smoker lol? They want to put you on nic inhalers? lolol. What do they think you are doing now? lol 

[davess]

Without wishing to denigrate the nurse, I wouldn't be too disapointed as I don't think nurses are the most knowlegable members of the NHS. If it had been a doctor who had made those comments however, I probably would have been a little more annoyed - only a little though, as even some doctors don't appear to know much about ecigs and vaping etc. Just be happy that YOU know you have given the cigs up and it is YOU who will be getting the benefits of doing so in the coming years.

[megmoo]

Thanks for your replies, made me feel a bit better now.

I think I got annoyed on a point of principals. When I said I had not had a ciggarette she was quite happy to amend my medical records (without asking me if I was on any NRT) but once I mentioned e-cigs, she wouldn't.

My reaction was strange as I am not anti smoking & still consider myself one in that I enjoy 'smoking my e-cig' & do not want to get my nicotine in other forms. I just think smokers are given a hard time by the medical profession & refused treatment in certain cases so there records should be accurate ( I was refused the pill as I'm over 40 & smoke). In view of this, I think I will have to take this point further with my GP.

I'm also going to write to my MP about the EU directive ( they've got me stated now!!!)

[Super-Shiny]

Sounds like she just made it up from the top of her head, just because vaping has one ingredient the same as ciggys does not make it the same

[lobeydosser]

Until such times as the NHS send out a directive to all their medical staff directing them to class E-cigs as one thing or another, then it is up to individual staff members, be they Nurses, Doctors, Dentists or whatever, to make up their own minds as to what catagory E-cigs fall under.

Those of us who have already had Non Smoker written on our Medical Records, will find themselves reclassed as Smokers if that future Directive turns out to read that an E-cig is a Smoking Device.

We as a Nation have become far to used to the idea that individuals have to be Pigeon Holed before we know what we are.
I know who I am and I couldn't give a Fiddler's Elbow what my surgery designates me as.
Oh and as far as Insurance Forms go, I am a non smoker, whether I think I am or not.

[liz]

Hi,
Yesterday, I had to go and see the nurse for my annual overhaul (blood pressure etc)
She asked if I smoked so I told her I hadn't had a cig since the beginning of the year and that I now used e-cigs.
OK she said I'll put you down as an exsmoker so that is now on my medical records - Great

I think you're right - they do make it up because there is no directive from the nhs about what they should do.

Liz

[kibbster]

The nurse is talking out of her arse.
You are a non smoker if you don't smoke combustible tobacco and vaping isn't smoking
My wife's mdwife told me because I don't smoke burning tobacco I'm not classed as a smoker.

[4madcats]

I have a 3 monthly nurse appointment which always included the question "still smoking". 1st time I had to go after starting vaping was back in November & when the inevitable question came up my answer was no but . . . & proceeded to show her my mini ego with CE2.
Luckily she was aware of ecigs all be it the look alikes, & being an ex-smoker herself was dead interested, so the outcome was as far as my medical records show I am now a ex-smoker

Same thing with my OH when he went for his first diabetic appointment . . . completely different doctors surgery . . . . explained about vaping, now down as ex-smoker.

While she should know better it's not hard to understand, ask anybody what does the damage when you smoke & I'd guess 99.9% will say nicotine first answer maybe closely followed by tar. Hell even when I was smoking those were the answers I probably would have given, it's only when I was considering vaping that I became educated about whats actually in a ciggie & what does the damage.

Nicotine is always going to be the easy answer when people are looking where to apportion blame re smoking. . . Nicotine = Addiction = Bad . . . end of story 

[djs]

Mar 20, 2013 15:14:54 GMT kibbster said:

The nurse is talking out of her arse.
You are a non smoker if you don't smoke combustible tobacco and vaping isn't smoking
My wife's mdwife told me because I don't smoke burning tobacco I'm not classed as a smoker.

I agree. In order to get patches on a "voucher" I need to be a smoker. I do not smoke; therefore I'm not allowed NRT unless I buy it myself. Which I don't.

In order to get patches (which I won't, but did....) I need to have "smoked" which is easy....roll a fag, light it, puff once, extinguish.....

Easy. and as clear as a muddy pond with large hippos.....

[giles]

I can see why they classify gum and patch users as smokers - nearly all of them go back to smoking.

My nurse & doc classified me as an ex-smoker. I think you were unlucky, but it makes you wonder how good the stats are. I was looking forward to a reduction in the official number of smokers, to use to persuade MPs etc that ecigs are working.

[Jen]

Mar 20, 2013 17:03:52 GMT giles said:

 I was looking forward to a reduction in the official number of smokers, to use to persuade MPs etc that ecigs are working.

Now that is a very powerful and prescient point you have there, Giles. If vapers are all still classed as smokers, the stats won't go down and there will be no strong evidence that it helps get people off the fags. OTOH, if we're all adamant that vaping is not meant as an NRT but an alternative to smoking, then I think we'd need our own category. Not sure we can have our cake and eat it here (or have our LMP and vape it, as the case may be).

[djs]

Mar 20, 2013 17:32:41 GMT Jen said:

Mar 20, 2013 17:03:52 GMT giles said:

 I was looking forward to a reduction in the official number of smokers, to use to persuade MPs etc that ecigs are working.

Now that is a very powerful and prescient point you have there, Giles. If vapers are all still classed as smokers, the stats won't go down and there will be no strong evidence that it helps get people off the fags. OTOH, if we're all adamant that vaping is not meant as an NRT but an alternative to smoking, then I think we'd need our own category. Not sure we can have our cake and eat it here (or have our LMP and vape it, as the case may be).

I don't know how they count the smokers, but I'm not considered a smoker by either my GP or my Quit adviser. That makes "1".

[FirinBlanks]

My GP was impressed that I was vaping. She told me as I left, "keep on with the e-cigarettes".

I think sadly you just had a bad experience with someone who would have trouble identifying posteriors from synovial hinge joints.