Hello all, and thanks for a place to explore.
44 years old today. Two weeks ago after fighting a nasty sore throat for about three months, I was sent in for a CT scan to find out why I couldn't swallow. Blood tests were normal and I had no other symptoms other than a sore throat.
Laying on that table and sliding into the CT machine was the reality brick I apparently needed hit with to quit chewing after 33 years. I had never really WANTED to quit before. I liked chewing, was clean about it (never spit) in fact most people who didn't know me really well didn't even know I chewed. If I wasn't eating or sleeping I was chewing. Went through a can every day and a half or so.
I made up my mind as I was entering that machine, that no matter what was wrong, I was gonna quit chewing.
Tests back so far indicate a nasty strep infection complete with abscesses which had nothing to do with tobacco use. Two surgeries later (including tonsillectomy) I am still resolved not to touch the stuff again and really have not had a problem 15 days in. I still have the full can of Skoal in my truck that was there the day I drove myself to the hospital. I sneer at it every chance I get.
Still waiting for everything to clear up in my throat, but my ENT doc assures me that of all the tongue/mouth/throat cancer he has seen, he has never seen it with this kind of puss and infection. He says it is almost always a solid mass.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed and keeping quit!
Thanks for listening.
Pete
