Monday, January 27, 2025

Help would be helpful

Since we moved to Bigastro, we have had nothing but praise for the Spanish health system. Over the 20 years we have lived here it has progressed a lot. The use of IT has helped enormously. If you have an issue, it generally gets dealt with quickly. You don't hear of patients waiting in ambulances or corridors to be seen as you do in the UK. You can usually get an appointment to see a doctor within a couple of days. 

 However, I do now have one misgiving about the service offered. Following my heart attack on the 12th December it was made very clear to me that I should quit smoking. Even though smoking a pipe is very different to cigarettes in that you do not inhale pipe smoke in the same way, it still poses a huge risk to your health. Given all the evidence available, I would be foolish in the extreme to carry on smoking. In truth, I really wish I had never started smoking in the first place. In those days though, nobody was aware of the risks involved – our doctor used to smoke in his surgery during consultations. You could smoke in cinemas, restaurants – wherever you pleased. 

Just telling me in the report they gave me as I left hospital to stop smoking was actually not very helpful. It is easy for someone who has never smoked to imagine that you simply give up one day and all is well. For anyone who has smoked for much of their life is not that easy. In fact it is very hard. 

 The NHS in England recognise this and offers a wide range of support to help people quit. You can even get tablets and other nicotine replacement products to help on prescription. With that level of support, the success rate must be higher than in countries like Spain where, if my experience is anything to go by, there is no help given. 

I read that 46% of Americans who smoked before a heart attack continued to smoke afterwards even though they were warned of the risk of a further heart attack. The percentage figure for people who successfully quit smoking in the UK is still less than 30. 

The message is simple. If governments and health services think it is important for people to stop smoking, then they have to offer help and support. 

 It is now 46 days since I last smoked a pipe. Even though I suck sugar free sweets to compensate, there are times when I would happily light up a bowl of St Bruno. In the morning, when I am painting or at night after my meal are the worst times. I have to work really hard to distract myself and not become tetchy. 

I also have not had any alcoholic drink since my heart attack. That doesn't seem to bother me as much though. Once I have given my heart time to recover, I shall probably go back to the odd glass of wine and a tot of brandy.

No comments: