“Cancer survivor urges smokers to quit on World No Tobacco Day”

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Øivind Lunde from Setskogen started the habit when he was only eight years old. He started stealing cigarettes from his uncle and from the shops.

Even then he was hooked on cigarettes.

For the next 60 years, addiction got the better of him. Until Lunde one day six years ago felt a strong burning sensation on his tongue, and went to the doctor.

– It started with a burning sensation on the tongue, but it got worse and worse. Especially when I ate steak and béarnaise sauce for dinner, I felt a real pain on my tongue. When I ate the same dinner the following week and it hurt again, I went to the doctor.

There, Lunde received a scary message, which led to him starting to cry in the doctor’s office.

– I had cancer on my tongue, and was quite scared to receive such a message. I also received a clear message that it was from the cigarettes that I had smoked all my life, says Lunde to Dagbladet.

May 31 is the international one “World No Tobacco Day”and Lunde tells this story in the hope that it will influence someone to quit, or never try smoking, if only one person.

Romerikes Blad have previously discussed the matter.

– Tight as sandpaper

Dagbladet has a longer chat with Lunde over the phone, where the 69-year-old talks about his life, addiction, illness and current status.

– One of the side effects from the radiotherapy is dry mouth, which I still struggle with a lot. By the time this interview is over, I will be as tight as sandpaper in my mouth, says Lunde.

Therese (25) said no – and quit

The 69-year-old says he started smoking 25 to 30 cigarettes of the strongest brand of rolling tobacco at an early age. Then came the cancer diagnosis, and radiotherapy.

– The worst thing was that I didn’t stop smoking until the twelfth radiation treatment. I remember standing over dinner at the radium hospital one evening, to go out and have a cigarette – but it hurt my mouth so much to smoke that I quit right then and there, says Lunde.

Big mouth problems: – Hell

After that, he hasn’t touched a cigarette again, Lunde claims, and he feels in much better shape today.

– I am in better shape in terms of fitness. Before, I was exhausted just putting on my socks, he says.

Although his form has improved somewhat, he does not hide the fact that he has had some severe side effects as a result of the tongue operation and the radiotherapy.

Jonathan (20) refuses to stop: – Scary

– I had to operate on parts of my tongue, which has meant that the interaction with the jaw no longer works as well. I bite my tongue a lot when I eat, and drool a lot. At meals and when I sleep, says Lunde.

He tells of a reduced sense of taste and smell, only 25 per cent saliva production, intestinal problems and the aforementioned dry mouth.

– Does it hurt?

– It’s hell. I struggle to speak normally, and wake up at night barely able to open my mouth. It is because of all these outcomes that I want to warn others against starting to smoke, because the consequences are so enormous, Lunde makes clear.

He says that he brushes his teeth three times a day with extra strong toothpaste.

– I probably light up for an hour every day. If I had known the consequences of this smoking, I would never have started.

Lunde feels much better after quitting smoking, and does not regret for a second that he finally stubbed out the cigarette.

Why is smoking cessation difficult?

Smoke contains nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance that makes it difficult to stop smoking, writes The pocket doctor.

Since the body becomes dependent on nicotine, it is normal to experience unpleasant withdrawals in connection with quitting smoking, which makes it difficult to quit smoking.

Fortunately, there are medicines that can help so that quitting smoking becomes a little easier, but medicines alone will not do the whole job, motivation to quit smoking is of course absolutely essential for success, the website further reports.

Research also shows that more people succeed in quitting smoking if they receive advice and support from, for example, a GP.