health problems after stop smoking

This is exactly what I went through after quitting. I smoked for more than 15 years, 20-30 a day at least, and I stopped smoking in Dec 2007. I got rid of my physical cravings after 1-2 months, but I started to loose my memory, I never really knew what I was doing, very similar to what you are describing. I was in meetings at work where I got asked questions, we could've talked about the subject for an hour or more and I still had no ida what we where talking about. It was horrible. I had trouble focusing but it didn't make a difference if I had my glasses on or off. It was scary. I could stand at a cashier to order a sandwich or something for lunch but could not answer if he asked me what I wanted, simple questions like white or wheat bread. My head was a mess for months. Now 14 moths later; I've never felt better. It's like I've never smoked. I feel like a million bucks now. Memory is back to normal. Everything is back to normal... It was the worst year of my life though and I considered starting to smoke again many times but I had promised my 7 year old son I would quit. So I did. And I'm so glad I did :)

Hi, Just to let you all know am going through same thing. Only smoked a few a day and more on weekend night, I am off them nearly four weeks and have been coughing non-stop since then. Still have chesty cough today and had flu for two weeks, thought I was over it but just yesterday felt fever coming on again. Very weird, you don't expect it all. But good luck to everyone, well done for quitting will definitely be worth it in the long run. I think its the cilia growing back, and maybe psychological elements recovering stress etc all affecting the immune system.

I quit about 3 weeks ago. I have same issues....hard to breathe at times, chest tighter than when smoking, heart palpatations, sleep apnea, hunger is off the charts, sinus troubles, sore throats, etc.

I smoking about 2 packs a day for 10 years so I guess I was a heavy smoker.

So these things must just be what the anti-smoking people don't tell ya because if they did would you quit? Probably not...

But from what I have read and people I have talked to it takes a long time to get normal as in feeling like someone who has never smoked before in their life.

It all really depends on how long you smoked, how much, and how healthy you are when you quit smoking. In the end it is a good thing...I do beleive and I may be miserable now but eventually I will be better from this 10 year sickness I made for myself.

I've just finished reading through this post and I wanted to add something.

For most of the people who post problems from quitting smoking on the internet, they quit relatively recently. I'm at 31 days free, feel like hell and share a lot of the stories that I've read here. I quit once before, went to the E.R., had every heart & lung test in the book thrown at me. Why I started back after all that is beyond me. But I'v quit again, and once again I went to the ER with chest pains and the like. I'm 34, too young for all this, and I'm in pain ALL the time, from my chest to my back and the whole works. Its crippling at times.

But I do see a pattern in everyone's story and it's this... There aren't a lot of people here posting that they're still having pain more than a year later. So it must get better eventually, or there would be more of those kind of posts.

To to the person who posted that it's been 14 months and they finally feel great, THANK YOU! I've been scouring the internet over and over for posts like yours. Naturally, when people feel better, they don't have the need to post on groups like this.

So we all just need to stick in there and hope for the best. But I think this is all temporary, everything that we're feeling. Otherwise there would be a lot more people on line complaining of long term effects of not smoking. There's a few, but most people on here are less than 3 months.

I'd be curious how many of you drink alcohol. I do, and I don't know if that makes things worse or not.

hello everyone. Quit smoking 7 weeks ago. Started off with a severe sore throat. Now I'm dealing with chronic sinusitus and strange sensations in my neck and throat. I haven't heard anybody talking about food. maybe we all need to change the way we eat also.

I was so tired of always feeling sick & tired. I'm only 37 and some days I feel like I'm 57! I'm always tired, migraines several times a week, mood swings, horrible skin, bad allergies. Everone said my problem was smoking. I've smoked for 20 years, anywhere from 1/2 to 1 pack per day. So,I started cutting back early in the year, knowing that I wanted to quit. I just tried to smoke 1 less per day. Somedays I did, some not. Once I got down to a handful. You know, the ones that are REALLY habit. I got on Chantix. It really worked in helping get rid of the last few. Although there were some really crazy dreams. Not nightmares exactly but boy do you remember what you were dreaming! So its been 8 days with no cigs, no meds either. just me, not wanting to smoke. And I feel like c**p! Thought I was losing my mind...everyone said I would feel so much better. What I feel is way worse, but I'm trying to stay positive. I know that I have all these toxins built up in my system So I've been trying to eat a lot of the "detox" foods which I found a list on line. When I went grocery shopping I stocked up on lots of fruit, vegies & stuff from the detox list. I've still gained 6 lbs in the last 8 days. Although I have had snackfood stuff too. I'm goingto try to take a liquid vitamin called Cell Food. Its supposed to be an immunity enhancing, cell regeneration vitamin. Hopefully it works cause I don't think I can feel like this for the next 3 months. I've also ordered the foot detox pads. Hopefully this stuff will help give my immune system the boost it needs. I've also just ordered an excercise DVD. Summer's coming and the last thing I want to do is gain weight. I also need to keep busy. I never realized how much time I spent smoking. I'll let everyone know if any of this c**p helps! To all that have quit & stuck with it...you are my hero!

Well first I hope this gets through. My account was shut off and I have no way to contact the administrator to get back on.

I Am one of those people who quit smoking 9/17 -> 2005 who(since day 1-one-1 [SDO] and I count that 6 weeks after my last cigarette, therefore 11/1/2005) feels worse since I quit. Oh yeah, 48 and smoked from 16 to 44 2packs ultra-lights/day.

For me, it takes the form of excessive sleepiness. I do not recall in the past 3.5years having a day where I didn't feel sleepy enough to take a nap. I have not come close to having one single day where I don't get Very Sleepy within 4-5 hours up out of bed and mostly it's within 2hrs of getting up.

Of course the "doctors" I've gone to are of course All saying -> I miss my old friend and am just looking for an excuse to start smoking again.
That is ridiculous because I believe(like Jim Carrey in his batman movie) I am (one of) the world's Smartest Carbon-Based LifeForm for my cessation method -> Quest 3(nicotine-free tobacco) cigs. I put away 3 packs each of the first two days, but I was smoking only 6 of them 10 days later. By then, the cravings were gone and I haven't smoked a cigarette since. That May have been the time to worry. It was actaully Easier than I thought it would be.

Like most posts on this topic I gained my 20lbs from 180 to 200 but unlike most, my breathing and lung-function tests have been excellent and as best I can recall, my memory is ok, I think!

I am close to devastated by the sleepiness itself but also offended and angered no Doctor will take this Medical Condition seriously. The Only thing they have done is call me crazy. The main GP has sent me to 2 psychs, one psych in training and Refuses to refer me to a neurologist(I don't see how a lungy will help - And I Don't Have Apnea).

I believe it is Some Kind of chemical imbalance like Some kind of stimulant in cigarettes(haven't used patches as an "upper") that is no missing or if it is some kind of hormonal imbalance.

Yes I do think it is a TaBoo subject to Doctors that AnyOne/1-one-1 single person can quit smoking and somehow feel Worse. That denial on the part of Doctors is the single biggest problem I see to getting this 3.5 year medical condition healed.

Thanks for the place to type this. I'll try to find the administrator to let me go back into my account.

alright... Im going to take the plunge and quit. I am 32 and have been smoking since I was 16. I am a heavy smoker over a pack a day. I am freaking out about doing this! I have done my homework tho and talked to alot of doctors and people that have quit so here are some tips they gave me that may or may not help ya all. If you have a hot tub or sauna sit in that for 30 mins before you go to bed, that helps loosen your chest and break up flem. Do a pineapple fast where for 3 days you drink nothing but pineapple juice and take laxatives to help get rid of toxins and help your lungs clean themselves. Drink LOTS of water, exercise, chew on carrot sticks and good luck!

I understand how everyone feels. I've quit smoking for 2 months now, and I had sore throat for a couple of days, cough, dizziness and cold sweat for the first few nights. I could not sleep for the first week, started pissing more often than before (I Guess my system is getting back to normal), had nightmares at night specially in the first 2 weeks into the quit. Also I felt very weak, no energy for anything in the first week as well. I have not experienced chest pains or problems breathing (thanks God), however I got what they call Quitzits which are pimples. They appeared on my back, shoulders, face and some on the chest ( I feel like a teen). Also, I've experienced depression (pretty bad) in the first week or two, but talking to friends and not being alone got me out of it in hurry. Now it has been 2 months and I feel great. My energy level is back to normal, like before quitting, I no longer gasp for air when running short distances like I did before, the pimples slowly going away (still a few around). I've gained 10 pounds, which is okay, cause I can and will loose it once my metabolism gets back to normal and I get a little exercise off course.

Just would like to congratulate everyone on quitting smoking, as we all know, it is not easy to do, but not that hard either as long as you want to quit.

Hope you guys stick with it and in a few months from now, we will all remember the struggles we went through, laugh at it as we regained control of our health and our lives.

Take care...

Lee

Hello hello! My name is Sean. I'm a month shy of being 22 years old. I weigh about 460 pounds and have recently started eating healthier, taking vitamins and getting somewhat of a sense of exercise. I have been a smoker since i was 12/13 years old. Of course, it didn't become an everyday habit until i was probably 16/17 years old. I quit smoking about a month ago and I'm having ALOT of the similar symptoms that alot of you have been talking about. I've NEVER experienced anything like what i've been going through in the last month.

Before i quit smoking, i started having sharp pains in my left lung (or so i was hoping it was my lung and not my heart) and they exceeded every time i would smoke. Of course, i haven't been out of my teenage years for long, but i used to do ALOT of drugs. Everything you can think of, i probably did it and for an extensive amount of time. I NEVER shot anything in my veins. The drugs i liked most were cocaine when i was around the ages of 15/16 and meth when i was 16/17. Then, i became VERY fond of pain pills.

As i got older, i kept experiencing with drugs. Throughout this whole drug experimentation, i was a HEAVY smoker of cigarettes and marijuana. I couldn't keep away from either of them. Every time i was buzzed heavily on drugs, i was an avid smoker who just couldn't seem to put the cigarettes down. They even made the buzz for me, whatever i was on that the time, more effective and worth it.

In the last 4 years or so, i've not done any drugs, except marijuana and take the occasional pain pill. Anything that would take the pain that i had away in my back and legs from being overweight, i was ALL for it. Mostly marijuana though.

When i quit smoking cigarettes almost a month ago, i quit smoking pot as well. And its been Hell ever since. A couple of days here and there, i would feel energized, outgoing and wonderful. I could breathe again! But then, that amazing feeling would go away and i would feel like i just wanted to DIE.

But giving up, to me, would be dying. I've quit all the drugs and now, the smoking for one reason or another and I've finally realized that i hadn't been given a second chance. I had been given TONS of chances and i needed to make the changes for myself NOW before its too late.

Its ridiculous to be 21, almost 22 years of age and TERRIFIED of dying at such a young age just because of mistakes. And those mistakes were just putting in and doing the wrong things to my body. I adore my Mom so much. My grandmother as well. They're TRULY the only family i have and i don't want them to lose me. I'm their whole World and they're mine! It's a shame for ANY mother to have to bury their child and i DO NOT want to put my Mom through that. My grandmother has so many things wrong with her and its all hereditary.

I've done wrong for so long and still got by, but i've had a feeling for the longest time that i didn't have much time left to be so lucky. I'm a person that ALOT of people rely on to be there to give them advice and guidance, for i have been told that i am wise beyond my years. I have so much to do in life and so much to see, that dying at a young age, to me, is NO LONGER an option.

I tell you all this because i see this as my last chance. I've given up smoking for good and will continue to stay away from it. Its not hard fighting the cravings since i keep death in mind every time i think about smoking. Its hard being overweight, doing so many bad things to my body for almost half of my life and never eating right and hardly exercising. I've been darn lucky to make it this far and I'm not giving up now!

Anyone out there that thinks its too late for them... YOU'RE WRONG, for my story proves that there ARE second chances. Smoking will just lead to terrible results in the end. I know for some of you, you think smoking is helping you when its not. You've just smoked for so long that when you go back to smoking and your side effects subside, you think you're better off if you keep smoking. You haven't given your body a chance to heal AT ALL. Especially if you've smoked for the last 20-30 years of your life. If you've smoked that long, take about 5 years and think about how you'll feel after that 5 year period of NOT smoking, as apposed to smoking for the first 5 years when you started. Your breathing, i'm sure, slowed down alot and your body completely took over a new feeling.

After you start a new relationship, in the first few months or maybe even year or so, you're not COMPLETELY comfortable with your new mate, but eventually, you settle in and get comfortable. After about 3-4 years, if that relationship ends, you're going to miss being around that person whom you've grown so comfortable around. Being yourself is SO easy around that person because you gave it time. If you can devote time and effort into a relationship and you eventually become comfortable, what makes you think that the nicotine and chemicals in cigarettes don't take the same effect?

Same example goes for quitting. After your relationship, your feelings and heart will hurt because of being so comfortable and caring so much for your mate for so long. Your feelings and heart have to mend and heal. And overtime, they do. Same with smoking. If you give it enough time, everything, eventually, goes back to normal for the most part. You're always going to remember your mate if you're with them for a LONG period of time. Same for smoking. You're always going to remember smoking, but that doesn't mean you're always going to hurt from it.

Thats the story i've had to tell myself in order to get through all of this. Even though we're ALL different and EVERYONE'S body reacts differently to different things, i hope this story and these examples have and can help someone pull through. I'm struggling hard with this, even though i really have no urge to smoke. But its still tough to be around, and i still think about it. Its been a part of my life for so long. But that doesn't mean that i can't let it go. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for me and i'm truly hoping that the sun will rise and brighten my horizon for the rest of my days because of the changes i'm making.

All of you who think its too late can change this about yourselves as well. I've overcome SO many things. If i can overcome so many addictions, one such as cigarette smoking can be kicked with a little will-power and discipline. Pray for me and keep faith in me that i pull through all of this, and i will do the same for all of you trying to make the change to a healthier, better life.

Hi,
I'm 31. Have been smokinig around 20 cigarettes since 13.

First time I quit was around 5 years ago. I had a hangover after a party and just did not feel like smoking. One day soon became a weekend and so I quit. No nicotine gum, no cutting back or any planning. It was easy. Much easier than I had expected. I did not change anything else in my life - I still drank a bit during parties, I still went running a few times a week, still went swimming a few times a week. Probably ate more a bit. The first funny thing was that I had no recollection about any parties where I drank some alcohol. According to my friends I was not that drunk and everything had been quite cool, but my memory was clear. This was a bit odd, but I learned to drink less.
After about 4 months I discovered that I could not swim or run as fast as before. Also, I had always been 192cm (6 ft 3) and 80kg (176 pounds) and now I discovered I was already 95kg (210 pounds). Gradually it went worse and soon I was not able to climb the stairs as fast as a young man should be able to... My doctor diagnosed a high blood pressure disease (average of 160/105 @ 100ppm) and told me that unlsess I want to die young, I should eat pills every day for the rest of my life. These did make me feel better, but did not cure the reason(s) - extra weight plus most likely stress. Well, after about 4 months I accidentally started smoking again and in about 2 months my weight dropped back, blood pressure normalized (in my case average of 135/85 @ 85ppm).
Now I am quitting again - I know that in a long run it will probably be a good decision. I have been without a cigarette for 10 days and its been a hell compared to the last (and only I know) quitting. I can only wonder what the heroin addicts are going through... I wake up in the middle of the night sweating. It constantly hurts somewhere. A living hell, people. And the worst thing - the doctors deny everything. I do think that actually there is a need for nicotine for the body to function normally and quitting smoking will be a shock for the body. Unfortunately there is no doctor I know who could explain these effects that me and other people are experiencing. I am sure that there should be an easy method to overcome these sideeffects (some nicotine gum or other more harmless way to get some nicotine so the shock could be minimized).

Anywayz - quit gradually if possible. Also, do change your habits if you quit. Slowly and gradually start to get some physical exercise. Do not drink much coffee as this will get the blood pressure up. Most important - change your diet. Your appetite is bigger now and the metabolia is slower. Do not drink much - memory loss is one thing but also drinking will get you smoking quite easily. And know that your doctor gets most of his/her info from the sales brochures of the medical companies (of course not all of them).

all best to all of you out there!
CanisLupusL

I quit smoking 7 months ago. I feel a little better, at least i am not weasing in bed at night and fall a sleep faster but, when I am awake I clear my throat at least 50 times a day. I was told 3 months ago this would go away but it has not. It's very annoying to me and others. It is so obvious that people at work mock me when I do it. Will it ever stop?

I smoked a pack a day for 5 years and I quit about ten months ago. In the last 2 months I have started experiencing a heavy feeling in my chest and feeling like I can't draw enough air. I visited my doctor last week because I was concerned I may have a pulmonary embolism. My doctor ran a battery of tests including a measurement of my inhale and exhale volume. Everything checked out. When I asked about the pain he said it was from my lungs attempting to break up and work out all of the tar built up in my lungs. He said as a general rule of thumb plan on ten minutes of cardio work to break up each cigarette smoked. For the next months I will probably feel terrible, but as I start building my cardio-vascular stamina I will begin to feel better.

I am 21 years old 5'2 and 110 lbs female and quit smoking about a month ago. I did this because i was having a very rapid heart rate which scared the c**p out of me. So i finally after smoking for 6 years quit cold turkey. I have no health insurance so that was really my only way. I didnt have any severe withdrawals except for the occasional bad mood and my head feeling foggy. i found that exercising helped. I would run until i felt like collapsing just as a reminder of what i would feel like if i kept smoking. Anyways here i am a month into it and i have no cravings but have developed wierd symptoms. I cant see a doctor so i am sorta relying on other peoples info to kind of guide me along. I have had frequent urination which wakes me up a couple times a night, i sometimes feel like i am going to faint. I am tired all the time but i cant sleep and when i do sleep wake up every couple hours with a racing and pounding heart rate. I am terrified to sleep. I have all my life suffered from a arrythmia and since in quit smoking hasnt happened as much which is a plus but i am still scared that i am dying!!!! Although i know thinking this does not help my situation i just feel like smoking again because its not worth this feeling of impending doom. I havent yet to cough but my nose has been stuffed for some time. I thought maybe i was developing type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea just based on some of the symptoms i have. I hope things start to get better for me or i dont know what i am going to do. Also when i eat i feel like fainting. These are all things i have never experienced before till now. Also no weight gain.

i recently quit smoking after 25 years (2 weeks and counting), i now have great problems with catching my breath and sleeping at night. it seem that i can not get enough air thru my lungs. i walk a short distance and get winded. i walk upstairs and get winded. my snoring has gotten worse and am very restless when i do sleep.
prior to quitting smoking my only health concern (seemingly) was being overweight and snoring, i felt as if i could run marathons? no diabetes, chest pains, high blood pressure etc...

i have read the preceeding posts and am glad that i am not the only one going thru this, it sort of justifies the symptoms.

my doctor says get execise. my question is how can i do this when i feel drained all the time? its hard for me to do the normal things let alone get up on a treadmill or whatnot!
any suggestions as to which direction to start in? i am a male, 37yrs old, 5'11", 285lbs.

all the men on my fathers side have died from heart problems by age of 60. i do not want to be one of the "statistics". i just feel 100% worse now than before quitting... what going on?