Lump in throat after quit smoking

Thanks for writing everyone! I am a 51 year old female, and I quit smoking 10 months ago after close to 15 years of 1-2 packs a day.

I still have a very sore throat, shortness of breath, an irregular heartbeat, tight lungs, mucus in my sinuses, lack of energy.....all the symptoms you all mention here, which makes me feel at least a little less like a hypochondriac and more like someone who is still detoxing.

I just started on a mostly raw diet, which seems to help with constipation, and exercising more to get rid of the 20 pounds I've gained.

Still, I am not sorry I quit, as these symtoms pale in the light of a lung cancer diagnosis, chemo, radiation, and all the other diseases one can get from continued smoking. I do wish there was more information given by the medical community about the downside of quitting. At least I would have known what to expect.

Congrats to all of you who quit smoking! I had only quit one other time for 6 weeks but went back to smoking, too stressed out about other things I was going through. Mentally I was having a terrible time, physically I didnt have any problems. This time my heart is in it like I have never known, plus I think my fear of CANCER really got to me, I work as acaregiver with the elderly and have seen a few people dying from cancer, one gentleman in particular had lung cancer from smoking his whole life. He was in pretty bad shape as you can imagine, he had also been a heavy drinker but had quit that many years ago, he told me the one he regretted was not quitting smoking, I remember him being so mad at himself. He was in his 80's. He died not long after that. Anyhoo, he really stuck in my head even though its been a couple years since he passed away. I am also going through the same physical problems as everyone else out there. Shortness of breath, feeling like theres a lump in my throat, which seems to move around periodically, trouble swallowing, yet no pain at all at least not yet, heavy feeling in my chest, my eyes look sickly also. But my pulse is not as high as it had been, more energy sometimes but sleepiness also, can walk faster on my treadmill, I dont smell like a smoke stack! I agree that doctors etc. should let people know what you can go through after quitting. What they put on those stop smoking websites is nothing compared to the reality. I smoked half a pack a day or more for 20 yrs. I am now 38 yrs old. This has been the hardest thing Ive ever done but so worth it. Thanks to GOD. I couldnt have done it without having HIM in my life. I hope this helps others. By the way I quit COLD TURKEY. Stick with it everyone! You CAN do it. :-)

As is very evidenced here, quitting smoking tobacco is very similar to starting.

You can get sick for a while when you start quitting.

It is just your body re-adjusting! That is all it is!

Just remember whatever you go through for the next couple weeks to months after you quit smoking is all you have to go through to start feeling health benefits!

Never once think that quitting tobacco is a bad thing. Tobacco gives you a poison that in turn gives you diminishing returns.

Why do we take this particular poison of nicotine into our bodies? My own honest reason is I want to kill myself, but not right away, I want to make myself suffer so people can see me suffer and realize how big my life could have been if someone could lift a finger to help brighten my day when I am feeling so down. This is a dumb idea, but, there are so many dumb ideas in our society that just keep on getting passed on. The word of the truth of what tobacco is and what it does was not outspoken for a long time, because honestly - there was no safe and legal alternative.

I think there are mainly two types of smokers, if you ask around and people are willing to talk to you about it candidly.

The first kind say they smoke because they just like to smoke. They really like the smoke, and claim they get no high or extra feeling out of it.

The second kind say they smoke because it's a force of habit, it makes them think clear for a few minutes, in other words they get their little feeling from it which keeps bringing them back to it.

Honestly, smoking does look cool. Even the "smoke" of a person's breath in the cold air looks cool. Who doesn't want to be a fire breathing dragon? The trouble is, with tobacco, it's deadly. So the tradeoff of 'cool' with tobacco is just not worth it.

There are alternatives today. I have seen products that let you inhale steam and blow out a cloud of harmless water vapor. These are safe alternatives to actual smoking, and without the tobacco.

Why is everyone stuck in the abyss of tobacco? Besides choosing not to smoke, there are healthier alternatives with no side effects or addiction.

Whatever you choose - to quit is divine and don't stop for a second to think quitting tobacco is a bad thing. It isn't a bad thing at all.

I have quit for 20 days now. I quit about 7 years ago for a year and a half and i had no problem at all. I know there was a lot of coughing but I already knew that was normal.

This time, my chest is HURTING. Bad. The cough is mild, but I really didn't expect this chest pain. It is a relief to know others have gone through it. If I had had this pain the first time I quit, I never would have started again. I just hope it is all worth it and will go away eventually and I can actually say quitting smoking was good for me. As of right now, quitting smoking is the worst thing I've ever done. I haven't been through this much pain in a very long time. :-(

But, I'm sticking to it. Better to go through it now than going through medical treatment for cancer.

This is my second day of quitting.

I quit for 10 days a few months ago,but fell really ill with "Tonsilittus". The worst ive ever had it too. But i fought through it. It helped with the nonsmoking, because i think my throat wouldve exploded if id touched a cigarette haha.

But yeh i decided i needed a walk and some fresh air, although my tonsils were killing me. I wrapped up warm and went for a walk with my mate.

He offered me a cigarette, to which i replied "No thank you".
Then, i noticed that my bad tonsils had only started when id quit. So i tried a cigarette!

It was hard to smoke it, but next day, i woke up and felt ALOT better.

But im quitting again now, and my throats already starting to swell. But im definately quitting.

I quit smoking for Lent, so I'm about 3 weeks in.

I've quit smoking for Lent several times before, and done the full 40 days and nights, always with the intention of going back to smoking, and then of course following through.

However this time I think I'm quitting for good, because my goodness, my throat absolutely kills.

I've smoked for seven years (since I was 18- I'm 25 now), I didn't mean to smoke so long, but time has just flown by, and I really don't want to be smoking in my white wedding dress next year, so I think after this time around I just won't bother with starting up again.

I've realized that I think I love smoking. But actually I am addicted to a drug very seriously. Point in case: my fiancee bought me some herbal (nicotene free) cigarettes. They are probably the foulest most disgusting thing I've ever smelled or tasted. I can't stomach them, and have no idea why anyone in their right mind would want one.
But regular nicotene cigarettes are yummy (or so I believe). However my best friend (who is a non smoker) thinks that my nicotene cigarettes are disgusting and foul.
SO: the reason I think I love smoking is because I am so addicted to this horrible drug that my body will convince me something that smells and tastes terrible is actually yummy. That is sort of pathetic really.

(I encourage all you people trying to quit to buy yourself some nicotene free cigarettes and smoke them! If you think you simply enjoy the act of smoking, rather than you are addicted to a very serious drug, you will be shocked! Also it's a way to train your body out of subconciously associating smoking with the drug release of nicotene.)

Everytime I've quit before I've been fine, but this time every day my throat hurts like I've been talking too much. It's driving me insane, when I smoked my throat hardly ever hurt.

The other truly bizarre thing is that when I smoked I actually had quite a lovely singing voice and good breath control. Since I quit I can't hold a tune to save my life! My voice keeps breaking and is out of tune. Surely my singing should get better?!?

Also I keep getting dizzy, and slightly confused (I AM a blonde, but more so than usual!). I'll feel weird and think I'm craving a cigarette when in actual fact I have severely low blood sugar and need to eat something. It's like I can't tell the difference between when I'm tired or hungry or thirsty, I just think I want a cigarette. It's really strange.
Did some physiological research and apparently, even though cigarettes don't release sugar into your blood stream, they activate some organs that tell your body to do this, so you get a natural sugar rush when you smoke (news to me and seems really really weird). So when your quitting body needs sugar it keeps telling you to smoke, when in actual fact your blood sugar levels are dropping. This is why people tend to gain weight during quitting.

Good things:
Luckily though I have managed not to kill everyone around me, which of course is a miracle because I am so irritable! Just kidding!
My skin looks better. I didn't think I would notice this but I do.

Other than those two things everything else sucks! I'm so glad it sucks for all of you as well.

On all of the internet, there is not one site which explains the throat pain.

Reading this has definately not discouraged me from keeping up the good fight, if anything it validates how bizarre it's all been. I really wish they would post more information on the throat soreness and dizziness!

As an aside:
My recomendations for quitting for all the newbies: try doing a practice quit for six months (promise yourself you can smoke after six months). Then when you start again quit the following year. This way you will have established memories of doing regular things (like reading or driving or whatever) without smoking, and these memories will help you transition when you finally do quit, you know? I know that giving up for Lent has helped me tremendously. My fiance quit at the same time as me and has already gone back because he just doesn't know how to drink a beer or drive a car without smoking a cigarette.

Anyways hope this helps, and please pray for me to be strong after Lent is over! I don't want to be a smokey bride!

I quit smoking 8 days ago. I found a website that is very helpful (whyquit.com). It explains about the blood sugar problem you are having. I am having the nausea problem as mentioned at Day 7 in case studies.
Hope this helps.

o.O

I agree with Janice01 about whyquit.com. Very Informative! Especially Joel's Library.



I quit on Sunday Feb. 24, 2008. And plan never to return to smoking ever again. I am the only one left of all my friends who still smokes and I'm scared s***less of the possibility that I may have waited too long. Hopefully not. I'm 40 and have been heavy smoker for 20 yrs.



I quit cold turkey, and didn't come across whyquit.com til my third day but boy am I glad I did. This guy Joel Spitzer tells it like it is. No bull***t! He is a cold turkey advocate and I gotta tell ya I agree with him. Get it over with now, don't prolong withdrawal by feeding your body little bouts of Nicotene from gum or a patch or whatever. You are only prolonging the hell. I suffered from you name it, cold fingers and feet, "shakes", on the inside, even though on the outside no visible "shakes", really just felt like shakes. I actually cried on my wife's shoulder from a suedo depression set on by quitting at 54:00 hrs into it (2dys, 8hours). They say that it's as bad as giving up Heroin, wait they revised that and say that its worse, I felt inside like those addicts always look on TV that are giving up the Heroin, even though on the outside it wasn't quite that bad, I mean I wasn't foaming at the mouth or anything. haha!



But I'll tell you what. Just like Joel said, at 72:00 hrs into it, or so, BAMMM! No problems! Just psych now! Glad I did it cold-turkey, never going back, day by day, but never going back! Hope the sore throat is nothing!

I am so glad I found this website. After 35 years as a smoker, I quit cold turkey on Dec 1st. I was prepared for the overwhelming nicotine withdrawal symptoms (they never came) but I was not prepared for all the physical discomfort that I have. Tight chest, backache, shortness of breath (getting better) and anxiety like I never knew before. I tried to find info online but all I found was the physical changes you go through like blood flow and nicotine levels, nothing about how you feel. Although I'm sorry we all feel awful, I'm glad I am not alone in this. There should be more information out there about what to expect. There is light at the end of the tunnel, I would rather go through this than have to look my family in the eye and tell them that I am dying from some smoking related illness. I wish all of us luck, hang in there and keep writing. Hearing that we all share some of the same feelings is comforting.

Sorry, I meant to mention this in my original post. I have come accross a few things that are said to help in lung healing, pleaase don't just take my word for it but look them up. Almonds are extremely beneficial to the lungs as is garlic. I also read that niacin, (the kind that causes a flush) opens up blood vessels a little so that toxins can be cleared out quicker. Check with your doctor first but I take these things and my doctor just told me to keep doing what I am doing. Whether any of this works or not I guess only time will tell but as long as your doctor says it's o.k., it can't hurt. I also started eating more fruit and vegetables.

I quit smoking 7 weeks ago and since then I have had a sinus infection, ear infection. I also have had the following symptoms, ears popping, my neck is sore (the actual muscles front and back) I have had a sore throat on and off since I quit. lately when I wake every morning my throat is sore and when I clear my throat I hack up brown c**p. After I drink some water usually the sore throat goes away.

If the sore throat stays all day its not painful its not hurting to swallow anymore like it did when I first quit, its just uncomfortable .

After 7 weeks I have not yet really begun to cough and clear my lungs out yet not sure when that will start does anyone know when the cough will kick in and how long I will suffer with a sore/tense neck as well as these mild recurring sore throats??

I quit about 7- weeks ago. I have the sore neck muscles front and back almost like constant tension feeling. Sore throat usually every morning until I drink something and clear my throat which lately has been filled with nasty brown c**p. Sometimes the sore throat lasts all day long its mild, not painful anymore nor does it hurt to swallow or breathe.

I have also since I quit had 2 sinus infections they seem to keep coming back as well as an ear infection. Has anyone else noticed these? Its been almost 2 months how long for the sore throat/tense neck muscles to go away? Also when will the coughing begin? I expected it would be soon but so far no cough yet to speak of.

Im just being a bit of hypochondriac here so if anyone has a website thats actually lists the real symptoms when you quit smoking and how long they last for let me know.


**edited by moderator**

I quit on December and like you, have been waiting for the cough. I haven't had one yet. Nothing more severe in that department than clearing my throat. I have read, and see this over and over how everyone is different so don't get worried if your healing process isn't the same as someone elses. I feel a host of things and I am attributing it all to healing. Stick with it, I hear it gets better.

I quit Dec 1st and was expecting the coughing too. So far I haven't had it with the exception of a few throat clearing coughs. From reading some posts, I see that we don't all experience the same things at the same time. I never experienced the nicotine withdrawal either but the discomfort in my chest and back, the sore dry throat and the anxiety more than makes up for it.