Lump in throat after quitting smoking

I quit smoking yesterday so this is Day 2. Last night already, I got a sore throat on my left gland. It's mild but it is definitely there.

I am taking Advil and I just read that making a tea (like green tea) and adding the Indian Spice Turmeric to the tea is a good remedy. I would say do it for at least a couple of days. I'll try it since I have it on hand.

I think we're all going thru de-tox and depending on how long and how much you've smoked, the after effects differ. For me, I've smoked for over 30 years at 1 pack a day.

I have my moments of depression and cravings but I can say that my nose is clear (for a change) and I take deep breaths without coughing. Hang in there folks, because our addiction will mess up our heads and try to get us to smoke again. Change is hell but in this case, it's for the better.

I'm glad I stumbled on this site!

I am glad to find this thread. I smoked for seven years, 10 to 20 cigarettes per day (had about two years with a constant 20 per day). I quit smoking about two years and a half ago, but started again after 4-5 months. I tried quitting once again, one year after I started my first non-smoking time. Again I have gradually started again after 6 months, just smoking occasionally at first, then advanced to a constant 5-7 cigarettes a day- this was at the beginning of this year actually. Managed to leave it intermittently since end of February, really struggling since then- still ended up smoking 5 cigarettes per day in the past months. Now I am trying to collect myself to quit completely and for good again (for two weeks) and - for the first time, in all my past experiences of trying to quit- I feel absolutely terrible. I am coughing, got the white spots on the throat and red inflated tonsils, I feel tired- also cause I have trouble sleeping because of the cough, I had a ear infection. Couldn't stand it right, so I smoked two cigarettes yesterday. Yesterday night I stood up at three really sick, but couldn't vomit and no stomach cramps. I tried to gently put myself to bed, and in the morning I woke up with a lump in the throat and with headache, dizziness and light nausea (same as the sickness in the night, but lighter). This one is really tough- I feel unbelievably bad, as if I had food poisoning or weed poisoning- I am not a marijuana smoker, but when I have tried it, maybe too much of it, I got something really similar afterward: lump in throat, headache, dizziness and nausea, all in a more severe form though.

Now I am fully unable to smoke at least- I associate the sickness with the cigarette....

I am sitting here with an itchy throat and I have the feeling that I have too much phlem and a lump in it as well! I quit about one month ago now and this sucks. I have NO cravings for a smoke even after smoking since I was 12 ( I am 38 now). I keep having coughing fits that wake me up at night. It feels as if I have a tickle in the top, back of my throat and I can't help it. I thought it was allergies and was going to call the doctor tomorrow, but after reading all of this I think I will hold off and try the neti pot in the morning. (ugh, cough cough cough as I type this)

Like everyone else, its so nice to find comfort in knowing I'm not alone in this painful, self improving, task. So like everyone else, I quit smoking cigarettes recently (like a month or two ago) and I now seem to be developing a cough that I cant get rid of. However, my case is a little different in the fact that i still smoke some herb almost every day. Does anyone know if its just quitting cigarettes that causes the "cleanup" reaction in our lungs, or is the once a day of herb not enough for my body to think im still smoking. If I breath out with any force at all (like during a jog) I get a raspy tickle in my throat, which obviously induces of a cough. However most of the time, attempting to cough up the mucous causing the rattle does absolutely nothing but give my stomach muscles a workout. It's very frustrating to not be able to cough up that c**p. Well, I just figured I'd give my symptoms and situation, just in case anyone wanted specific symptoms to corroborate, but then again, I'm still not 100% convinced it's just from me quitting cigs, cause it took a month before this started, and I still sorta smoke, does anyone think I could have something worse or am I right there with you guys and need to be patient (cause unlike most people it seems that are posting, I can NOT afford the doctor, hence why instead of going to one, I looked it up online)

Hi fellow lump-in-a-throaters, guess what? I'm also an ex-smoker and I too have... guess what? The good ol' lump in the throat. And like, I guess, 99% of those who read this thread, I was worried about malignancies. The funny thing is that when you Google "lump in the throat", cancer appears as the first result. Many websites strongly recommend smokers to "seek medical attention" if they are experiencing this symptom. Then, when, as an obedient citizen, you do "seek medical attention", 9 out 10 times the physician performs a superficial examination and declares that it's all in your mind. You're anxious, pal!

I myself freaked out and got examined - nothing to declare. I've been smoking occasionally for 2 years and regularly for 2 more years (about half a pack a day) and I'm 27. I quit 3 weeks ago. Like most of you probably noticed, the lump in the throat is absent when you smoke (and/or drink, but that may be because you're just too drunk to notice it ;-)). Then, you quit smoking and at day 1 or so, your throat starts feeling odd. There seems to be a lump "somewhere", but it would be hard to point it with your finger, let alone say how big it is. There's just something unusual in there, some kind of tightness. When you swallow, you feel like some food doesn't quite go down. In my case, I noticed that the sensation is more felt after drinking coffee or tea. It can be absent or unnoticeable for some time (a few days), then it comes back, mostly when I wonder "if I'm still feeling it"...

For people anxious about cancer, please consider the following. Firstly, if after quitting you experience a certain symptom that you never had in your decades of smoking, the first thing you should suspect is that it is linked to withdrawal. As it appears abundantly on that forum (and elsewhere), withdrawal brings a huge variety of side-effects and may last long. Secondly, anxiety plays a huge role in what we're going through. Anxiety itself can cause physical problems such as spasms, dyspnea (shortness of breath), pain everywhere, increased body temperature... Quitting smoking increases anxiety and make us more sensitive to hypochondria, for instance. And the more anxious we are, the more we are likely to experience odd physical sensations and self-diagnose ourselves with all sorts of horrible diseases. Thirdly, cancer remains very unusual in younger subjects, even smokers. Fourthly, it appears that smokers greatly overestimate their risks of premature death from cancer. In fact, most smokers won't die prematurely from any cancer (but of course, obstructive lung diseases and heart diseases shall not be forgotten). That perceptual distortion probably comes from the incessant, omnipresent, emphasized association that is now made between smoking, cancer and death. (Sure, there's a real causal effect between cigarette and cancer, but "cancer" doesn't always mean "you'll die at 45". Most of the time, cancers will appear in the last 10-15 years of life and most patients will survive it by at least 5 years, if not heal).

So, let's calm down, that's the whole message.  When they say quitting is hard, it's damn right. It's so much more than mere mood swings! It's insidious. Anxiety, fears, phobias, hypochondria, sadness, depression, mysterious pain... that's all part of the game.

At least in my case, I can tell you that my sex drive has tripled since I have stopped. I feel like I have gained more control over my life and after a good workout at the gym, I'm definitely more energetic than I was before quitting.

Good luck folks, stay strong and smile!

Hi everyone....I can't believe how many people are experiencing the "anxiety lump in the throat". I quit smoking 10 days ago, smoked for 18 years about 1/2 pack a day. It's driving me CRAZY!!! I know it's anxiety, but will it ever go away? I really want it to stop. I'm handling the non smoking thing OK..and I know the feeling of this lump in my throat is due to the fact that I'm anxious about not having that smoke, but seriously though, how long can I expect to have this? I'm trying to walk, fresh air...stuff like that to make it go...but it doesn't, and everyday I wake up, it's still there. Augh, anyone?

Cheers,
Lisa

I quit after 43 years August 2 of this year. I will tell you how I did it and was it ever easy. I got a pretty bad sore throat and thought "I am sick of this c**p cause I couldn't smoke anyway" so I started back on my Chantix and ordered an electronic cigarette. The e-cig came two days later and I have not even thought about a cigarette since, I am absolutely amazed how well this worked!!! I have had 3 packs of cigarettes around me at all times and have never even considered lighting one up. Amazing, amazing, amazing, I am so happy. But the reason I am hear is because of the feeling of having a lump in my throat and hoping it goes away soon, I'm worried like everyone else more than anything, feel better now.

It does seem a little ironic to me that I am experiencing all the same symptoms; anxiety, lump in the throat, hot/cold, canker sores, nausea, aches, sore throat, itchiness, tired, unmotivated, palpitations, chest tightness, etc. I quit smoking 8 months ago and have been using an e cig so it isn't from quitting nicotine; also there are a lot of posts on this thread from people who were using patches and gum too. I figure all the terrible long term symptoms must be from getting off the other 3999 chemicals in cigarette smoke.

I was really relieved to see that what I am experiencing is not unusual, I just wish all the anti smoking groups would tell the truth about quitting smoking instead of painting such a rosy picture of 2 weeks and magically you are cured. I think a lot more people would be able to quit for the long haul if they went into it aware of what they would experience.

I was actually considering going back to cigarettes before I read this thread because I thought my e cig was causing these problems, my thanks to all who posted!

The lump in my throat did go away, and I think it was because of the pg in the e-cig so I bought pure vg and it quit. I am still smoke free and it has been 7 months, yeeeeeehaw but I do still use the e-cig. Good luck to all who do this, believe me it works!!!

Friends of mine have gone done with super-heavy flu within one day of non-smoking; me, I'm of the "oh my God, I'm having a heart attack" crazy heart palpitation demographic.
It's great to read that other people have the crazy heart thing after quitting smoking. But man, does this info blackout suck, good thing there are boards like this to share info. Otherwise we'd just have to listen to the lying doctors, that quitting smoking super reduces heart decease chances. And when you ask them "like what about all the people who got heart attacks right after quitting smoking? What about my heart palipitations?" They start mumbling and insinuating that you're nuts.
It's hard to quit when you feel like c**p and the machine's representatives are lying to you 'for your own good', but quitting is quitting.
I'd never be quitting if it wasn't for the cluster headaches. Smoking is great but cluster headaches suck. So I guess I'll have to go through all the trepidations and protests of my organism... I'll miss you, tobacco, haha

ive recently quit im now geting pain when i take deep breaths is this normAL

Oh wow, this thread helped me so much!! I have been smoking for 3 years now, and I decided to quit. Now of course, at first, having money in the wallet and the shop being 60 meters from my house I would break my "clean living" and buy a pack after 3 or 4 days of non smoking, then I would not smoke for half a weak, and buy a pack again... Anyway, I got really scared when I started feeling strange, "largeness" in my throat, it felt like there is something in there that should not be. I was sure it must be cancer... This board is a life saver, I was about to go on a serious grief drinking bender.

I have been smoke free for 16 months thanks to the e-cig which i still use occasionally. The lump in my throat finally went away thank goodness as it had me worried for awhile. I still cough up a little but not much and it isn't the color of tar so that is good. I am so glad I finally quit and wish all of you the best.

I freaked out!! Smoked two packs a day, quit cold turkey as my 71st birthday gift to myself, early January..cig cough went away immediately, but up popped this "froggy" throat. Still the same; won't subside, even with lozenges, cough candies and cough syrup. I'm relieved to read about the phenomena. Otherwise, I'd probably be back smoking and eliminating this constant throat-clearing. Wish me luck.

WOW - Like so many have already said: I'm so glad to have found this thread. After smoking for almost forty years, I am now in the process of quitting. Over the past several weeks I had almost become convinced that I was too late, and that I had developed either Throat or Esophageal Cancer. I have been experiencing the same symptoms as so many have described here: sore throat, itchy-burning ears, a general sensation in the esophagus when swallowing or when hungry, random aches and pains in the arms and legs, and chronically tired.

... After reading all posts here, I did a little bit of research on the internet and have found some explanations to much of this. Without going into great detail, your body is Regenerating. Your mouth, throat, upper and lower GI tract, lungs, heart and circulatory system are all undergoing radical changes, and are developing new (and quite tender) tissue to replace the older chronically abused tissue which will all eventually be discarded.