I quit 6 months ago and it has been one thing after another the first month I felt horrible my chest hurt I got sick with 102 fever... Then I was getting alot of heartburn something I never got when I was smoking plus chest pain back pain and it was hard to get enough air in so I went to a lung doctor and he said that I had stomach acid reflex put me on pills and a inhaler. Still couldn't get enough air in so 6 weeks later went back and now I have asthma !!!!! On yet another inhaler!!! I hear that it takes a year to feel better so I hoping that's true!!! I quit smoking so I can feel better!!!! Good luck to everyone!!!
@guest (above)
you should try breathing exercises from yoga. specially kapalbhati. video can be seen on youtube. if you do it regularly i think the asthama attack will stay away. but u must do regularly :)
you should try breathing exercises from yoga. specially kapalbhati. video can be seen on youtube. if you do it regularly i think the asthama attack will stay away. but u must do regularly :)
Im in the sixth month of quittin, up until now its been hard but this last month as been hell wakin up at three in morn not being able to get back asleep up at 7,keep cryin aching body feel absolutely worthless heads in a total mess walking about like a zombie all day,thought i was goin mental til Ifound this site av read all the posts,cried bcos everones goin thru same as me an imnot goin crazy,really glad Icame across this site,like people av said noone tells you all of this, im from uk and somebody as recomended Bach rescue remedy drops , herbal,so you dont get addicted, to help with the anxiousness cos im bad with this.this site as really helped,I wish everyone well on this very hard journey,keep tellin meself come this far dont let this win and I wont,in my mind i see a picture of myself in a hospital bed with my chiildren round an me with a oxygen mask onnot a very good sight i kno but its kept me focused for six months to say im never nna touch another cig again just gotta get thru this sh'[0 ,boy that was a rant but feel better,good luck everyone an keep strong and focused
STAY STRONG!!!! i've quit for 1 year now..smoked for 15 years 1 to 2 packs a day... last yr decided to quit smoking cold turkey!!!! befrore 3 weeks safari trip to South Africa wanted to enjoy life( africa is beautiful BTW clean air nice people).. all was fine and dandy til i got home all hell broke loose..it started with a lil cold stuffy nose, slightly high temperature...in one week came the chest congestion coughing up chunks after chunks of phlegms..massive flu like symptoms (shortness of breath, chest always tight, back spasm, Heartburn, Sore Throat/strep throat, anxiety, trouble sleeping, neck pain headaches digestive issues diarrhea, constipation!!!) WTF man i felt like i was dying..after a week of OTC meds didn't work....went to the Doctors he thought Flu or pneumonia, he wanted to prescribe some antibotics til i told him i just quit smoking for a month or so...he cancelled the order and sent me home told me i was just detoxin' advised me to rest, exercise frequently, eat more fruits/veggies and drink lots of fluid
I Thought he was an id**t..so went to another doctor demanded chest xrays CT scan blood test the Works dammit!!!..all results came up A-OK...
the 1st Doctor was right my body was detoxing'..slowly the symptoms went away... it took about9 to 11 months before almost all the c**p cleared up....i still have minor heartburn issues and throat feels tight..was told it's the mucus/phlegm from the lungs finally clearing up properly and draining thru the throat into the stomach...which causes an increase in stomach acid!!!! ..believe me i was shocked to find that out.when I was smoking i never got heartburn in my whole life
so i changed my diet, run/jog 3 times a week and added some vitamins to the program all is well now
i can't believe cigarettes can do so much to screw up one's body...but i'm winning
you got hope myfriend...good luck stay strong pray God will help
Thank you for your post !! Just reading everything you went through I kinda feel better that there is hope! I do have an appointment with a cardiologist tomorrow for an echo and stress test . Man I think I have been to every specialist there is!! Just reading what you wrote maybe everything I have been feeling is from the withdrawing from smoking! I was a 1-1/2 a pack a day smoker for 35 years. I am very happy that I quit , there are some days when I have no aches or pains and I am like wow I really do feel great ! I am trying to excersise more and when I do I feel good! And yes it's amazing how cigarettes can do so much to screw up ones body!!! I have not smoked in 7 months and will not smoke ever again! As much as I don't want the time to go fast......lol this is the one time that I want this year to be done !!
Hi,
I quit cold turkey, I am 40 years old and smoked about 15-20 smokes a day for 25 years.
I am at the two month mark since smoking my last cigarette.
Symptoms and sufferences within the last two months include 5-6 weeks of debilitating, daily and constant dizziness, diareah for about 3 to 4 weeks including blood in stool (tested for bowel cancer; all clear), productive cough mostly in morning and mid afternoon showing tar and yuck in phlegm, blood in sinuses of a morning off and on.... and still continuing, blocked or fullness feeling in left ear comes and goes sometimes with a little dull ache, post nasal drip and various little niggly aches and pains. Yes I have had some anxiety too and a little weight gain. I have also coughed up a little blood streaked mucos which led to a CT scan of my chest and lungs and thankfully no sign of lung cancer (blood most likely draining from sinuses in to chest).
I have been tested for bowel cancer, brain tumors (relating to the dizziness) and now lung cancer all within the last two months. Thank God, dear, wonderful, amazing God that everything has tested okay and there is NO sign of any cancers. As a father of three little boys aged 3.5 years and under I have literally been through hell these past two months with worry but I am still so glad that I have stopped smoking. Oh.... cutting out gluten from my diet seems to have fixed my dizziness issues too incase anyone else is looking for a solution to that problem. I had two lots of blood tests looking for answers to the dizziness along with the CT scan too. It has taken a few weeks of being utterly gluten free to fix the dizziness though so stay vigilent if you try it.
Everyone says it but I again re-enforce it; EXERCISE AND LOTS OF WATER. You need to sweat to get rid of toxins more quickly.
Quitting smoking is NOTHING like the TV adds and media paints it out to be. My body went into severe shock and it appears to have affected every part of me physically and emotionally. It can bring out underlying auto immune deseases such as diabetes, celiac desease, MS etc and it can take alot longer than a couple of weeks to go through...... which is what most websites and the medical profession will tell you.
BUT.......... quitting smoking is still the best thing I have ever done and I AM now breathing better and I am able run like the wind and my complection is rosey and I no longer cough all day every day. There is good and there is bad but for the long term..... LONG term.... I know it will all be good.
Hang in there, dont panic too much and if you are concerned about something: GO TO A DOCTOR and face it, deal with it.
I pray everyone reading this thread makes it through this incredible challenge and I hope we all live long, productive, successful, happy and HEALTHY lives.
My story - AMEN.
I quit cold turkey, I am 40 years old and smoked about 15-20 smokes a day for 25 years.
I am at the two month mark since smoking my last cigarette.
Symptoms and sufferences within the last two months include 5-6 weeks of debilitating, daily and constant dizziness, diareah for about 3 to 4 weeks including blood in stool (tested for bowel cancer; all clear), productive cough mostly in morning and mid afternoon showing tar and yuck in phlegm, blood in sinuses of a morning off and on.... and still continuing, blocked or fullness feeling in left ear comes and goes sometimes with a little dull ache, post nasal drip and various little niggly aches and pains. Yes I have had some anxiety too and a little weight gain. I have also coughed up a little blood streaked mucos which led to a CT scan of my chest and lungs and thankfully no sign of lung cancer (blood most likely draining from sinuses in to chest).
I have been tested for bowel cancer, brain tumors (relating to the dizziness) and now lung cancer all within the last two months. Thank God, dear, wonderful, amazing God that everything has tested okay and there is NO sign of any cancers. As a father of three little boys aged 3.5 years and under I have literally been through hell these past two months with worry but I am still so glad that I have stopped smoking. Oh.... cutting out gluten from my diet seems to have fixed my dizziness issues too incase anyone else is looking for a solution to that problem. I had two lots of blood tests looking for answers to the dizziness along with the CT scan too. It has taken a few weeks of being utterly gluten free to fix the dizziness though so stay vigilent if you try it.
Everyone says it but I again re-enforce it; EXERCISE AND LOTS OF WATER. You need to sweat to get rid of toxins more quickly.
Quitting smoking is NOTHING like the TV adds and media paints it out to be. My body went into severe shock and it appears to have affected every part of me physically and emotionally. It can bring out underlying auto immune deseases such as diabetes, celiac desease, MS etc and it can take alot longer than a couple of weeks to go through...... which is what most websites and the medical profession will tell you.
BUT.......... quitting smoking is still the best thing I have ever done and I AM now breathing better and I am able run like the wind and my complection is rosey and I no longer cough all day every day. There is good and there is bad but for the long term..... LONG term.... I know it will all be good.
Hang in there, dont panic too much and if you are concerned about something: GO TO A DOCTOR and face it, deal with it.
I pray everyone reading this thread makes it through this incredible challenge and I hope we all live long, productive, successful, happy and HEALTHY lives.
My story - AMEN.
I quit smoking almost 8 months ago, cold turkey, after a 40 year, pack a day plus habit. This is my 1st ever quit and now I understand why people start smoking again. I am seriously thinking of starting up again. Just recently I dreamed of smoking, and have begun to think about it like I did in the first weeks of my quit. I've gone through the gamut of symptoms and am tiring of the fight. I have absolutely no energy and am low on patience. It's like cigarettes have some kind of energy booster in them. I used to keep such a clean house and now I just don't care to or get extremely agitated when I do clean. I used to be such a loving, caring, involved person and now I just want to hibernate because I get so angry at everyone. It's almost like I'm seeing things/people differently now and I don't like it. I'd like to know if anyone else has or is feeling this way after quitting for 7 plus months. I would really appreciate any and all comments. Thanks.
This is YOUR chance and for holding strong for 8 months...... after 40 years.... you are amazing. I have just recently been to my doctor and it is now apparent that I am suffering from anxiety. I think many of my struggles and even some of my physical symptoms over the past two months have actually stemmed from my underlying anxiety. Whilst smoking, we receive regular little boosts of dopamine and other 'feel good' hormones and chemicals which are triggered by the nicotine effecting our neurotransmitters in our brain. Imagine how accustomed your body and natural systems are to this falsified trigger and release after 40 years?! Now you have stopped smoking your body has no idea how to do this function properly, effectively and naturally. It WILL re-learn and get this right in time but it is going to take time. How Long? There is no way to know I'm affraid. But it WILL. I would suggest and infact plead with you to talk to your doctor about whether anxiety or other psychological issues could be at play before you bow again to the dreaded cigarettes. This is your chance to be free....... do what ever it takes to stay off them. Even if that means taking some form of anti-depressant or doing some therapy for some time. I wish you strength and wisdom and every best wish to remain smoke free and regain your health and sense of normality very soon.
AndyGee wrote:
its great to hear folks can quit after so many years. yes stay strong and on track. just remember that it may take symptoms a few years to go away. somebody told me upto 4 years in case of a heavy and long term smoker. but i can tell you if u exercise and eat right and drink water as mentioned above you will gradually feel better...do not be beaten down by anxiety attacks, digestive disorders and pains etc.. theres too many to list. all not directly from quit but maybe the unmasking of existing ailments which were so far unnoticed.
pls follow a strict diet that is good for your liver( liver has to detox your body and the liver has been punished by smoking)- this is the golden rule.!!
exercise as much as you are able to without falling sick from exhaustion
do some breathing exercises daily
most of all keep smiling and laff a lot.
wish you the best ,
and thanks all those who have been supportive to each other here!!
Quote:
I quit smoking almost 8 months ago, cold turkey, after a 40 year, pack a day plus habit. This is my 1st ever quit and now I understand why people start smoking again. I am seriously thinking of starting up again. Just recently I dreamed of smoking, and have begun to think about it like I did in the first weeks of my quit. I've gone through the gamut of symptoms and am tiring of the fight. I have absolutely no energy and am low on patience. It's like cigarettes have some kind of energy booster in them. I used to keep such a clean house and now I just don't care to or get extremely agitated when I do clean. I used to be such a loving, caring, involved person and now I just want to hibernate because I get so angry at everyone. It's almost like I'm seeing things/people differently now and I don't like it. I'd like to know if anyone else has or is feeling this way after quitting for 7 plus months. I would really appreciate any and all comments. Thanks.
This is YOUR chance and for holding strong for 8 months...... after 40 years.... you are amazing. I have just recently been to my doctor and it is now apparent that I am suffering from anxiety. I think many of my struggles and even some of my physical symptoms over the past two months have actually stemmed from my underlying anxiety. Whilst smoking, we receive regular little boosts of dopamine and other 'feel good' hormones and chemicals which are triggered by the nicotine effecting our neurotransmitters in our brain. Imagine how accustomed your body and natural systems are to this falsified trigger and release after 40 years?! Now you have stopped smoking your body has no idea how to do this function properly, effectively and naturally. It WILL re-learn and get this right in time but it is going to take time. How Long? There is no way to know I'm affraid. But it WILL. I would suggest and infact plead with you to talk to your doctor about whether anxiety or other psychological issues could be at play before you bow again to the dreaded cigarettes. This is your chance to be free....... do what ever it takes to stay off them. Even if that means taking some form of anti-depressant or doing some therapy for some time. I wish you strength and wisdom and every best wish to remain smoke free and regain your health and sense of normality very soon.
its great to hear folks can quit after so many years. yes stay strong and on track. just remember that it may take symptoms a few years to go away. somebody told me upto 4 years in case of a heavy and long term smoker. but i can tell you if u exercise and eat right and drink water as mentioned above you will gradually feel better...do not be beaten down by anxiety attacks, digestive disorders and pains etc.. theres too many to list. all not directly from quit but maybe the unmasking of existing ailments which were so far unnoticed.
pls follow a strict diet that is good for your liver( liver has to detox your body and the liver has been punished by smoking)- this is the golden rule.!!
exercise as much as you are able to without falling sick from exhaustion
do some breathing exercises daily
most of all keep smiling and laff a lot.
wish you the best ,
and thanks all those who have been supportive to each other here!!
In a few days it will be 4 months since I quit cold turkey on my own.I am experiencing your symptoms along with throat clearing to get rid of phlegm.An dry a lot of the time.Wake up around 4 A>M> with depressing thoughts almost every morning.I know it's been only 4 months but I hope things improve a little soon although from the posts I know I have to put up with the symptoms of withdrawal much longer.I guess what you've put in over thirty years is not going to purge itself in 4 months.I'll keep believing it will get better.
It's been a little under a month for me. I suffered from depression but appear to have beat it (as well as some physical discomfort) by changing to a paleolithic diet. There's a lot of information about this on the web. Basically you cut out all junk food, wheat and dairy - then eat primarily fruits, veggies, lean meat (mostly fish), nuts if you're not allergic, and only drink water. Finally, on days that you get no sunlight, take a vitamin D and calcium supplement. This has helped me tremendously. No guarantees, but, certainly worth a shot! Unfortunately, I'm still feeling tightness in my lungs but hopefully this will get better.
Quote:
Quote:I too was sick for over a year, actually first day such chest pains dr ordered EKG, heartburn as I have never known , to this day I still get heart burn in the most painful way, chest, jaw, upper back, but I am smoke free going on 6 years and I feel great about myself.. I also was so tired felt like flu for a year.. body was telling me something.. just glad it was'nt my doctor telling me worse, so good luck hang in there never use the awful feelings as an excuse to start up, because what could lie ahead could be much worse ..
I quit 6 months ago and it has been one thing after another the first month I felt horrible my chest hurt I got sick with 102 fever... Then I was getting alot of heartburn something I never got when I was smoking plus chest pain back pain and it was hard to get enough air in so I went to a lung doctor and he said that I had stomach acid reflex put me on pills and a inhaler. Still couldn't get enough air in so 6 weeks later went back and now I have asthma !!!!! On yet another inhaler!!! I hear that it takes a year to feel better so I hoping that's true!!! I quit smoking so I can feel better!!!! Good luck to everyone!!!
STAY STRONG!!!! i've quit for 1 year now..smoked for 15 years 1 to 2 packs a day... last yr decided to quit smoking cold turkey!!!! befrore 3 weeks safari trip to South Africa wanted to enjoy life( africa is beautiful BTW clean air nice people).. all was fine and dandy til i got home all hell broke loose..it started with a lil cold stuffy nose, slightly high temperature...in one week came the chest congestion coughing up chunks after chunks of phlegms..massive flu like symptoms (shortness of breath, chest always tight, back spasm, Heartburn, Sore Throat/strep throat, anxiety, trouble sleeping, neck pain headaches digestive issues diarrhea, constipation!!!) WTF man i felt like i was dying..after a week of OTC meds didn't work....went to the Doctors he thought Flu or pneumonia, he wanted to prescribe some antibotics til i told him i just quit smoking for a month or so...he cancelled the order and sent me home told me i was just detoxin' advised me to rest, exercise frequently, eat more fruits/veggies and drink lots of fluidI Thought he was an id**t..so went to another doctor demanded chest xrays CT scan blood test the Works dammit!!!..all results came up A-OK...the 1st Doctor was right my body was detoxing'..slowly the symptoms went away... it took about9 to 11 months before almost all the c**p cleared up....i still have minor heartburn issues and throat feels tight..was told it's the mucus/phlegm from the lungs finally clearing up properly and draining thru the throat into the stomach...which causes an increase in stomach acid!!!! ..believe me i was shocked to find that out.when I was smoking i never got heartburn in my whole lifeso i changed my diet, run/jog 3 times a week and added some vitamins to the program all is well nowi can't believe cigarettes can do so much to screw up one's body...but i'm winningyou got hope myfriend...good luck stay strong pray God will help
i am 27, i went cold turkey about 8 months ago and still feel like sh*t!! head aches, migranes, anxiety??? i also get tired fast, i thort by stopping i would be more better off but looks like you have to go through 1 whole year of being soo f*** up its not worth it!
now im stuck i dnt crave for ciggys but hav hard time with all the symptons im goin through.... when does this stop??? any body that acually have turnd back to normal??????????????????????????????????????
I have stopped for slightly over 4 months.I also don't feel very good.Still clearing throat a lot. At times I feel very depressed and experience anxiety attacks quite often.Was rarely short of breath before quitting but sometimes it occurs now.I was never very good at handling stress but now am even worse.At times I have to tell myself it't only benn a little over 4 months and in a year or so I will begin to feel better.Others have and yet others have taken over a year.Right now,as hard as it seems, I have to take it a day at a time.Hang in there.
I am almost five months quit and have basically the same type feelings along with the usual coughing throat clearing and weight gain.I will sometimes have a decent day every couple of weeks, then back to the same.Have you experiuenced any improvement?J