Quit smoking a year ago - sick ever since!

I quit 5 years go after 35 years man sick? yes lol first day had to have   heart check  chest pains we now think from  the patch.. started on the strongest patch.. tired headache, etc felt just awful for one year to be exact.. BUT  let it be known it was so worth it even with the weight gain :) my hubby says if its that bad I will sooner smoke(((excuses excuses) no more out in freezing weather to smoke no more stinky clothes, now I feel like I have respect of my friends and family .. until I did   this, I had not much sympathy for alcholics and drug users ..( the ones that talked about quiting) now I do feel for them BUT I now kno it can be done.. see im a former drug addict so I kno ((nicotine))  never say I will try , SAY I WILL DO THIS.. THE DAY i WENT TO MY FIRST CLASS I told every one that would listen this my last day as  a smoker.. I dont want to be known as someone that cant do what she sets out to do.. bottle water.. and my pc was my crutch.. thomas the train says I think I can , I think I can.....good luck to all and yes most important ask  GOD to  help, I promise he will, if your sincere

After my last post I went away for a weeks holiday which certainly helped with the fatigue, I've now been off the cigs for 11 weeks and am starting to feel a little better, still get the horrible taste in my mouth sometimes but it's improving. Whats really worrying me now is the random bouts of diahorrea, 3 times since quitting for no apparent reason, don't feel ill but it's annoying, has ayone else suffered from this, have an appointment with my doc on Tuesday just to see what he says but would like to know if this is common.

@shariatlanta its normal to have digestion problems and indeigestion. i usually had to run to the restroom after taking a cup of coffee etc which wasnt the case before i quit smokes.. but all this gets better after some more weeks/months. am currently out traveling in europe on work and have mild abdominal pains..but like everything else these too will pass....so i just ignore them.( i had ultra sound tests done last month,came clear).. i still have a bad taste in my mouth sometimes..actually often in the mornings.. i just put a clove in my mouth or something like a mint and go on with the days work...you cant keep worrying u know..for every small thing....none of the docs went to with all this.. thought it was serious... they did advice me to take vitamins if i felt weak . take yr vitamins( C and B specially). eat lighter kind of food. cut down on coffee if u drink it. stay cheerful... keep connecting here with all in case u feel upset or worried. @other posters: Thanks for your feedback. it really helps to know that there are others out there who have come out of the end of this tunnel and are now healthy and happy:)

Well,im in the same boat as all of you.I quit 9 weeks ago and im on my secold cold/flu. Im constantly blowing my nose and hacking, with a sore throat ! I just want it to stop,i will never go back to smoking.

Obviously I'm not responding to the original poster because it was originally posted 6 years ago! She's either smoking again or issues are resolved (hopefully!). But I do want to comment because I feel like I am not unique in some recent symptoms I've been having that are very similar to the original posters'. 

@guest poster of 5/9/11 8:54 AM i have had the same feeling as u since more than a couple of months now and i am in my 6th month of quit. i find it best to deal with it by being mentally absorbed in some activity which keeps my mind occupied and away from thoughts of doom . depression feeds itself. brain chemistry has been altered by smoking for so long. it will heal given time. so relax and take it easy. take care and stay on course.

Hi Everyone,

I have quit for a month and have been feeling terrible as well. Depression, anxiety and I had such terrible heart palpitations at night for hours on end - truly terrifying. At any rate, after reading through all of the posts here, I realized that many of the symptoms that everyone here is experiencing are also the same symptoms as B12 deficiency. I was diagnosed with a B12 deficiency 2 years ago, and at the time, I really felt that I was dying. After a couple of months of weekly B12 injections (I self-inject and will need to for the rest of my life), I felt better than I had in a decade. After quitting smoking, many of the same deficiency symptoms returned, and after reading the posts here, I decided to increase the frequency of my shots.  It's only been a week and I feel immediate relief! No more palpitations, depression and anxiety seem to have lifted. I hope this is permanent. Still feeling abdominal bloating though. I'm wondering if something about the recovery process depletes B12 levels. B12 is water soluble, so you don't need to worry about taking too much. You can take it in a pill form or a subligual tablet that is dissolved under your tongue. I'm not sure this is the solution, but I think it may be worth a try. Here are the symptoms of B12 deficiency:

More severe cases can give vitamin b12 deficiency symptoms, which include:

Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet Insomnia Loss of memory Dizziness Lack of balance Depression Digestive problems Dizziness Liver enlargement Eye problems Headaches Hallucinations Inflamed tongue Breathing difficulties Loss of memory Palpitations Neurological damage Tinitus or ringing in the ears

Good luck! I hope this works for you.

Susan

I feel awful!!!! It's been two weeks now since I quit with the exceptions of cheating a few times.  But it's been 3 days of quiting completely.  I am so depressed!!!!!!!!!!!  It scares me  to the point where I don't even want to be here.  I'm terrified!!!! This is not good and I don't know what to do.  I have a child to care for.  Things are not easier that my husband is trying to quit too and going through his own depression.  Lately we have been at each other, cursing and insulting each other!  It's terrible that my daughter is seeing this!!!!!!!!!1  So what do I do???????????  During this time I am going insane and my beautiful daughter is experiencing such ugliness.  This alone adds to my depression!!! I do at time feel, like let me just have one to take off the edge but I know that this will set off a reaction to want to smoke more and more.  HELP THIS FEELS HELLISH!  The withdrawal symptoms are painful for me mostly mentally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I quit smoking 10 weeks ago after more than 40 years of a pack-a-day habit. Oddly enough, I have no respiratory complaints, sore throats or infections, but I have never felt worse in my entire life.  I  feel like I am dying, literally. I am so tired, I struggle to get out of bed. I feel like I am carrying 100 pounds on my back all the time. I am dizzy and weak, my arms and legs are tingling, my ears are ringing, and I hurt all over. I have a constant feeling of panic, my eyes are sensitive to the light, my mind is foggy, I wake up frequently with heart palpitations, and my mood swings are almost psychotic. I have been to the doctor and had countless blood tests, MRI's and ultrasounds. So far, all they have found is a vitamin D deficiency. I am taking prescription supplements, but I do not feel any better. I drink at least a gallon of water every day, trying to flush the toxins out of my body. 

And, despite the fact that I consume only 1000-1200 calories/day, and force myself to walk 45 minutes daily, I have gained over 10 pounds. I am used to being lean, agile and energetic, but now I feel like I am being strangled by rolls of fat and every motion is a struggle. This is a nightmare. I am beginning to think I was better off smoking. I am so depressed I can't decide if I would prefer a cigarette or a bullet. I certainly hope this gets better, soon, because I don't think I can take this much longer.

i understand exactly what your saying, I stopped smoking almost 4 months ago after smoking for about 10 years. at first i couldnt sleep, had headaches, body pains among with other things, but my breathing has gotten lots better. about three weeks ago i starting feeling better, then this last week, it has all come back, the tingling in body, and headaches that come and go really fast, and once in a while it seems like my hands are a little shakey. not sure what to do. anyone has any suggestions? thanks

once again, dont panic or get into a downward spiral of anxiety and dperession.  whatever is happening is  because you have some confusion in the metabolism now that u quit   nicotine   dependence. i quit alcohol too  an year ago  as i have fatty liver  and so i am facing double the difficulty but i am not giving up.... try some Tulsi tea in warm water and   also drink lemon juice everyday...  the detox process itself can give u many weird symtoms  ..u just have to ride over them.    Go see a doctor if u really feel that some tests need to be done.

i have shaky hands too   now and then   but it only gets worse if  i start to dwell on it. when i  am doing other stuff( occupied)  i dont feel ill at all.  :) take  a nerve supplement like  a multi vitamin B complex. it helps coz it supports the liver and lot of smokers may have a weak  liver( its not  just alcohol that harms  the liver)

its possible  with every season change  yr withdrawl process may send u back into previously faced  symptoms..i am giving this another year  for my body to retune.

eat healthy light and fresh  food.and drink lots of water( not cold).
good luck to all.!!

My husband and I quit smoking 7 weeks ago, and although I found it the hardest initially (I felt like I was going crazy, all over the place emotionally, crying etc) I seem to have evened out somewhat but my husband is finding it very hard.  I think if he went to the Dr he'd be diagnosed with depression.  We can't stop fighting as we're both so short tempered, and I'm worried for my marriage.  On several occasions, my husband has said he wants to start smoking again just to stop feeling so unhappy and to stop us fighting.  We're both exercising (although we could do more) and eating relatively well, drinking loads of water and taking vitamins... will medication help? should we go down that road?  Please help!  When will it end?!!!

@ guest (post 6/16/11 8:31 AM)

  Congrats on your quit!  It takes  around an year for these things to taper off... you have to hold out  till then. i have heard its  easier to quit while on the patch.

Perhaps you should consult a doctor who deals with withdrawls/rehab. A regular doctor may simply not accept  your problems to be  from withdrawl.

good luck and Godbless.

its good to see the progress people are making over time and not nice to hear what some are going through... i hope all the best....