Quit smoking a year ago - sick ever since!

Hi Smokefree –

I remember reading about diabetes after you quit smoking awhile ago. My family has a history of diabetes. I might still become diabetic later in life because of my genetics. It just happens. I am not dwelling on it though because there are options in helping to control it. My father is type 2, grandpa on mom side wad type 1, my uncle is type 1, brother is type 2 and with proper maintenance they are happy and have a productive life style. It’s better than having chronic lung problems. I am not saying you are going to be diabetic but try not to dwell on it and slowly take steps in overcoming it if you are depressed.  It doesn’t just change overnight- you have to slowly take steps in improving it. Have happy thoughts – you are going to be fine.

I am not sure if you live in a rural area or in a bad area full of gangs but I can give you some pointers in motivating you to get some exercise. I live in a suburb and there are shopping centers everywhere. A good distance in every direction. I would carry my backpack and force myself to walk or ride my bike if I needed anything from the store. I pretty much ride my bike or walk everywhere now. I even ride my bike to the post office just to drop off my Netflix envelopes. Try to force yourself to not use your car. Trust me – it saves on gas and you’ll get exercise. Obviously, everyone’s life is different and it’s not logical for many because of children and family but if you plan a few days that you can walk to get something from a store - it can be beneficial. I pretty much only drive when I absolutely have to now.

Good Luck Bud. 

Today --> 25 May 2013

Start quitting --> 20 April 2012

Now --> 400 days (1 year 1 month 5 days)

--------------------------------------------------------------

--> Less anxiety.

--> Gas.

--> Chest and back body itching.

ROB,

Thats very good news!

So the digestive/stomach issues have all gone away?

ISTOP

Hi Istop,

It still lingers but hardly noticeable. I hardly notice any discomfort in my abdominal areas. I do have bouts of gas once in awhile and i think that is the main pain that is left. I am not sure if its still part of my recovery or simply the foods i eat that may effect me like any other non smoking normal person.

Its mainly anxiety for me and ive been trying to retrain my brain. I strained a chest muscle recently and the whole time i thought it was something worst and was going to die. Health Anxiety freaking sucks and it causes physical symptoms. I will get there though.

Oh my heavens -- I hate I'm not the only one going through this, but OMG! I'm not alone!!!  

I seriously considered restarting smoking again just to stop being sick all the time. 

Chest colds ... check

Sinus infections ... check

Full blown colds ... check

Tired all the time ... check

Gained weight ... check

Anxiety ... check (I won't do medication for this though)

Depression ... mild due to above ... check.

Feeling alone ... check. 

 

I'm already a diabetic, so I figured stopping smoking would help in that area. Natta.

Jolene, how long has it been for you? How much/how long did you smoke? Did you use anything to quit like the patch, nicotine gum, chantix? What effect did quitting have on your diabetes?

Smoking and weight gain: Since I quit smoking, if I do not work out for a week and eat what my family does, I gain 5 lbs. If I spend a week working out and following a diet of just lean meat and vegetables, I lose 5 lbs.

I'm coming up on 1 year smoke free in a few weeks, I'll write a big summary then,

Plent2d here again. Over 5 years later and never had another cigarette. Saved over $25,000 NZD and i am so much healthier. I hope this helps someone to quit. Best thing i ever did.....;)

Long story short: I quit smoking a year ago.  I had some issues – blood pressure got high for a bit, my digestive system seemed to not work as well, I started having heart palpitations.  Over time, those issues got better.  In hindsight, I’m glad I quit smoking even though I went through some rough patches.

Long story:

I’ve made it a year of being cigarette free.  According to an online calculator that tracks this kind of thing, I’ve saved $2010 and have not smoked 7311 cigarettes.  This message thread, and all you who have posted here, has helped me make it a year.  Thank you.  Here’s my story for posterity:

I’m male, I was 35 when I quit smoking after being a steady pack-a-day smoker for 18 years.  I did not lead the healthiest lifestyle – typical American, not a great diet, not enough exercise, but other than that, no remarkable health issues.

Quitting was rough.  Life a year later, free of cigarettes, is much better.  Here’s a summary of the issues I had, how long they lasted, and my best guess as to how I resolved them:

Months 1-6: Blood pressure spikes.  My BP is usually text book normal at just under 120/80.  For the first few months after quitting, I would have short term BP spikes lasting between 10 minutes and an hour.  The highest it got was 180/120 for about 15 minutes.  My doctor guessed they were caused by anxiety attacks.  Cigarettes were my way to deal with every day stress.  When I took that away, my body built up a lot of tension.  As the months went on, those spikes became less severe and spaced further apart.

Months 2-10: Digestive issues.  This seems to be a common complaint amongst us.  As a smoker, my digestive track could handle everything I threw at it.  Fish of questionable freshness to raw veggies with the fiber of tree bark…no problem.   Everything ran smoothly.  After I quit, suddenly everything was going through “fast and furious”.  This lasted for months.  I tried a multitude of things, what worked for me was cutting out sugar free gums and mints; eating 4 smaller meals a day instead of 3 bigger meals; never eating nothing within 3 hours of going to bed; consuming a probiotic (I used kefir, a milk/yogurt drink) and taking a prebiotic fiber supplement.  Things are just about back to normal.

Month 2-11: Heart palpitations.  I was diagnosed with ‘premature atrial contractions’.  Basically, something irritates my heart and causes extra heartbeats  In hindsight, these  were no more than an annoyance, however, they caused me a lot of worry…when you feel your heart not beating right, it kind of freaks you out.  My physician thinks they’re caused by stress.  They did come on a few days after stressful periods.  As I’ve learned better to cope with stress and relax, they’ve also been farther apart and less severe.  I’ve started taking a magnesium supplement (magnesium taurate) and an anti-inflammatory supplement (zyflamend) and I think those have helped.

When I decided to quit, I never knew these problems could happen.  Reading this message board has shown me these problems do happen.  If you’re going through a rough time, I want you to understand that it will most likely pass and you’ll be a better person for making it through.

I have been reading these posts for the past couple of weeks and just wanted to share my experiences since I quit smoking. I am 4 months smoke free.  I used the NRT patch for the first two months and figured I had gotten past the worst of it.  It was hard, but not as bad as I thought it would be.  I had quit once before about 8 years ago and the initial withdrawal symptoms seemed much worse.  I had used the patch and welbutrin that time and stupidly went back to smoking. 

I just turned 39 and smoked 10-15 cigarettes per day for 21 years, so I expected some detox period, but I had no idea it would take this long and involve so many issues.  I was doing fine while on the patch, but as soon as I stopped getting the nicotine, my body went crazy.  It didn’t help that I have been dealing with a lot of stress in my life, but my anxiety is off the charts. I was never a great sleeper, but now I get maybe 3-4 hours a night if I am lucky.  I feel like I am in a fog/dream world.  The anxiety comes in waves and has caused extreme physical tension in my muscles.  I started taking more vitamins and eating better as well as exercising (granted – I could do more), but still don’t feel myself.  I am going to stick it out, but would appreciate any advice on the sleeping and anxiety issues.  I really don’t want to start taking prescription pills, but I need to do something before I lose my mind.  Will it get better as the body detoxes?  I have also been constipated, but kind of expected that.  A little weight gain, but nothing to worry about.  I was in pretty good shape even when I smoked, so I am just surprised it is hitting me so hard.  It looks like many of you have gone through the same thing.  What helps with the tension – I have tried massage and might look into acupuncture.  Breathing exercises help, but some days are just so hard.  I think what hit me the hardest was that I expected to feel better, but actually look (acne – puffy eyes) and feel much worse.  My wife has been great, but she just doesn’t understand the pain and suffering I am going through.  I feel consumed by this and that makes me feel guilty because I am not giving my all to my loved ones.  I know it will get better, but I am really struggling right now.  Help!

After years working with detoxing addicts of all sorts we found Melatonin 6 mgs 30 mins to going to bed works well for most. Melatonin is what your body naturally produces to regulate sleep. It is important to have a regime where you prepare your subconscious to sleep. Google sleep hygiene. Good luck

The stress/anxiety I had were related to me keeping my emotions bottled up. They had no where to go, and were eating me from the inside. It got better when I started blowing off steam. When someone made me mad, I let me know. I started acting like a drill instructor. I became an a$$h0le for several months. I got the poison out of my system.

Hi guys – I am 11 months in today. I quit on July 12, 2012. One more month and I will be officially a year off of nicotine. I can’t wait – I’m going to celebrate with a carton of Marlboro Reds and cases of beer. Just Joking. But I am feeling all right – exercise helped me and I am still training my brain with this battle of anxiety. I don’t take any medication what so ever since I quit, so it’s been tough. Anxiety still lingers on and my body reacts very badly but overall I am glad I quit and I will never go back. For all the new quitters out there, it does get better, you have to fight it and be very patient. The mind is the hardest part, once you retrain your brain, you will be ok. I am still going through it but I am much better than before. Trust me, the early months was freaking hell.

On the guest above – you need to have a set routine at night to help you sleep. Exercise, drain yourself out, stretch, then take a LONG hot shower, do deep breathing exercises while showering, then got to bed and watch a positive show or movie. I would recommend you buy new comfortable linens for your bed as well. It helped for me, after my routine, I felt like I was sleeping on a cloud. Try to do it every night at roughly the same time. This method helped me with my sleeping problems. Constipation – you need to drink more water and consume chia seeds soaked in water. Don’t strain during bowel movements, you don’t want another problem with hemorrhoids, this will boost your anxiety even more. Stress can also disrupt your internals leading to constipation and that fog feeling. Trust me; I know what you mean by that. Throughout the day I felt like I was floating on a cloud, it’s hard to explain.

No one will understand our problems unless they were ex drug addicts. Yes, we were all drug addicts. So don’t bark at your wife if you get frustrated, it’s not her fault. Go take a walk. What helped me the most is trying to do things with your loved ones even more. I tried to spend every second I could with my loved ones during the early months. It was beneficial for me, but don’t be the annoying one that calls your friends every day.

Good luck to everyone; I will check in on my 1 year mark and give you another brief review on my year experience.

Hi Plent2d. Thank you so much for returning. I cant believe you came back and gave us an update. Hopefully, i will feel normal again soon. Stupid Anxiety. But Ill get there, like you, I feel alot healthier now.

OMG! I'm going through the same thing! I quit smoking 9 weeks ago and ever since then I have had the the burning in my lungs and airway…and Like you said, then there is a good day when I think maybe its gone, then BAM, the next day or out of the blue, it' s back again! Then I too notice when I go on long walks it makes it feel better! It's crazy.. and I never had this until I quit smoking. Now even smells hurt my lungs such as, soap, deodorant, hairspray, perfume, even cooking .. really any least little smell feels like it inflames my airway. The coughing I get is more like a bark and it hurts and the mucus productions is clear and only a little. I had a pulmonary function study on Monday and they said everything was perfect, that I don’t have emphysema. My Xray is clear as well. They drew blood from my artery and my gases where 100% perfect. I’m so tired of feeling like this in my chest….when will it ever go back to normal. I hope all this is my lungs way of healing, because I cant imagine going through this forever. It sucks that I felt better when I smoked!! Regardless, I’ve come this far and will never go back to killing myself with those poison sticks. Please anyone else that reads this, is anyone else going through this???