Quit smoking a year ago - sick ever since!

This is my 30 day follow-up to my last post (4 posts back). I've been smoke-free for 4 months now and should also mention that I gave up alcohol, marijuana, and caffeine shortly after, which may be contributing to my symptoms. I'll post under this username from now on since I think it's important to come back and let everyone know how we are all doing and hopefully provide some hope. I'll try to update every month or so as long as this topic keeps going.

Symptoms that have gone away:

• Shortness of breath
• Sharp pain in ribs
• Metallic taste in mouth
• Acid reflux / GERD
• Diarrhea / constipation

Symptoms that have improved, but are not completely gone:

• Anxiety
• Foggy head
• Light headedness
• Clogged ears
• Tightness in chest
• Chest, back, and groin pain
• Pain / cramps in arms
• Hypochondria

Symptoms I am still experiencing:

• Depression
• Headaches / sinus pressure
• Joint pain in knees/shoulders
• Pain / cramps in legs
• Vision issues (constant blurryness, halos around lights, floaters)
• Early waking insomnia (this is by far the worst)
• Shaking, tremors at night

I'm wondering if I have underlying medical issues that I wasn't aware of and was self-medicating with substances. However, I've had an MRI, CT scans, blood work, numerous other tests, and nothing has shown up. My doctor thinks I have an anxiety disorder and prescribed me anti-depressants. This is frustrating for me because I've never had an issue with anxiety before, and my anxiety has significantly calmed down, yet some of the symptoms are still quite severe and scary. However, at a certain point I just need to count my blessings and learn to deal with ongoing symptoms and hope they go away.

I have continued to diet, exercise, and take supplements which all seem to help. I'm going to see an eye doctor and dentist this month to see if I can find an explanation for the eye issues and headaches. Overall I can tell things are getting better. It's only been 4 months and I've read plenty of posts on here with people not feeling better until 9-12 months or more, so I'm still hopeful. Thank you to everyone who has shared their stories and especially to those who have come back and updated us! Keep up the good fight!

I quit smoking 6 months ago. I gained 20 lbs., my body is always sore, I have extreme fatigue. I have not woke up feeling good one day since I quit. I had smoked two packs a day for the past ten years but have been smoking for 28 years total. What can I do to get some kind of energy and lose the body aches?

I'm almost at 3 years quit and the anxiety is still there from time to time. Never had these feelings while smoking. Who knew it was hiding the anxiety all this time? Other than that, I feel normal and glad I no longer smoke. Hang in there the depression, pains all go away. Try Country Life Omega Mood. It worked great for me and had great reviews. Good luck. Keith

i quit 1 and a half years ago but i feel worse now than i did smoking. i get constant palpitations, weird tunnel vision sorta headache, chest feels really tight, muscles hurts especially neck back and shoulders and all this gets worse when doin normal chores like going outside. iv stopped smoking because i had a panic attack 8 years ago on weed which has opened doors to all kinds of mental and now phsycal problems. I had a bit of o c d before all this but now thats gone i have all this. been to the docs who gave me a ecg, ekg, blood test, lung tests and xray but after all that said they cant find nothin serious and that its most likely anxiety. its stopped me from doin everythin.

I am in my 8th week of quitting. I smoked approx 10-12 cigarrettes a day.... forty years. Besides the cravings (which are so hard!) I just got back from the doctor - felt like my throat was closing ! Ends up she thinks it's post nasal drip so gave me some Omnaris Drops and told me that should clear it up. Download the 'smoke free' app for your phone - it will tell you how many days you have been quit, life regained, money saved. It helps. Get lots of exercise - in my case I joined a gym, switched my morning coffee for a protein smoothie and started journal ling 1 month before I quit - started the mindset early (this is my second and final attempt). I watched both my mom and dad die 2015 from smoking related disease. Although sometimes it takes a while for your body to recover after being poisoned for so long, don't be discouraged. You're doing the right thing. Reward yourself in some way. Sincerely, Cheryl

Me too! It's getting worse by the day. I knew sum gunk would release from my lungs but from day 4 on I'm hacking nose running D taste buds are not working as they did before.

Thats great im off 4 weeks today and its hard

I have gone thru the same it's been 2 months with no smoking I'm a mess anxiety there must be something I can take besides anti-depressant I'm not going there myou doctor gave me low dose xanax which does help I cut them in half only took 4 in a month. Hope this goes away quick I won't light up again not worth it.

Dont take any meds. It will increase the symptoms, just fight through it, it will pass. Believe me.. Im on my 5th month.. No meds

It has been over a year since I quit smoking and I have been sick ever since. Any reason why?

I'm going through this too--pressure behind the eyes, foggy head feeling, headaches, anxiety. Going on 4 months now. I know this post is old, but curious if this ever improved for you?

Can u describe that anxiety feeling??

the one thing that pi**es me off is the fact the me n my bro quit just about the same time, smoked for roughly the same amount of time also just the same amount of cigs and nothin has happened to him. all day long not so much as a sniff. ME ?? oh well i have palpitations, out of no where, only some and sometimes the whole day.

Its been 1.6 years that ive stopped and its real when ppl on here say the pace of recovery. Ive smoked for 14 years, had a panic attack on weed 7 years ago wich made everythin worse, i just about got my self together as id recovered from the anxiety from the weed quite abit so thought knock the cigs aswell. only to be bought back down.

i will admit tho its no where near as bad as it wos when all this started. I still remember i wos fine one moment then all of a sudden i started gettin the shivers, hot and cold flushes, head thumpin, anxiety (all this came in one go and wos a week or so into the quit). Ever since then it has become slightly better but only on the fact that something gets better for somethin else to become worse.

Iv been to the docs, had loads of test and even the doc goes look its just anxiety. BUT for me the anxiety mostly is phisycal wich in turn makes the anxiety even worse.

kindly can ppl update whats happening to them, im afraid of smokin again and will do if the cigs are able to take all this away.

 

Dont.. Smoking again will be no difference.. Anxiety? You have it.. You just have to accept it.

Hiii
Thanx for replyin, i dont mind havin it just as long as it will go away. aeems as its gettin worse. Will it go away ??