Been four months now and seems my voice is permanently 'pinched' and hoarse. smoked for 35 years...never had a cold...now I'm sick
I have always had allergies and a little hay fever, and until two weeks ago, I was a smoker. (used the Alan Carr book, which worked like a charm for my continuing resolve).
Anyway, recently, I have been having shortness of breath. Its a lot warmer out now (june in Oregon). In the past its lasted maybe a day, and then passed by evening, but I have been out of breath for 2 days now, and feeling not a little panicky sometimes. Some moments, my face or extremities feel tingly.
I'd go to a doctor. but I've had shorter bouts of this that have passed. Also, no health insurance :-(
Anyway, recently, I have been having shortness of breath. Its a lot warmer out now (june in Oregon). In the past its lasted maybe a day, and then passed by evening, but I have been out of breath for 2 days now, and feeling not a little panicky sometimes. Some moments, my face or extremities feel tingly.
I'd go to a doctor. but I've had shorter bouts of this that have passed. Also, no health insurance :-(
I have battled this for about 6 years now. The first PA I saw said my lungs were just clearing up and that things would get better. A pulmonologist later said he could find nothing physiologically wrong with me, after I insisted on a stress test to rule out cardiac problems. I am having a hard time right now. It's been raining in south Georgia and that's when it's the worst!
I'm on Singulair - bought 15 tablets because my deductible is so high - and I am also doing breathing treatments and staying calm. I'm going to quit with the Advair because I don't like bombarding my body with drugs and it costs a fortune. My pharmacist said that I needed to hit my albuterol at the first sign of symptoms and use it several times a day to ward off the attack. I believe that has helped.
I am thinking of everyone here. I was so looking forward to good health after quitting smoking, but this has been very taxing - mentally, physically, and emotionally. Another friend went through this when she quit and her doctor gave her Xanax - it was just her nerves. He later prescribed albuterol and Advair.
Asthma can be tough to treat and I don't think most doctors really understand it and how it varies from person to person.
I'm on Singulair - bought 15 tablets because my deductible is so high - and I am also doing breathing treatments and staying calm. I'm going to quit with the Advair because I don't like bombarding my body with drugs and it costs a fortune. My pharmacist said that I needed to hit my albuterol at the first sign of symptoms and use it several times a day to ward off the attack. I believe that has helped.
I am thinking of everyone here. I was so looking forward to good health after quitting smoking, but this has been very taxing - mentally, physically, and emotionally. Another friend went through this when she quit and her doctor gave her Xanax - it was just her nerves. He later prescribed albuterol and Advair.
Asthma can be tough to treat and I don't think most doctors really understand it and how it varies from person to person.
This is no coincidence- they put broncholiators in the cigarettes so that you don't feel the true effects on your lungs for awhile.
I quit smoking 1 1/2 years ago and never had asthma until I quit- diagnosed for the first time at age 30, started smoking at 19. I smoked 2 packs a day and when I quit I suddenly had hardcore asthma requiring 5 medications initially and multiple hospitilizations. I likely have had asthma for awhile given the severity but smoking ironically hid it. I wish I had known this prior to quitting as it really scared me, I started thinking that there was something seriously wrong we me and that I had quit too late.
I am now down to 3 meds as the doctors figured out which ones were truly helping me. Still I would NEVER smoke again after this experience, not being able to breathe is an awful feeling and I can only imagine what it's like to have a condition like COPD or emphysema.
I quit smoking 1 1/2 years ago and never had asthma until I quit- diagnosed for the first time at age 30, started smoking at 19. I smoked 2 packs a day and when I quit I suddenly had hardcore asthma requiring 5 medications initially and multiple hospitilizations. I likely have had asthma for awhile given the severity but smoking ironically hid it. I wish I had known this prior to quitting as it really scared me, I started thinking that there was something seriously wrong we me and that I had quit too late.
I am now down to 3 meds as the doctors figured out which ones were truly helping me. Still I would NEVER smoke again after this experience, not being able to breathe is an awful feeling and I can only imagine what it's like to have a condition like COPD or emphysema.
I have quit smoking about 4 weeks ago and my asthma is so bad now, Wil this ever get better!
First of all let me start off by saying CONGRATULATIONS on being a quitter!! I am 32 and have also been a non-smoker for 4 weeks and 1 day (YAY!!). I was a smoker for almost half of my life and quit only a few times over the years (pregnancies) but eventually always found my way back to Nick (nicotine). I've also been an asthmatic for about 7 years but it has NEVER been this severe. I moved to the upstate of South Carolina 6 months ago and was told this is a horrible place to live if you suffer from asthma but I still had it relatively under control. I know my lungs are healing but it's gotten REALLY bad. I am reaching for my inhaler anywhere from 10-15 times a day where BEFORE I quit smoking there would sometimes be DAYS without needing it. After reading these other posts I'm terrified that my breathing will never improve. I find that my breathing becomes more labored in the evening and wake up at night to the sound of my lungs gurgling and whistling. My husband often wakes up thinking that he hears one of our daughters crying only to realize it's me fighting for air. I was HORRIBLE about using my inhaler while I smoked. I would take a couple hits to get my lungs clear and then go outside for a smoke. I will NEVER go back to smoking but I swear I bet I'd breath better if I did. Good luck and if you find any relief, please share with the rest of us!
I tried quitting smoking a couple of times till now, most of the times I ended up with asthma when quitting smoking, which made me in the end to re-smoke again, although I managed one time to stay 6 months smoke free, one of the ways I managed not to use the inhaler, was taking medications containing a steroids and 2 anti-histamines in it, I have studied about smoking and the benefit of quitting it, and lung cancer, COPD and asthma, I asked my instructor which is aslo a dr, she gave me a hypothesis for why this is happening, as nicotine is regarded as a stimulant, so when quitting smoking your body cant find the stimulant that used to stimulate the lungs, this could lead to asthma like attacks, most inhalers contain a beta 2 agonist or an anti-cholinergic, both play no role in the disease, try taking a low dose steroids or ani-histamines tablets for 2 weeks it would be of a great benefit.
I quit smoking and after about 12 days i experienced my first asthma attack i am 43 and had been smoking for 15 years. I had no idea what the cause of the asthma was till i accidentally found this page. Now it is confirmed due to quitting smoking.
I am 17 yrs. old and have been smoking for 6 years. I recently had to go to treatment and so I quit smoking for 7 months, I felt so much better and only had to take my inhaler once. I have had asthma my whole life, so I'm kind of used to it, but sometimes it gets so hard to breath. I go through inhaler after inhaler, and sometimes the doctors won't even give me anymore inhalers, and I hate doing nebs because their heavy and loud. Even though this is me, I am sad to say I am embarrased about my asthma.
the last couple responses kinds got to me...I was never diagnosed w/ asthma, never talked to doc about it...he DID mention Chantix to me the February I went for renewed prescription allergy meds,,,months Later, I quit in June, armed w/ Chantix...here I am 3 years alter, basically smoke free...I say basically, b/c I dont HAVE to smoke every day like I did for 25 years., but haved picked one up on occasion...It took a year of not smoking for lungs to get better, still have some 'whining' on exhales, esp at night in bed
And like the last responder, I smoked pot on occasion...havent touched it since I quit...well.. I DID try it w/ a sumer houseguest a month after I quit smoking and it was the battle of my life that night NOT to pick up a sickarette...and yes, instead it seems I drink more than I used to, both in times a week and amounts...seems it makes me more congested at night..Ive been told one stick of pot = a pack of cigs for the damage to the lungs..
Smoking sickarettes for 25 years left me w/ some damage--more prone to panic attacks in closed places---seems I have trouble breathing in them and then go in panic mode...heavy exercise leaves me out of breath, and have a whine on hard exhales....I guess this is 'borderline asthma?
And like the last responder, I smoked pot on occasion...havent touched it since I quit...well.. I DID try it w/ a sumer houseguest a month after I quit smoking and it was the battle of my life that night NOT to pick up a sickarette...and yes, instead it seems I drink more than I used to, both in times a week and amounts...seems it makes me more congested at night..Ive been told one stick of pot = a pack of cigs for the damage to the lungs..
Smoking sickarettes for 25 years left me w/ some damage--more prone to panic attacks in closed places---seems I have trouble breathing in them and then go in panic mode...heavy exercise leaves me out of breath, and have a whine on hard exhales....I guess this is 'borderline asthma?
I quit smoking after 30 years. I had small allergies, no asthma. I was getting so of breathe sometimes and decided to quit. 3 years later I'm having severe allergy problems and severe asthma. Both require daily medication. My doctor gave me an analogy. Smoking was coationg my lungs with tar and whatever. That was like putting paint on the wall. I could cough up globs ever now and then. That was like the wall rejecting the paint. Another cigarette added a new coat of tar. When I quit smoking, the tar and crud kept peeling off and exposing new raw lung to infections and irritants. The trigger for my asthma is pollens and miolds - things always in the air. THe asthma was always there waiting to jump out.
I quit smoking for a year after 30 years of smoking in 2009 feb.
In June 2009 I had a blood clot in my LAD after working out in the gym. I needed angioplasty and one stent.
I started smoking again in Feb 2010. Then I read about the effects of smoking and decided to quit forever. I quit in June 2011.
This time around after 3 months of quitting I started gasping for breath after climbing a flight of stairs.
I did not have this problem when I was smoking.
I was very worrried, that maybe I had another block in my coronary arteries and would need another stent.
This is despite my CT Scan in June 2010 that showed my arteries were clear , and my recent Treadmill Stress Test , which was all clear.
My doctor was puzzled and prescribed Singulair . One tablet , and the next morning my shortness of breath and gasping had stopped. I have been asked to continue for a while. Check with your doctor. Singulair may help!
Asthma is an autoimmune disease. There is some new evidence emerging that cigarette smoke could act as a mast-cell stabilizer, which suppresses the allergic processes in your immune system that lead to an asthma attack in many people. This means that despite all the negative effects smoking is having on your lungs in general, it may actually be an effective treatment for asthma symptoms. The medical establishment is reluctant to bring attention to these findings, because I assume they believe it would do more harm than good. Maybe they're right. But then again, it's your life. Make your own choice.
first off if your asthma flares up after you quit go to a doctor i recently quit after getting pains in my back an all which was something called a lung infection i taken the antibiotics an now im healthy m just wondering when my lungs heal will i get cancer which i hope is not going to happen an that risk gone for good now
The Easy way to Stop Smoking- It may not be fun, you're lungs may hurt as they fight while experiencing Asthma, but they will be better off than all the evils that result from smoking. Don't allow the bigger evil, the psychological addiction to undermine your intelligence - damaging your lungs, covering it in black tar, is not a solution to managing asmtha!