Shortness of breath after stopping smoking

Scott, I just want to know if your heart rate was slower like me after quitting smoking. SOB is partly caused due to slow HR (under 60). I still have SOB for recent 4 months and don't know how to escape from it. Thuan LC      

When you quit smoking you tend to cough up a lot of phlegm.  This Phlegm blocks your airways.  Milk, for instance, will increase the amount of mucous in your airways and if you are a recent non-smoker or an asthmatic you will in all likleyhood notice that your breathing seems somewhat restricted.  It is also possible that your years of smoking have caused scarring in your lungs which may also serve to obstruct your airways.  The cilia in your lungs become damaged and simply killed when you smoke, but when you quit they become more active and since they are being repaired in a recent non-smoker they may block your airways in an effort to reestablish proper functioning.  While your cilia slowly repairs you may experience weasing.  When it comes to chest pain I am not sure about that; I don't believe humans have pain receptors in their lungs but perhaps pain from airway irritation can be felt in other places then the actual lungs themselves.

Hey Everyone:First of all, reading all of these posts have made me feel soo much better.  Here is my story:  I am 24, I started smoking in college (around 18 after a bad breakup) didnt stop until right before my 24th birthday (early july).  So I am going on almost 4 weeks of quitting.  During those 5-6 years, when i was at college, i was about 2-3 packs a week.  since graduation, it cut down to about 1 pack a weekend.  then i just quit.  Right before quitting, I had the Shortness of Breath, but it wasnt really shortness of breath, it was more like forgetting to breath, and it was just 1 short gasp as opposed to panting like I just ran a mile.  And its sporadic, sometimes it will happen when im sitting on the couch, driving, in bed, but its very random.  I went to the doctor, she checked my lungs, she ordered blood, echo cardiogram, ultrasound, everything came out ok, she didnt even schedule a follow up.  The only thing I had was High BP.  However, I did have the cough, but this isnt saying much because I coughed even when I was smoking.  I still have the cough, but I also have sinus problems which I associate it with.  I think the problem with the SOB is that its not really shortness of breath in the typical sense; when I think of shortness of breath, I think of sprinting half a mile and gasping for air.  I think a majority of it is in your head, like you gasp, scare yourself, panic, repeat, and its not dependent on exercise. This is totally different, this is like forgetting to breathe, one quick gasp, then you think about your breathing and you think you are breathing weird.  As a matter of fact, the past couple weeks, I have been doing Interval Training (very high intensity) and yesterday I did flag football.  (Besides being out of shape) I didn't really have any issues.  I don't think this is related, but my ankles did start to swell, which was the real reason i went to the doctors.  No heart issues, she said it could be because of High BP or weight related, don't think that has anything to do with anything.  I have had a slight pain below my ribs, but this comes and goes, and it seems it is more or less the bottom of my ribs themselves.  I did look up most of this on Web MD (which I don't recommend because it said I had congestive heart failure ... at 24) and of course, that scared the living crap out of me, which certainly did not help.  What I have found that works:  -After you notice one, take a couple deep breaths, it will calm you down and return your breathing to normal.  -WATER WATER WATER.  -Stay calm, don't work yourself up over it, its NOT that big of a deal.  -Going to your doctor will take some anxiety off your back, and make sure its not something more serious.  -Exercise, go to the gym and do somethingThanks a lot everyone!  Best of luck to you!Quitting is hard, but its not impossible :)

Hey Guys, I am the same poster as above.  I just read back, some of you have questions about chest pain.  Even when I was smoking I would have chest pain in random spots, left side, right side, front/back, top/bottom, but it never lasted long (between 1-30 seconds) and as time goes on, they will become less and less frequent and not last as long.  The only thing that really helped is coughing, trying to get some of that mucus up!Thanks again guys :)  I dont think I'm dying anymore!

Hi everyone, I just wanted to say thank you for this forum and for helping me to realize I am not crazy!  I have generalized anxiety disorder and had been using The Linden method to deal with my anxiety with great results.  I stopped having panic attacks and after a few months decided it was time to quit smoking. My inhalant of choice was Cannabis, of which I had spent the last 7 years smoking on an almost daily basis.  i have also been an on again, off again cigarette smoker for about 20 years.  ( 6 months off, 2 months on, 8 months off, 6 months on, etc.). I had started smoking cigs again about 4 months ago.  So, approximately 6 weeks ago, I quit both, cold turkey.NOT A GOOD IDEAGoing through Nicortene withdrawals is bad enough, but Cannabis and Nicotene at teh same time is a recipe for disaster.  I immediately started to feel anxious which re-triggered my panic attacks.  Just when I thought I had that under control, I started getting shortness of Breath(SOB)  which triggered a whole new round of anxiety issues.  I am going to see my doctor so i can get some tests done on my lungs just to be sure, but I know that it is mostly the anxiety and partly my lungs trying to heal themselves.  I just hope it doesn't take forever.I do feel better this week than last week, but it's up and down.  The only good thing is, that after experiencing this, I will never inhale any other substance other than God's air into my lungs ever again.  So, for that I am thankful.Good luck to everyone, and know, you are not alone!!Strongenough

6 year smoker here and i stopped cause of panicking about anxiety. i smoked about 10-20 cigarettes a day back then. well it feels good back to those days right? but right now? i really doesn't!!! got the SOB and it really was't funny. i've stopped smoking for about 2 months from now. and still have this SOB. but lucky for me i can still exercise and perform some everyday work. thanks God! well.. i feel all of your pain. and hope we all get through with these and be healed. well. thanks to you guys i thought i was alone in this situation. God Bless! and Don't forget to PRAY! let's be Healthy and Strong!!!

Someone asked earlier about some information.   ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** web addresses not allowed*** on breathing, hyperventilation, CO2 and realized I must not be getting the required amount of CO2 since I stopped smoking.   I'm so exhausted from not sleeping and breathing right, coughing a lot, hyperventilating, my lungs hurt and I feel like I have asthma.   I think I'll try those breathing exercises and tips like not sleeping on my back or with my mouth open.   I've been doing that a lot lately.  Herbal teas with honey have been helping, too.  Hang in there, peeps!   

I also think that maybe the tumeric/cayenne pepper/honey might work. I plan to try it myself.

I have been experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath and anxiety. I read on someone's post that he believes that his anxiety is due to his sob which I partially agree with. I don't know if something that was in the cigarette that we are no longer getting may cause anxiety as well. Whatever the case may be I felt like I was going crazy. I was so busy this weekend trying to keep my mind off of my breathing and anxiety. When I think about it, it's almost like I was running away or ignoring the elephant in the room, but I think a lot of the addiction is psychological. It did seem to help for the most part. I have resigned to the fact that this is a process and I am along for the bumpy ride until my body heals.

I am 38 years old I have smoked on and off since I was 15, more on then off. I am known as a serial quitter to my family and friends. When I declare that I am not smoking anymore I get eye rolls and ya rights. Well I am proud to say that I am now on my 46th day of another quit. This quit has been like no other. Six weeks in I was feeling good about myself, exercising 5 days a week, thinking I was a new and improved me. Well little did I know I had some symptoms coming my way that would slap me right off my pedistal. Last Tuesday it was my off night from the gym. I was sitting in my recliner watching a few of my favorite reality shows and all of the sudden I had shortness of breath and a heavy feeling on my chest. Of course I started to panic and that exacerbated the problem. Before I knew it I was breathing deep, gasping for air and feeling like I needed to go to the emergency room. I tried in vain to calm myself down. I decided to go to bed thinking that it would just go away, it didn't, if anything it got worse. I ended up sitting in the dark balling while my husband slept. Around 1:00 I ended up falling asleep only to wake up feeling the same way only now I was so aware of how odd my breathing was that, that is all I could focus on. I was at work trying to make myself yawn so that I could get that one good breath. I did attend my gym class Wednesday night, next day after my attack to try and see if my sob would prevent me from working out, it did not. I did make an appoinment with my doctor and he prescribed an anti-anxiety medication which I took Thursday night, WOW did it work. Not only was I pretty relaxed I was in La La Land. I don't think my breathing was normal but I was in such a happy place I didn't care. Not something I want to continue to take unless I have an expisode like my first experience Tuesday night. It is now one week after my experience with SOB, panic, fear, pain in chest, feeling of doom like I was going to die. I have continued to exercise to the point of exhaustion. I am trying to eat the suggested foods to strengthen my lungs, Canteloupe, Strawberries, Beans, Onions, Green Tea & Apples. I read on this site that you should stay in a steamy shower in the morning and try to expel any phlegm. My grandmother use to make me sit over a steamy pot of hot water with a towel over my head to loosen congestion, I think I will do that a couple nights a week.  I also read that someone on here cleaned out her system by using tumeric, cayenne pepper, honey and cinnamon. I believe in homeopathic remedies and I do plan on trying these things as well. These suggestions couldn't hurt. My Dad died last November of lung cancer my Aunt died two months before him of the same thing. They were long time smokers. My Dad had quit 13 years prior to being diagnosed. I am very afraid of the damage that I have caused to my body. I view this addiction as plain evil. I am proud of this quit and I am ready for this crazy journey that is ahead of me. I was relieved to find this site and to read that other people have experienced the same scary symptoms of withdrawal that I went through. I hope that this will help the next person who goes franticly searching on the web for an answer to what is happening to their body after quitting cigarettes. Don't let this addiction take away all that you love, walking, talking, laughing, preparing food for your family, going to work, paying your bills, getting stuck in traffic, romancing your significant other. All the things you use to take for granted will become things you wish that you could do. Be smoke free for your dear life. I know I am.........  

37 yr old former smoker for about 15 yrs. Sometimes wouldn't smoke at all and sometimes would smoke about 1/2 pack per day. 1/2 pack was the heaviest and that was during the 6 months prior to quitting. Well I quit about 2.5 months ago and after about 3 weeks I started having symptoms - light cough, heavy chest feeling, and shortness of breath. Anxiety also joined the party which I'm sure didn't help. I have had a chest xray, CT scan, blood test, spirometry, and I'm sure some other tests. All negative. The CT said some minimal scarring in right apex of lung but Dr. didn't seem to care. Since this started I've been on Xanax, Advair, Albuterol, Mucinex, and some herbal things recommended in this thread and have been exercising, using the steam room, doing some postural exercises, using cough drops, drinking hot tea, and eating spicy soups. I'm giving this the full court press and honestly I am not really seeing any change. I hope that the thoughts about this in this thread are legitimate and address what I'm dealing with. My exercise is not as strong as it was and if I really exercise hard I become quite breathless. I do try and expell as much mucous each day as possible but I can't quite tell where it is coming from (i.e., my throat or my chest). Sometimes I can feel that it is breaking loose in my chest and coming up but often I feel like it is in my throat or I am bringing it down from my nose. I do have post nasal drip. Most mornings I wake up with one nostril congested due to my sinuses and the fact that the Air conditioner has been on all night. The mucuos I bring up is yellow/white and certainly not black colored with tar. I've also been to an ENT who said my throat was fine but did give me some strong GERD medication which I am also taking. (feel this is good in the event that GERD is responsible for some of my symptoms). My pulmonologist diagnosed me with mild asthma but my PFT scores don't really indicate that. They are all over 100% and the FEV1/FVC ratio is over 80%. Another pulmonoligist told me that my PFT doesn't indicate asthma or COPD and that it is likely from smoking cessation. He said that one result of quitting smoking is overactive mucous glands in the airways. He feels these glands will subside and I will be normal again. Hmmmm. I have read a lot of posts here and am curious how you can know whether the symptoms that many of us have are not more serious like COPD/Chronic Bronchitis? Do we just assume that they will go away and we'll be good as new? There haven't been many follow up posts from people who have overcome these symptoms so it's hard to say.

All you can do is have faith in your doctor's and be proactive in having follow up tests. In the mean time look into homeopathic ways to strengthen your lungs/physical ways ie. exercise eating right. You are smoke free which is a gift you've given to yourself. I think that it takes some time for your body to heal from all the toxic garbage they put in cigarettes. I mean really we don't even know what was in them. I am happy to report that I am not experiencing shortness of breath the way that I was. I did have an episode where I started to have it but I was feeling very stressed at the time. For the most part I am just trying to enjoy life as a non-smoker and get through this withdrawal part without thinking every symptom I feel is a cause for me to die. Not easy but I'm working on it.

I smoked in the army and after iraq. i went to the clinic for SOB which the doc said it was just allergies. While i smoked i could run faster ruck futher phyically few were my equal. I got out and stopped smoking Now i have constant SOB an insane cough that drives me F*%&ing crazy! it has been 7 months still getting worse! I can't run, work or do anything now. i have seen the doc chest x rays normal also CT scan normal. i was diagonoised with Asthma but no meds have helped! advar, symbocort, proair or ventoline! I never want to smoke ever again but i am about to end it all if this shit doesnt stop! can anyone help!

Since we don't know what poison is causing all the side affects that all of us have on here. You have to try new things to try and combat the symptoms. I have decided to start drinking Green Tea a couple times a day and drink 1 oz of wheatgrass a day. I guess wheatgrass is suppose to help red blood cells and ward off certain cancers. I don't know if these things will help but it's worth a try. For now I am exercising like a mad woman determined to make my body work hard and heal. You can get your bad ass status back just keep moving forward WITHOUT the cigarettes.

Hi, 37 here, smoked since 13, heavy (2 pack/day) for the last 15 years after a one year quit (which I didn't have SOB) two months in here and dealing with SOB all the time, I noticed that coffee was probably the single biggest cause of the SOB that I could put my finger on. If you are having this, I would suggest you quit coffee/caffeine entirely because it does some crazy things to the lungs and makes them tighten up (I went from three 20oz coffees to one small cup of coffee). Also, drink a lot of water, and take frequent walks. I ended up in the emergency room with what appeared to be a heart attack and almost passed out walking to the store. This is a wildly serious side effect and this thread is about the only place I could find any information on it (and most importantly realized this is somewhat common), like some of you here, at this point I find cigarettes gross but you find yourself wondering if maybe you would feel better if you went back to them. I have no plans to do that, but I can now understand why people commonly quit for two and three months and then go back.I hope more people who posted here come back and let us know how they are doing, I certainly will try, though I realize that once you feel better you forget about what you were going through and with work etc is hard to remember to come back (I just assume they are all better now).Cheers