All of this is supposed to be normal according to my internet research. I take it day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. That gets me through it. I don't allow myself to think about not smoking forever, only today. Each single day is a victory for me. I am amazed that I have not touched a Marlboro red in 6 days! Before I quit I told every cigarette that I smoked, "I HATE YOU!", and I think it helped with the mind over matter. I hate them now! Anyways, I hope this help someone else going through withdraw. Nobody except ex smokers know what its like. Not even your doctor! Don't give up. It will get better. Just worry about not lighting up for now!
Umm, sort of not. I don't think you have "a healthcare background" either, based on this reply. First, what you say is broadly true about the pulmonary recovery process and the cilia etc. But this has little to do with the chest, shoulder, underarm, and back pain being described by most in this thread, except indirectly in that as your lungs get healthier again, they expand in volume, causing outward pressure on your ribcage and sternum and the cartilage that connects ribs to sternum.
What most of you are describing is "costochondritis." It's a beast, but it's harmless, and it is very common when heavy smokers quit. It will go away with time and care. It is inflammation of the intercostal cartilage (the flexible stuff that binds your ribs to your breastbone and to each other). The classic symptoms are 1) TRANSIENT (not persistent) sharp pain that is focal to the left side of the breastbone, but spreads somewhat randomly along the bottom of the ribcage, up over the heart area, and even to the back, shoulders, and down the arm (making it feel a lot like a heart attack!). It will come and go. If it doesn't come and go, it's something else and you need to see your doctor immediately. It should be specifically sensitive to pressure -- when you press on the painful spot it should hurt worse. You may or may not notice swelling (a variation called Tietze syndrome causes swelling, normal costochondritis does not). Moving your arms and ribcage should stimulate the pain or cause it to move about.
There is nothing you can do to "cure" it. It generally will go away in a few weeks to a few months (unless you have an underlying inflammatory disease process besides your lungs healing and expanding). Nicotine patches or gum may make it much *worse* or may alleviate it temporarily, but in my experience (which is alas extensive with this), you want to get off ALL nicotine sources ASAP even if it means short-term pain increases. Caffeine, for reasons unknown, is also a known trigger of costo pain, and you should definitely cut back on coffee or soda, and start drinking large amounts of plain healthy water or juice. It's worse if you are overweight (especially if you have a belly) and can seem sometimes like a hiatal hernia in its symptoms (the weight of your gut is tugging down on all that sore cartilage!). So lose some weight. Heavy breathing definitely will make it worse -- stairs, exercise, etc. -- and you should notice this. Go easy when it's bad. Stretch a lot, but don't work up to fast or deep breathing. Slow deep breathing exercises can help over time (but may make the pain initially worse).
The only real treatment that works is taking a ton of NSAIDS (ibuprofen/advil, naproxex/alleve, or acetaminophen/tylenol) and doing so *consistently* to keep the cycle of inflammation from getting started. I had to take the max dose of Advil every day for several weeks (my poor stomach!) to get on top of this stuff. Heat pads (or ice for some people) directly on the chest will also help. Good sitting posture -- sit up and back -- will help a lot if you have a desk job (and take regular stretching breaks). I found IcyHot (or any methylsalicylate or menthol rub) to be helpful, right on the breastbone and along the lower edge of the ribcage (burns like hell on that thin skin though!).
It will lessen and eventually probably go away (some people, as I said, report that it remains chronic, but lessens in intensity over time).
You should by all means see your doctor to get this confirmed. Don't believe me. You will think you are having a heart attack or lung cancer or esophageal cancer symptoms (there can also be a feeling of pressure and dysphagia -- trouble swallowing, both *also* symptoms of a very serious cancer of the esophagus, so do not ignore those symptoms even though they are benign in most cases, just reflux). In fact, I recommend doing a course of prilosec (omeprazole) for 2 or 4 weeks while quitting smoking if you have any sort of acid reflux or dysphagia symptoms. But never ignore those. If they persist, you must have an endoscopic exam from a GE doc to rule out one of the deadliest of all cancers.
This is pain on the surface of your chest. It is not "in" your lungs or your heart. If you feel the pain is deep inside -- if it hurts each time you breathe in the same place over a longer period of time with no transience, or you are actually coughing up blood or flecked sputum, you must go to a doctor. All this talk about coughing up ash and stuff is bull, frankly. That is not how it works at all. If you see dark matter in your sputum, it's possibly quite serious and you must get your lungs examined by a doctor (and probably a CT scan to rule out cancer).
Remember that this sort of pain *can* be caused by a tumor on the lungs, esophagus, or a bone metastasis from cancer elsewhere in your body (on the sternum or rib or spine). But this is *exceedingly* unlikely and you should not freak out. The most likely explanation for the symptoms almost everyone here is describing is costochondritis. It hurts like a beast, but it is ultimately not dangerous and in almost all cases will lessen and eventually go away.
Don't give up on quitting. It's the smartest thing you have ever done. Trust me. 20 years of a pack a day and it was so damn hard for me, took many tries, but now I would never ever go through it again and am a happy ex-smoker.
Please be careful about believing even the most authoritative sounding things you read online. The comment I am responding to is a good example of someone talking rather completely out his/her a$$. Your lungs are full of gunk, your cilia are damaged, all true. But if your pain is in your lungs and not on your chest wall, you need to get to a doctor fast.
I should specifically add that I am NOT an MD (although I am a doctor of a different sort) and this is not medical advice, just a report of my own painful experience quitting smoking and going through costochondritis. Chest pain is always presumed to be serious until you rule out cardiac and pulmonary and cancer as causes. Make sure you see a doctor to rule those out. But be aware that this sort of chest pain described in most comments here is very, very common when heavy smokers quit, and MOST LIKELY you are fine and will feel better. I will also say that the misery of going through costochondritis has had more value in motivating me never to light up again than anything else. I never want to go through that again. I could barely function for several weeks while it was at its worst, and the anxiety (even when I knew it was benign) was pretty intense at times because, hey, how could something in your chest HURT SO DAMN BAD and be "harmless?" But it is true. It's a sign you're healing. Stay the course!
Ugh, and I should also add (to be clear) that while most cases of costochondritis appear to be focal to the left side of the chest (and mine was), I think because the additional pressure from the heart (which also swells when you quit smoking, although I am not sure if this is why it is left-focal), it CAN and does appear on the right side too, and sometimes worse or only on the right. In fact, if the pain is sharp and transient and moves about from left to right and front to back and up and down (the super tender sore spots pop up and disappear in different locations, other than usually a primary radiating site of pain under the breastbone) that's a good sign that you are dealing with costo. Think about it -- if you have lung cancer so bad that there is sharp pain in your upper and lower right and left lungs, you're walking dead anyway. And you probably would have noticed earlier symptoms.
I quit smoking Dec. 28, 2012 and it is now May 22 2013. I have horrendous pain in m,y lower right lung that goes onto my lymph-nodes and down the inside of my right inner arm . It keeps me up and in pain 24/7 and I eat 800 mg Advil and codeine every 3 hours every day for at least 2 months. The doc gave me muscle relaxers but I want a lung x-ray. Why are Doctors so hesitant to believe a patient actually may know their own body and have a correct diagnosis? Since I quit they have also found 4 lumps on my right breast after 2 sets of mammograms and they dismissed it. I have been smoking since age 11 and I am now about to turn 46. I think if someone will take me seriously cancer can be treated. The rates of cancer deaths are so high because by the time a doctor listens, you are stage 4. So, if you can quit, do it now unless you are willing to admit that yes it can happen to you and that you are truly good with facing death, your own death, light one up. If your pain went away, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, run!
I have just quit smoking past few days back, me too feeling bit of strain in my left side of lung which was also previously when i use to smoke. I was smoker from past 6 years and use to have 1 pack on an average. I consulted docters and had my X ray done, doc told me that the TAR which are deposited on the veins are slowly cleared out by lung itself and lung takes more effort to recover from damage causing it to be in pain that every smoker deservers. but if its paining heavily please consult docters. If you are above 30 to 35 years of age risk of heart attack is much more being a smoker, so consult doc since evenafter tar is removed by lung in few years or so its deposit remain in veins near heart causing result of chok ups resulting risk of heartattacks.(but its for very heavy smoker only 2/10 conditions). Quit smoking today please. If you Fat bunnies quit smoking ASAP as Colestrol and tar chok up can cost you a lot.
Well thank f**k for these posts, i thought id given myself cancer!
Stopped smoking marijuana this week after HEAVY use over the last 5 years or so, i think most on here can attest to the sinking feeling u get when strange pains in ur heart + lungs+ armpit concentrated on the left hand side!
been to the Docs, similar thing Ekg and so on, "seems fine" u guys have put my mind at rest somewhat!
will feel quite silly at my blood test tomorrow!
Have also suddenly got on the health foods, but was actually scared of exercise, just incase!
mild jog on the cards tomorrow and hope i can stay off the weed forevermore!
MASSIVE THANKS TO ALL THAT POSTED!!!
Well I'm not the only one and that in itself is comforting. Thank you all for sharing.
I've smoked for 10 years, I'm not yet 30. I'm female. I quit without any aids, though I am still exposed to second hand smoke.
Despite being in medicine no one at work had any solid explanation. But in the absence of emphysema I suspect this is inflammation of the chest wall muscles in reaction to changes in the tissue of the lungs. Cilia are recovering and sweeping out stored up junk in the smallest cavities of the lungs and that in itself is irritating to the lung tissue.
I'd describe mine as a feeling of being 'squeezed', like barrel hug sort of. I find it most difficult to exhale. I'm an asthmatic and one thing I always noticed over the years was that when I abstained from smoking for more than a week or so, my asthma would seem to act up.
The treatment for chest wall pain is usually antiinflammatories. And over-the-counter option is Advil/ibuprofen or that Aleeve you have in the US (naproxen). But check with you pharmacist to ensure it is safe for you to use. I've been using a salbutamol inhaler, arthrotec, and benztropene (anticholinergic) with an analgesic. If you are very uncomfortable and this is interfering with your daily life, talk to your physician.
If you get freaked out, try to reduce anxiety. This will stress respiration and make alleviating anxiety even harder. If you are not actually oxygen deficient then its probably best to try not to monitor the feelings. A check-up is always advised for anyone stopping a course of medication, and that's just what cigarettes were. Don't be afraid to talk to your doctor, especially when there may be simple, cost-effective options to reduce or eliminate your discomfort.
Good luck, hopefully this will subside. But we're not likely to get successful quitters googling this issue if it cleared up for them. :)
ive been smoking for 23y i have quit 4 times and every time i do i get the chest inflamorty. i have quit very slowly each time and when i get to one a day thats when i get the pain from hell. i have three childern my youngest one keps me busy all day so when the chest gets inflamed i just cry cause it hurts so bad the naproxen helps somewhat but i still go for a puff or two just so i can be with my child without crying or in excusing pain. the e-cig i bought dosent help at all but i will try to quit the one or two puffs a day im hoping the pain stops.
thank the stars for this thread.
i gave up 3 weeks ago and have had massive pains in my left chest, lung, heart area........... after years of heavy continuous smoking, the past year I stopped and started allot each month (2 weeks on and few days off etc) - and each time i stopped this pain came, scared me so much i stopped fro good - but now 3 weeks without any and the pain is worse than ever....its ok if i am walking or standing but if sitting or laying down it is worse.
spiralina, hemp powder, smoothies and soups (30% of our energy is in our digestive system - go on liquids and that 30% can be used to heal and repair).
i still might goto a doctor to get it checked out if no improvement in a week or so. it has been creating hyper-anxiety too.
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also.........boil an inch of water in a suacepan - tip 3/4 drop of pure peppermint oil in - then breath it in gently - will stop ALL the pain for a while ;-)
i am 31 same thing, so worried i smoked allot and today its been 30 days i get pains left side feels heavy and hurt and shoulder blade area to, most time feels like its my heart it scares me as i have four kids i keep thinking omg what if it is my heart but reading these posts i am seeing it might not be as bad as i thought,seems everyone on here is experiencing this.. i hope you get better all of us that it is.
Hey i need help?im 16 years old and have been smoking since 11 so 5 years i went on the e-cig (electric cigarette) so it gives me the nicotine without the harmful poisons i have cut my nicotine from 20 to 14 and been away from cigarettes for 2 months but in this process, time-to-time ive been having bad chest pains either in the center of my chest to the left and its a shooting pain and lasts for 5-10 minutes and goes away until tomorrow or a couple of days. every morning ive been heavily breathing and struggle to get a breath ive searched every where talked to online doctors and nothing seems to know so i need help on this one please someone help?
i have been a smoker for fourteen yrs i have been weaning off i having been having numbness in my chest severe back pain shortness of breath
I really like the long response to the post that begins with (Um, sort of not) There is a lot of content that makes the most sense to me there. I would like to add a couple of things about myself and some things Ive tried that have helped thus far. Maybe some of you can relate and about half way down you'll see some things to try, I am typing as I think so bear with me, I am no dr but have seen many over the years and my knowledge or background consists of PT aide/chiropractic assisting and some nursing but that was years ago and my focus is Psychology. I am in my early 30's although most say I look to be in my 20's despite dealing with quite a bit so maybe half of what is do is beneficial ok so let me get down to the point, I am beginning day 16 not smoking, I do use an e cig and many quitting are so to those who do with my experience, certain brands of e liquid I have found to be an irritant and I think its within some of the flavorings not so much any PG/VG blend, I wont mention names here but I will make an account and perhaps expand further another time.
About 3 years ago I have had lung disease and one of the first symptoms I never forgot was such a fast heart rate I felt like I was going to have a heart attack, I do have anxiety and it was not related to that although Im sure that exists when you feel sick and notice any new changes, the heart rate will be very high, over 150 and fairly consistent. I seen someone mention they coughed up some black, I imagine that could be smoke ash but when I did a sputum sample I included a piece of dark grey I coughed up and that with other sputum confirmed the diagnosis of Blastomycosis which 32 people in my area had got that season. I do have some lung damage and some spots on my lungs primarily upper left quadrant from that and smoking, I forgot to add I been smoking since I was a preteen and in my 20's on up a pack or more a day of N lights. now, I see people having pains in that area I described don't get alarmed as I know a lot of pains just from coughing are quite significant, no different if you go to the gym and use muscles you haven't for awhile, it hurts, esp in those tender areas, it just happens to be in your chest/back and if your like me, your jaw and if your stressed you clench I have lived with significant muscle spasms all my life so I know much about it and the treatments. I would advise to practice meditation and visualize from the top of your head on your way down each area being completely relaxed. now if your like me and the many reading I heard smoking has chemicals that block certain allergens and not smoking well, those allergens are no longer masked, your body is beginning to heal and wants rest and its busy trying to do that job which makes you more susceptible to illness as your celia grow back, its possible to easily get a cold and many have reported getting bronchitis when quitting. Yesterday was prob the worse I felt in my 2 week journey quitting smoking but today I feel pretty good so far and what I used that helped me was Advil, helps with the inflammation, you can try a rotation of that and tylenol or Motrin I recommend Simply saline its a nasal spray you get in a can and the best one that really helped as I feel this chest congestion with thicker mucus and the biggest culprit...... MUCINEX, that has got to be the best product, since I have anxiety I can not use products with stimulants and I like to start on low doses of things so if your like that, buy 2 of the Mucinex without the decongestant only the expectorant, the children's chest congestion one which is 100 mg a packet of good tasting granuals you swallow down which is easier for me cause with swelling in my throat but also you but the Mucinex in the blue box the 600 mg tablets are a little larger and forget buying the 1200 mg tablets well i cant even swallow it anyway. So take those things and you should feel some pressure relief and help with the pain of coughing. If you have other changes from not smoking that ended up effecting your thyroid etc the best products I see most of are Kelp and Magnesium can help with muscles and feeling more calm interestingly there is magnesium and sodium in children's mucinex so thats even better. Ive read that with bronchitis it can come from a poor diet and bowel issues, to help with that and increase antioxidants add some flax seed to your diet or some good tasting wheat cereals that should help get things going and clearing those toxins. with all that said, WATER is key so push as many fluids not containing caffeine as possible Ive changed my diet to a lower fat diet and I did that at first as higher fat diets made me want to smoke but since I can smell and taste better, everything I ate before which was never low quality fast food but everything got too sweet and salty. so light snacks like granola, it has honey which is a healthy sweetener actually tastes good and these Dole fruit squishems taste pretty good all natural no corn syrup. Your body will tell you what you need. I eat a lot of onions and like garlic and those kill a lot of bad things too oh and GINGER is supposed to be very good for sinus/lung issues, good reviews on it.
When I smoked I never felt a stretch like I can now, speaking of which, when you have those chest/back pains, reach your arms up and back and stretch backwards a bit, you should feel some immediate relief. Alright so this is where Im at in my journey and what has been helping me. I like to buy and try many items from GNC and if they don't work even if you used half the bottle, they offer returns and exchanges forgot to add melatonin helps with sleep and exercise will help too even if its walking,SLEEP is most important, I know you might not feel like it right now but slowly work on doing that if you havent, it hurts to build strength but as you get stronger it goes away. I have to work on that more myself. I have other things to try from a natural store for stress, all these things play a factor in your health and wellbeing and quitting smoking seems to change everything, and those hormone and thyroid changes are no joke. Its never understood by a non smoker so seek support like you are doing by educating yourself and learning the new and soon to be improved you! You got this and you'll see, it gets better and for those that want to cave, and some do which is fine but then remember you are causing your own pain, your body begins to heal and you throw smoke at is and its back on defense so think of that and the smell and taste as a deterrent and use what you need to help you. Take care all