Quitting smoking (HONEST!!)

[AVGWarhawk]

Oh I still get the breathlessness, but I expect that at my age

Jim, I will be 44 on June 30th. I do not know your age but I can tell you this. The body is an amazing thing and it loves to repair itself. I was way out of breath 4 weeks ago. I was waking at night just to cough. My bronchi hurt all the time. Cutting the grass or walking fast made me breath very heavy. Not any more. I sleep all night, after my cold my bronchi are 100%, I'm not huffing and buffing cutting the grass. I was seriously wondering if my breathing would get better about two weeks ago. I was concerned to the point of thinking of seeing a pulminary Dr. I read up on symptoms of quitting and I had just about all of them. As of 4 weeks I feel great.

Jogging"!!

I'm fast approaching 17 stone, so I'm not sure what would hasten the onset of the heart attack the quickest.....the obesity or the exercise

I do not know how much 17 stone is but I'm guessing it is not light. I weighed myself last week. I'm 30 lbs over my target weight for my height. I have never weighed this much. Now, with this new found oxygen finding it's way in via my clean lungs it is time for physical activity. I have not started jogging yet but I'm preparing to start walking and walking quickly. I will work my way up to jogging. I feel that good and of the mind to start doing this activity. This comes from a guy who smoked 20 plus a day since I was 14 years old.

My feeling is you are still getting over your chest cold. It was about a week and half for me to get over mine. I'm 100% now. You are at 3 weeks. At 3 weeks 99.9% of the nictotine is out of you body. The rest is mental and coughing up the tar as your cilia grows again inside your bronchi. This regrowing of cilia creates coughing also. So, yes, you are up against a battle but you are winning. Keep saying that in your mind!

I never invisioned myself without cigarettes(fags). Today I wondered why I smoked in the first place.

[AVGWarhawk]

That reminds me, Dowly, you started this. Have you quit? If not, I will mail you the book McBeck suggested. It worked wonders. Let me know

[HunterICX]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Today I wondered why I smoked in the first place.

having stopped for more then 1 year and a half now, I have the ''Wtf was I thinking to start smoking back then''

HunterICX

[FIREWALL]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Jim, I will be 44 on June 30th. I do not know your age but I can tell you this. The body is an amazing thing and it loves to repair itself. I was way out of breath 4 weeks ago. I was waking at night just to cough. My bronchi hurt all the time. Cutting the grass or walking fast made me breath very heavy. Not any more. I sleep all night, after my cold my bronchi are 100%, I'm not huffing and buffing cutting the grass. I was seriously wondering if my breathing would get better about two weeks ago. I was concerned to the point of thinking of seeing a pulminary Dr. I read up on symptoms of quitting and I had just about all of them. As of 4 weeks I feel great.



I do not know how much 17 stone is but I'm guessing it is not light. I weighed myself last week. I'm 30 lbs over my target weight for my height. I have never weighed this much. Now, with this new found oxygen finding it's way in via my clean lungs it is time for physical activity. I have not started jogging yet but I'm preparing to start walking and walking quickly. I will work my way up to jogging. I feel that good and of the mind to start doing this activity. This comes from a guy who smoked 20 plus a day since I was 14 years old.

My feeling is you are still getting over your chest cold. It was about a week and half for me to get over mine. I'm 100% now. You are at 3 weeks. At 3 weeks 99.9% of the nictotine is out of you body. The rest is mental and coughing up the tar as your cilia grows again inside your bronchi. This regrowing of cilia creates coughing also. So, yes, you are up against a battle but you are winning. Keep saying that in your mind!

I never invisioned myself without cigarettes(fags). Today I wondered why I smoked in the first place.

I'm in my mid 40's and had all the same symtoms.

Was 6' 2 and 275lbs Now 240 and happy and healthy.

That nitetime coughing and trying to catch my breath and feeling like I was smothering was scarey.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by HunterICX

having stopped for more then 1 year and a half now, I have the ''Wtf was I thinking to start smoking back then''

HunterICX

Yep, already at that point

That nitetime coughing and trying to catch my breath and feeling like I was smothering was scarey.

Yes it is. That waking at night to hack up primal goo from my lungs sucked. Then I noticed my bronchi hurt....all the time. I was basically ignoring it. Really, Dowly kicked it off with stopping, McBeck gave me the ball (book) to run with and the rest was up to me. All of that I described is gone now. I have more money and worry less about having, finding, affording or offending anyone concerning cigarettes.

[Jimbuna]

I'm 6' and 238lbs (in the UK 1 stone = 14 pounds) and 52 next month.

Last April I was fortunate enough to obtain early retirement, draw a not too miserly index linked pension, pay off my mortgage and purchase a brand new vehicle with the tax free cash element.

I was also exceptionally fortunate to walk into a job that paid a little less than my Police salary, but the new jobs wage and my pension = well you can imagine. Needless to say the wife and I have never been better off.

In fact, next Monday we've got a decorating contractor coming in to decorate the house....how decadent is that? Never known it happen in my family ever

I suppose looking back and thinking of the symptoms I was experiencing, made me think long and hard about living long enough to enjoy what I'd grafted all my life for (my wife and children have never smoked).

When I read sections of this thread and in particular those posts of encouragement from people such as FIREWALL and yourself (there are more others than I can mention here) I consider it all a great source of inspiration and count myself lucky for being a member of this wonderful community.

If I eventually succeed in quitting the habit I will owe many here a great debt of gratitude.

Spectemur Agendo

[XabbaRus]

I have been 5 weeks now but one thing I haven't had is the coughing? Nor have my lungs hurt. Is there something wrong with me are my lungs too badly screwed or am I just lucky?

[longam]

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

I have been 5 weeks now but one thing I haven't had is the coughing? Nor have my lungs hurt. Is there something wrong with me are my lungs too badly screwed or am I just lucky?

Same here, my symptoms just went away. Of course my breathing took some time to get better and my right lung still produces some muck on a daily bases, it must just be the individual.

[AVGWarhawk]

Xabba and Longam, my wife quit along side me and she does not cough either. From what I read it is not bad sign. She did not smoke as nearly as many as I nor as long as I. She did not deep inhale like me. Perhaps you exhibit the same smoking habit as her. Needless to say I had quite a collection of tar from cigarettes and cigars. Kick in all the exhaust I sucked up working on cars for eight years and yeah, I got some crap to get out. So, feel fortunate that you did not get to the stage were strands of black nasty goo is still being coughed up. Really guys, it is gross As far as lung pains there a few things to remember in my case:

I have had 3 Spontaneous pneumothorax. To the common laymen like us that is a collapsed lung. Twice on my left side and once on my right. My left side lung has been glued to my chest wall using talcum powder(Kpt Lehman the EMT would understand the talcum powder). So, I pretty much feel in my lung what my chest is doing and very loud bass from speakers does hurt my lungs(vibrations). Also, I was working on chronic bronchitis. I have no doubt about that at all. So, I got sick when I quit. Coughed like there was no tomorrow until my bronchi was raw and some traces of blood were evident. Nasty That has all past and I feel great now. I feel at 100%. Today I cut the lawn and was not huffing for air. It is a very freeing experience to breath normally.


Jim,

Yes, a pension and working another job does lead to some nice money to use on fun things in life. So, with that in mind, no sense making life miserable for yourself by continuing to smoke and possible getting yourself into a real pickle with possible lung cancer. Enjoy the money, your wife, a new furniture set and paint courtesy of a interior decorator. Enjoy your kids and grand kids. Enjoy it all breathing easy and one less monkey on your back by the name of nicotine. Besides, your wife will not let you smoke in the house or sit on the new furniture smelling like an ashtray. Save yourself the heartburn and stay off the smokes.

I owe my kick off to Dowly and the follow through to McBeck on the book recommendation and my wife to quit smoking together. It would be awfully tough if she was still smoking and cigarettes were easily accessible around the house. I owe the fellas on this very thread for the ideas, help and support in kick this crap!

Some things I experience when I first:

Coughing tar
First three days I had headaches
I would wake with the taste of cigarettes in my mouth
I coughed as a result of the cilia in the lungs growing again. Basically hair structures that sweep the crap out of your lungs and you cough up.
I got sick for a better part of a week and half. Head cold, stuffed sinus and raw coughing.

They always tell you the benefits of stopping but do not tell you what you will experience when you attempt to quit. Sure, they talk about cravings but as you can see there is more. Do not let that stuff stop you. The many benefits TRULY outweight the drawbacks. All I listed above are now gone. Every bit of it.

[Stealhead]

I think alot of smoking is the habit you get into it somehow almost always to it seems social people you work or go to school with smoke so you end up doing it with them. When I was in Air Force tech school I messed around with smokes for a bit and off and on in highschool but I guess it never became a habit for me they made the daily PT much harder so I just ****canned em.But I can very easily see how that is the start point for many.

My roommate decided that he was gonna cold turkey so he stood over the balcony and smashed his whole pack he told me to keep him from going to the smoke pit when we where on duty and I did. What got him though was when we went out drinking we where stationed in Germany and at the time smoking was allowed in bars and they where thick with it.My buddy hooked up with this german chick and she had smokes and my friend being drunk at the time took one I was getting up with my girl to leave and I told him not to smoke one or hed be right back at it. And he did relapse a few times but he did finaly pull through it. The thing many military people get hooked on is dip/snuff though you are not supposed to use it on duty it is easy to hide that you are using just an empty soda can is all you need or nothing at all if your outside driving a truck or something and if someone calls you out many will simply swallow it. Based on people i knew and saw in the Air Force Id have to guess that about 30% at least military members use it and some also smoke it matches up with an AFN news segmint I saw a few weeks ago(if you have the Military Channel you can see the daily AFN news its in the afternoon some time) about the growing number of military snuffers.

Id say the number one thing is first figuring out what part of smoking you are addicted to(or parts) some it is the nicotene for others it is in the hands and having the cigarette in them and I suppose for some its a related habit like standing around with other smokers/coworkers or not feeling relaxed unless you have smoked.Also be careful not replace one addiction with another that happens to people sometimes. I have heard that snuff is the worst thing you can use nicotine wise as it gets into your blood stream much faster than via the lungs.

Anyway if you are wanting to quit go for it just realize it may not be very easy but the health benafits are well worth it. One of my very close childhood friends his father quit sadly the damage had already been done he got lung cancer and it was pretty advanced but they removed it however the cancer had already spread to his brain in a place that was in-operable it was terriable becasue he lived for about a year but the tumor was growing and of course it was effecting his brain function so his personality was changed at times.He was 45 I belive when he died he had started smoking at 14 or 15.The sooner you can stop doing the damage the better as AVG said about cilla growing back that is damage being repaired and the "muck" is the cilla being able to clean your lungs out again i guess it is your body saying you stupid ****nut whay the hell did you do that **** in the first place? Also it is very nice to be able to breathe fully COPD is anti-breathe which to me is very lame.

[Jimbuna]

Besides, your wife will not let you smoke in the house or sit on the new furniture smelling like an ashtray. Save yourself the heartburn and stay off the smokes.

Are you sure you haven't been talking to my wife?

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Are you sure you haven't been talking to my wife?

All women are the same no matter what country they reside in My wife would be the same now that we stopped smoking. Don't give in to a lot of flower patterns no matter how much the interior decorator insists!

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

All women are the same no matter what country they reside in My wife would be the same now that we stopped smoking. Don't give in to a lot of flower patterns no matter how much the interior decorator insists!

Well...let me tell you something <looks over his shoulder first to make sure the wife isn't eavesdropping>....He who pays the piper calls the tune

[AVGWarhawk]

All right Jim, Friday wrap up. How we doing? I'm still hanging tough Week 5 under the belt. Speaking of belt, I could use a belt of scotch.

[Jimbuna]

Sound as a pound Chris....still hanging in there.

Was out with Kratos and a few of the boys last night and never flickered.

At about 22:00 when we went onto the Nelsons blood I must admit I was tempted, but held out