Feeling worse
I am now my 11th smoke free day. Having smoked approx 20 cigarettes a day for the last 15 years I decided enough is enough..It has taken me a while of thinking about quitting, and I guess a couple of the main reasons I did not do it earlier are: I could not imagine my life with out smoking, the fear of putting on weight, the fear of cravings etc I guess the usual stuff a smoker feels. There is a lot of information out there that helps you deal with the cravings etc but I have honestly found the cravings aren't as bad as what I expected, it is just being in a position where I used to light up having my morning coffee, walking to the car, after a meal etc that I found hard for the first few days, when I was in those situations I would reach into my pocket to get my packet, then realize I had quit but also have that feeling I had just lost something like my wallet, if you know what I mean.. but once my brain caught up I was fine and now these experiences have become less and less.Though one thing I am finding very difficult to deal with, and I not think there is much information or much warning given on quit sites, is feeling like you cannot get enough oxygen when you breathe.. it's like you are short of breath or you have been winded, it is kind of hard to explain but I hoping others can understand this feeling. There is nothing wrong with my lungs btw, this feeling usually is present on and off during the day and usually more so when it's bed time.. I know I'm getting enough oxygen because if I wasn't I wouldn't be writting this I guess it has something to do with the mind and when you are concious of this feeling it becomes worse.. all I read about before hitting was the health benefits'you will feel great', ' more healthy' 'breathe better' etcbut in all honesty I feel terrible, not better. Though I am going to sick with it I am determined, i am telling my self it is my body breaking down the toxins and getting used to not smoking that is how i am dealing with it. I just hope these feelings hurry up and disappear and I start to feel better like I expected. After talking to other ex smokers I know they have gone through these feelings as well I just wish it was listed in the symptoms so I didn't go through a panic stage which made it worse obviously..BTW to help me through I chose to go with the patch option... It is the 24 hr patch but I usually take it off before I go to bed..except when I forget and I have experienced the vivid dreams as a side effect, but all in all they have worked for me...
Thank you for your post. It helps me. I smoked a packet of unfiltered camels a day for 40 years. Tried the patches a few times. They did not work for me. I believe this was because they kept pumping nicotine into my system so I was not really quitting. One day, I found myself with a patch on and sucking a lozenge and dragging on a camel. I took off the patch, spat out the lozenge, and lit up another gasper! I read Allen Carr's book. It helped. You can get it second hand for $5, discarded by failed quitters. He helped me understand that - at least for me - cold turkey was the only way. 7 days smoke free now. The first 4 were VERY HARD, I WILL NOT LIE. I was climbing the walls, could not concentrate at work, and was awake all night. But after that, the nicotine is out of my system and the cravings are mild and manageable. Now my sense of taste and smell is back and I am coughing up 40 years of gunge. It feels great! So, beware those patches. Just quit and be done with it. But do not kid yourself. It is a strong addiction and the first week is hard.
I know the feelings you are talking about Jas.
After about 2-3 weeks of quitting (on nicotine patches), my body started doing really strange things... my stomach was constantly bloated and I had a terrible cough that wouldn't go away (even with cough syrup!). However I never encountered any problems with breathing, though different bodies will have different withdrawals I imagine.
The withdrawals I had lasted about 3 weeks, and they were annoying and somewhat painful (not unbearable though).
Once you get through them you will feel much better, and you won't want to smoke again in case you decide to quit again and go through all those symptoms again!
As Rainbow mentioned 3-6 weeks is as long as they should last, and make sure you are eating and drinking well to assist your body to get all that gunk out of you :)
Congrats and good luck!
im on my 7th day now and it have not been easy specialy the first 4 days feeling light headed and a terrible mood . still feel tired and sleepy even after getting enough rest . i stoped cold turkey and not using paches or anything