Fed up

[Morgan12]

I have Copd was told to give up smoking I did but actually feel worse now than when I was smoking why is that. Any advice.

[Badbessie]

Hi I have been non smoking for three months, it takes time and exercise before you will feel the benefits. Your body takes time to adjust...keep with it and I am sure things will change. P.s 20 a day for 30 years.

[mrblue12]

Smoking paralyses and destroys the cilia in your lungs. When you give up smoking, the cilia in your lungs that haven't been destroyed essentially 'wake up' and start working properly again. This would explain why many people who quit smoking develop a cough upon quitting.

[y_not]

I wasn't diagnosed with COPD until four months AFTER I stopped smoking. Don't understand the medical side of it all but I was told that smoking was masking the issues!

What I do know is that my 40 a day habit for 40 years did a heck of a lot of damage and I ain't planning on starting again anytime soon! Five years on and I wonder how bad I'd be now if I hadn't stopped then?

Well done for giving up - I know for many that's not an easy option and however you feel, if you'd carried on smoking you would have felt a lot worse!

You could always ask for a full health check just to see that there's not an underlying issue going on?

[sassy59]

Well done on quitting smoking. Keep going and be as well as you can. Exercise and a healthy diet will help. Xxxxx

[Tetrazzini]

Stick with it - it's doing you good. It is honestly worth it but I well remember the first six months of feeling dreadful.

Good luck.

[Dedalus]

I felt exactly the same after giving up - seemed I was more breathless than before. However, the smokers cough stopped immediately & long-term I know there are huge benefits. Ask to be referred for Pulmonary Rehab - helped me immensely. All best wishes

[Christine-sa]

I too felt worse for a long time... and now, a year later, I wish I had stopped YEARS ago! I feel fantastic, even though I have severe COPD. I went from "end-stage" to Severe within 9 months of quitting. (FEV1 improved after I quit). So hang in there. I too thought I would never get better and that I was better before I quit... and then one day you will wake up and realise it is the best thing you will ever do for yourself. xxx

[Catnip]

You've become used to having all the rubbish in your lungs. It will take time for your body to recover. On a more serious note -- you really have to stick to your guns and keep away from the fags. If not - you'll be a long time dead, sooner than you need to be.

Cheers

Catnip

[Hidden]

hi Morgan, when i was frist diagnosed 3 years ago my fev was just over 50% so after some very strong advice from my doctor i stoped smoking. it made me feel sick i couldnt stand the smell of food and had to force myself to eat, it took some months before i could eat normally again. now its the cigarette smoke that makes me feel sick..

i had i one of these full lung tests done not long ago and my fev1 is now over 70% , well worth the effort id say.

stay with it and good luck.

[bobbyfloyd]

Same as me, keep having kidney infections as i was told when you stop smoking the immune system weakens, and there is a smokers flu for those who give up, it will get better i was told i surely hope so, good luck,

[gemlady12]

I quit over 25 yrs. ago after smoking on and off for about 35 yrs. I had asthma as a child and severe allergies, airborne and cats. The dumbest thing I ever did was to smoke. I used to get cough for months (which I also had as a child), although my allergies seemed better. But after I quit smoking, I was diagnosed with asthma and to my disappointment, my allergies got worse than ever and I also became allergic to dogs! As time went on, my lungs got worse--perhaps it was partly my fault as I didn't take the inhalers as prescribed for the asthma for quite a few years. When I started to become more short of breath, I was told I had COPD. First, my Fev1 was 50%; now it's 67%. So, the docs still go back and forth whether I have asthma or COPD.

I still don't understand why people get adverse symptoms when you quit. But I would never go back to smoking. I cannot even be 20 feet away from a smoker without choking. God only knows what shape I would've been in had I continued. So, please hang in there.