I've not been here since February:eek: but I've just hit my 6 months smoke free mark!!!!!!!!!! It's been fairly easy, I used patches for the first 9 weeks and even though the past 4 months have been some of the most stressful (re:work) that I have ever had I'm still on the straight an narrow. What I would like to know is when will I start to feel any better? If anything I feel worse, I'm on medication for stress related acid reflux which I didn't have before, the husband (who's given up to) is on BP tablets now for life and we both feel like crap, surely all side effects of giving up should have gone by now? Oh yes, the husband has no trouble getting to sleep but wakes at 3am every day and can't get back to sleep as for me I've put on 2 1/2 stone :eek: It's great not smoking :0)
Written by
nsd_user663_3859
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Sorry to hear you're in the same boat as us post quitting but it's reassuring to know that we're not alone. My husband is having the same sleeping problem as you, he has no trouble getting to sleep but wakes around 3am every morning and can't get back to sleep. They don't tell you all this when they're promoting stopping smoking do they?
Hi, I agree! Sleeping was never a problem for me, but lately I've been waking up at around 4:00 am and can't get back to sleep. I think a lot of the other problems have to do with the weight gain. I've never been this heavy, not even when pregnant! I don't think you feel the positive effects of quitting because of the weight gain. Everyone says this will even out after six months, and I still have a few days to go till I've finished my sixth month, so I hope for improvement then. I haven't written any of this on here as the newbees seem to get upset if they read things that aren't positive. I don't want to go back to smoking and never will, no matter if I don't feel as positive about quitting, just need to rant once in awhile too. My mother-in-law just passed away and my husband and I are cleaning out the house. She was a smoker for 64 years! Anyway, I found 2 unopened packs of cigs in one of her closets! Left them there for a couple of days and then threw them away! Handling them was like handling hot potatoes, couldn't get rid of them fast enough. Didn't want to smoke them, just didn't want them close to me. Weird, huh?
Thanks for the info about everyone saying things will even out after 6 months, I've just hit that milestone so watch this space!!!!
I know people want you to give up, and lets be honest we all know it's the right thing to do, but I really think we should be armed with more info on the negatives of packing in, maybe then we'd know that what we're going through is to be expected and to grin and bear it.
I hope you begin to feel better soon and that you get your sleep pattern back to normal and well done for throwing those packets out
Congrats on the half year that's fantastic. Your metabolism may well start to speed itself up a bit from now on and help sort out the weight, that's certainly what's happened for me.
Garali - I think I've mentioned all my negatives but I can't emphasis enough the emotional side of things, I've been crying at almost anything!!!! I also have to say that I've not been craving a cigarette at all, not once but I have been a jibbering wreck of tears :rolleyes:
Nic- I really hope you're right, if my metabolism kicks in and the weight starts to go I might begin to feel good again.
I suggested ages ago that there should be an extra section added to the forum where everyone cold post about the negative aspects of smoking cessation - the spots, constipation, weight gain, emotions all over the place, foul moods, and so on.
Not to turn people off stopping smoking, but, as you say, to be forewarned and therefore forearmed. The suggestion met with a positive response from the Mods, and it was said that something may or may not be done about that following discussion with NSD, once this years No Smoking Day was out of the way. Another Mod made reference to this suggestion quite recently too - either in a post or by PM .. I've tried to find the post with the original suggestion, in response to Katy's earlier post, but had no luck .. I'll flag this message up to the mods to get some focus back on this. It was generally agreed at the time that this was something people wanted.
Cheers,
Jim
I will again bring this to the attention of NSD and let you all know their response, if any
I'm yet another one with a similar sort of experience. After giving up cold turkey back in January (24 weeks) I just seemed to get really sick. First it was fatigue I could hardly stay awake during the day and would always wake up exhausted early in the morning. After that I developed pains in my throat and chest, burning pains in my hands and feet and an awful taste in my mouth. I put on weight too.
I had a lot of medical tests which showed I had high blood pressure and cholesterol levels but no heart disease nor anything seriously wrong with me. I had a doctor try to convince me that I was clinically depressed, which I didn't really agree with.
I changed my diet and I'm now trying to give up coffee. I don't know if that helps but I feel I'm beginning to come through the worst of it.
The reason I haven't posted for months is because I genuinely believed there was something wrong with me beyond the after-effects of giving up smoking. Probably not, thirty years of nicotine intake has obviously had a profound effect on my body.
One thing is clear though - I see people smoking every day and I'm always utterly relieved to be free of that. I am never, never going back to that again.
Know I'm only 35 days old, but finding these forums and being directed to why quit was the best thing to get me through the stages I've got through so far. Think it'd be really useful for both sides of the stories to be given though, does everyone feel the same post 6mths?
Had a conversation with a relative recently (who still smokes, following my stopping) and there was the fear that smoking was masking a possibly pre - existing condition (so therefore why stop) also feeling depressed is something that I've been told to expect with "Why quit" although they say after 2 weeks get yourself checked out.
I've tried to rationalise my feelings to date, if I'm down is it just that I have down periods anyway!
Not sure I've really added anything to the debate, seems more like a stream of consciousness spew of words.
Sorry if I've opened a can of worms but it's really helping me to hear of everyone elses problems. I'm sorry you're suffering too but I feel better knowing I'm not alone.
I hope the Mods do decide to open a section about the negatives of stopping smoking because I can definately state that talking about this is helping me and convincing me to stay strong.
I still wake up early every morning with a really anxious feeling but I'm going through quite a few problems with illness in my family so hardly surprising. I thought the waking up early would go away after a while but its still there. I just get up and do something with the time now. No point in laying around moping, I may as well use the time. Doesnt help when you're knackered during the day though.
I can honestly say I really dont want a cigarette at the time of writing this, no matter what side effects I may have to endure so thats definetly something.
I think i've posted this before but mainly it's a mind game............i know the weight is real but the rest is just a state of thinking. I'm 18 months in and still struggle with the stone and a half i put on but i have no sleep issues or any other symptoms.
When you can truly forget about smoking and i dont think you have (that's not a crticism), things will definitely move forward for you. It definitely did for me!
Think of the money you have saved........that brings a smile to all our faces.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.