I have to admit that I was secretly hoping I would never have a cold again after I quit (despite being extremely prone to them) but it's just one of those things that all of us suffer with, not just the smokers. :rolleyes:
So, my cough is totally different. It's dry and tickley rather than full of that horrible mucus that comes of your chest when you smoke. My chest actually seems remarkably dry, which I wasn't expecting.
Also, my cold doesn't feel as though it's in my head as much as it used to be. I tend to suffer with a lot of colds and they always end up in my head after the first couple of days. I don't feel like my head is going to pop, which is nice.
I feel much better in myself this time round as well.
Don't know about you guys, but I would often feel guilty when I got a cold. I knew that smoking when my body was clearly trying to fight off a virus was a bad decision (which actually led to me learning how to switch off the craves when I was ill), so I felt as though I made it ten times worse. It didn't stop the cravings, but non-smokers would tut and say "you know, that cold would disappear a lot sooner if you just stopped smoking". No sympathy there then
Sometimes I would just brush it off, but they were right! Who in their right mind would purposely prolong a cold/illness?! :eek: It upset me so much the last time I was ill that I decided it was time to get rid!
It's great now to know that, while I feel pretty poop, I have done everything within my power to avoid becoming ill and it's not my fault! I'm eating a lot better, exercising and I don't smoke. So I'll complain about it all I like, thanks very much!
Anyway, I'm sure that this is only the beginning of little improvements over the next year or so (after all, it's going to take a lot longer than three months for my body to sort itself out), but I wanted to share some small positives with you all! Colds especially seem to be very frequent in my life so the differences I'm feeling this time round are massive!
Anyone else noticed these changes in general health/illness?
xxx
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It's fab that you're feeling better generally hun, even better that you quit permanently at 24 'cos it's extra time for your body to recover!!
It really does feel different doesn't it?
Don't tend to get a lot of colds, smoker or not I've always been disgustingly healthy (chills are more my thing) so when i do it's a stinker and have noticed the difference in previous quits, so far *touches wood* I haven't had one this time. Had a hell of a chest infection New Year's though :eek:
Know I've said before but it never entered my head to stop smoking when I was ill, colds, flu, coughs whatever nothing got between me and my fags - if I was off work I probably smoked more TBH 'cos I was bored and feeling rubbish. Which is truly sad, and certainly not something I'm proud of - but my logic was that I'd have the cold and feel like s**t anyway, why make it even worse for myself by not smoking (yes, I know :rolleyes so I'd have withdrawal on top and I'd only start right back up again so what's the point?
If it was a bad one I'd smoke menthols instead 'cos that "helped my chest" - hey if they put menthol in cough sweets then smoking menthol fags must do the same thing? *Slaps herself for her stupid addict's "logic"*
But yes, my colds *always* went on my chest when I smoked - had one in October last year and was still coughing a good couple of weeks after my cold had cleared up - and I got nagged by my dad ("Why the hell are you still smoking when you sound like that?" and plenty of pitying looks from him as I coughed my way through yet another fag on the step) and by one of my friends who's a doctor ("Oh Gem your symptoms are typical of a smoker" - she's an oncologist which made it worse) and sympathy from any non-smokers was pretty thin on the ground!! Like you I'd ignore it most of the time but it did start sinking in - really because they were dead right!!
Generally though I feel tons better for stopping.
Used to get lots of migraines, and since quitting haven't had that many - had the same packet of ibuprofen in my bag for ages and the last time I took any was for a hangover
Can run (although I don't much 'cos I'm lazy :rolleyes::o) without collapsing in a coughing heap and generally have more energy
Hope your cold clears up soon, and don't forget to milk the hell out of it from your BF xxx
Well done you! I have never suffered many colds but some odd things I have noticed;
In cold weather the tip of my nose used to get cold.Not any more!And feb/March were cold!
I have had a dodgy right knee for years,it 'crunched' a bit up stairs and so on but never enough to warrant surgery.It seems to have fixed itself quite a lot since I quit :eek:
I really don't miss fag breath.Remember that? Have a fag then later breath on your hand,what a feckin revolting stink..:confused:
Sarah as you say-will take a while for your body to revert to natural 100%.Yours is the latest version of Homo Sapiens complete with upgrades after millions of years of development however millions of years development,have not been permitted to allow the body to cope with being poisoned by smoke,that is a relatively new abuse on a large scale so it will take a wee while to see all that smoking relates stuff off the premises.
Wow, they are some positive changes! I DO NOT miss the fag breath! Sometimes the live smell still gets me, but now it's my turn to lightly prod the other half and say "you smell!". I hope at some point to convince him to throw away the dirty habit as well, and he keeps saying he wants to try out my e-cig, but it isn't much of a pain really and it isn't a part of day to day life like my habit was. :rolleyes:
It's fab that you're feeling better generally hun, even better that you quit permanently at 24 'cos it's extra time for your body to recover!!
It really does feel different doesn't it?
Don't tend to get a lot of colds, smoker or not I've always been disgustingly healthy (chills are more my thing) so when i do it's a stinker and have noticed the difference in previous quits, so far *touches wood* I haven't had one this time. Had a hell of a chest infection New Year's though :eek:
Know I've said before but it never entered my head to stop smoking when I was ill, colds, flu, coughs whatever nothing got between me and my fags - if I was off work I probably smoked more TBH 'cos I was bored and feeling rubbish. Which is truly sad, and certainly not something I'm proud of - but my logic was that I'd have the cold and feel like s**t anyway, why make it even worse for myself by not smoking (yes, I know :rolleyes so I'd have withdrawal on top and I'd only start right back up again so what's the point?
If it was a bad one I'd smoke menthols instead 'cos that "helped my chest" - hey if they put menthol in cough sweets then smoking menthol fags must do the same thing? *Slaps herself for her stupid addict's "logic"*
But yes, my colds *always* went on my chest when I smoked - had one in October last year and was still coughing a good couple of weeks after my cold had cleared up - and I got nagged by my dad ("Why the hell are you still smoking when you sound like that?" and plenty of pitying looks from him as I coughed my way through yet another fag on the step) and by one of my friends who's a doctor ("Oh Gem your symptoms are typical of a smoker" - she's an oncologist which made it worse) and sympathy from any non-smokers was pretty thin on the ground!! Like you I'd ignore it most of the time but it did start sinking in - really because they were dead right!!
Generally though I feel tons better for stopping.
Used to get lots of migraines, and since quitting haven't had that many - had the same packet of ibuprofen in my bag for ages and the last time I took any was for a hangover
Can run (although I don't much 'cos I'm lazy :rolleyes::o) without collapsing in a coughing heap and generally have more energy
Hope your cold clears up soon, and don't forget to milk the hell out of it from your BF xxx
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