Quitting smoking, black tar and anxiety.

[Shinyemily]

Hey I thought I would introduce myself to share my quitting smoking journey.

I am 26 years old and I have been a smoker on and off for 6 years total. I decided enough was enough and took part in stoptober (for those of you who are unfamiliar with that it is, it's where you quit on the 1st of October and remain smoke free throughout the month as you're likely to remain smoke free beyond that). So far massive success and I'm very proud of myself. Recently I noticed alot of solid black when I coughed. Not a pleasant sight and I began to panic. I know brown from taris normal but never black. I went to see the emergency Dr who confirmed it's just tar and nothing to worry about. Today I coughed up alot more black and saw my regular Dr who also confirmed it's just tar and nothing to worry about. He said my throat looksa little irritated and I have a slightly higher than normal temperature so I've been given a nasal spray as he said I have a little bit of a fever but that's likely due to weather changes and unrelated to coughing tar. He commented my lungs sound 100% healthy and he's not concerned. He said he would be if I smoked for like 40 years which luckily is not the case.

Now I'm sitting her calming down knowing that nothing untoward is going on but I can't help but get anxiety. I have been having anxiety over every little thing and it's driving me mad a little. Hoping it passes soon as I was Xmas shopping earlier and didn't get half the stuff I wanted to as I was way to distracted and just wanted to go home. Tonight I will take a nice bubble bath and relax and try again tomorrow. Hoping the anxiety eases. Not nice.

Hope you're all doing well

[RoisinO1 Administrator 3 Years Smoke Free]

Welcome Shinyemily on almost 1 month smoke free, well done! (I have given your 1 month milestone badge a day early )

The coughing up of the tar is perfectly normal, take it as a good sign your lungs are repairing and clearing out. The anxiety is another common nicotine withdrawal - see pinned post below worth a read if not already done so:

healthunlocked.com/nosmokin.....

To help with these withdrawals, drink loads and loads of water, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Raw honey (or jar honey will be fine too) every morning and evening to help with the clearing out the lungs and vaporizing with vicks a few times a week. Herbal supplements can assist with any anxiety issues. A bit of a walk every day to clear the head!

We look forward to reading your progress

[Shinyemily 9 Months Smoke Free in reply to RoisinO1]

Thank you for the tips! Hoping to clear all the gunk. My Dr calls it smokers revenge but said it's a good sign everything is clearing and on the mend. Thank you for my badge. It's a lovely reminderand reward that I am doing well. I look forward to being a part of this community and sharing my journey as time goes on. I am also looking forward to going back to cardio exercises and swimming like I used to

[Scarlet123 3 Years Smoke Free in reply to Shinyemily]

Well done. Cardio and swimming keeps me on the right track even when I don’t fancy it I just force myself to go and feel good afterwards! Go for it 💕