Hello my name is Jenn, I am 33 years old and was told by a Dr. That I had to quit... On 6/25 I had a simple outpatient sinus procedure, as I was being intubated my oxygen saturation plummeted into the 60s and my blood pressure dropped drastically... why? Well apparently as they were advancing the tube, "gunk" from my lungs clogged the tube causing the above actions and I had to receive epinephrine twice in order to be stabilized. The surgeon when I was out of recovery immediately called my father and told him I had to quit smoking... so as I am recobering from sinus surgery I have stopped smoking with the help of NRT. So far I have done pretty well except for symptoms of shortness of breath and severe insomnia which makes the cravings worse because I am so sleep deprieved. I do take the patch off in the evening as I am sure this contributes to it... but I still am struggling with insomnia.
I previously tried to quit before using Chantix and quit smoking for 1 month , b it I was unable to tolerate the increased dose of the medication and failed as everyone in my life seems to smoke and I caved into again as a matter of routine.
I need tons of support and look forward to reading others journeys through this process, and I hope to gain a ton of tips to help me get through...
have a good morning all
Enjoy the journey!!!
Written by
Jfarrelly82
9 MONTH WINNER
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I can only tell you about my experience. I quit Cold Turkey, had many sleepless nights (no problem going to sleep, just couldn't stay asleep - 2 hours max) and the breathing seemed to get worse and worse. This all started on day 2 of my quit, now I am at day 74, and i slept 4 nights in a row, almost all night, breathing has gotten better during the last two weeks. Not back to where it was, but still better. It turned out that i was having some anxiety issues. Same as you, I still crave the smoking routine, but not the smoking itself. Best of luck.
You've had a very frightening experience unfortunately and the best thing is you're now quit, so well done. Insomnia and sob are very common side effects unfortunately and then the tiredness sets in and it is very difficult. But you can do it and the best way is one day at a time. Any previous attempts were trial runs and now this is the real deal. We are here to support you and help you with your quit journey. We have some excellent breathing techniques to help you sleep and these are in pinned posts. Some members found camomile tea helped to relax and unwind before bed. All these side effects will pass👍🏻 and there are plenty of inspirational quit stories as well. So have a good look around the site and just shout, coz there's always someone around to help. Good luck😊x
Gosh, that must have been a hell of a shock to you BUT, you have now done what the doc says, QUIT sooooo, all we have to do now is to keep you quit, smokefree shortness of breath is common especially in the early stages of our quit
As for your insomnia I'm afraid thats very common, soooo, your defiantly not alone on that one gal Like Briarwood says, perhaps try the camomile tea, or the breathing exercises cos these things help us You say you take your patches off at night, maybe try the 16 hour patches, cos I slept a lot better using them
Jenny, if you have any questions or need any help, then you come a flippin shouting gal and we will try to help you and if you cant find the breathing exercises then I will repost them for you
Hi jenn and welcome to tHis great support group 😆 well you have been put through the wringer alright... I too quit with patches but I found it easier taking them off at least 30 mins before I went to bed.... also lavender is also very good at helping you relax and sleep. Either lavender smelling soap/bubbles in a warm bath or something lavender smelling beside your bed l in e as small Yankee candle as they retain their smell....
Stay strong and keep the faith..... if your struggling just take a quick sniff of your family/friends that smoke and see how badly they smell...... as also start saving your cigs money and treat yourself at the end of each month..... you'll be surprised at how much you save 😃😃😃
I too was badly effected by insomnia and I quit cold turkey. One thing that is very common about reading other peoples symptoms of recovery is that no matter what they go through, none of it seems to last for long
You are doing very well and come on here as often as you need too and just read up on information and other peoples quit stories etc, ask any questions - we have all been where you are now and are here to help in any way can
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What now? Starting to lose hope 
Daily Chat: Wednesday 30th May 2012
3 weeks and no desire but lungs are killin' me
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