Smoking - Lungs

fr0z3n

Nov 7 2006, 04:30 AM

Well, I've been smoking for about four years and I'm a chain smoker in the first 2 years. I've stopped this bad habbit last few weeks. The reason why I've stopped is I feel something bad in my lungs, I get exhausted easily, my heart beat rate becomes fast easily and some symptoms of hyperacidity. I am diagnosed in tubercolosis when I am 1 year old because my room is next to a garage and I'm inhaling all the smoke from the jeepneys. My mother said that smoking is not for me because I may suffer that disease again. I think I have some complications in my lungs and I would like to ask you if you know how long my lungs will be back to normal

rvalkass

Nov 7 2006, 06:42 AM

Well both my parents smoked for about 30 years and stopped only a couple of years ago. Within a few days your heart rate doesn't get so fast, and a few weeks you should notice much better breathing and less coughing. I think it takes around 3 or 4 months to get it all back to normal though, and well done on stopping smoking, its a very difficult thing to do.

Dagoth Nereviar

Nov 7 2006, 07:19 AM

Congrats on stopping smoking and goodluck

My dad used to smoke since he was 9 (He's now about 45) but he had a mild heartattack, so he stopped. After a week or so, his breathing was slightly better, then it improved each month for about 3 month. He still gets the craving for one (which isn't suprising to say he's been smoking for about 35 years) but his heart/lungs are alot better.

Just be careful around very smokey areas, pubs, clubs, smoking areas, etc, because it can make your lungs/heart bad if you're around the smoke for an hour/a few hours or so

mojoman

Nov 7 2006, 08:16 AM

Congratz on stopping. My dad smoked ever since I was born, possibly earlier, but he was deprived of cigarretts for about a few months, which actually worked because now he does not smoke at all. His breath used to smell horrible and his teeth were all yellow, but now its improved.

humanisfilth

Nov 7 2006, 11:23 AM

Congratulations on stopping smoking! I smoked for 15 years and I must admit that for most of that time I LOVED IT! During my time, I smoked EVERYTHING. Filtered, Unfiltered, Menthol, Clove etc etc. Towards the end, when my health began to decline significantly, I moved to the lower tar/nicotine "light" cigarettes...which I found out actually cause MORE damage, NOT less because smokers then tend to inhale more powerfully and deeply into the lungs. SO DO NOT DO THAT! You can try the gum or the patches if you want...but you'll find as I did that you're just trading one for the oehter. I wound up hooked on the gum for 2 years before my last hospitilization, when I was cut off from all nicotine sources and went through complete withdrawal de facto. Once I was away from it for a solid month, I found I was able to avoid it altogether forever. If you're not going cold turkey already, DO IT NOW!! No matter what anyone tells you, it's the only real, guaranteed method to quit and STAY QUIT. Again, expect a month of general crabbiness and cravings...but with every day they become less and less annoying.

As far as your health improvement goes, this is a VERY SERIOUS ISSUE that you MUST discuss with your doctor!!! See...as I found out the hard way, simply quitting does not guarantee there will be ANY improvements. The damage to your lungs from smoking and disease has likely resulted in scar tissue in your lungs. This scar tissue can cause all manner of very serious disease and since you've already had TB, it's likely your lungs are already at risk and you'll need follow up care once the tar and mucus clear out. You HAVE to get a chest scan right now so your doctor can see where you're at today. A few weeks from now, he'll do a follow up to see your progress. What he'll see at that time is SIGNIFICANT clearing of the lungs and what's left over is the long term damage you folks need to work on. I don't see how you won't have some degree of scarring from the TB alone...nevermind the smoking. You have NO idea what a smart idea it was to quit NOW, you're probably adding decades to your life. Your doctor may actually suggest surgery to correct the leftover damage. It's the same surgery Bill Clinton had after his heart surgery...they corrected scar tissue they found in his lung from other disease processes. Post corrective surgery, you'll breath easier and your whole outlook will improve.

Your heart rate and hyperacidity should improve during the next few weeks as well, but a short run with some Atenolol and Protonix might be in order. Those should balance and heal any issues with your heart rate and GI tract....and neither has any notable side effects (other than you feeling WAY better).

Please talk to your doctor about testing and/or preventative measures for emphysema as well. Your medical history warrants it.

Whatever you do...live each day forward as a NON-Smoker. Robin Williams had a brilliant bit of dialogue in the movie "Dead Again"..'Someone is either a smoker or a non-smoker, there's no in-between. The trick is to find out which one you are and be that.' Go forth and LIVE!

husker

Nov 7 2006, 11:45 PM

Good for you. I have always heard it's really hard to quit. I'm sure you will be really good you did in a few years (since you will be living longer). I also heard that you suffer drawbacks and stuff like that when you quit, so just fight through those and continue on. Good job on quitting!

MIGUE2k7

Nov 8 2006, 12:43 AM

You can help yourself by going to some park with lots of trees, in morning, and doing slight excersie, like walking or running for a few and then sit and breath deeply, its always good the breath pure air, and parks and perfect for that.
In that way you could be totally cured in less than 3 weeks. First start with just walking, so you wont get exhausted so easily, and then run slowly, it way helps.

And yea good job on quitting, its real hard to people leave the cigar away, just hope you dont fall on that bad habbit again.

fr0z3n

Nov 8 2006, 01:32 AM

humanisfilth has a quite long explanation but its very helpful and so do as the other explanations from you guys.

I started to smoke because all my friends were smoking when I'm in high-school and doesn't know about the risk cause I know you will just be diagnosed by those diseases if you've been smoking for 10 years ore more. But I found out on an article in the net that people that already suffered from respiratory diseases have higher risk that those diseases would come back.

My father has a good news on me because he has or our family has a high chance of being approved for our application to migrate to australia. I know that before that, we will got to a series of health test like drug test and of course an X-ray of your lungs. I don't want to be the problem that our family would be denied because of the result on my health. It is estimated that maybe after 6 months or next year our application would be approved. Maybe I should go to the doctor now for some check ups just to be sure.

About the surgery of Bill Clinton... I dont think that my situation is not that bad yet. It will be hard to search for a place were nobody is smoking because this past few years the number of smokers in our country grows dramatically. I would like to say thank you to you guys again and if you have more ideas on how to quit smoking, feel free to post it here.

randomdood

Nov 8 2006, 10:05 AM

good work on stopping, each cigerette takes like 7minutes off your life but i think chain smoking is a bit worse. I will never touch a cigerette as long as i have anything to say about it. i have quite bad asthma so i can't really do it if i wanted to anyway, i'm too young aswell.
there are kids at my school who smoke weed and i can smell it from a mile away. that stuff isn't good either. i just wish that people don't see it as cool, but see it as life threating and just plain bad.

kasm

Nov 8 2006, 10:44 AM

QUOTE(fr0z3n @ Nov 7 2006, 03:30 PM)

Congratulations on stopping smoking!.

I think there is no benefit at all for smoking. Even I am not drinking too (except in occasion and by invitation) but I think drinking may be has some nutritional benefit and help in warming in cold weathers as in Russia and Finland and may be has medical usage but I can not find any benefit for smoking.

My big brother is smoking and can not stop even after heart attack. He stopped for few month but return back to this habit secretly. I warn my kids about smoking saying how it is addicted things so don't try. I gave them their uncle example as proof for warning.

One of my Mathematics Professor was heavily smoking. I don't forget that after 45 years, that he was smoking one cigarette every quarter of hour with a Turkish cup of coffee brought to him during the lecture {in that time smoking in public place was allowed). In last day of his life , he was very miserable.

Latest Entries

Yratorm, LightMage

Jan 6 2007, 02:52 PM

I have a friend who is a surgeon, and he tells me a smokers lungs are actually 'black' from the accumulated debris, as opposed to healthy lungs.

The strange thing is if you look at books from say a hundred years ago, they have no idea at all that smoking is dangerous, to them a pipe gives a 'manly air' etc. Love the way books can sometimes let you look into the past - right, right, off-topic, I know, hehe.

I've got a few friends who are trying to ditch the habit, it's not at all easy. As I said in my earlier post, anyone who does is a hero in my opinion - a very strong person indeed.

richierich1m

Jan 5 2007, 09:38 AM

first of all congrats on living that death stick,

you would be glad that you stopped smoking in your future,smoking really makes your lungs go in a merry round trip and actually it crushes your lungs by making them vulnerable to a lot of diseases
Leaving smoking alone is no way going to guarantee you that you would be ready to live a healthy life from now on,but atleast you have stopped punching your lungs now.
Now you need to do some lung test which may reveal how hard the damage is,i am not a doctor but i know that there is some problems in the lungs of chain smokers which need to be rectified.
Do those test and maintain a good diet afterall and keep exercising ,it would atleast make half of your problem solve and as for your t.b. is concerned i think you people need to move out of such an area which gives bed smell all the time which may be really harmful to you,this smells might also contribute to your lungs problem furthur.
keep exercising...(though even i don't)

Sprnknwn

Jan 5 2007, 09:21 AM

I agree with mbacarra. Don´t expect a total recovery or think that you will be an athlete now. Years of smoking cause years of damage to your organism, but it´s no so dramatic anyways. The same happens with alcohol, drugs or even bad diets. But is a real difficult thing to leave the habit of smoking so congratulations because you´ll feel better than when you smoke. You will also save money and time and people won´t have to run away when you light a cigarette. And they say your sexual life will be better too...

Unregistered 012

Jan 5 2007, 04:46 AM

Good job on quitting smoking. I have so many people in my family that smoke. My Dad, Aunt, Grandma, and my Grandpa. They all tell me not to ever smoke cause it is a bad habit. In my head im thinking "you hypocrites" lol. Anyway my Grandma has tried to quit smoking like 5 times. Every time for a few months then she smoked more. I think one time she quit for almost a year. But anyway congrats. It is a good thing to quit. You save your money, better for you, and the friends and family around you dont have to worry about getting secondhand smoke.

delivi

Jan 1 2007, 09:04 PM

I reuest or even beg all the smokers to quit smoking. I know you cannot stop smoking in a single day, but if you have the determination then you can be free of this addicition soon.

The reason why I say this is,
I've friend whose father was a smoker, a few years before he was diagonised for lung cancer. Now do you know guys how he is he cannot breath on his own, he needs an Oxygen Cylinder near him at all times.

Do you need this pityful state, you cannot be free you have to be confined within the walls of the hospital or ur home.

Please think on it.

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