AndrewAsh

Thanks for posting. I literally quit right before tree pollen season in Michigan. It’s been a rough go if it since that point with respect to allergy and sinus symptoms. 
 

Nice to know I may not be the only one. Hopefully follow down your path and things get easier next year. 
 

appreciate the post. 

Hey all it’s been a little bit since my last post , coming up to almost 6 months post quit. Can’t believe it’s been that long already, not even a hint of trying to smoke during that time.

I posted previously about some sinus issues and congestion. After some testing and visits to allergists and Ear/Nose/Throat Doctor it seems that I have Allergic Rhinitis that’s causing swelling in my sinuses / nasal passages. 
 

I have never had these types of problems during my smoking days. I have searched and googled and have found some instances of people’s allergies getting worse during the first allergy season. It’s the body’s way of recovering after all the toxins coming out. Also, it seems smoking /nicotine can mask allergy issues. 
 

all in all just curious if anyone else has had these types of experiences. 
 

currently getting allergy shots , taking anti-histamine and nasal steroid sprays which aren’t exactly treating me right , never have been good with meds. 
 

thanks in advance. 

Yes it seems that inflammation in the sinuses is causing drainage into the ears and throat. Hopefully the antibiotic and the nasal anti inflammatory work. 
doctor thinks it’s a combination of stopping smoking (this has been bothering me for 4 weeks so it’s not recent) , the stay at home orders being locked inside and allergies. 

Hey all , figured I would start a new thread here. Still smoke free since shortly after the Super Bowl, so almost 3 months. Not going to lie, it’s been a challenge for my body, especially with the Covid situation, the anxiety levels and such have been escalated to unreal measures. 
 

I have a question for you all , has anyone had sinus issues post quit. My problem is , extremely dry nose, when i blow my nose very little (chunky) comes out with a little blood. These issues have also caused ear issues . It’s been happening since the very beginning of April. Extremely frustrating. Doctor believes I have sinusitis that may have moved to the the ear. 
ugh , usually thought sinus issues are only when the nose is running like crazy , guess I was wrong. Was prescribed Augmentin and nasal spray. Hopefully it clears the infection and the spray hydrates the nose. This is driving me crazy and making me believe all sorts of things are wrong. 
 

any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated. 
it’s hard seeing a doc here in michigan with the shutdown but finally broke down and went. 

Hey all just checking in ... 

still smoke free , going on two months!!!

not really having any urges to even have a cigarette. 
 

battling really dry sinus nowadays. Nose feels like is plugged at times but it’s just pressure it seems. I know smoking does a number on our sinuses as well. 
 

Other than that holding strong. Stay safe everyone. 

1 hour ago, Sazerac said:

Anxiety can be debilitating.

I am glad you have techniques to calm yourself down.

 

There is a lot of cause to be anxious these days and some also feel impressions of our collective anxiety.

Everyone is terribly concerned, rightly so.

All we can do is keep distance, wash our hands, cover our mouths. Be kind to eachother and ourselves.

 

Congratulations on your quit, @AndrewAsh !  Six weeks !

 

Reward yourself for every crave and trigger conquered. Things will be better by and by.

Appreciate how happy you have made your lungs...your cilia are shaking off all that poisonous tar.

You blood circulation is returning to normal and bring nourishment and oxygen to important body parts. 

Plenty of reason to celebrate.

 

Thank you for checking in.  Your experience is a light in the dark for others.

you’re not kidding. At times the anxiety seems to be controlling me , literally negative thoughts rolling through the mind 100mph. It’s strange to me as I have never really been a worry wart. Now I simple cough and all of a sudden, i must be sick ... crazy because it comes and goes. For example i was on several conference calls throughout the day, everything was fine ... soon as I have alone time , watching the news or checking social media , thoughts spin out of control. 

Wow where should I start ...

initially it was insomnia and heart palpitations(couple times).

recently it has been a feeling of being tired , strange because it has been about 5 weeks post quit, but have read that it’s totally expected. Also anxiety , anxiety and anxiety. Seems to worry about things much more nowadays. 

 

other minor things , skin breakout and minor headaches. 

On 3/15/2020 at 4:18 AM, Angeleek said:

Hi Andrew! I hope you are feeling better.  Your anxiety could be directly related to smoking cessation.  I can tell you that panic attacks have no power over you when you know they are based on nothing.  Go get checked by a doctor to rule out anything physical. Then you can tackle the underlying emotional issue. Maybe some talk therapy, exercise, anxiety medicine or herbal tea will help.  My anxiety is way down now after 57 days off the nicotine.  I hope yours gets better too!  Taking productive action really helps if you are a worrier.  Hold on to your quit!!

It’s definitely anxiety:

all the symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks. 
literally once i calm myself down everything returns to normal. I never realized how hard anxiety can be on someone until the last few weeks. 
 

with everything going on with Covid-19 it’s really triggering lots of bad thoughts. 
but still finding a way through it ... haven’t touched a cigarette

11 hours ago, jillar said:

Hi Andrew, sorry about the increased anxiety, that happens to a lot of us when quitting. Others feel some depression. Luckily this too is usually only temporary and will pass  but if it's really getting to you I recommend a Dr visit. Not only can he help put your mind at ease but he may be able to prescribe a temporary med to help you past it. And it's so nice to be able to tell your dr you quit smoking

I was actually thinking about doing this is it persists. I am not a fan of prescribed medicine unless it’s absolutely necessary. 
 

luckily when i had the panic / anxiety attack episode a few weeks back which resulted in the hospital visit, then ran all sorts of tests ... blood work, chest x ray , ECG , stress test , etc and all looked good. 
 

But anxiety is a different breed and somewhat new to me ... outta nowhere it strikes and then passes ... 

So guys / gals , honest question for you all. 
 

have you found your anxiety levels increased after quitting smoking. I was never a big worry wart per se in the past , obviously there were things that stressed me out but it seems that smoking kinda hid some of that ... 

nowadays I find myself freaking out about things. Anxiety seems to be elevated at times , kinda feeling anxiety attacks , brief but they come and go... maybe it’s just the extensive nature of the corona virus and coverage but it has me kinda going crazy to be honest. Obviously thinking of the worse case scenarios and it’s throwing my body off. Haven’t really had this in the past , but like i said, stress was previously comforted by lighting up a couple cigarettes. 
 

any suggestions?

On 3/10/2020 at 1:17 AM, Angeleek said:

Forgot to mention that I had similar issues as you did my first go-round with nicotine gum and patches....and yes caffeine will keep you up for days right after stopping nicotine.  Unfortunately they don't include that on the label.

Yes !!!

learning that the hard way ; caffeine makes me loopy!!! Took a pre workout for the gym the other day and I was bouncing off walls lol ; crazy heart rate , etc. 

not taking that again any time soon. 

On 3/7/2020 at 10:33 AM, Sazerac said:

 

Great to hear from you, Andrew !

Congratulations on your quit.

 

Everything you mention is totally normal and short-lived.

 

All I can offer about insomnia is to stop screen time early, meditation, exercise...chamomile tea...

then, I thought that caffeine might be contributing to your sleep issues.

Possible Changes In Caffeine Tolerance

luckily , I am not a heavy caffeine consumer. I rarely drink coffee , when i do it’s usually the latte or machiatto kinda drinks, yes yes i know it’s embarasssing lol 

I stay away from energy drinks as well and outside of maybe a cola at lunch at times, soda consumption is very low ...

I can only imagine what a monster or red bull would do to me at the present time ... yikes 

but I think the caffeine stuff is spot on ; I took a pre workout the other day before the gym , loads of caffeine obviously and it was messing with my heart rate , breathing , etc ... not doing that again lol 

On 2/25/2020 at 10:17 AM, Sazerac said:

How are you doing @AndrewAsh ?

Hey all checking in ....

still cranking , recently past the 1 month of being smoke free. 
overall feeling good , tendencies to be a bit tired at times, but that seems to be the norm post quitting. 
sleeping habits are getting much much better. Still waking up certain nights and having a hard time sleeping, but other nights are just fine. 
 

moving forward  

Hey all , checking in 

still going strong smoke free .. other than trying to adjust to sleep things are going well. Still kinda having a hard time getting a good nights rest but it’s been better than last week. 
plugging and chugging along. Having some stomach adjustments as well, which my doc told me is expected. 
 

getting closer and closer to 1 month  

4 hours ago, Doreensfree said:

Good news Andrew ....

Your giving yourself some TLC ....hopefully you will soon be back to your old fabulous Smoke Free Self ..

Well done ....

Thank you so much 

plugging and chugging 

dry cough , no fever

moving forward

Thanks for the notes all ...

I am definitely not taking the fever lightly or connecting it to quitting smoking. 
Took the day off work , been relaxing , drinking tons of fluids. Fever is essentially gone ... since I am a little anxious , I check my temp every hour or so (maybe more) 

thank you all for the concern 

16 hours ago, Runfree said:

You may have a flu.  You may also be flushing all kinds of grossness out of your system.  Hang in there.  Up the liquids.

Most likely 

back to normal today it seems, fever at 99 , probably a mix of everything 

5 hours ago, johnny5 said:

 

Keep up the great work, @AndrewAsh

Thanks appreciate the kind words ....

seems like one thing after another ; have a fever of 102-103 ... 

probably not related to quitting but dam when it rains it pours , frustrating 

50 minutes ago, Sazerac said:

Hello, Andrew.

Congratulations on quitting smoking.

Have you stopped taking NRT's also ?

 

Here are a few links to our friend, Joel Spitzer, on the issues you have mentioned;

 

After Quitting Smoking Is There Such A Thing As Quitters Flu ?

 

Common Symptoms

Yes NRT free as well 

56 minutes ago, jillar said:

Great question @AndrewAsh, quitters flu is real in that some recovery symptoms we have mimic flu like symptoms. The headache, coughing, foggy feeling. But it also is cold and flu season so it could be that you're just coming down with a cold. You'll be pleasantly surprised to find that the colds you do get won't last as long as they did when you smoked. I also found that I got far less colds after I quit.

I hope you feel better soon

Thanks so much 

So I do have one more question...

is Smokers flu or Quitters Flu a real thing. 
 

not gonna lie, I was feeling pretty good the last couple days , thought we were on the gravy train rolling and then this afternoon unbearable headache and coughs ; no fevers or anything of that nature just the headache , coughs and stuffy nose ... ugh 

Good Morning all ...

still going strong   Night time anxiety seems to be getting much better , actually getting some sleep nowadays. Still have small episodes of anxiety and panic but much much better. 
 

keep on keeping on ...

3 hours ago, jillar said:

Ugh, the insomnia is one of the worst symptoms there is Mine lasted a good couple of months but everyone's different. I used an OTC  sleep air a couple times a week and that seemed to help.

Congrats on two days without NRT, one more day and the nicotine will pretty much be out of your system

Yes Jillar 

it’s also the time you have the most to think ; wife is usually sleeping early, she’s been battling to stay up as late as possible to support, but she needs he sleep to be able to work efficiently in the morning ... it’s doesn’t feel like my mind is racing 200mph but it is ... and bam heart palpitations and panic ... ugh , this morning I looked myself in the mirror and asked WTF is wrong with you , calm the f$&! down Lol 

Ugh ... 

crushes it at the gym last night including 15 minutes of cardio, thought for sure i had worn myself out enough to get some sleep...

laid down around 11:30, can feel I was anxious and mind was full of thoughts , dozed off for a bit only to awaken to a what I would call small panic attack, nothing like over the weekend , only lasted 30 seconds or maybe less ... but hay was the end of my sleep for a while , last time I looked at the clock it was almost 3am , up and outta bed around 6:00 , and the 3 hours was lousy sleep

i really hope the anxiety and heart racing / palpitations stop soon .. need to sleep to function. 
 

still not reaching for a cigarette and 2 straight day with no nicorette 

Just an update ...

had a hard time sleeping last night , definitely a bit anxious , especially with the series of events from the night before. 
eventually I was able to fall asleep for a few hours after taking some deep breathes for few minutes. 
holding strong thus far ; no nicorette yet today. 
a little discomfort in the chest area which is the norm, also starting to cough a bit. 
 

Great to hear. Stay strong and committed. 
sounds like you have some motivation with the wife quitting. 
day by day , win the small battles , it all adds up.

keep us posted. We will be there for you