A few things really caused me to quit. One being the fact that I could not laugh like a jack-ass when I found something comical. I would try to laugh and end up nearly choking.

I would try to sleep but had to cough a certain way so my breath would quit rattling. I got pissed off at the cigarettes.

But yeah, when I realized I was getting better, it was the first night in 15 years I fell asleep with NO rattle noises. It was also when I could laugh loud and obnoxiously again without coughing.

 

You know thing that isn't discussed much but when I did smoke, I felt pretty guilty. I would buy something nice, maybe a new outfit, or whatever. The thought I often had was, "How long til cigarette smoke ruins this?"

When the stains faded from my fingers and my toes looked normal again.  My toes were bright red year-round.  I always though it was because of severe frostbite that I suffered as a teenager.  That was not the case.  Smoking effected my blood circulation.  After a few weeks off of the cigarettes, my toes were normal skin color.  And a lot warmer too!

Edited April 22, 20197 yr by Pearlie

I had a lung test performed at the doctor when he prescribed my Chantix (I was still smoking at the time) and the results were pathetic.

 

Not wheezing when going to bed and not having to clear my throat all the time after a few days was cool, but the real eye opener was when I went back to the Dr. six (smoke free) weeks later, my lung capacity was somewhere around, 200% better.

 

 

Edited April 22, 20197 yr by JimHannoonen

When I could walk up the hill from the lake, 200yards, without huffing and puffing. Also when I stopped coughing all, night, long. 

 

P.S. Hey Jim!

 

Edited April 22, 20197 yr by NOPEster

Back in the fall when I could smell autumn in the air and could walk more than a mile, then the Doctor saying I had to reduce some of my blood pressure medications since it was going to low -- that was the mark!!!!

I’ve gone almost 3 years without getting those painful skin cracks on the tips of my fingers, plus my toes aren’t always freezing in winter.   I think I could walk barefoot in the snow now

Edited April 22, 20197 yr by Wayne045

When I stopped coughing my lungs up. This recovery happened so fast, within a week.

Within two weeks ,that awful painful dull sore ache had gone from both ankles ..I had stopped scratching them to ease the pain ...

My constant coughing stopped after about a week...the terrible phlegm production after two weeks...and the problems with my eyes cleared up almost immediately and they were no longer bloodshot....God, I didn't realize what a mess I was! My messed up arteries took surgery to clear up and I have been dealing with that issue since the day I quit!

 

PS Just had my one year anniversary last week since my CABGx3 surgery...got the thumbs up from cardiologist...echo normal, ekg normal, blood-work normal. What a relief...I can get back to my gardening with no restrictions! 🌞

1 hour ago, Rozuki said:

My constant coughing stopped after about a week...the terrible phlegm production after two weeks...and the problems with my eyes cleared up almost immediately and they were no longer bloodshot....God, I didn't realize what a mess I was! My messed up arteries took surgery to clear up and I have been dealing with that issue since the day I quit!

 

PS Just had my one year anniversary last week since my CABGx3 surgery...got the thumbs up from cardiologist...echo normal, ekg normal, blood-work normal. What a relief...I can get back to my gardening with no restrictions! 🌞

Really good news ...x

That's great news @Rozuki    

Glad to hear you got the thumbs up from Docs Roz

 

6 hours ago, Rozuki said:

...and the problems with my eyes cleared up almost immediately and they were no longer bloodshot...

 

That was one of my first and most welcomed benefits of quitting: my eyes cleared up.  For years I blamed allergies, contact lenses, and lack of sleep for my dry bloodshot eyes.

 

I quit smoking and the issues with my eyes cleared up.  In fact, I quit in early March right before the start of the allergy season here in a region that has been dubbed by some "The Hay Fever Capital of the World" and even during that first Spring and Summer...no problems with my eyes.

 

And the benefits of quitting just kept adding up from there.

On 4/22/2019 at 3:06 PM, JimHannoonen said:

I had a lung test performed at the doctor when he prescribed my Chantix (I was still smoking at the time) and the results were pathetic.

 

Not wheezing when going to bed and not having to clear my throat all the time after a few days was cool, but the real eye opener was when I went back to the Dr. six (smoke free) weeks later, my lung capacity was somewhere around, 200% better.

 

 

 

How do they do a lung test exactly? I know smoking is rough but it seems an athlete, even one who smokes, would have better than average lung capacity.

16 hours ago, Jet Black said:

 

How do they do a lung test exactly? I know smoking is rough but it seems an athlete, even one who smokes, would have better than average lung capacity.

 

It's a machine you inhale and exhale through as hard as you can.

 

When I was heavy into triathlon, I had great lung capacity, but I'd "retired" from triathlon for a while before I decided to quit smoking, so the better than average lung capacity I had was long gone.

 

 

JB ...this is how they test your lung capacity .....hubby has end stage Emphysema ....this is how they see how it's worsened and scans ...

 

6 hours ago, JimHannoonen said:

It's a machine you inhale and exhale through as hard as you can.

When I was heavy into triathlon, I had great lung capacity, but I'd "retired" from triathlon for a while before I decided to quit smoking, so the better than average lung capacity I had was long gone.

 

You know there is all this talk about how the body recovers in stages from smoking (probably from drugs and drinking too) but the downside of the body's recovery system is that once we retire from our strength or endurance routines, our bodies seem to lose strength and endurance pretty quick also.

 

6 hours ago, Doreensfree said:

JB ...this is how they test your lung capacity .....hubby has end stage Emphysema ....this is how they see how it's worsened and scans ...

 

Wow, that machine looks like it delivers nothing but grave news.

Sarge knew by the end of his second day he would never smoke again. 

The first day? Not so much. 

 

EZPZ.