should i feel sick?

i quite smoking about two mounths ago and i have been felling bad ever since. i have the same feeling in my chest that you get when you have the flu or something. that heavy congested feeling, i have been coughing which i know would happen but it is also hard to breath sometimes. i feel worse then when i smoked. i thought this was how you should feel when you did smoke. is this normal?

please let me know your feedback on this. thank you

rosalie

Yes it is normal. It'll take a while for your body to heal from the damage of smoking - I know - I used to smoke a lot and I quit, a few times. This last time I used the patch and never looked back. Perhaps vitamin supplements will help, and aerobic exercise should help you get your wind back.

Good job on quitting - I know how hard it was for you. Good luck and stay off those nasty things!!

Hi Rosalie,

This is perfectly normal. I quit smoking 9 months ago, so I know what those feelings are like.

The heavy feeling in your chest and the coughing are signs that your lungs are healing. This will last for a few more months but will gradually decline. My doctor told me that it takes a body about a year, sometimes longer, to return to a "non-smoking" normal.

Hang in there- it gets better, I promise. As I waited for the bus the other night, I found myself irritated by a man's second-hand smoke. But it wasn't because it made me crave a cigarette, it was because I couldn't breathe and it stunk! I thought this to be a good sign.

Be well.

Very normal, I had smoked for 50 years before I quit cold turkey.  The first 6 months were no picnic, the next 6 slightly better, but there is not one day that I am not so grateful and happy that I no longer smoke.

Yes It is normal, I quit 4 months ago and it does get better with every passing month. The coughing will begin to limit to times of day (mornign or evening) I also felt sick to my stomach alot and that has eased with time. Congrats on your very difficult accomplishment. Keep going, you are well past the hardest part.

From my family members who have quit smoking, yes - that's normal.

I would add too, that dairy foods stimulate the production of mucus in your body.  So if you drink a lot of milk or eat a lot of cheese or yogurt, you could be adding to the situation.  You might try cutting back on dairy for the next month and see if that helps at all. But make sure you still get calcium (broccoli has lots) and also vitamin b12 is supposed to very helpful for people who are quitting smoking.

Good job!  Keep it up!