Gave up smoking 11 weeks ago, have been ill ever since???

Question

My college gave up smoking after 35 years 11 weeks ago and ever since has suffered with throat problewms he never had before, Sore throat, bad tickly cough, general throat irritation. He was expecting some coughing as his lungs cleared and had even heared people commonly get ill after quitting but for this long, he's starting to think it will never end. Please help because he is so sick of being ill he talks about taking up smoking again.

Answer 1

He is suffering major withdrawal syptoms. He needs to start drinking a lot of water to help flush out his system. Also is he using the patch? That could be contributing.
I suggest he gets to a doctor soon as he may have something else going on. He needs to realize that all the carbon dioxide from smoking is coming out of his system. So a doctor can help him with that. Cigarettes are a bad drug and sometimes your body will react badly to the sudden withdrawal.

Answer 2

Tell your friend that after 35 years of smoking, his lungs are not the only part of his body that has been effected. The smoke, tar, nicotine and all that fun stuff has to go down his throat to get to his lungs.

Also ask him that if he thinks the tickly throat he has right now is annoying, how does he think he would like lung cancer, throat cancer, or emphasema? Deciding to smoke again because he's had a tickly throat is not a very smart decision.

After 35 years, he's done some permanent damage. If he takes up smoking again to avoid it, it would be similar to putting a bandaid over a wound that needs air. By trying to avoid short-term problem, he's putting himself at even more a risk for longterm problems.

He should do whatever he can that is HEALTHY to soothe his throat. Eventually, it will probably get a little better.

Answer 3

Though it's hard being sick, he should definitely not take up smoking again. He's been through the toughest part of quitting and it will only be tougher next time. Instead, he should go to the doctor and get some help. He probably has a respiratory infection that could use some treatment - maybe antibiotics to clear up. The timing may be just coincidental, but smoking again isn't going to make it better and will only make his health worse in the long run.

Answer 4

It takes some time for the body to repair itself after quitting. If it's only been 11 weeks, it's likely that your friend is entering into that phase where the body is beginning to cleanse itself. I've quit a couple of times, and I've now been quit this time for about two and a half months. The best advice I would offer your friend, take some vitamins, drink plenty of fluids, and anything that will help to clear out their lungs.

After 11 weeks, don't go back to smoking!

Answer 5

Dont start smoking again.........please. I gave up 6 months ago and its not easy. The sore throat, tickly cough is all part of the prosess of getting rid of the toxins. If you went to the counceling sesions they would have told you this.

Just hang in there and it will get better. Look at the NHS stop smoking helpline and they give good advise.

A good trick is to have a water bottle that you can suck on when the craving start or when the coughing start.

Good Luck

Answer 6

Bigdawg: smoking exciting?? The health probs will catch up with you until you too can't walk upstairs.

Questioner: Well done to your colleague for quitting. No doubt it's been tough but he won't regret it once he's over the cravings. I don't miss having to go out to the petrol station at midnight for fear of being without a cig in the morning.

Answer 7

I have heard this from many people,I don't think many studies have been done on the affects of quitting smoking and the ill effects afterwards.
It could be something unrelated such as a virus or a flu bug ,that has nothing to do with his quitting smoking.
Any positive effects of smoking ,which there are by the way,are buried under the studies of the negative effects of smoking.
I have read once that one study indicated that smoking actually prevents cancer by building up your bodies resistance to cancer and antibodies.
Perhaps it is just the bodies natural shock to resistance of expulting the drugs that are in cigarettes,and your bodies reaction to it.
I wish there were more studies done as to the negative effects of quitting smoking on people,rather than the studies that we have heard for years and years about the high percentage of people that smoke that it increases the cancer rate.
The lack of studies of the negative effects of quitting smoking,including people who get violently ill or die after quitting seems to be non existent.
This does not explain why people die from cancer,or get cancer when they have never smoke before in their lives. For example ,Christopher Reeves wife who died from cancer,never smoked before in her life.
I can't believe that not one person asked why,with the way the media is today. It is like that they are not allowed to ask that question. How can a person that never smoked contract cancer,it boggles my mind. No one seems to know the answer.
I think maybe it has something to do with enviromental dump waste that is in our soil from nuclear dump sites throughout our country. If you live near one,maybe that might explain the reason.
My stepfather contracted the same symptoms after he quit smoking also,he contracted cancer and died withing 8 months after his prognosis was good and he was doing better.
Although my stepfather was in one of those nuclear bomb experiments when he was in the military,but he only mentioned this quietly because he signed a statement that he would never talk about it,national security or something.
I wonder how many men during WWII during the "experimets" contracted the cancer gene and has now passed it on to future generations.The government would rather blame it on smoking I guess. I just wish the truth would be told about nuclear waste site dumps,and experiments that American soldiers had to endure during WWII.

Answer 8

I gave up after 55 something years, I was sick for over a year afterward but the 5 trips to the hosp with SOB was scary.

The last trip the EMT didn't even turn the 02 on until we were about 5 miles from here.

Answer 9

When I gave up smoking I too was pretty ill for aprox 12weeks. I got the flu, Chest infections, found out I was asthmatic - the thing is when you smoke and your throat hurts or you cough - you ignore it as Smokers cough etc... But if he is getting worried get him to see his local GP - starting to smoke will alleviate his cravings but not his health in the long run :-0

Answer 10

It will pass - I gave up smoking many years ago and for about 4 months I kept getting sore throats, tickly cough - one day I woke up and it all stopped!

Weigh up the pros and cons - pay a fiver for a packet of fags - £4.50 of that goes to Gordon Brown OR carry on with a little discomfort - your food tastes better, drinks taste better, your skin comes back to life, you don't run out of breath walking upstairs!

Tell him to carry around a packet of wine gums or mints - just suck them slowly throughout the day - it will ease the dry sensation at the back of the throat! Helped me!