anyone who has quit smoking had this?

kezzygirl

Hi Gang, I quit smoking on 20th Dec 2010(yippee!) and I keep getting like catarrh at the back of my nose/throat that I have to keep hacking up(excuse the description!).

It is especially worse first thing in the morning and i somtimes wakes choking in the night.
anyone else had this?

glowgirl_2

I gave up smoking about two months ago and have had dreadful skin and a cough ever since, things are starting to settle now a bit, if it helps at all my nurse who has been advising me says it takes at least 6 months for everything to leave your system, but if your concerned a trip to the docs would probably be a good idea, well done for giving up smoking:beer:

3v3

Well done (to both of you posting above) for giving up :beer:
kezzygirl - your body is still ridding itself of all the gunge that's built up over the time you have been smoking. I do agree with glowgirl that a trip to the GP (who may request a "sample") just to put your mind at rest would be adviseable.

k66yla

I gave up in February after 30 years and I've been fine. I don't miss the cough at all. I think you should go to the GP, you just may have a catarrh problem and the smoking was masking it.

catflea

I belive that its pretty normal if you have been a relatively long term smoker. If it is concerning you then a trip to the doc is a very good idea.

For the record, I smoked for 18 months and quit mid may and I've had no similar symptoms. A bad cough, and sore throat but no gunge coming up.

charlies-aunt

Well done on quitting!

Check up with the doctor would be a good idea - better to be safe than sorry

Toothsmith

With healthy lungs and windpipe (Trachea) you have lots of little hair like things called cillia which line the pipes. Their function is to get all the crud that collects in your lungs from the air up and out.

When you smoke, these cillia disappear, as the toxins in the smoke effectively turn the lining of all your lung to a substance very like ordinary leathery skin. This cannot get the crud out of your lungs, so all the atmospheric stuff, all the traffic fumes, all the dust, as well as all the tar and general smoking crap just collects in your lungs.

Once you stop smoking, the body tries to fix itself, and slowly, the linings of your lungs repair and recover. The cillia appear again, and start working. Then they have to get to work on the backlog! However many years of smoking debris and crud needs to be removed from your lungs. This is what you're experiencing now.

The body is an amazing thing, and will always try to repar itself. All it needs is a chance. In about 10 years, your lungs will look as if you've never smoked.

Well done.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

It took about 3 months after I stopped smoking before I got a productive cough. Three weeks later, everything was fine.

CRANKY40

It could just be hayfever or something too. I have never smoked and have exactly the same as you have described....I'm allergic to pollen etc.

Dawning

Toothsmith explained it exactly how my GP explained it to me.
When I smoked, I never had a smokers cough. No problems at all. Within three months of giving up I'd had really bad chest infections twice, each time so bad that I needed 10 days off work ! :eek:
I didn't use it as an excuse to start smoking again, and I've been fine ever since, that was 8 years ago.

hethmar

Its quite a long time since you packed up though - I think you should see your GP to check if its a sinus problem or something else.

Oh and congrats on packing up - its 5 and half years for me now