Scared - COPD or just effects of quitting?
Posted , 6 users are following.
I'm a 38M and had been vaporizing dried cannabis flower for about 3 years, mostly a small amount once daily. In June i started feeling i couldn't get a full breath and so i stopped immediately. It didn't get much better after i quit, but after about a week i started bringing up sticky mucus, mostly clear but with bits of yellow phlegm too. Now i feel i can take a deep breath only when i clear my throat of the phlegm, which I'm still bringing up mucus. i have no cough, but the internet tells me i have COPD chronic bronchitis. i have 2 little kids and am really scared i made a big mistake and won't live long enough to see them grow up. Im going for a PFT in about a week, and already had xrays which showed nothing. Blood oxygen also fine. Im not looking for medical advice or anything like that (Im in canada and am in the process of going through all the normal tests), but I am wondering if anyone else has quit smoking and experienced something like this too? Like maybe this could just be my lungs clearing themselves of the gunk i put in?
0 likes, 4 replies
maureen09477 t21059
Posted
hi. my husband quit smoking a few years ago. he had a terrible cough for weeks afterwards, he was also bringing up lots of phlegm/ mucus. he was told it was his lungs trying to return to normal functioning.even years after quitting he still still brings up mucus if he gets a cough
amkoffee t21059
Posted
I've never vaped but I quit smoking cigarettes 15 years ago and it took a long time for my lungs to get all the gunk out. Your symptoms are not classic symptoms of COPD. And there are a lot of things that it could be besides COPD. for example it could be bronchiectasis which is damage to the lungs often caused by smoking. just be patient and don't look at this as the glass half empty. You responded appropriately and I'm very proud of you for stopping as soon as you started having breathing problems. I think you'll be fine, it's just going to take a little while.
laila20290 t21059
Posted
Hi there , I quit smoking five years ago, I was on 20 a day but decided I had enough . unfortunately I was diagnosed with C.O.P.D around a month after, and I have been living with it ever since,
I think you have to go to your doctor to actually get diagnosed ,they do some tests measuring the oxygen in the blood and other things., you will get inhalers to help you when you are short of breath.
But it could be something else so better to be sure. and good luck
georgy0 t21059
Posted
Hi, I'm a long-term smoker, with severe COPD.My understanding of the condition is that the mucus is sticky and in the tubes, there are tiny hairs that are intended for preventing bacteria from entering the lungs. With COPD, the sticky substance is so sticky that it blocks the tiny hairs and prevents oxygen from entering the lungs, too. I have medication to assist with clearing the 'gunk', and fortunately it works (to date!). It could be that you have a slight chest infection, which does change the colour of the mucus which is coughed up or just rises into the throat. It's the excess. I have low oxygen levels, and breathing is noisy all of the time, not just with a chest infection. The important part to remember is the colour of the phlegm which can go from clear to dark green. Blood coughed up does need to be checked too. The colour gives a good indication on the levels of infection , as with an abscess you would expect the infection to have a certain amount of pus, and that would be coloured green etc. What is coughed up from the lungs is exactly the same, pus. It's an infection. Having extreme breathlessness is another indicator for infection when the oxygen struggles to be taken into the lungs, through the blockage of those tiny hairs covered with phlegm. I do think you've done well to give up the smoking, so give yourself a pat on the back, not criticism as that is a negative way of looking at a positive result. I wish I could do the same. It is not easy or there wouldn't be any smokers in the world today. It's bloomin' hard to do, and I can vouch for that much. Keep up the good work, you're doing good. Being quite young to give up smoking will be very helpful to you in the long term, with every likelihood of you being around to watch your children grow to maturity. Feel Proud of your Achievement in giving up smoking. Well Done.