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Smoking

Posted , 13 users are following.

maryterese
maryterese

I foolishly went back to smoking a while back because I feel BETTER when I smoke. I stopped, but get tempted because my breathing is much better when I do! I know it is insane, but has anyone experienced this? When I quit My breathing was much worse. I think it has to do with waking up your lungs, clearing them out, so you become sob. But I swear when I did smoke, I felt fine! So crazy.

0 likes, 46 replies

46 Replies

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  • pippa55
    pippa55 maryterese

    Posted

    Hi Mary, the best way to fight this disease is to stop smoking and never smoke again.  Your COPD will continue to worsen if you don't.  By stopping smoking your lungs will begin to age at the same rate as a non smoker.  You may feel that by smoking you feel better now but a few years down the line you're going to feel an awful lot worse than you will do if you stop smoking now.

    When someone has COPD it doesn't matter what meds they take, what exercise they do, how well they eat, none of those things are going to positively impact their  condition as much as not smoking will do.

    • maryterese
      maryterese pippa55

      Posted

      Thank you, very well said, I do find it very hard not to go back because I feel so much better. What a sad irony that is!
  • pippa55
    pippa55 maryterese

    Posted

    Oh sorry Mary, just realised I misread your post and that you have stopped smoking.  Well done and keep it up.
  • hypercat
    hypercat maryterese

    Posted

    Yes I have.   I am still smoking and am very worried that when I stop my breathing will get worse again and my FEV1 will go down permanently.   But I do know too that if I don't then my illness might accelerate much more in the longer term.   So I could go from high moderate to either low or even severe.  x
    • maryterese
      maryterese hypercat

      Posted

      I hope you stop. I totally understand what you mean. If you stop, does your FEV1 stay steady or go up? I hope you will find the strength to quit. I totally understand.
    • hypercat
      hypercat maryterese

      Posted

      I did try and pack it in for 1 week recently and my breathing got worse.  I didn't have a breathing test but just could just feel it so I don't know if my FEV1 went down or not.   x
    • maryterese
      maryterese hypercat

      Posted

      My breathing has been bad once I quit that last time. They say that that improves over time once you quit., I have my doubts., doesn't it seem as though it should???I think if you smoke the FEV goes down, but if you quit does it ever improve? Stay the same?
  • lynnpo
    lynnpo maryterese

    Posted

    good question mary..i was diagnosed last week and dont un derstand any of it..i got non smoking clinic tomorrow and also booked an appointment with my GP as i dont know what my readings was or anything..but as you i would like to know if you stop smoking will it go down or stay the same ..
    • jude65855
      jude65855 lynnpo

      Posted

      No-one on this forum can predict how your COPD will progress whether or not you stop smoking, because that's not the only factor.   

      A lot of it depends on you:  apart from stopping smoking and staying away from other people's cigarette smoke, actively participating in a rehab group will go a long way to slowing down the progression of the condition and give you useful management techniques 

    • maryterese
      maryterese jude65855

      Posted

      Jude, thank you. I know you are right. As I said before, I am not eligible for rehab. Things are done differently in the States! But your advice is great.
    • jude65855
      jude65855 maryterese

      Posted

      Sorry maryterese, I forgot you were the person who posted that rehab isn't available free in the US.  Have you checked out if it's available if you pay for it?  It'd be worth it if you can afford it
    • jude65855
      jude65855 maryterese

      Posted

      PS:  Does your insurance cover physiotherapy?  If so maybe you could find one who specialises in pulmonary conditions who could coach you in breathing methods and specific exercises?
    • maryterese
      maryterese jude65855

      Posted

      There is no way I could pay for it, probably at least in the thousands. I do not know about physiotherapy., have not heard about it. I am going to ask my regular dr. Thanks.
    • lynnpo
      lynnpo jude65855

      Posted

      Hi Jude...if i was diagnosed with mild copd would you recommend i go to rehab..i am asking you as you seem to be the one that understands the most about this..many thanks Lynn.
    • jude65855
      jude65855 lynnpo

      Posted

      Hi Lynn, I went to rehab soon after I was diagnosed with around 30% loss in lung function.  My personal opinion is that the earlier you go the better, because the sooner you can learn the breathing techniques, appropriate exercises, etc the sooner you can start working on keeping your lung function as high as possible and learn to manage the condition.

      It was also good for information sharing about the different medications and how to us them properly.

      The most valuable (and hardest!) thing I learned was that there's no point in trying to "soldier on" with COPD because if you push yourself physically after a certain degree of breathlessness has been reached it just takes longer to recover and get back to whatever is normal breathing for you.

      I don't know what "mild" means in your case:  what's your lung function loss?  Probably about what mine was? ( and still is nearly 3 years after diagnosis)..    

       

    • lynnpo
      lynnpo jude65855

      Posted

      Hi Jude thank you for your reply..i went to my GP today to ask about my functions and she said...FEV1 /forced vital capacity (FVC) less than 7% (ie) 70%..and mine is 71.1 and FEV1 less than 80% predicted..and mine is 77%...still not sure what this means and was told i got to have another spirometery in 6 months...
    • jude65855
      jude65855 lynnpo

      Posted

      None of that means anything to me either!  Except possibly the last figure of 77% which probably means lung function and that's quite a good figure.

      Your GP should've explained all this to you at the time.   

      Were you prescribed anything or referred to rehab?

    • lynnpo
      lynnpo jude65855

      Posted

      i wasnt referred to rehab..and i already have fostair and ventolin inhaler for my asthma..all she said was that i was borderline and its not quite there and that they will do another spirometery in 6months to check again..gave me perscription for champix tablets to stop smoking.
    • pippa55
      pippa55 jude65855

      Posted

      If you continue to smoke, no matter what else you do, your COPD will continue to worsen, there is no predicting there, it is a fact.  If you stop smoking and do everything else to help yourself there is a good chance you can stop the COPD in its tracks but that is not a certainty but a real possibility.  Anyone with COPD must stop smoking, it's very hard I know. But suffering now with your quit will mean you suffer less in the future with your COPD.  It's worth it.  Pip xx
    • jude65855
      jude65855 pippa55

      Posted

      Well that's all accurate but I think misdirected to me, as I stopped smoking years ago, before I was diagnosed with COPD
    • jude65855
      jude65855 lynnpo

      Posted

      I strongly suggest you focus on stopping smoking and then when you have a second spirometry test in 6 months time that will give a more accurate picture - you can then decide if rehab is for you if you do in fact have the start of COPD.

      Actually I'd be fairly sure it would help with asthma too?

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