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Give and get support around quitting

dawnseve
Member

Anyone have or feel they may have COPD?

I’ve been smoking for 10 years. I started at 30 and am now 40. I’m up to 2 packs a day. For over a year I’ve been coughing all day and night with large amounts of mucus. I’m not sick and I know it’s from smoking. I had a pulmonary lung function test today and although my rates for breath exhale and inhale were ok, I was coughing the whole time after each deep breath. They gave me the albuteral treatment and my lung function didn’t change or improve. I fear with the symptoms I may have COPD or emph. The results won’t be done for a couple days and they couldn’t tell me anything except that constant coughing and mucus are a concern along with the albuteral having no effect.

Does anyone have any insight?

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6 Replies
CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/copd?sr=search&searchId=36837fbd-af26-4207-905a-5536ce4e82...‌ has a lot of info.  

Mark

EX Community Manager

EX Community Admin Team
MarilynH
Member

Read everything you can right here on this site about quitting smoking and Remaining Quit because there's a wealth of information to strengthen your resolve to kick the nicotine poison to the curb and start living a life of Freedom because by quitting you're going to hopefully give yourself a much better quality of living, it's time to take back your life from the clutches of the dreaded nicotine poison. 

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Giulia
Member

Thomas3.20.2010‌ has a lot of valuable information in his blogs about COPD.  I'd suggest going to his page and just start reading there.  There is a lot of wisdom spread throughout the blogs on this site.  Just stick your nose in everywhere.  Education is your key to success.  Once the results of your lung function test is back, then you can focus on whatever specific areas are necessary.  

The quit date on your profile page reads April 9, 2016.  Was that your last quit attempt?  

If you do have COPD, (and even if you don't), the best thing you can do for yourself is to put those cigarettes down.  We can help you with that.  Stick around!

I'm very glad that you had a lung function test! You will soon have very clear answers as to how your respiratory system is holding up. There is nothing better that you can do for yourself than to Quit Smoking! We're here to show you how to make a Forever Quit! You can do this!

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

The best use of your time while you wait for the test results is to educate yourself, plan, prepare and get yourself ready to quit smoking.  Regardless of the test outcomes, coughing that much is your body's way telling you to cut it out!

The most important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. Here is a link to a free PDF version of it:

http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf

 You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmokingonline.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises suggested in My Quit Plan http://www.becomeanex.org/my-quit-plan.php

After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort.  I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another.  I do not recommend the e-cigarette for three reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion, and 3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire. . But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand. If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.

You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...

The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.

Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!

Nancy

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So, You've Been Diagnosed with COPD: Now What? 

 

Just Diagnosed with COPD -- Coping With the Shock 

 

Just Diagnosed with COPD: What to Expect Physically 

 

Newly Diagnosed With COPD? How to Learn About Your Disease 

 

just found out I have COPD and I am so scared 😞 

 

6 Quit-Smoking Tips for COPD 

 

COPD - Not a life choice but a life change 

 

MEDS FOR MILD COPD

 

9 Important Dos and Don'ts for COPD Patients 

There's probably more in the COPD Group archives. I pulled these up with two search words: diagnosed and mild.

The info is here and Knowledge is Power!

Again, the only known treatment that slows the progression of COPD as of today is smoking cessation. And believe me, you want it to not get worse!

WHY BOTHER? 

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