Did someone forget to turn off the acetylcholine receptors?

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

According to a 'Stop Smoking Recovery Timetable' I found at Whyquit.com, by day 21 "the number of acetylcholine receptors, which were up-regulated in response to nicotine's presence in the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, basal ganglia, thalamus, brain stem, and cerebellum regions of the brain, have now substantially down-regulated, and receptor binding has returned to levels seen in the brains of non-smokers."

Fine.  I'm on day twenty-three.

So ... can anyone tell me what is up with these nuisance sensations I continue to feel in my chest?  I thought by day twenty-three I would beyond all physical symptoms of withdrawal.  I'm not sure exactly how to describe these sensations because they aren't really like anything else, except that they are pervasive, physical, and disturbing.  It feels like a ticklish, tingling right in the center of my heart, similar to what you might get from an andrenaline rush, and my chest feels tight, as if a belt is snugged too tightly around it so that I'm not getting enough oxygen ... or am I just forgetting to breath?  Another way of describing it might be that I am just consciously, physically aware of feeling my heart and lungs whereas my other organs: liver, pancreas, intestines, etc. do their duty anonymously in the background.  It's not painful ... just annoying ... and provokes me to continue to take deep gasping breathes, some of which catch and feel fulfilling, but more often which don't reach the bottom of my lungs so I'm left feeling deprived.  The whole of it creates a minor panic sensation ... I feel my heart rate increasing and feel helpless to appease the discomfort.

I haven't read anything about this so far and wonder if anyone else knows about this feeling and what's causing it.

[Courage]

Firstly, it sounds to me my friend like you're having a full blown panic attack perhaps brought on by un urge, a trigger, whatever it may be. It feels like flight or fight, yes?  Secondly, there is such a thing as too much reading, too many sites, etc., it's sensor overload.  Secondly, everyone's journey is different, you can't put your state that of mind on a timetable that someone else created. Now you need to take some deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.  This to shall pass and remember all of our journies to recovery are going to be very different.

Peace my friend, you're doing amazing 

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Envision a turtle in yoga pants.

Is that the feeling?

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

Yeah ... (chuckling,) that's the feeling!  Do you know what it is; what's causing it?

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

... or like when someone interupts you mid yawn.

[YoungAtHeart]

You are probably dealing with a craving, but putting waaaaay too much thought into anaylzing it.  Get busy doing something instead.  The nicotine is out of your body, but your body (and mind) will take awhile to adjust to life without it.  It's not the receptors causing you to have a craving..

Find something fun (or silly) to do.  Search on the internet for funny dog/cat videos, or challenge your mind with a computer game, or go for a walk, or clean out a closet or a drawer.....or find a recipe to make for dinner (yes, it MIGHT involve cooking!).

Laugh out loud and get those endorphins going.  Picture your ex naked, on the mound at a baseball game, wearing only Mickey Mouse ears?!  Or yourself, naked, on the 50 yard line for the coin toss, wearing only a baseball cap (of the town's main rival!). and geriatric velcro laced shoes with black knee socks!

[Courage]

A turtle in yoga pants, really Dale?

It's anxiety, a constant companion of mine. I promise you I know the signs and symptoms all too well.... It will pass

[Breakinchains]

I had panic attacks, these are fairly common. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I got a bit claustrophobic in elevators and automated car washes. I even had to go home from work a couple of days because I had a tightness in my chest and at times had trouble breathing. As I recall it passed in a few weeks time. There was nothing the doctor could do about it medically, I just had to ride it out. In time it should pass. If not, a visit to the doctor may be a good idea. 

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

>Youngatheart RE: "Laugh out loud and get those endorphins going.  Picture your ex naked ..."

How about SCREAMING out loud!  Now I AM having a panic attack!!!

[JonesCarpeDiem]

I've never had a mild panic attack. Have you?

The ones I have experienced make your heart pound and have you feeling that there is no answer, the adrenaline takes an hour to subside so I can't say you are having a major panic attack.

I learned how to shift my thinking the last time I felt one coming on and avoid it.

[TerrieQuit]

This is all very odd to me! Each of our systems do work so very differently! I had so many and severe panic attacks before I quit smoking that I had to be medicated for them. Now 78 DOF I haven't had a panic attack in a month! That's very strange! If it goes on to long, you might want to see your Doc. just to be on the safe side!

Congratulations on 23 DOF!  WTG

Terrie 

[TerrieQuit]

Never a mild panic attack!! Always very severe, so much so that I had to stop driving a car!

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

The thing is ... I don't feel an urge or have a craving to smoke.  But I am cognizant of a physical sensation, (at least it is perceived as physical,) in my chest.  Now I am yawning a lot.

I've experienced panic attacks as a smoker, in the death throes of my divorce ... and acknowledge the similarity.  But I am unaware of any particular anxiety at the moment.  Perhaps my wife's attorney's effort to litigate me into bankruptcy, or my wife's failure to reply to my inquiries regarding the children's school related activities, or my wife's ceaseless effort to marginalize my relationship with my children are working on me subconsciously.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

I recommend some live storm chasing.

https://tvnweather.com/live

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

... except for my acute astraphobia and chronic lilapsophobia.  What else?

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Stick your tongue out in a lightning storm?

Buy some sushi at burger king?

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

= )

[Jennifer-Quit]

I do not want to be discouraging at all, but for most people it is not over in 3 weeks.  What you are describing about ex-wife, children issues, and money woes are all just part of life and smoking would not solve any of these stressful situations - smoking would only add to the stress.  Take a walk, get some fresh air, and get your mind off of your problems.  You are doing great - hang in there my friend - it does get better! 

[JonesCarpeDiem]

I always tell people the first month is a roller coaster.

See how you feel in another week.

As Jennifer stated, it may be the circumstances and not the quit.

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

So it is possible, (even normal, perhaps,) to still feel physical symptoms at three weeks plus out?  I expected mental associations to haunt me still but I am surprised that my sensations to date are still more physical discomfort than cravings or urges.

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

... like my lungs are teeming with maggots.

[JACKIE1-25-15]

I think this happened to me jus once.  I called them heart palpatations. Quite scary.   They when away.  I just kept breathing deep it seemed to have helped.  Congrats on staying smoke free

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

... or like, now that I've stopped smoking, my lungs are beginning to petrify.

Might I have lung cancer?  Can you feel cancer when it is growing in your lungs?

[JonesCarpeDiem]

you may be growing an enchilada in there. What did you order?

[Terri103]

So here is my 2 cents.  When is the last time you had a regular check up?  Just check in with your primary care dr, tell her the smoking news, get your BPchecked, your pulse checked, pulse ox?maybe.  It doesn't hurt to get a fresh baseline.  Tell the doc about the weird palpitations.  At least it's in your record, and you have updated stats.  Planning on getting your flu shot this year?  At my work, they start rolling out tomorrow already.  Unless you have a place you can get it free (like me) go ahead and get that done.  

I had 136 days until I blew it, then off and on tantrum smoked for 3 weeks.  To my knowledge, I have not been diagnosed with COPD or lung cancer.  I think you were joking a bit, but it is scary to wonder if one could "feel" bad health moving in to your chest.  

By the way.......once you said maggots, I think you probably lost a few for this post!!

[MarilynH]

I hope that you are feeling a little better by now, get some fresh air or go for a walk take deep breaths, keep your mind as well as your hands occupied and maybe make an appointment with your doctor and get your vitals checked. I hope you can get a good nights sleep tonight, stay strong in your quit because quitting smoking is definitely worth it, the days will start getting better just hang tough. 

Marilyn 

[Giulia]

The tight feeling in my chest, that sense of never being full, of missing something, of  just weirdness lasted quite a while for me.  A month at least. 

YOUR LUNGS ARE NOT PETRIFYING!  You were petrifying them when you smoked.  WHY ARE YOU DWELLING ON THESE THOUGHTS??!!!!  The object of the game is to move AWAY from negative stinking thinking.  Geez Louise.

[Giulia]

[Barbara145]

I am sorry.  I can't  stop laughing. The visual of a turtle in yoga pants is hysterical. I had all those sensations you describe intermittently for a long, long time.  You are funny and you are doing this!  Congrats!

[TerrieQuit]

Puff, I left a comment on Jamie's blog (Healthy Orange). You might want to read that, I don't know if that is what you are talking about or not. I hpe it helps!

Terrie

[bonniebee]

I think the mental part of the addiction lasts much longer then the physical withdrawal from the nicotine . The physical withdrawal in the first weeks is very strong but I found even after I was off the nicotine I had physical sensations .

For me it was a feeling of emptiness in the chest and stomach it was Very physical and it lasted for weeks It really bothered me and I found I was eating to try and get rid of the feeling but eating did not get rid of it ....TIME did . It seemed to gradually get better until one day I realized it had gone . 

I can't remember if you used NRT's or quit cold turkey If you quit cold turkey I would expect the physical sensations would be more powerful I used the patch and other NRT's so I gradulally decreased the nicotine . I quit cold turkey once and it was the hardest thing i ever did I made it three months and I had finally made it through the worst of it ! That was 25 years ago !

Hang in there all of those physical sensations will get better as the days add up !

[constanceclum]

I feel a similar sensation except it is in my lungs as I deep breath and find myself "missing" the sensation of the pull off the cig. It leaves a type of void for me which lasts up to 2 mo. I relapsed @ 2 mo. so don't know how long it would have lasted.

Everyone on this site says "it keeps getting better" so I just need to trust them that it will. In the meantime, I find that deep breathing helps and always having water to sip on.

I will say I have a lot of experience with panic attacks. I would much rather have the sensation of a smoking void (what do I expect after smoking 45 yrs.) than a full blown panic attack.

Connie

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

For the benefit of future quitters who may happen across this blog ... I am posting my conclusions subsequent to having read and contemplated the responses I received yesterday.

I believe the uncomfortable sensations I am feeling are symptomatic of anxiety.  Though psychological in origin, anxiety creates physical responses that are very similar to the discomfort a smoker feels in the initial days of withdrawal.  This would explain why I continue to experience abnormal sensations well past my official release from nicotine withdrawal.

Without question, I am dealing with incredible stress in my personal life.  As prolonged as my ordeal has been, drawn out for nearly two years now, I may have repressed a good deal of it.  Responding to the question, "is there such a thing as a mild panic attack," there is, in my opinion.  I define one as uncomfortable, physical sensations affecting, in part, heart-rate and breathing, created by mental thoughts of pending doom, signaling your body to prepare for fight or flight, but to which you have become so accustomed by repetition and false reports that you temper the intensity and duration of the sensations through rational thought and experience.  They are similar to cravings or urges quitters sense and quickly quell through distraction or rationalization.  Another way of describing them would be 'controlled panic attacks.'  Part of your mind senses doom and begins signaling your body in preparation while another part of your mind is rationalizing that it is not an immediate, present threat.

Likely, my on-going physical discomfort is not attributable to quitting smoking and, as many here pointed out, smoking would not have changed anything for the better.  I am glad I posted the question, none-the-less, as the responses I received helped me conclude that I have other matters to address, i.e. coping with and reducing the stress and anxiety in my life.  If I am not mistaken, stress can be as detrimental to personal health as smoking ... so if anyone is familiar with effective, self-help resource for dealing with stress and anxiety, I'm listening!

Thanks all!

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Throw your arms out like you do when you yawn. You may hit something.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Ever heard of Earpistan?