Trouble breathing...?

[zaxa11]

My body is telling my mind I can't breathe.  That I need a cigarette to breathe.  Has anyone else experienced this?  It's driving me nuts.  And honestly, it's a little scary.  I take deep breaths and tell my mind it's my body having another one of it's childish fits for taking away the cigarettes.  This morning it was exceptionally hard.  This is day five.

I have some really cool friends... two in particular.  They make sure my computer is running.  One of them bought my neon colored straws to chew on and a bag of pretzels.  One bought me two bags of pretzels.  So I think I'm stocked on pretzels... and straws.

I appreciate everyone's help and advice.  And the blogs!

I do need to know about this breathing thing though.  Are there other things I could be doing?

Thank you,\

Zaxa

[sweetplt]

Hi zaxa11 many have breathing problems after quitting smoking/vaping, etc., it seems we need to learn to breath the right way again...after all our breathing was basically inhaling.  Have you tried the “breathing exercises” suggested...also, to read others who had breathing issues when they first quit, go to the magnifier and type in “breathing after quitting” and read the posts.  Lastly, we are not medical Doctors, if it really doesn’t seem right, call your Doctor, better to be safe then sorry...hope this helped you out...~ Colleen 

[maryfreecig]

Quitting is stressful--sometimes days it is just a matter of getting through it. If you think this is physical or anxiety, please talk to your doctor. That is what they are there for. They are allies for health. Five days is a big deal, congratulations!

[elvan]

Congratulations on five days, sorry about the breathing issues.  I am not a doctor but it really sounds like a panic situation.  I blew bubbles at the recommendation of a respiratory therapist.  She said to take a deep breath through the nose and let it out very slowly through pursed lips.  If I blew it out too fast, I did not get any bubbles.  It really did help.  Breathing exercises helped me a lot.  If it continues, please see your doc.

Ellen

[SMILINACCOUNTNT]

Congrats on day 5! Does it feel like a tightness in your chest? I experience that and I just have to find a distraction stronger than the urge. Also, I have chewed on toothpicks. I seem to like that better than a straw for some reason. 

[jaya18]

Do you think yo may have asthma the reason why it’s hard for you to breathe 

[Barbscloud]

  It can just be that you're getting more oxygen in your lungs than they are used to having, which would be a good thing.

8 to 12 hours after quitting, you blood carbon monoxide level drops. Carbon monoxide is the same dangerous fume that comes from car exhaust. It causes your heart rate to increase and causes shortness of breath. Within 8 to 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops, and your blood oxygen increases

Congrats on 5 days.  

Barb

[AnnetteMM]

For the first couple of months I had what I called "lung pain." I assumed it was a healing feeling rather than something wrong. It went away. Trouble breathing could be a similar thing. Take slow, deep breaths outside. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Try to slow the heart rate. If it's a panic thing, slowing down will help.