having a bad few days (just quit smoking)

[andyr1979]

hi all, not been here for a while as things were good for a while, i normally just lurk as i never normally have much to add, anyway as things were going better i decided to quit smoking, 10 days in so far with the help of patches! anyway since then i have felt really rough which i quess was to be expected, anyway the last 3 days i keep getting a pain in the chin and the base of the mouth just behind the chin, and also pain the sides of the neck, so this is where i perhaps made the first big mistake i went and consulted dr google and found out there is lymph nodes in the places where i am in pain, i now am in a total state and cant take my mind of it! any advice please?

how much power does your brain have to trigger off pain ? as its worse when i think about and if im really busy i dont notice it at all? ?

[suzy-sue]

Hi and Well done for packing in the smoking .:yesyes:.Believe it or not getting anxious and feeling pain can be a side effect of not having as much nicotine in the system ..This will all pass .The brain can make anything seem worse by concentrating on it and Anxiety causes the most bizzare symptoms .TRY TO keep occupied and distracted( RELAXATION MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA AT THE MOMENT ).As you yourself said its not as noticeable when you ARE BUSY .Your body at this present time is adjusting and this affects a lot of things .Once you have comletely freed yourself from this stuff, you will feel so much better .Try to focus on that. Keep up the good work ..All the best ,let us know how get on ...luv Sue

[andyr1979]

thanks for the reply i knew it wouldnt be easy but combine with the fact im so paranoid about everythign illness wise its not that great, have lost a cpl of friends in the last year to cancer which makes things worse im sure, it was the wierdest thign that made me give up smoking, i was away camping with friends for the weekend and had gone down to the bottom of the campsite to where the marquee was to move some stuff, friends 8 year old daughter asked for a lift back up , she jumps in the truck and sees my cigarette packet, looks at the picture and sees it and says " is that what happens to people who smoke! " was enough for me! anyway im rambling :D

[Rob83]

I have to share my story with you to help keep your focus on quitting. I am 1 week away from been off the cigarettes for a whole year. The first little bit is hard but its all about mindset, if you have it in your mind you won't be picking up another cigarette then you will do just fine. Keep yourself busy and I also found tictacs to be a great little substitute.

[andyr1979]

hi rob, cheers for the reply, thats good to hear other peoples stories, i just keep finding all these new things wrong with me like the scratchy feeling in my throat worries me !

[Yorkman]

Keep off the cigs, you're doing really well. Just take it one day at a time. I quit 11 months ago and used champix.

[MandyGM]

hi rob, cheers for the reply, thats good to hear other peoples stories, i just keep finding all these new things wrong with me like the scratchy feeling in my throat worries me !

I believe the scratchy feeling in your throat is actually the blood vessels repairing themselves, so it's actually a good sign. :D

[Hazel B]

Well done and do all you can to stay off them! I stopped in May last year and it's one of the best things I ever did for myself. I'd smoked for 20 years and went cold turkey - it gets better after a month and you will no longer have the cravings.

Suzy is right, distract yourself. When I wanted to smoke, I'd go outside, breathe in deep and remind myself that fresh air is better in my lungs. I always told myself to give it 10 minutes and that worked for me - afetr 1 mins I had forgotten and moved on.

I gave up caffeine at the same time (bonkers!) so I had headaches and all sorts. I just gritted my teeth and told my body to sort itself out! Long term, it helped the anxiety I ahd as well as nicotine is a stimulant.

Don't give in and don't go back!

[andyr1979]

thanks for the replies, hazel you must be mad to give up caffeine at the same time lol! things are a little bit better today, still got the pain in the bottom of the jaw, feelign a little short of breath but im told thats all part and parcel, be better once all these side effects are gone!! its damm hard in the mean time lol

[Hazel B]

Don't give up giving up you will be so glad when you're through this. Keep going and stay strong, you should be proud of yourself!

[Gemma T]

Congratulations on giving up. I have been smokefree for 7 weeks now. Had a relapse that last 4 hours last week but i am back on track. giving up smoking is very stressful and i would think this is the cause of your problems. giving up causes and anxiety and when anxious people are known to grind their teeth at night so maybe this is the cause of your pain. i never though i was a teeth grinder until i caught myself the other night which does explain my jaw aches of late.

keep up the good work and if you need some stop smoking support feel free to inbox me x x x x

[andyr1979]

thanks Gemma, good to know there are other people out there in a similar boat! hmmm teeth grinding i wonder if that could contribute to my latest problem of what feels like a swollen tongue! wonder if im running it over my teeth while grinding??

[Gemma T]

I have read that it can contribute towards a swollen tongue. One of the signs of a teeth grinder is the inprint of your teeth on your tongue. The pressure will obviously caused some swelling but not enough to kill you. I have two tongue piercings and both times my tongue trippled in its thickness and i was still more then able to breathe.

Anxiety can also make your tongue feel swollen. Not to forget that your tongue fluctuates in size all day long. Your tongue sheds skin and changes everyday all contributing to a different appearance and all perfectly normal.

I also have a tendency to rest my tongue between my teeth which im sure will contribute to any feelings of swelling.

Maybe take a trip to your dentist and ask him if you grind your teeth. No one will know better then him. Dentist are also highly skilled in spotting a number of disease and illnesses so you'll be able to walk away knowing your dentist is happy and will hopefully ease any health anxieties

x x x

[andyr1979]

thanks Gemma, asked for an appointment with my dentist but got one in november, maybe ill try and see if they can move it forward a bit!!!

[andyr1979]

just an update - need to put some stuff down in writing before my head explodes! :D ive just started my week off night shifts and feeling particularly crap , didnt get much sleep today so feeling pretty rubbish from the outset, add to that my throat is absolutely killing me , feels like sharp stabbing pains when i swallow! i have been coughing alot today so im sure thats part of the cause! but i have been good and still not had a cigarette dispite how much i could do with one! it also doesnt help that im feeling pretty down about my job as well! becuase of my hours i havent spoken to anyone face to face all weekend really, which has got me down! anyway better stop rambling but as they say its good to talk right :D

[Andyreww]

Andy, anyone I know has the EXCAT same symptoms as you when they quit smoking, they are prone to infections and such, it's due to the lungs healing themselves, and bringing up all the nasties that are stored in your lungs, so your lymph nodes could quite possibily be swollen if you have an infection, I actually dont know anyone who has stopped smoking and doesnt have the same type of symptoms, also your chin and jaw etc could be feeling different because you are constantly sucking and puffing to get smoke, now you don't need to, I wouldn't worry about it, I'd bet my life on it, it's benign and nothing to worry about mate.

[andyr1979]

Thanks for the reply Andy, as you say im sure its nothing, and i saw my doctor only 4 months ago ish and he checked my throat then and all that and im sure if he had spotted anything at the time he would have told me then ! my sleep pattern really doesnt help as poor sleep will always not help as well! just be nice if i had a regular houred job where i could get into a routine, im sure it would stabilise me alot !

Thanks

Andy

[Andyreww]

Nothing as in physical, it's still completely drains you mentally mate, believe me I know, and it's all very real for yourself, the doctor would have saw swollen lymph nodes, but even if they wernt swollen then, they swell for a variety of reasons, mostly due to benign innocent reason, as opposed to malignant, you're breaking a habbit, and entering the unknown, alot of people feel anxious after doing it, and get alot of throat and lung infections, after all thing about all the bacteria and gunk you are bringing up from your throat after years and years of smoking,

you're fine mate, if you had anything malignant, you'd know about it, it isn't a silent disease

[andyr1979]

well the throat started to get really irritating so i went to the doctors, saw the practice nurse as the gp wasnt available and she prescribed anti biotics for a throat infection! lets see what happens now then :)

[andyr1979]

forget that i overreacted :D