Coughing

[Zpo]

Hi All
I'm new here, but reading your posts has made me feel better, so i thought maybe someone could reassure me..
I am a smoker and have been for abuot twenty years. I have recently cut down but find that I am coughing up phleghm in the morning and a few times throughout the day. It seems to be a greeny/browny colour but not particularly sinister looking.. I also have a sore back around the shoulder/rib area and am very worried about lung cancer. I also have a tender underarm but that could be because I'm constantly prodding to see if my glands are up.I'm 36 yrs and don't have a history of lung cancer. I also don't have pain when I breathe or anything like that... I had a chest x ray a few years ago which was clear. Any reassuring words????
Zara

[mickh555]

Coughing up phlegm is the lungs getting rid of the rubbish put in by the cigarettes.I,m a smoker,so i wont lecture you about how you should stop !!

[xfilme]

It is normal when you quit smoking to cough up thick phlegm. Its your body's way of trying to recover. In a sense its a positive thing to show that your cutting back is clearing your lungs and chest, but it is also a reminder that not completely quitting is choosing not to clear them completely. Regardless, cutting down in any way is positive. I quit smoking last november when my mum died of cancer. Sometimes all it takes is a true incentive to quit. For me that incentive was fear. Keep cutting back. All the time you are coughing up phlegm and tar, it is sitting in your sink instead of in your lungs. Congratulations for taking the first step to a better future. You should be proud that the results are showing as a result of positive actions. Try and eat lots of food rich in vitamin a, including brocolli, orange peppers, sweet potatoes, spinach or any orange coloured vegetable. smoking causes a greater need for vitamin a. vitamin a is your body's greatest protection against cancer and you can never have too much in your diet... though i wouldnt recommend supplements x

[i hate panicking]

I,m a smoker,so i wont lecture you about how you should stop !!

That suprises me that you smoke mick just thought you were a none smoker for some reason =)

[justbananas]

it is prob just your body trying to heal. as everyone knows from health class- when you quit your body goes into super heal mode and it can actually repair itself to the point it was before you started smoking. during this process you do cough up a lot of crap. get a chest xray to make yourself feel better - i would do this regularly if i was a smoker just to make myself relax. but then.. with severe HA i had to stop smoking.. i just couldn't justify having one more freaking thing to google.

[i hate panicking]

<<<<< for googling justbananas...lol

[justbananas]

damn i keep forgetting people have access to other posts and therefore my google habit is strew all over the forum like litter .. or dirty laundry .. yes keep kicking me it's necessary

[i hate panicking]

LOL...I will,any mention of googling.

[mickh555]

That suprises me that you smoke mick just thought you were a none smoker for some reason =)

I,m taking that as a compliment however you meant it !!

[i hate panicking]

Lol.....I guess it's a preconception as your fit(physically) so i just assumed you would'nt smoke