Waiting to Feel Healthy

When we quit smoking, we expect to breathe better, look better, smell better and most of all feel better. But what happens when we’ve quit for a few months and still feel as bad, or maybe even worse than when we smoked?

When we stop smoking, our body starts ridding itself of built up toxins. This can make you feel horrible. Symptoms of smoking detoxification include restlessness, difficulty sleeping, headache, stomach ache, to name just a few. If you are in the middle of this process, it can be a difficult waiting game for you. The specific amount of time it takes for this process sometimes depends on how long you smoked, but it also depends on how much you smoked and your body’s ability to remove toxins from your system.

Unfortunately, smoking can also mask the symptoms of other diseases. When you quit, your body is able to tell you something is wrong. For instance, a study done by the National Center for Biotechnology Information and reported by the U.S. National Library of Medicine says that smoking mentholated cigarettes can mask the symptoms of respiratory disease. This leads to a delay in seeking treatment and an increase risk of suffering and death caused by the disease.

It is imperative that a doctor follow you closely through your quitting program. Report any increasing or decreasing symptoms, whether or not they seem related to quitting, to your doctor. If smoking has masked symptoms of some other problem, don’t start smoking again. You’ll be better off in the long run if you seek medical treatment instead. It may even save your life.