I agree with Brenda on the gastrointestinal troubles. I am sure every person is different, but I had a complete readjustment that lasted @ the first six months. I couldn't find information about this. Sometimes I thought it would never get better,but I kept reminding myself that after 30 years of smoking it was going to take awhile for my body to adjust. What I have done is to increase fiber in whole grains, more fruits and vegetables. It has had the positive result of a much better life style. I'm closing in on a year and haven't felt this good in years!!!
Thanks for letting me share.
My Mileage:
My Quit Date: 5/31/2009 Smoke-Free Days: 335 Cigarettes Not Smoked: 11,725 Amount Saved: $2,638.13 Life Gained: Days: 43 Hrs: 23 Mins: 34 Seconds: 24
You know Ashley, I'm not so sure that some of these things to supposedly only last a few days do only last a few days. Smoking stimulates the gastrointestinal tract. When the stimulant is removed the system sometimes slows down and stays slow unless the person does something different to stimulate it each day. Until I started exercising recently an eating lots of vegetables, the food was moving very slowly through my system. And that was as recently as last month. What smoking covered was that I didn't eat right and get enough exercise--not an illness.
My anxiety level is also still high. Nicotine's affect on the various chemical receptors in the brain may have kept me from feeling anxiety in the past. Now that it has been removed I am constantly anxious. I remember being told by a therapist years ago that nicotine does actually have positive psychological effects. That it calms schizophrenics, for instance. I'm not schizophrenic, but I do have another psychological disorder. Anxiety was not one of them. Now it is. I'm being treated for it and its extreme--panic attacks, which I had never had before.
My Mileage:
My Quit Date: 5/1/2009 Smoke-Free Days: 363 Cigarettes Not Smoked: 10,164 Amount Saved: $4,319.70 Life Gained: Days: 40 Hrs: 20 Mins: 43 Seconds: 28
We need to remember that everyone's body is different and your symptoms may not mimic those of others.
The movement of your bowels may decrease for three or four days when you reduce your cigarette consumption.
How long will this last? This could occur in the first few weeks after quitting and last three to four days.
Tips to help: Eat lots of roughage, like raw fruits, vegetables, bran and cereal. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day and try to exercise regularly.
If you have a symptom that persists or seems worse than you expected, you should immediately consult a doctor. Its possible that your smoking has been masking symptoms of some illness, and when you stop smoking the symptoms abruptly become noticeable.
Please feel free to share what strategies helped you overcome this withdrawal symptom?
