Ex smoker question (any out there?)

DaveMunson · Post by **DaveMunson** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 7:03 pm

After a few decades smoking, have quit.

Any ex-smoker out there that can say what quitting did to your pressure?

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 7:45 pm

I quit long before I started cpap so can't comment but congrats, it can't do anything but help. Give it awhile and your breath will return. You will feel better and you will taste and smell things you never knew were there. Good move!

JimH · Post by **JimH** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 9:48 pm

I had smoked for 25 years. Until I found myself in the hospital having a A-Fib episode that lasted 15 hours. Finally stopped at 3am. Any never picked up a cigarette again. Also was not on CPAP yet nor even diagnosed. So I don't know what it would have done to my pressure. Alls I know is that I breathe better. I have gained quite a bit of weight though. Now in the process of trying to lose it. Obviously, not nearly as easy a task as gaining it.

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 6:53 am

Boy that's the truthy, weight gain is something I have fought ever since. But, I still feel better and keep feeling better all the time.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:46 am

Any ex-smoker out there that can say what quitting did to your pressure?

Unfortunately, absolutely nothing. Being on therapy has helped to the point that I don't need meds anymore, but it's still up and down all the time. I'd like to get my bottom number back permanently into the 70's, which it rarely is. Used to be low, like 118/68. Now it is usually from 118-130/80-88. I am trying to keep away from taking anything daily, even though if it gets any higher, I may have to go back on.

I would have thought cutting out the bad eating, no smoking and the cardio I do every week would have made a huge difference, but it hasn't. But any improvement that keeps me off the pills I'll take.

SickAndTired · Post by **SickAndTired** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 4:30 pm

After smoking for half of my life (so far anyway), I had my last cigarette about 10 minutes before the accident that started me on this wonderful 'medical adventure' (follow the link in my signature for more information).

Since I was in the hospital for a month, with 9 of those days spent in ICU, I figured that I was probably past the physical nicotine cravings, and it was just a matter of dealing with the psychological cravings. I got past these cravings by using/abusing stress balls. I went through 3 different brands of stress balls before I managed to find one that wouldn't end up 'shredded' after a month or less... yeah, I was that high-strung at the time! <grin>

The only down-side for me in the whole stop-smoking portion of my saga, is that I'm really not breathing any better now than when I was still smoking a pack & a half a day before the accident (more than a year ago)... Of course, since the doctors aren't sure if there were any of my ribs that weren't broken in the wreck, I've really only traded in one breathing limitation for another... oh well... imagine how difficult my breathing would be if I was still smoking?!?!

DaveMunson · Post by **DaveMunson** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 9:10 pm

Rats. Was hoping for lower pressure. Read that it takes a decade to un-do damage to the lungs.

WAFlowers · Post by **WAFlowers** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 7:54 am

The good news is that the damage isn't irrversible!

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