Questions about lungs cleaning up, coughing up tar

[snicklefritz]

I smoked for about 5 years, ever since the beginning of high school up until 19-20 years old.
I know that isn't too long of a time to be a smoker, but the damage I did to my lungs still worries me a lot.
I was wondering, when I quit before for almost a year, I coughed out a lot of tar, will I still be able to do that using the ecigarette?

Are there any products or natural things I could be doing to help this process along?
I really, really want to get that crap out of there.

Thanks!

 

[jj2]

It has happened: I've heard of people getting so worried about it they collected a big glob of it to show their doctor.
I coughed some stuff up but not a whole lot, but, then again, my doctor had me in for chest x rays frequently and he was always a bit miffed that my lungs were clear.
Well, he couldn't very well give me "the speech" when he got the good news. LOL

 

[Automaton]

From what I have read, vaping should not inhibit that process. Although I don't know of anything to speed it along.

(I say "from what I have read" because the stuff I coughed up was mostly clear and, um, gunky, but wasn't particularly tar-looking... but I smoked even less time than you did - 2-3 years).

 

[DeannaG]

There are many people here, myself included, who have never coughed up anything. I was a 20+ year PAD a smoker. Since starting vaping I'm breathing better, my voice sounds lets gravelly, my taste buds have improved, and my sense of smell has improved, but I have yet to cough anything up. The body will do what it's going to do when it wants to do it...I don't think there's anything you can do to speed the process up. Just feel better knowing that you've stopped putting nasty stuff into your lungs and allowed the healing process to begin.

 

[pedromj]

As you know, when smoking and inhaling other polluted air, your lungs get dirty with several particles (for example, tar). Those particles make your body to build mucus in your lungs which is the reason to cough. Some lung surfaces are more resistant to those particles than others, so they produce less mucus.

The best thing you can do to help cleaning your lungs is to make frequent sport. For example, when running you are breathing more frequently and your lungs will get more air. This will help your body to breathe out any little accumulation of particles in your lungs. Also, if it is needed, your body will make you cough to spit out any excess mucus.

 

[StarsAndBars]

If you want to expedite the process of de-funking your lungs, I would suggest a lot of cardio. When I got back from the desert I started back running alot. You wouldn't believe the crap I coughed up from being over there. Took a couple of weeks for it to stop.

 

[nubee]

Smoking shuts down your lungs' cilia "hairs" which are responsible for moving that mucus up and out - yep, down the ol' pipe to the stomach unless you got a really good cold. Once you stop smoking, they come back and start working like they should assuming they aren't damaged/dead for other reasons. It's a time dependent process - the longer you've been not smoking the more they improve and clean.

An old study I read indicated that for a PAD smoker of 20 years, after 5 years of being analog free, lung function was restored to almost 100%. But again, people are people and your mileage may vary. If you are truely concerned, see the doc and ask for a lung function examination/test.

 

[snicklefritz]

Thanks for all the great replies.
I'm really not a fan of running, but I bike a lot,
and do cardio workouts at the gym so hopefully that'll be sufficient.
I coughed up gunk when I first tried quitting,
I'm just not sure if I'll get that same process, like maybe the electronic cigarette will interfere with the process.

 

[pedromj]

I don't think so. Because of the composition of the e-liquid and the vaping process, using PVs should not change anything. For instance, I had to quick run just after taking a drag and I could breathe almost as normal as if it was pure air. I think it depends of where is the vapor, if it is already deep inside the lungs, you can breathe normally. The only problem could be only when inhaling or exhaling vapor. Furthermore, if I breathe without exhaling vapor after a drag, then I get no vapor. I think this happens because the vapor components are very light and are easily dissolved with air. Do not be surprised if you do not produce any mucus (and then cough) after a couple of days without smoking, during the first week your lungs get out as much loose particles as they can, so after 2-4 days without smoking they should not produce mucus. This is my experience, if yours is different, please write it.

 

[hustlinsmith]

drinking milk will help clean out tar

 

[pedromj]

drinking milk will help clean out tar

That's great. How does it work?

 

[Pheisty]

Drinking milk just produces more mucus. I don't know if it helps get the gunk out.

I've been coughing up tar for two weeks and have been vaping pretty much nonstop. I don't think it inhibits the lung cleaning process at all.

As for speeding the process up, I would definitely go along with what the others said about cardio exercise. It's probably one of the single best things you can do...aside from drinking water. The more water I drink, the more crap I cough up. When your body is hydrated, everything is more lubricated and fluid, causing gunk to flow more freely--as disgusting as that sounds. lol

 

[coolone1]

Drinking milk just produces more mucus. I don't know if it helps get the gunk out.

"I've been coughing up tar for two weeks and have been vaping pretty much nonstop. I don't think it inhibits the lung cleaning process at all."

I smoked for about 48 yrs. I have not had one for a year once I got my fist e-cig that was it. I have never coughed up any thing. Do you carry a spit cup to spit all of the gunk in. My wife is from Wisconsin.

 

[Seabrook]

Google "Expectorant Herbs" if you want to do it safely and naturally. Make sure you confirm w/a couple of diff websites, as you want to be careful when mixing herbs if you don't know your herbs. For example, the herb licorice is good for you for a short-term usage, but can be quite harmful in long-term usage. Like others say, though, your body knows what is best. Also those in the scientific realm (i.e., sciencedaily.com) have made the discovery that the DNA in your cells has an intelligence programmed into them. Sounds sci fi, huh?

 

[Ms Kellie]

I was a 25 yr smoker, been smoke free for almost 3 months now and still will cough up stuff from time to time. I did take an herbal supplement - a blend designed for cleaning lungs - for a few weeks about a month ago. It did help and my lungs are clearer than they have been in years! Deep breathing exercises and cardio are other good ways to help your lungs clean themselves out. Regardless if you cough it out or your body gets rid of it another way...the mere fact of not having any new crap going in does the most good!

Congrats to all who have been able to quit the analogs...we all are gonna have more time here to do great things!

 

[Pheisty]

I smoked for about 48 yrs. I have not had one for a year once I got my fist e-cig that was it. I have never coughed up any thing. Do you carry a spit cup to spit all of the gunk in. My wife is from Wisconsin.

LOL! No...I carry a lot of tissues in my handbag, though.

My hubs never coughs any gunk up when he quits, either. I think some people just get rid of the tar in other ways...paths of least resistance, I suppose.

What part of Sconnie is your wife from?

 

[Vidi]

Yes, you may still cough that stuff up. One of the best ways to get it out, is to go sit in a sauna for awhile. That will really clear you out.

If a sauna isnt available to you, really long very hot showers can be a good substitute. I was coughing up stuff even before I quit smoking ( yeah 25 years of heavy smoking will do that to you ) so for me, it was actually cool when I realized I took a nice hot shower and DIDNT hack up part of my lung.

My mother lives in Pewaukee, Wi. I used to live in Oconomowoc, WI

 

[irwink]

[/QUOTE]I smoked for about 48 yrs. I have not had one for a year once I got my fist e-cig that was it. I have never coughed up any thing.[/QUOTE]

I started 44 years ago and smoked regularly for 39. I quit 6 months ago and haven't coughed up a thing either. Go figure.

 

[snicklefritz]

Milk, cheese, and other dairy products aren't advised
to eat/drink when you're sick because they're mucus producing,
so isn't that the opposite?
I noticed I did it in the shower more often than not

I'm going to research into those Expectorant Herbs, what was the name of that
supplement you took ms kellie?

 

[CB-in-Tokyo]

I smoked for about 5 years, ever since the beginning of high school up until 19-20 years old.
I know that isn't too long of a time to be a smoker, but the damage I did to my lungs still worries me a lot.
I was wondering, when I quit before for almost a year, I coughed out a lot of tar, will I still be able to do that using the ecigarette?

Are there any products or natural things I could be doing to help this process along?
I really, really want to get that crap out of there.

Thanks!

I am one of the tar coughers. When I quit about 2 years ago, I coughed up for about a month. Then I started smoking again about a year ago. When I switched to vaping I started coughing stuff up less than a week in, and now at about three weeks it seems to have stopped. vaping didn't seem to hinder the process at all.

cheers,

CB