How long to cough again by smoking a real cigarette?

[MrFabius]

I was a 2 box+ smoker for more than 30 years.
Start vaping since 15th May 2013.
Since then, every couple of day I'm trying just a couple of analog puffs to see if I cough like a no smoker would.
So far, I can still smoke a real cigarette with no problem at all.
I was expecting that after almost 3 months of quitting real cig, to feel some irritation on my lung by smoking a real cig.
Are my lungs still resistant because I smoke for so much time or vaping is actually slowing the healing process?
I believe that an healthy lung would trigger a cough.
Thank you for your reply.
Cheers

 

[SASmith]

I really don't know, everyone is different I guess, but when I first began vaping it made me cough like crazy. I currently have no plans to even try a cigarette now.

 

[Thrasher]

depending on the damage it may take several years for repairs, for us heavy smokers 3 months is just the tip of recovery. and a very very short time to recover much after 30 years of abuse.

i would say around 3-4 month my lungs were just finally getting done clearing out the junk. and for a few months after that i still became winded easy. so it will take some time but you will see it. (around 2 PAD for 34 years for me )

 

[Shoogie]

Doesn't it take about a year to get clear lungs? They won't be fully repaired from 30 years of heavy smoking just yet. You're just over two months vaping, yet you still smoke every few days? That's not helping you move forward.
Don't get me wrong, you've made an increadible leap; and you should be proud of that. It's just a wee bit soon to be expecting such results or thinking vaping is the reason. Not being mean, but you don't have healthy lungs....YET. They are healthier, and healing. Be sure of that.
Realistically, it's too early and you are still smoking.
Honestly, one every two days is so much better than 80 every two days.
For people like us, that's a miracle.
Keep it up, but don't expect anything like you mentioned until your lungs are a year or more past being smoke free.
You will be way better in so many ways in a year's time.
Keep trucking!

 

[MrFabius]

Thank you for your reply.
See, the only tangible, healthy speaking benefit so far is that I don't have any more mucus in my throat and no funny breath in the morning. And those happened just after 3 days of E-cig use.
I still don't feel any increase in smelling, tasting, lung capacity and I can still puff real cigarettes with no adverse reaction like coughing.
BTW, I will never, ever, go back to smoke cigarettes, actually E-cig are wayy more satisfying.

 

[bjblackston]

In terms of whether vaping slows down the lungs' healing process, does it have anything to do with HOW you inhale your vape? After years of direct-lung smoking, I just learned today that many people on these boards only do the mouth/milkshake inhale for vaping (and regular smoking). So, perhaps the healing process would speed up if you do the mouth/milkshake vape? I'm up for trying anything that gets rid of my smoker phlegm.

 

[MrFabius]

Thank you Shoogie for your encouragement.
Don't get me wrong, I have literally only a couple, (2,two) of puffs every 2-3 days to test if I cough.
I'm not smoking any full cigarettes, no more, since E-cig.
So, do you think I will have the expected improvement in no less that a year, right?
Or even the E-cig liquid with nicotine (24%) and "TH" are actually somehow keeping my lungs sick?

 

[BlueMoods]

Yeah, it was nearly two years for me before I didn't get easily winded and, even second hand smoke too close to me made me cough. I smoked 2.5 to 3 PAD for 34 years, so in my book, that's pretty good. Still I figure another 2-3 years for all of the damage I did to heal but, it's a lot better than it was when I was smoking.

A nice side effect is I have lost 30 lbs that I needed to loose because I can vape those fattening sweet treats and, avoid the calories of eating them.

 

[MrFabius]

I did and do now the -mouth/milkshake inhale for vaping (and regular smoking)-
Before with cigarettes, now with E-cig.
I never done direct lung in my life.
I don't know if it change anything though.

 

[MrFabius]

Yeah, it was nearly two years for me before I didn't get easily winded and, even second hand smoke too close to me made me cough. I smoked 2.5 to 3 PAD for 34 years, so in my book, that's pretty good. Still I figure another 2-3 years for all of the damage I did to heal but, it's a lot better than it was when I was smoking.

A nice side effect is I have lost 30 lbs that I needed to loose because I can vape those fattening sweet treats and, avoid the calories of eating them.

Here is the issue for me, I do not get winded at all, and still I don't even have any first hand smoke problem, let alone second hand smoke.
Actually I can still "under" smell the real smoke, like it was 2 months ago when I was an analog smoker.

 

[minigoat]

same/same - 2 pad for about 35 years, the majority of my life at least. Been vaping for almost two years now and still improving. As I recall it took about 6 months or so to stop hacking up gunk. One recent thing i've noticed is that my sense of taste is still improving. My wife and daughters are complaining that I walk to fast now, even my dog is more winded than me when we get home.

Never even thought of trying tobacco again. Actually smoked my last cig while I opened the fedex box with my new kit.

 

[Thrasher]

lol i agree with blue ialmost never eat real sweets anymore.

we do a lot of damage to ourselves, it will change it wont be right away. for me it wasnt just the 2PAD it was becuase i made sure i smoked every inch of that cig. now im back to riding my bike, swimming all the time, working out, and for the first time ever im thinking about jogging. sometimes i still get winded but its cool because my lungs dont hurt and i catch my breath quickly.

the taste and smell part seem to be different speeds for different people it was like one day i was standing outside and it hit me - I can smell everything. i smelt perfume looked and looked, the lady was a good block away, now i hate going to the store lol, i think man this person smells nasty. i can tell when someone from work who smokes comes in the room 15 feet away from my desk.

 

[Rickajho]

Regaining any lung capacity is actually a myth. What quitting smoking does is prevent you from losing any more lung function. (Don't be hatin' - this is what more than one Doctor has told me.) One of them put it this way: "If lung damage from smoking was reversible, then everyone who smoked and ended up with COPD or emphysema could reverse it by quitting." Unfortunately... doesn't work out that way. All the more reason to quit.

 

[MrFabius]

Regaining any lung capacity is actually a myth. What quitting smoking does is prevent you from losing any more lung function. (Don't be hatin' - this is what more than one Doctor has told me.) One of them put it this way: "If lung damage from smoking was reversible, then everyone who smoked and ended up with COPD or emphysema could reverse it by quitting." Unfortunately... doesn't work out that way. All the more reason to quit.

I do agree with you where COPD or emphysema could not be reversed by quitting.
In my case I do not have any of the above.
So I'm just try to understand if and when my lungs will be clean of TAR (black colored lungs).
I'm assuming that having a clean, no tar lung, will increase its own capability to exchange oxygen.
And also I'd like to understand when I can expect to have a better olfactory and tasting capability.

 

[glowplug]

First, lungs do improve when a person quits smoking. No, they don't go back to the lungs of a never smoker, but there is a certain amount of healing. More for some, less for others. Sorry. Sometimes doctors are wrong.

Secondly, Mr. Fabius, you might never, ever cough from smoking a stinkie! Some people never coughed from the first cigarette they smoked. Some people cough from vaping, some people don't.

Thirdly, (is that a word?) IMHO, taking just a couple drags every few days is playing with fire. Smoking is addictive, maybe more so than vaping because of all the additional chemicals that have addiction potential. If you lay down with dogs, eventually you will get up with fleas. Maybe not the first hundred dogs, but eventually you will find a dog with fleas. Eventually you will go back to smoking if you keep playing around with them. Do I know this for a fact? Hell no. I am just going by personal experience, research, observation and years as an addictions counselor. Therefore, my preface of "IMHO". I hope you do not. I just don't feel right not mentioning this if, in fact, your goal is to be a non smoker.

Good luck with your journey. Again, these are my opinions. I am not a doctor and I do not play one on TV.

 

[Beans]

I was a 2ppd smoker for 27 years, and had chronic bronchitis and chronic post nasal drip for 6 years when I quit. I think it took a good 8 months before all the coughing up of old tar was finally through, and a year for the post nasal to greatly improve.As for smell and taste, it was about 4-5 months before I woke up and was like WOW. But you should start seeing improvements soon. Hang in there, we're all different and have different damage and issues to overcome.

 

[Kellycat]

Secondly, Mr. Fabius, you might never, ever cough from smoking a stinkie! Some people never coughed from the first cigarette they smoked. Some people cough from vaping, some people don't.

Very true, I coughed literally twice on my first analog years ago, and since then, even after I started vaping, I can still light up with absolutely no cough what-so-ever. Don't let coughing be a clue as to your body's recovery, unless a chronic cough is going away after starting to vape!

FWIW I always did the direct lung inhale, and even with vaping, I do exactly the same, regardless of people suggesting the mouth/nose method. I've never gotten a good 'hit' off the mouth/nose inhale with an ecig, and seeing as I haven't had lung trouble and my doc says they're perfectly healthy after two months vaping, I think I'm safe enough doing a direct inhale with the low-VG mixes I vape regularly.

 

[MrFabius]

So I guess that I will just wait few more months to really see an overall improvement.
I'm still very curious to know what is your opinion regarding when I can expect to have a better olfactory and tasting capability.
For example if somebody is smoking an analog next to me, it smells exactly like when I was a smoker: weak.
I do remember when I was young, that second hand cigarettes stink, as a no smoker, was really strong.

 

[vang0gh]

I noticed an improvement in breathing almost immediately. Purely from the lack of congestion that plagued me when I was smoking. I'm sure any real healing will take some time. My sense of taste was noticeably better about a month after I stopped analogs entirely, and it seems to continue to improve. Sense of smell has been the straggler for me. It seems to periodically come back in some sort of bionic super sense where I can smell a lilac bush, or something fragrant, waaay off in the distance. Then it fades away, and I'm back to being able to smell very little. One thing that I have noticed during my short stints as a super smeller is that the world is truly a stinky place!

 

[UrbanChandler]

I One thing that I have noticed during my short stints as a super smeller is that the world is truly a stinky place!

I was just talking to one of my girlfriends about this (she still smokes stinkies...bleh) I am on day 11, off analogs, without a single craving for one. Lucked out on the right juice my first round I suppose. But boy do I notice the lack of deodorant and hygiene with people while out shopping now. People STINK! I can ALSO pick up on the smokers quicker now. The smell of cigarettes is like an invisible bubble around these people and follows them around wherever they go and it still surprises me that I never noticed it on myself when I smoked for 17 yrs. It's horrible.