When am I going to look & feel better?

[telsie]

When I quit smoking and started vaping in early October, I quickly lost any trace of a smoker's cough and I've not experienced any chest congestion since then (not even when I got a cold!). But that's the only positive thing I've noticed at all. I don't mean to downplay the awesomeness of my lungs being clear, but I was hoping for more... a lot more.

It's been 4 months now, so I was really expecting all these amazing improvements. Where's the improved sense of smell and taste? Where's my healthier looking skin? Where's the increased energy?

Overall, I actually feel worse. I have headaches all the time since I quit (they have gotten a lot less severe, though). My sinuses are worse. My acid reflux is worse (actually, my entire digestive system is unhappy). I really think my skin looks terrible now — more breakouts and generally a lot older. It's really getting depressing... and I've been depressed a lot too.

I've dropped my nicotine level and have been mostly vaping 11mg for several weeks now. So even if nicotine is preventing me from experiencing any of those awesome benefits of quitting smoking, I should be seeing some results, shouldn't I? Or could PG be to blame?

I know I should go to the doctor for a check-up just to make sure all is well. But I didn't have any health issues prior to quitting and I don't feel sick or anything like that. I just want to look and feel as great as I did as a smoker. It defies all logic that I would feel and look worse.

Sorry. I just needed to vent.

 

[MercyPoetic]

I'm sorry, I don't have a helpful answer. But I'll bump up your post and hopefully someone with useful info will come along for you!

Just hang in there babe, don't go back to cigarettes. You'll be better in the long run!

 

[ctourtelot]

Depending on how long and how much you used to smoke, it can take awhile for all the toxins to clear your system. My skin got really bad for a couple months when I switched to vaping because those toxins tend to come out through your pores. I will also get headaches if I vape too much just as I did when I would smoke too much.

I don't know if that is what is happening to you. Some people are just slower to heal. I found increasing my fluid intake helped considerably.

Just a suggestion.

 

[Silverthorn181]

It's been 4 months now, so I was really expecting all these amazing improvements. Where's the improved sense of smell and taste? Where's my healthier looking skin? Where's the increased energy?

Overall, I actually feel worse. I have headaches all the time since I quit (they have gotten a lot less severe, though). My sinuses are worse. My acid reflux is worse (actually, my entire digestive system is unhappy). I really think my skin looks terrible now — more breakouts and generally a lot older. It's really getting depressing... and I've been depressed a lot too.

Sad to hear of your bad experience!!

Yes you defiantly should see your doctor. That's very important. My wife had a bit of depression at first when we made the switch. I read that that is one of the signs of nicotine withdrawal. She was taking very little puffs on low nic. We upped her to a high nick and all has been great for her from there on. Having said that you sound like this has been going on for a very long time and I think you have reason to be concerned!!

The increase in energy is usually as a result of being able to BREATH properly again and therefore an increase in physical activity. The great thing about e-cigs is you can actually vape while you are jogging without falling in a heap!!! A good exercise routine helps build you up in all manner of ways both physically and emotionally so you may find a solution in something as simple as increasing your activity!!

 

[mwahle1]

I am not sure. I basically chain-vape 36 mg juice (100% PG) at 6 volts and I was a heavy 25 year smoker.

POSITIVES:

Smell and taste—improved after about a week (especially smell)
Stopped coughing—almost immediately
Blood pressure dropped slightly---do not know when
Lungs feel better—almost immediately
Dramatic improvement in blood circulation—after a month or so and it is still improving.
Increased sex drive—a week or so

Negatives:

Had some heartburn and throat irritation the first week
No increase in energy—may actually be more tired then when I smoked.

 

[farrar01]

Telsie, I think it may be time for a professional evaluation of your overall health. Better make that appointment. Please don't quit vaping, life has to be better without cigarettes.

 

[Guineahill]

I second the recommendation that you should see your doctor. If you are feeling worse there might be other issues at play.

And I agree that you might want to increase your nicotine level. I have known several people who had issues with depression when they quit smoking. I am not a doctor so I can only speak from personal experience and observation. The three who managed to stay off of cigarettes (not vaping) all are now taking anti-depressants and everything is fine. Again... I am not trained in medicine and I don't know the actual link between nicotine and depression, but I'm pretty sure there is one there!

Good Luck!

 

[CaptJay]

There is a link between cig smoking and brain biochemistry because nictotine levels and the akali in cigarettes (not present in PV juice!) are used by the smoker to self medicate. You know when you used to smoke, there was a different way of doing it when you were anxious/upset than when y ou just wanted to kick back. The difference is what 'self-medicated' - faster or slower delivery to brain of certain substances. Its not all nicotine, although a lot of it is, and the reason you may not 'feel' better might be mental, more accurately, bio-chemically, rather than physical.
If you look up MAOI and the effects of nicotine on moods you should find reading material to keep you interested Just dont go back on teh ciggies - it IS a quick fix for some 'I want to feel like myself again' symptoms but you also get the 4k other stuff (which will kill you) along with the stuff you actually want.
Provoding your Doctor has no objection you might also want to look into increasing your B vitamins and possibly D group as well.

 

[telsie]

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate it. And I'm not going to go back to smoking. I've come too far to do that. Besides, the hell of quitting after 23 years of smoking is not something I want to repeat!

I don't really think I have any medical issues. Like I said, I was fine before I quit — had a check up last July with blood work and lung function test and all that and all was well. Maybe that's actually why I feel worse? I had nowhere to go but down! I will see the doctor soon, though, just to talk all this over with him.

There is a link between cig smoking and brain biochemistry because nictotine levels and the akali in cigarettes (not present in PV juice!) are used by the smoker to self medicate. You know when you used to smoke, there was a different way of doing it when you were anxious/upset than when y ou just wanted to kick back. The difference is what 'self-medicated' - faster or slower delivery to brain of certain substances. Its not all nicotine, although a lot of it is, and the reason you may not 'feel' better might be mental, more accurately, bio-chemically, rather than physical.
If you look up MAOI and the effects of nicotine on moods you should find reading material to keep you interested Just dont go back on teh ciggies - it IS a quick fix for some 'I want to feel like myself again' symptoms but you also get the 4k other stuff (which will kill you) along with the stuff you actually want.
Provoding your Doctor has no objection you might also want to look into increasing your B vitamins and possibly D group as well.

Oh you hit it perfectly: I want to feel like myself again. I don't know how many times I've said that to my husband since I quit smoking! And I really do think it's a brain chemistry thing more than anything else. I have read about the MAOIs in cigarettes and I've also followed some threads here about nicotine absorption and the missing alkaloids. I have no doubt I would feel better if I smoked. But I won't

The e-cig is an amazing invention and I don't know that I ever could've quit without it, but I'm one of those people who did not have an easy transition. I never really craved a cigarette specifically because, regardless of what my e-cig was or was not providing me, it was enough to fool me into believing I didn't need to smoke (even while I was going through obvious withdrawal). So despite me venting here, I'm very thankful I'm able to stay away from analogs even if the trade-off hasn't paid off for me yet.

 

[Stubby]

Oh you hit it perfectly: I want to feel like myself again. I don't know how many times I've said that to my husband since I quit smoking! And I really do think it's a brain chemistry thing more than anything else. I have read about the MAOIs in cigarettes and I've also followed some threads here about nicotine absorption and the missing alkaloids. I have no doubt I would feel better if I smoked. But I won't

You may want to take a look at DVap's blog

E-Cigarette Forum - DVap

If things continue to be... not so good, there are solutions. There are a number of people on the forum who have gone through the same thing, with the same symptoms as you described. I certainly would be one of those. You're already aware of MOAI's and the missing alkaloids in e-liquid, and DVap goes into that in his blog. Wether you chose to supplement your PV with snus/dissolvables/nasal snuff is your choice but for many of us it has quickly gotten us... feeling normal again. While no amount of vaping could.

 

[telsie]

Wether you chose to supplement your PV with snus/dissolvables/nasal snuff is your choice but for many of us it has quickly gotten us... feeling normal again. While no amount of vaping could.

I really don't want to backtrack to tobacco (even in a safer form) if I can help it because I fear it would just suck me right back into addiction. But I have actually been curious about them. I think for me, I'd rather hold it off on that as a last resort, but it's good to know it has actually helped you and some others. If I'm still like this a few months from now, I may give it a go myself.

Oh and thanks for the link, I've followed some of DVap's stuff in the threads, but never checked his blog page.

 

[Diablo1399]

Sorry to hear that you're doing it so tough. It could just be your body adjusting after such a long time on nicotine. Toxins exiting and such. Maybe you need a higher nicotine level. Maybe you're a little dehydrated. Good on you for staying off the tobacco!

 

[Madame Psychosis]

Dehydration can be a real bear in this dry indoor season, and it's brought on pretty easily with vaping (PG or VG)...and chronic low-level dehydration can make things like skin and sinuses feel/look worse. Headaches are also a first-line symptom, for me at least.

What you're describing in terms of poor mood, acid reflux, and even the perception of your skin/face as 'older' can also be part of high stress levels (or clinical depression, though if you didn't have mood problems while/before smoking, I would suggest it's something to try resolving with some smokeless tobacco -- i.e. the missing alkaloids).

(A bit of smokeless tobacco supplementation has actually kept me from getting sucked back into smoking addiction -- and yet I don't feel particularly compulsive about it like I did with cigarettes -- so it can work as the opposite of what you fear.)

Keep in mind the option to consult with your doctor, even though you checked out fine before. Tobacco use can throw off certain blood tests while masking the symptoms of some conditions. Smoking messes a lot with the endocrine system in particular (like suppressing the markers of hypothyroidism, for instance...which it did for me). Or smoking/nicotine can cover up the symptoms of problems you never tested for (like vitamin D deficiency...or other stuff my sleep-deprived brain is failing to remember). Basically, a few people do find that quitting smoking actually reveals a problem that is better addressed by medical treatment.

Anyway, I hear you about feeling lousy after quitting. Sometimes it helps just to know you have multiple strategies/explanations to work with.

Plus I think the Northeast winter makes any lifestyle changes suck worse...

 

[Katmar]

Dehydration can be a real bear in this dry indoor season, and it's brought on pretty easily with vaping (PG or VG)...and chronic low-level dehydration can make things like skin and sinuses feel/look worse. Headaches are also a first-line symptom, for me at least.

What you're describing in terms of poor mood, acid reflux, and even the perception of your skin/face as 'older' can also be part of high stress levels (or clinical depression, though if you didn't have mood problems while/before smoking, I would suggest it's something to try resolving with some smokeless tobacco -- i.e. the missing alkaloids).

(A bit of smokeless tobacco supplementation has actually kept me from getting sucked back into smoking addiction -- and yet I don't feel particularly compulsive about it like I did with cigarettes -- so it can work as the opposite of what you fear.)

Keep in mind the option to consult with your doctor, even though you checked out fine before. Tobacco use can throw off certain blood tests while masking the symptoms of some conditions. Smoking messes a lot with the endocrine system in particular (like suppressing the markers of hypothyroidism, for instance...which it did for me). Or smoking/nicotine can cover up the symptoms of problems you never tested for (like vitamin D deficiency...or other stuff my sleep-deprived brain is failing to remember). Basically, a few people do find that quitting smoking actually reveals a problem that is better addressed by medical treatment.

Anyway, I hear you about feeling lousy after quitting. Sometimes it helps just to know you have multiple strategies/explanations to work with.

Plus I think the Northeast winter makes any lifestyle changes suck worse...

What Madame said!!!!!
Plus, know you are not alone....that truly helps.