First couple days ... now scared

[AndrewAsh]

Greetings all , happy to come onboard as a quitter:) 

 I decided 5 days ago that after 15 years it was time to call it a day. I ran up to the closest store and purchased nicorette gum as I have heard of the stories of nicotine withdrawals and wanted to be prepared. 
 

I stopped by the forum today because today was the day I had my first “moment” in the withdraw process...

let’s start with how the week went for me.

This past Tuesday was my first day trying to kick the habit. Normally a pack a day smoker I went down to 5 cigarettes throughout the day ; offset other cravings with nicorette gum 

Wednesday Lowered the amount to 3 cigarettes and of course offset the cravings with Nicorette

Thursday morning I woke up, tried a cigarette and was instantly turned off by the taste , almost to the point of throwing up ... and that was my last cigarette 

Friday while at work I chewed on Nicorette every couple hours , by every couple 2-3 I would guess. No cravings for a cigarette 

Saturday cigarette free , but also backed off a bunch on the nicorette , maybe 2-3 pieces throughout the day. We also went bowling for my fiancé’s bday, had a couple of drinks but no cigarettes and no cravings.

Sunday morning ... woke up at 5:00 , felt like I was having a heart attack , heart rate 130-140 on my Apple Watch, panic mode set in , started sweating and such. 
jumped in the car and headed to the ER , never felt this before. Long story short , all tests , bloodwork came back negative. Monitored for a couple hours showed no signs of actual heart issues... Doctor said it was palpitations likely caused by withdraws. Suggested keeping a regime with nicorette and easing off slowly and not so aggressively. She also said DONT START SMOKING again. 
I haven’t :) , been back home since 9:45am and still holding on , taking the nicorette and marching forward. 
 

has anyone experience these palpitations ?? Honestly scared the you know what out of me. 

[jillar]

Welcome aboard Andrew and congratulations on taking back your life! Nicotine withdrawals can be pretty scary so I'm glad you got checked out. Anxiety is a pretty common symptom too and thinking you're having a heart attack would definitely get your heart racing.

My biggest symptom was shortness of breath, which ironically was the same reason I quit. I even questioned why I bothered quitting if my breathing didn't get better. But these symptoms do go away so hang in there, it's worth it

Another thing to consider is the nicotine gum. You may be using too high a dose or too often for your body. 

[Doreensfree]

Welcome aboard Andrew ...

 Congratulations....in your fabulous quit ....

Good to hear all your tests proved negative ....

I agree with Jillar ....it might well be Nicorette could be to strong for you ...consider a lower dose ..or going cold turkey ....

It's not as scarey as you think it is ...

Read all the green pinned threads on our Main Discussion Board....and watch all Joel's video,s ...there is so much information there for you ...

Stay close ..post often ...we will help you along your journey to Freedom !!

 

[AndrewAsh]

Thank you all so much. I am on 2mg of the Nicorette not the 4 mg. 
 

I have heard that the anxiety , nervousness and palpitations are quite normal when quitting , but never experiencing the palpitations in the past really cranked up the anxiety and made things worse. 
 

doctors were also on point , was able to get a chest x-ray, blood work , ECG and even a stress test ... it helped ease my mind a bit. 
 

but man, I hope the palpitations don’t come back . Still pushing , no cigarettes.

 

th

[Doreensfree]

Well done Andrew ....glad you have dropped down your dosage ...consider Cutting them in half too....

I never used them ,so I carnt give you any information....

But there are  folks here who have ....hoping they come along ....upwards and onwards ..

[jillar]

You're just in the beginning of your quit Andrew and hopefully that's the worse of your quitting symptoms. Just remember that the moment you put out your last cigarette your body went to work on trying to fix all the damage done from quitting. 

 

[abbynormal]

Welcome aboard, Andrew! You've gotten some great feedback above. I wanted to add that I've gotten heart palpitations with anxiety attacks, and anxiety attacks are common early in the withdrawal process. Your mind may not even feel all that anxious, but the symptoms will show up in your body--racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating, etc. Nicotine withdrawal can certainly cause this to happen. It's great that you got checked out just to be sure, but now IF it happens again, just remind yourself that your body is healing from a very nasty addiction, and take some slow, deep breaths. 

 

I had some heart palpitations early in my quit. I used them as incentive. I don't want to have a heart attack, and if I continue to smoke I will certainly have one--probably in the next 10 years. (I've lost several family members to smoking-related heart disease. They all had heart attacks very young.)

 

Keep going...one hour at a time! You can do this!

[AndrewAsh]

Thanks Abbynormal...

 

I appreciate the support and honesty. And yes , they certainly are terrifying and i couldn’t imagine a worse feeling. But I am holding strong and committed. 
 

has been a relaxing day today and I feel better. Still pushing forward , not even craving an actual cigarette. To be honest, my last pack is still laying on the bench in the garage. Has been the entire time, not even a little bit tempted to touch it. Eventually , it will go in the trash. I am challenging myself. Finding other things to do to pass time. 
 

and I am very fortunate to find this forum, where people understand the struggle of quitting such an addiction. 

[Jordan7]

Congratulations on 3+ days of no smoking, Andrew, and good job sticking with it through a very stressful day.  I'm with others in thinking that the palpitations were either a reaction to the nicotine gum or associated with anxiety.  I would try to ditch the gum completely, particularly since you're not having terrible cravings, and get the nicotine out of your system once and for all.  But, the right method is whatever works best for you and you're most comfortable with.  

[AndrewAsh]

Thanks Jordan. Trying to ditch the gum. 
have only had a couple pieces today. But I think for the time being it’s the best for me but I plan to keep decreasing use as the days / weeks go by 

[Mee]

Congratulations AndrewAsh on quitting.  You are almost through the worst so throw that pack away!  You do not need it anymore.  When you start to feel panicky, close your eyes and breath that clean fresh air.  The sooner the nicotine is out of the system,  the better.  Stay close to the forum and educate yourself.  You can do this!

I would also like to tell you to throw that Apple watch away.  I got one for my husband  for Christmas and he keeps giving me minute to minute updates on everything his body is doing.

It is really driving me nuts! 

[AndrewAsh]

Sorry for using this post as a way to post thoughts , but i did go out yesterday with my fiancé for her bday and had a couple of drinks. Didn’t smoke but that was the only thing that changed from the previous days, introducing alcohol. Will make a note just to see if it happens again. 

3 minutes ago, Linda Thomas said:

 

I would also like to tell you to throw that Apple watch away.  I got one for my husband  for Christmas and he keeps giving me minute to minute updates on everything his body is doing.

It is really driving me nuts! 

Lol  

trust me i was addicted to it as well. For now, i use it strictly for workouts. 

[Mee]

1 hour ago, AndrewAsh said:

Lol  

trust me i was addicted to it as well. For now, i use it strictly for workouts.

Unfortunately, my husband just retired and has much more time on his hands.  I am thinking he needs a new toy!

[AndrewAsh]

Just an update ...

had a hard time sleeping last night , definitely a bit anxious , especially with the series of events from the night before. 
eventually I was able to fall asleep for a few hours after taking some deep breathes for few minutes. 
holding strong thus far ; no nicorette yet today. 
a little discomfort in the chest area which is the norm, also starting to cough a bit. 
 

 

[Doreensfree]

Remember A ..your body is all confused just now ...it's had hundreds of chemicals pumped in for years ,nicotine was just one ingredient to a cig...

Be patient ...my sleeping pattern was bad for a few weeks ..I never slept at all...was here 24/7...

It's all temporary my friend ...

Keep telling yourself it will soon pass....and your flippin amazing ....your achieving something wonderful !

[jillar]

You're doing great andrew!

[AndrewAsh]

Ugh ... 

crushes it at the gym last night including 15 minutes of cardio, thought for sure i had worn myself out enough to get some sleep...

 

laid down around 11:30, can feel I was anxious and mind was full of thoughts , dozed off for a bit only to awaken to a what I would call small panic attack, nothing like over the weekend , only lasted 30 seconds or maybe less ... but hay was the end of my sleep for a while , last time I looked at the clock it was almost 3am , up and outta bed around 6:00 , and the 3 hours was lousy sleep

 

i really hope the anxiety and heart racing / palpitations stop soon .. need to sleep to function. 
 

still not reaching for a cigarette and 2 straight day with no nicorette 

[jillar]

Ugh, the insomnia is one of the worst symptoms there is Mine lasted a good couple of months but everyone's different. I used an OTC  sleep air a couple times a week and that seemed to help.

Congrats on two days without NRT, one more day and the nicotine will pretty much be out of your system

[Mee]

AndrewAsh, I have had panic disorder for many years and the best way to get over a panic attack is with distraction.  My favorite way is by holding your nose and singing the silliest song you know.  Then, all of a sudden, you realize how silly you look and can't help but laugh at yourself.  Seriously, it is difficult to believe a panic attack is nothing, when your body seems to be doing these scary things.  I do think yours will subside soon. You have been using nicotine gum and it will take a couple of days to get the nicotine out of your system.  If not, check with your doctor.  There is medication that helps panic.

The beginning of a quit can be very scary and most of us panicked at the thought of not having our nicotine fix.  Every day without, you get stronger and more powerful.  When you realize, you do not need cigarettes anymore, you will look back and marvel at how easy it really was. 

Never be afraid to post any of you feeling or symptoms.  There is always someone here to connect with your feelings.  I so enjoyed the humor on the forum.  It got me through some of the most difficult days.  

Keep rocking that quit!

 

[AndrewAsh]

3 hours ago, jillar said:

Ugh, the insomnia is one of the worst symptoms there is Mine lasted a good couple of months but everyone's different. I used an OTC  sleep air a couple times a week and that seemed to help.

Congrats on two days without NRT, one more day and the nicotine will pretty much be out of your system

Yes Jillar 

 

it’s also the time you have the most to think ; wife is usually sleeping early, she’s been battling to stay up as late as possible to support, but she needs he sleep to be able to work efficiently in the morning ... it’s doesn’t feel like my mind is racing 200mph but it is ... and bam heart palpitations and panic ... ugh , this morning I looked myself in the mirror and asked WTF is wrong with you , calm the f$&! down Lol 

[jillar]

Hang in there @AndrewAsh, it will get better and it is worth it. I promise

[Doreensfree]

My sleep was none existent....but folks before me kept telling me it would pass ..it was temporary...

And it was .....come here and watch all the funny animals ...it used to take my mind of things ...

I'm here to say to you ...it WILL pass....

[johnny5]

Welcome aboard, Andrew.  A lot of great advice has already been given.

 

I had issues with insomnia too but they should get better with time.

 

Keep up the great work.  You are making it through the toughest part and things do get better.

[AndrewAsh]

Good Morning all ...

still going strong   Night time anxiety seems to be getting much better , actually getting some sleep nowadays. Still have small episodes of anxiety and panic but much much better. 
 

keep on keeping on ...

[Mee]

@AndrewAsh great to hear!  Every day you will get stronger.