pipe 60yrs quit 4mo ago now serious post nasal drip

[engravosaurus]

Hi

 

Am newbie here

 

Smoked a pipe for 60 years (and lots of caffeine and minimal alcohol).  PVCs (irregular pulse) in Jan 2022 bugged me so stopped all three cold.  Now 4 mo with no relapse.

 

I now smell lotsa spring flowers.  But...

 

Have truly annoying post nasal drip.  Was not an issue before I quit.  Have seen couple of primary care docs and a dentist but no ENT doc.  They reported nothing.

 

Anyone with a similar issue?  Any simple treatment?  Does it slowly recede?

 

Thank you.

 

Loren

 

 

[DenaliBlues]

Hi, Loren. Congratulations on four months of being smoke free. That's an impressive achievement, and inspiring to hear about! I'm a little past the 3-month mark, and I've had a little bit of kooky congestion on and off since I quit. Not problematic, just annoying, and intermittent. I've been attributing it to the fact that I was a smoker for 40 years and my body is still going through a transition. But I'm glad you asked the question, Loren, because I, too, would be curious to hear what folks with longer quits experienced. Meanwhile, I'm glad you found the Train. Have a seat, and welcome!    

[engravosaurus]

Hi and thanks

 

Transition would be ok, tolerable.  Permanent condition would not be so nice.

 

Loren

[jillar]

Welcome to our train Loren and congrats on 4 months quit already. That's awesome!

Our sense of smell is one of the first things that come back after quitting so it is possible that smoking masked allergies you didn't know you had. I would recommend getting an air purifier for your home. I bought a HEPA filter one on Amazon for a little over 100.00 and like it so much I bought another for the front part of my house.

[Gus]

Welcome @engravosaurus and congratulations on four months quit! I suffer from this post nasal drip condition that I acquired after quitting smoking. @jillar is correct. Smoking can mask allergies and so many other health issues. My doc prescribed the usual OTC allergy medication taken at night with Flonase nasal spray in the a.m. If there are any flare ups of heavy mucous, I can do a 7-10 day course of Mucinex. Also, I am always, always, always to stay hydrated because heavy mucous production can cause dehydration. So, unless you feel that the excessive mucous production is caused from something other than an allergen or you just don’t want to go through the process of identifying the allergen that may be something you can actually avoid, more than likely it is something that you are going to have to deal with. The nausea I was suffering from because of the excessive amount of mucous draining to my stomach is what drove me to an ENT. I still suffer with that from time to time. I do hope that you find relief soon. I’m at 14 months quit. My issue started around the fourth month and I was seeking answers with some relief by the 6th. Again, welcome aboard and I hope that you find all the support you need to maintain your quit! 

[Doreensfree]

Welcome aboard @engravosaurus....

Congratulations in your great Quit ....

I never suffered with this problem ,so can not help ...but being a long smoker ..I can relate to our bodies being kinda mixed up and confused when we quit ...It takes time to settle down ...

Read all you can here ,knowledge is your weapon to kill the beast ...

Get to know the board and its members ....we have some great Newbies that will travel along with you ..

[AceWhite]

Just wanna say Congrats!!! with your quit and welcome. 

[johnny5]

Welcome @engravosaurus and congratulations on 4 months smoke free.

 

I did not have this issue but you did the right thing in seeing a doctor.  As several members above posted, there can be some odd side effects when you first quit but you are doing a great thing in quitting smoking.  Your overall health improves greatly once you put the cigarettes away for good.

 

Keep up the great work with your quit.

[engravosaurus]

thanks all

 

Could just try the drugs mentioned up top

or

see an ENT doc and maybe a pulmonary doc

or

all of the above

what's to lose?

 

other issue is whenever I sit down at computer OR finish a signifiant task I think "it's pipe/caffeine time"

to deal with this am trying drinks with serious distinctive flavor (lemonade, cranberry juice) and eating peanuts

why peanuts?  pipe smoking is serious hand work, fill tamp light tamp relight scrape bowl etc

and peanuts  is hand work, crack in the right direction, fish out the nuts, get all the parts in your mouth without dropping any, clean up the mess, etc

 

probably will request some peanuts in my coffin

 

will report on the doc outcomes in due time

 

Edited May 22, 2022 by engravosaurus

[Doreensfree]

The junkie mind ...boggling !!!!

We actually thought killing ourselves slowly was a Reward ....for when ever we did anything ...

Quitting was to me ,like a toddler ,learning to do things for the first time ....without my pacifier....

Try some regular gum ..it keeps your mouth and your brain busy ...soon the new will become the Norm ..

[DenaliBlues]

I, too, have this challenge, Loren. Smoking is SUCH a ritualized activity. I think you are smart to find other ways to engage yourself. For 40+ years I used smoking to punctuate my life. Wake up, have a smoke. Complete a task, have a smoke. Need to think, have a smoke. etc. 3+ months into my quit and the initial withdrawal cravings are done, but I often still feel a deep "pull" to smoke. Instead, I'm (still) doing a lot of wall pushups. Like you, I am finding new things to drink. (Sugar free Power Ade on ice is my latest.) I come here to the Train to reply to the daily NOPE pledge or play a game. When when the pull gets really strong, I "speed-weed." Dash outside to a flower bed, pull as many weeds as I can in 8 minutes, dash inside, wash my hands, and be back at my desk to resume work in under 10 minutes. It's a little silly and somewhat sweaty, but it's not smoking - and that's what counts!   

[jillar]

3 hours ago, DenaliBlues said:

When when the pull gets really strong, I "speed-weed."

 

You can speed weed for me if you run out of weeds there! 

Kudos to you @engravosaurus, for finding an alternate to the rituals you were going through. You're doing great!  

Edited May 22, 2022 by jillar

[Boo]

On 5/21/2022 at 11:27 PM, engravosaurus said:

other issue is whenever I sit down at computer OR finish a signifiant task I think "it's pipe/caffeine time"

 

This too shall pass...but it might take a little while.

 

Ridding myself of the instinct to "reward" myself with a cigarette for a completed job was the last hump I got over in my quit.  Eventually, I rewired my brain with a combination of repetition and time.

 

Welcome aboard Engravosaurus.  Congratulations on putting the pipe down.

 

On 5/22/2022 at 9:06 AM, DenaliBlues said:

 It's a little silly and somewhat sweaty, but it's not smoking - and that's what counts!   

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, time spent stacking BBs or nailing Jell-O to the wall is preferable to smoking.

[engravosaurus]

Still going but post nasal drip and constipation/bloating are super annoying.

Any simple treatments?

Any estimate how long they last?

Loren

[jillar]

1 hour ago, engravosaurus said:

Still going but post nasal drip and constipation/bloating are super annoying.

Any simple treatments?

Any estimate how long they last?

Loren

 

Hi Loren, unfortunately that's a part of a lot of new quitters journey and totally normal. You can try an OTC stool softener.  And for bloating maybe something like GASX? And as far as how long it lasts, that too is totally different for each person. 

Hang in there, it won't always be like this. You're doing great!  

[Doreensfree]

Most of what we encounter when we Quit is usually temporary....

Our bodies are going through massive changes ...

Jillar has given you some good advice ...

Hope it rights itself soon ....and Well done .

[intoxicated yoda]

19 hours ago, engravosaurus said:

Still going but post nasal drip and constipation/bloating are super annoying.

Any simple treatments?

Any estimate how long they last?

Loren

Hi Loren...those types of things can be really hard to deal with.  I had bloating and gut issues for months but maybe I was an extreme case.  Anyhow, if the drugstore remedies don't work (they didn't for me) you can try an elimination diet which was eventually what solved most of my issues.  Good luck and keep the quit.

[engravosaurus]

this site

https://www.steadyhealth.com/topics/stopped-smoking-and-severe-stomach-bloat

sorta makes it sound like it might not go away

 

 

[jillar]

@engravosaurus, trust us when we say it WILL go away. You may need to change up your diet for a bit until your body repairs itself from all the chemicals we were ingesting by smoking  though.

I read the posts on that link and there were a lot of good tips on what worked for them. That's what you need to focus on and not the ones who just gave up and went back to smoking....

[Doreensfree]

Jillar is right ...

Our bodies are so mixed up....it's been used to having so many chemicals taking in 20 or more times a day for decades..

I didn't suffer from this ,so I carnt advise ....but if your worried about anything I would seek your doctor's help...

It takes a while for your NEW body to adjust ....this will only be temporary....

[intoxicated yoda]

@engravosaurusone thing that did help me was to take HCl Betaine supplements.  I started off taking 1 or 2 capsules a day 6 or 7 times a day.  This helped to increase my stomach acid.  I had read that smoking causes the stomach to produce acid and when you stop smoking the stomach no longer gets that trigger and some folks need to retrain it.  It could all be a load to crap but it did seem to help me over time.  Good luck