I quit smoking and have questions

[Graeme Fraser]

Peak flow is a really good indicator of the benefits of giving up smoking. Anyone working in the UK dive industry (commercial, DM, Instructor, etc) has to have a specific dive medical every year. I smoked for many years but the medical 15 months after I'd given up showed a 20% increased flow rate from two years before. It was a real incentive to stay smoke free and I've never looked back. Chances are you've also got a big set of lungs so will benefit from both lung capacity and lung efficiency..... A double whammy!

Stick with it fella!

 

[Ghost95]

Good job on quitting. Heard it's a tough thing to do. Good results on the stress test too.

I never smoked and wasn't really over weight but ended up with a 100% blocked artery at 40. No heat attack so no damage but ended up with stents.

I slowly started walking then jogging and now I do two to three 5k's a week.

Don't over do it and hurt yourself. It takes us longer to bounce back at these ages.

I dive old fatman gas (nitrox) even on relatively shallow dives (greater than 40') and stick with more conservative profiles.

Combine strength training into your exercise but concentrate on cardio. The heart is what will put you in the medical accidents articles the fastest.

Good luck, enjoy, be safe.

 

[pepperbelly]

2.5 months into being off cigs. So far so good.
I have a random thought now and then about smoking one but I really don’t want to.
My breathing is good and will be better once my sinuses stop fighting me.

 

[flyboy08]

2.5 months into being off cigs. So far so good.
I have a random thought now and then about smoking one but I really don’t want to.
My breathing is good and will be better once my sinuses stop fighting me.

Awesome....it’s a daily battle so keep up the good work!

 

[fmerkel]

2.5 months into being off cigs. So far so good.
I have a random thought now and then about smoking one but I really don’t want to.
My breathing is good and will be better once my sinuses stop fighting me.

Sinuses are not necessarily related to smoking. Smoking won't help of course.
1. Check if you have allergies or maybe you already know.l There are things you can do about that. Avoidance is the more effective option, but not always possible. After that > medical treatment.
2. Saline nasal rinses. Sound unpleasant to a lot of folks. Not nearly that bad, and can be VERY effective for a lot of normal nose issues.

 

[pepperbelly]

Daily battle is getting a little easier everyday. It’s just a random thought that one would taste good, not a craving, then I smell someone who is smoking and it is really disgusting.
I think this time it’s for keeps.
I am using my treadmill until the weather gets a little better, then it’s bicycle time.
I really can’t wait to see what this does to my air consumption. I haven’t been winded yet.

 

[pepperbelly]

Sinuses are not necessarily related to smoking. Smoking won't help of course.
1. Check if you have allergies or maybe you already know.l There are things you can do about that. Avoidance is the more effective option, but not always possible. After that > medical treatment.
2. Saline nasal rinses. Sound unpleasant to a lot of folks. Not nearly that bad, and can be VERY effective for a lot of normal nose issues.

It isn’t smoking related. Everyone here is fighting it.

 

[Protondecay123]

Congratulations! It’s tough. Keep your head up, you can do this! I found that staying away from alcohol really helped me quit smoking. There’s something about booze and cigarettes.

 

[pepperbelly]

Since my wife doesn’t smoke and I never smoked around her I don’t associate alcohol with smoking- thankfully!!!
I just really hope I use less air and don’t turn into a hoover just because I can breathe easier now.

 

[fmerkel]

Since my wife doesn’t smoke and I never smoked around her I don’t associate alcohol with smoking- thankfully!!!
I just really hope I use less air and don’t turn into a hoover just because I can breathe easier now.

Naw, that's like putting your hand over the intake of a carburetor in an attempt to improve the mpg. You are just compromising proper function.

Note though - Last year had a lot of family issues for me and diving was scarce. My SAC went to hell. So, there is always that kind of variable.