stopping smoking - tight chest

[elportodelgato]

I'm a terrible social smoker (don't care about smoking most of the time, but once I've had a drink - oh dear). I'm really am trying to give up at the moment as our LO is nearly 2 and I'm trying to get pg again. I've taken up running again to give me something else to think about. My chest is really tight though since I started stopping IYSWIM - is this a common side-effect of stopping? will it pass or do I need to go to the GP and get it checked out? anyone else had this side effect? The NHS site just says you might be irritable and have cravings and also a cough but I've never had a smokers cough so this tightness is a new thing... any advice gratefully received, pls stop me thinking I'm dying!

Yes used to happen to me it disappears when you give up for good and you will feel loads better. In non technical terms basically every time you smoke, even so much as one drag you burn off all the little protective hairs in your lungs. These can take months to grow back. These little hairs help filter away nasty germs, dirt and bugs etc. Ironically regular smoking helps kills bacteria in the lungs. Your doing neither, your burning off the hairs but not smoking enough to provide the protection (if you can call it that). After that was explained to me and I thought about I never even had so much as one sneaky drag ever again and that was 8 years ago.. good luck.

thanks Jules, that's a brilliant explanation, makes loads of sense now I think about it! how foul though - yet another reason not to smoke any more.