Lung disease at 30?

Salute generale e stile di vita
1

I don’t know where to start really do this is gonna be a long one.

I am female, 5ft 3 and 30year’s old.

I’ve been a smoker for a long time. Full time smoker since I was 14, I’ve been smoking for the entirety of my adult life. I am now 30. I smoke 20 a day. I quit 3 years ago using a vape but only lasted 4 months! I’ve quit again, using patches. It’s been 3 days.

I have been having chest pain on and off for over a year but since January has been constant. Have been to the gp multiple times and hospital and had acute chest pain investigations several times (blood test/ecg/chest X ray).

The pain was in the centre of my chest on the left side, every day until the beginning of this week, it had moved to my back and side, mid back on the left side. No change on breathing in or out.

I went back to the gp, a different one to who I usually see - not by request, just the way it worked out. She listened to my chest and I had an expiratory wheeze on the left side. I did peak flow and scored 350 which is bellow what it’s should be for me. I have to go back for spirometry. This worries me as no doctors have considered my chest pain to be respiratory before. She had given me a blue ventolin inhaler to see if this helps. My oxygen level on the finger probe was okay. 98%.

I am also worried because until this point I did not notice that I was particularly short of breath but I am now! I have noticed that I am unable to take a very deep breath and constantly want to. I don’t know how long it has been this way but maybe a while, I’ve not really thought about it.

I am wondering if I have done some serious damage having been smoking for so long? I don’t want to do anymore googling… I’ve pretty much convinced myself I have lung cancer now.

I too never considered I may have a lung problem. I do not have a cough. At all, I have been more aware of this since my appointment on Thursday and I have coughed once. I do not have any chest tightness.

Though it has only been 3 days not smoking my chest pain is much improved, still there but intemitently not constant. So now I’m pretty sure the fags are source of my problem, are my lungs going to recover from this?

I have also notice mucous, feels stuck behind my nose/upper throat. struggling to loosen it and am constantly throat clearing. I don’t have a sore throat but did have a single tonsil stone yesterday… gross I know. I sound a bit like I have a sore throat but I dont. Don’t know whether these things are just from not smoking.

Wondering if anyone else has had these symptoms and what can do to improve things. Any advice or insight would be greatly accepted.

Many thanks and sorry for the long post.
Mel

2

OK first off, CONGRATULATIONS on quitting, I’m 66 and quit 10 years ago.
I helped run the BHF no smoking site right up until about 3 years ago when it closed because they transferred it to this platform sadly as it doesn’t work on here.
Go check it out as every bit of support helps.
I have seen your thread hundreds of times just not written by you, its a complicated process quitting smoking and quite a shock to your system mentally and physically but I promise you it will definitely be worth it in the end.
Yes it will test you but when you come out at the end of the tunnel you will wish you had quit years before but at 30 you will benefit loads more than I have and can reverse most of the damage in time.
If I was you I would try not too worry about the results of the breath test, you have stopped smoking because you have been suffering the effects of it and things will improve rapidly now, go for the spirometry test and I am sure it will be a lot better than she thinks it will.
In your lungs you have alveoli, little hairs that are their to help the lungs keep clean, it would take me ages to explain but simply you flattened them smoking, now you have stopped they will grow again sort of and clear out the gunk, it’s not instant but your breathing will improve and if you do have COPD you have the chance to stop it where it is.
Theirs lots of things you can do to help yourself finally become an X smoker, exercise, eat healthy and try not to use other things to compensate like food, sweets etc.
I put 3 stone on in 3 months, 8 stone to 11 it was horrendous but I’m now back down to 9 so not so bad.
I love being an X smoker and so will you, I promise

3

Thank you so much for such reassuring and encouraging words. Just what I needed to hear!

I am committed to this and am looking forward to being a non smoker.

I know I gotta come a long way, being a smoker my whole adult life I need to rewire everything I do. I’ve been a slave to the cigarettes and the rule everything I do!

Its only day 4 now but I keep telling myself I am feeling like this because this is what the fags did to me… so they are the enemy and I’m not going back there! I’ve not had this mindset when I have tried to quit before!

Onwards and upwards, just wish this chest pain would go completely!

4

good morning I am glad that a little support can help, i know from personal experience that without it not many manage to reach their goals but you will because like you said, your mindset is different, i tried a couple of times over the years but i now realize i didnt really want to because it wasnt for me it was someone else who was trying to make me quit, wish i had though.
You will get their, its not easy though but soo worth it when you do.
Baby step and lots of fresh orange juice ice cube’s, their great for cooling Mr Niccodemon