How to speed up repair of lungs after quitting

learnerplates

Hi Fellow quitters,
How can I speed up the cleaning of my lungs after quitting smoking?

Last time I quit I didn't get anything up from my lungs, I'd expected to see something. Is there any way to speed up the repair of the lungs?

I heard that alot of coughing is how the lungs eject stuff, if this is true is there any way to encourage this?

Anything else I can do?

dumbyearbook

What exactly were you expecting? (im no doctor now) but i really dont think you should be expecting any gunk etc. to be coughed up; I smoked 8 years 20 a day os so and been off them 6 months but i have nt 'seen' any results either!

learnerplates

I was hoping that they'd start to purge themselves, it'd be a sign for me that they were getting fixed. I didn't expect anything.
Do the lungs fix themselves?

I'd like to get some of my lung capacity back!

Peewee_lane

Yes the lungs do heal themselves.

I decided to give up last week, and went 2 days off, then smoked 1 then 2 days off, etc, and on Monday I didn't smoke all day and out of nowhere I coughed and a ginormous mouth full of phlegm came up with streaks of blood in it. I havn't smoked since Monday, it scared the crap out of me.

In the morning I still have a slight layer of phlegm on the back of my throat but nothing I can expel.

Garlic capsules are meant to be amazing for lung disorders, cancer of the lungs, etc.

learnerplates

hmmm Garlic Capsules you say, I'll have a look at it.
What about the basin of steaming water or something

Peewee_lane

I regularly got bronchitis so I used steaming alot too.

If your lungs havn't cleaned themselves out then maybe they're really damaged from the hard tartar? Or don't neccessarily need to be cleaned out. If, when you cough, you hear a wheeze or your chest feels heavy then yeh, its not shifting and should have, see a doc, or steam yourself. But if your able to breath in and theres no wheeze or phlegm I think its when your 7 months a quitter that your lungs actually begin repair.

So I'd say, steam yourself, get someone to karate bang your back gently, with the sides if your hands and loosen up any things they can. My parents used to do that for me while I was still a smoker and was ill and it would work.

The garlic capsules are really meant to be very good. Don't forget that by improving other things smoking effected like circulation and your heart, it will have a positive effect on your lungs.

Fruit and veg, exercise. Swimming helped me on my way. I practise swimming under water lengths and see how far I can go holding my breath, its improved my lung capacity alot.

Good luck!

is_that_so

AFAIK it takes an awfully long time to restore them. In my case I was coughing up stuff for a good few years after. In my last check-up I was told the lungs get back to normal after 7 years and life expectancy becomes the same as the rest of the population. Exercise, food etc. as posted will all help.

learnerplates

Nice, I've always been active but hope the quitting will improve my lung capacity for such stuff as swimming and surfing.

I'll try the steaming too and the garlic tablets, sure they won't hurt.

I'venver had a smokers cough or much wheazing even though I;ve smoked for about 15yrs now, don't know if that's good or not.

I think I'll start timing myself to see if there's an improvement.

Marksie

Well i am noticing an improvement after a day or so, the breathing is easier and the lung capacity slighly more. I can feel that the cillia are lifting the mucus up actually.

I never did really cough in the mornings though.

Garlic can break down mucus and help with congestion.

i think exercise with expanding and contracting lungs would be most beneficial...though i am no doctor

I smoked for years and never coughed up anything when I quit.

f you want to strengthen your lungs, or at least challenge them to work harder, start running.

learnerplates

After one week I've already noticed improvement in stamina while jogging, the muscles feel better too, must be all that missing CO2:D

Lungs do feel like there's something that wants to come out.