My mom smokes a lot and now she has "decided" to quit. But I want to know if there are any reactions she can get from it. For example she has been smoking 38 years and now she decided to quit. She used to smoke 2 boxes a day but then started smoking one a day and now none.
She will feel better for a few months, then her lungs will want to clear up so she will probably have coughs to release phlem and maybe even get sick as her immune system trys to regenerate parts of her body. She may have nicotine withdrawls, but she has to stay strong. But after the sickness and phlem and headaches pass, should be smooth sailing after that.
What happens after you quit smoking:
* In 20 minutes your blood pressure will drop back down to normal.
* In 8 hours the carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) levels in your blood stream will drop by half, and oxygen levels will return to normal.
* In 48 hours your chance of having a heart attack will have decreased. All nicotine will have left your body. Your sense of taste and smell will return to a normal level.
* In 72 hours your bronchial tubes will relax, and your energy levels will increase.
* In 2 weeks your circulation will increase, and it will continue to improve for the next 10 weeks.
* In three to nine months coughs, wheezing and breathing problems
will dissipate as your lung capacity improves by 10%.
* In 1 year your risk of having a heart attack will have dropped by half.
* In 5 years your risk of having a stroke returns to that of a non-smoker.
* In 10 years your risk of lung cancer will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
* In 15 years your risk of heart attack will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
Best of luck to her. I have 6 weeks of cold turkey under my lungs now and still going strong.