I know your not GP's, but here is a question about smoking?

Question

*PLEASE NO STUPID ANSWERS*

Basically, about a month and a half ago I had a cough... Then I went on holiday and didn't do anything about this cough. I went on holiday for three weeks. I smoked alot, some days I had 10 but mostly I probably had between 1-3 everyday. I also smoked tobacco roll ups with a little piece of carboard from the rizla packet as a kind of filter. I don't smoke anymore and didn't smoke before this holiday and now I have a terrible cough, is this a smokers cough? And when i smoked the tobacco with the carboard instead of a proper filter, is that really bad? Please help :(

Answer 1

I am not a GP, but this is what info I have gathered over the years.

You start smoking and the gunge tries to stick to your lungs. Your lungs don't like it so you cough to clear the lungs. You carry on smoking and eventually the gunge sticks to your lungs and covers them with a lovely layer of tar. Your lungs can't fight back, it's too much.

You stop smoking and in time the tar and stuff start clearing. Eventually you recover enough for the lungs self-cleaning to start working again. So you cough more, because your lungs are now in a state where they can clean themselves. If you don't start smoking again, the cough should stop when your lungs are clean again. If you smoke again, that will re-coat your lungs in tar and you won't cough because the lungs won't be able to clean themselves.

My sons smoke, one of them uses proper filters and the other uses cardboard. It's bad enough that they smoke but I do wish they would both use proper filters. My parents used to smoke cigarettes without filters.

Stay away from the f**s! If your cough doesn't get better see a doctor, he or she will be able to help you.

If you ever feel tempted to smoke again, try this trick. Instead of blowing your smoke out into the air, breathe out your mouthful of smoke into a white tissue or handkerchief and look at what you have breathed out. You won't want to smoke again!

Answer 2

hi i'm a junior doctor at musgrove park hospital working in the oncology department in somerset and you do have a smokers cough, see when people smoke they coat the inside of the lung in all the tar and toxic chemicals you have inhaled and to escape by coughing this is a topical withdraw symptom from smoking and this is why smokers cough. but watch out you do not cough too much or you will cough up blood this is because a vain has had to much pressure and has burst, this can lead to a pulmonary embolism

Answer 3

Smoking using carboard is not a very good idea, if you do not smoke anymore that is good, I do not think that you have a smokers cough, sounds like a slight infection of some sort, suggest that you go to your doctors and get it checked out, glad that you have given it up before it will affect you in the long term.....hope this helps, good luck...

Answer 4

I wouldnt say it was smokers cough... though you will have irritated the lung lining.. Smokers cough comes from the destruction of all the tiny hairs in the airway. i doubt you have burned all yours off yet.

Answer 5

aww babes dont worry! just lay off the ******* for a bit, youll be fine :D even if it is smokers cough, you wont die from it ;] just have hot lemon and honey :D it works ^.^

Answer 6

There is a virus going around at the moment which leaves you with a bad cough for about 5 or 6 weeks so it could be that (family and friends from the north east and the north west of England have had it).

If it doesn't clear up by the end of the week you could go in to a local drop in medical centre or make an appointment with yuor GP just to put your mind at rest.

Answer 7

If you haven't been smoking for a while and you're coughing, no, it isn't a smoker's cough.

Answer 8

Hand rolling tobacco is better than cigarette tobacco. You could have a smokers cough but I have been smoking for 30 years and I never got a cough.

Answer 9

No it's not smoker's cough, I smoked for 20 years and when I stopped smoking the coughing stopped too.

It is more than likely a viral infection and the smoking will have made it worse but the fact that you still have the cough and are no longer smoking means it is not directly related.

The doctor may well ask you if you have smoked. I suggest you don't go into the room with your mum. The doctor is not allowed to tell her anything you tell him in confidence unless not doing so would endanger your life. As you have stopped he has no reason to tell her.

Answer 10

its not smokers cough

1. you were coughing before you smoked

2. you didnt smoke long enough to have it,

smokers cough is when all that c**p that is in the cigarrette gets into your lungs

3. anythign that irritates the respitory system can trigger a cough, the smoking may have irritated it more, but its not technically smokers cough

and smoking is dumb and pointless

Answer 11

The roll ups you had would have been stronger than you were used to as the cardboard you used was not actually doing any filtering, It was just acting as a spacer, to stop the tobacco from being next to your lips.

You may have irritated the cilia (little hairs) or other parts of your respiratory system, which would leave you more susceptible to other environmental irritants.

I hope you manage to give up smoking for good.