Why do I feel sick once I've stopped smoking?

Why do I feel sick once I've stopped smoking?

I've had some unusual complaints by patients who say "Oh, when I quit smoking suddenly I got emphysema, when I quit smoking I had this horrible cough, when I quit smoking I had a terrible sore throat, I had to go back to smoking Dr. Ferry". The reality is that cigarette smoking does have a wide range of affects. Some people who smoke menthol, for example, and quit smoking menthol, which anesthetizes the airways, are finally having their nerve endings come back to life and not be anesthetized, and so they feel a raw sore throat. Some people who are coughing when they quit smoking, thinking they are getting sick, are actually getting well. A cough is a good thing. It means that you are finally bringing up mucous and debris from your lungs. It is like spring-cleaning. Your lungs want to get well, and they haven't been able to get well before. The little lining hairs of the bronchial and large bronchus are now like elevators getting that stuff out of your lungs. They were paralyzed before when they were exposed to cigarettes and toxins. Not everything that changes when you quit smoking means that you are sick. It means that your body is adjusting to the changes of not being affected by cigarettes.