2 nights of smoking leads to a week of breathing problems

[mjwolsky]

I went snowboarding in MT last weekend and smoked a half pack of cigarettes Friday night and close to a whole pack on Saturday night. I usually only smoke very occasionally (4 or 5 cigarettes in a month, if even). On the train ride home on Sunday, I felt like I couldn't breath and I was sure that I was going to die.  It was the worst feeling in the world. I was really short of breath, I was totally clausterphobic and felt like I just couldn't get enough O2.  I had to really concentrate on breathing too as if my diaphragm wasn't going to do it for me. I couldn't sleep because I was afraid I would quit breathing in my sleep. Chest is also tight.

It is almost a week later now and things have gotten better but I am still having touble breathing today. I also keep having to yawn, but can harldly ever reach that deepest part of a yawn where you feel like you accomplished something. All week long, I have also been having a strange sensation that I am going to choke when I put food in my mouth. I can only eat very small amounts of food at a time and wash it down with a lot of water.  

I'm sure all of this is related to the smoking last weekend at a high altitude.  I am nervous that it is taking so long to resolve. I'm 27, 175lbs. and in otherwise good health. Chest x-ray, EKG, max air flow done Tues. - everything was normal. The doctor prescribed albuterol but that doesn't seem to help at all...only makes me shaky. I was taking lisinopril 5mg for hypertension but the doc uped to 10mg. Diasolic now around 50-60.

Did I do permanent damage?  Should I see a Pulmonologist?

[National Jewish]

First, you didn't cause permanent damage to your lungs.  There is no need to see a pulmonologist unless your symptoms persist for another week or two, without improvement.  In the absence of bronchitis or an asthma attack, the effects of the cigarettes should have worn-off by this time.

Your symptoms are probably due to the smoking, but that shouldn't be assumed.  Other causes of shortness of breath, especially at high altitude with the potential for dehydration, would include pulmonary emboli (PE).  These are blood clots in an artery of the lungs.  You should ask your doctor if that might be likely.  With clots, the EKG and chest x-ray are often normal, at least at the outset.

The choking sensation with food doesn’t relate to the above.  Possibly the yawning and swallowing symptoms are both a result of anxiety.

[mjwolsky]

One of my physician friends sent this reply to me...Does anyone else concur?

"You probably smoke when you drink alcohol.  At a high altitude with the possibility of altitude sickness, you probably displaced enough carboxy hemogloboin with the combination of smoking and dehydration (from a little alcohol) that all this came together to cause your pulmonary symptoms. Make sure you hydrate yourself with plenty of decaffeinated fluids.  Give yourself 2-3 weeks to recover.  There should be no long term side effects and no perrmanent damage.  Do not smoke, especially above sea level."

[myproblem]

Although I agree that the previous comment from your friend could be correct, you should also look up Buerger's Disease. You are in the right age group. This is like an allergic reaction to nicotine. Also, your friend is right that you should not smoke at all. Not just because it's bad for everyone in general, but because of your experience this time.

[Jane1]

Hi Mj

again I am not a professional in the medical feild but being an asthmatic and a sarcoid sufferer I can relate to breathing difficulties - whether you are in an area of high altitude or not - smoking a full pack of cigs in a day when you only smoke 1 cig a week would have an effect, combine this with maybe getting a cold and I would hazard a guess that you have bronchitis.  I was a very occasional smoker too and one weekend I walked 10 miles in the cold and rain and got a really bad bronchitis, I know I wasn't breathing right because when I saw the doctor my PFT on the homekit version wouldn't go above zero! I was an asthmatic at the time, so the bronchitis worsened my symptoms for a short while and I had to be on mebulizers etc, but I would reckon that a course of antibiotics should clear this up for you. albuterol is a bronchodialtor is will open up the air passages in the lungs and make you shake also when you take it for the first time - it is not much help to you because you probably are breathing fine - the not getting a full yawn scenario is something I can relate to but is also an indication of over breathing or even panic from worrying about your situation, you could even be hyperventolating because you are over worried about the altitude thing.  This has also happened to me and I find breathing into a brown paper bag is a real help,
and can calm you down - search about this method on the web before you try it.  The most important thing is whilst you can, stay away from the dreaded weed, relax and don't stress yourself.


Best regards
Jane

[kufl]

A related discussion, 2 Nights Smoking Lead to Diffuculty Breathing was started.