hi people, new to the site. Love the site and the community and such. You all seem like a great bunch folks. Here's my issue. Been smoke free for about 35 days now. Good you say,... good. This is my 3rd or 4th time attempting to quit. This time I've actually been able to master the mental part of the smoking. Like when I see people smoke, I don't crave to have one or if I'm out having a drink, after a meal ... etc So the suppose to be TOUGH part is conqured, I'm just having problems with the physical part. My body is hurting, I'm always chewing the gum, having problems sleeping... etc Question 1) when is this feeling gonna go away? 2) should I seriously go see a doctor? I took the nicotine dependance test on this site and it indicated that on a scale of 0 - 10, I'm at an 8 (were the average is 3.7) - OUCH!!!??? what's a guy to do peace love and blessing extend out to my new family Ricardo [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/28/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 36 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 916 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $360 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 23 [B]Seconds:[/B] 48

thanks mate, I actually swtich between the 2mg gum and the 14 mg patch... depending on how I feel. The gum works for sure! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/28/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 36 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 917 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $360 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 26 [B]Seconds:[/B] 4

Hi Recardo, Congratulations on your quit. Sorry to hear you are having problems now. The best advise they give us is if these symptoms have been going on for awhile, you should call your doc. It's possible that the smoking masked something else that was going on. I am only a new quitter myself, so I have not gone through this whole process yet. I am on Chantix and doing really well with it. Is the gum the only thing that you are taking? Keep up the good work and there is lots of help on this forum. Someone with a little bit better knowledge than me may be able to help. Keep posting and good luck. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 4 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 93 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $20 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 52 [B]Seconds:[/B] 13

..let me clarify. Not like one of those HUGE sports mouth guards, rather, it's called a night guard. Sorry 'bout that! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/6/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 0 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 0 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $0 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 0 [B]Seconds:[/B] 0

Ricardo, actually, anyone who is feeling pain, seeing a doctor would definitely be your best bet. Tryagain, I am so sorry to hear of your pain. I don't know if you have one yet or not, but try sleeping with a mouth guard. I don't think you even have to go to a dentist to get one. I am pretty sure you can get a generic one at the drugstore. I was a horrible grinder, but the mouth guard has really helped. My jaw used to pop really loud and I would have really bad pain in my temples. It really helped to heal it. Just a simple, cheaper suggestion until you can get to the dentist. Maybe if you were able to clear your mind and meditate a bit too...that could help. I truely hope you feel better soon. My thoughts are with you. Look at how strong you are though...dealing with all of this and not smoking!!!! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/6/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 0 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 0 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $0 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 0 [B]Seconds:[/B] 0

tryagain My heart goes out to you because I know what a pinched nerve feels like. There are no meds that take the pain away. I am lucky enough to have insurance so I was able to have mine fixed. Theres not a moment yet that I havent really wanted to smoke but I am so afraid it will kill the new tissue. Have you tried acupuncture? It sucks with no insurance but maybe the chiropractor will be cheaper. I went through all the treatments including acupuncture and it did relieve some of the pain for awhile. I also took Motrin and switched between cold packs and hot packs every 20 minutes. I know the fight is much harder when you are in pain. I fight really hard everyday. Stay strong. I'm thinking about you and hope you get some much needed relief soon. Good luck!! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/19/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 15 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 709 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $180 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 58 [B]Seconds:[/B] 26

IfYouPlease, Congratulations on a terrific quit you have going there. That's awesome!!! I too would like to be clear on what type of pain you're talking about. Please get back with us and let us know, okay? We'll be waiting to hear back from you and we're here for you. TryAgain, Yep darlin', I know those various reasons you're talking about and we'll keep them out of this discussion. You're right there. Just know that I can definitely relate. It sounds to me like you have some major anxiety going on there TryAgain. It can make you so sore all over and yes, even cause a pinched nerve. I found myself having to FORCE my body to stop being rigid. I mean, I would tense up so bad that you could have ironed a load of clothes on my back!! And I would go tense without realizing it. The jaw thing, yep I chew gum so fast that I'm really feeling it in my jaws not and it's giving me a headache to boot. Grinding teeth, MERCY I have done that all of my life and now it's worse. GO ON DOWN TO WAL-MART AND GET ONE OF THOSE MOUTH GUARDS. They're inexpensive. Actually, I haven't looked for those in the pharmacy department.....I buy mine in sporting goods. ha ha ha ha I'm serious, they have them in sporting goods for the football players and they're the same thing only cheaper. About 99 cents is all they cost. TryAgain, you've had a lot, a lot on your plate. When you can, go on to the doctor and you may need an anti-anxiety medication. For now though, drink that green tea. It helps and take calcium vitamins and a good multi-vitamin. You do whatever it takes to relax your body. Concentrate on your breathing and for God's sake, that chewing gum ain't going anywhere. ha ha ha ha CHEW SLOWLY. LOL Focus on your breathing, chewing and then have your tea and vitamins. Keep in touch with us. Okay? I would love to come and take care of you......My heart goes out to you. Please, hang in there. Tutti [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 18 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 842 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $54 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 23 [B]Mins:[/B] 32 [B]Seconds:[/B] 33

My 2 cents worth is that nicotine can take months to leave the body of some people and you still have it with the gum. Problems sleeping can be a symptom of nicotine withdrawal, along with a host of other things. I would think it's too early to rule out that it's possibly from nicotine withdrawal (or see below). You weren't specific re: your body hurting, perhaps it could be nicotine withdrawal, more likely are you sure you're not doing anything different? You are sure that you are using the gum right? You know that you are not supposed to really chew it, just chew it enough to get the nic out then "park" it in your cheek, then repeat every so often. Also, "Chewing the gum too fast can cause lightheadedness, dizziness, hiccups, nausea, vomiting or insomnia". Lastly, I don't think you are supposed to "chew" any more tha 30 nic gums a day. Maybe you're not, but could you alternate with reg. gum? What do you think? [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/29/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 66 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 667 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $330 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 53 [B]Seconds:[/B] 17

Hold up. First of all, I just checked out the test. 9/13 of the items should be N/A to your addiction (I included all demographic info as N/A) because you havent' smoked in 35 days. It's probably important to note here whether or not you are on any NRT or medication, both of which can affect your sleep and body. Hang in there. Let's get this straightened out. Don't get anxed. Protect you quit. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/29/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 66 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 667 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $330 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 51 [B]Seconds:[/B] 39

Tryagain... One more idea - If there is a dental school near you, they often offer free or minimal fee services. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/24/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 10 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 323 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $65 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 46 [B]Seconds:[/B] 30