Hiya Cinda -
Well, everyones quit will be different, and there is no FIRM roadmap to "What to expect".
While I'm not sure if this is what you were looking for, here is a generally accepted 'Rule Of Thumb' outline that I have seen repeated over and over:
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[*]Within 20 minutes of quitting - your blood pressure and pulse rate drop to normal and the temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal.
[*]Within 8 hours of quitting - your carbon monoxide levels drop and your oxygen levels increase, both to normal levels.
Within 24 hours of quitting - your risk of a sudden heart attack decreases.
[*]Within 48 hours of quitting - nerve endings begin to regenerate and your senses of smell and taste begin to return to normal.
[*]Within 2 weeks to 3 months of quitting - your circulation improves and walking becomes easier; even your lung function increases up to 30%.
[*]Within 1 to 9 months of quitting - your overall energy typically increases and symptoms like coughing, nasal congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath diminish; also, the small hairlike projections lining your lower airways begin to function normally. This increases your lungs' ability to handle mucus, clean the airways, and reduce infections.
[*]Within 1 year of quitting - your risk of coronary heart disease is half that of someone still using tobacco.
[*]Within 5 years of quitting - the lung cancer death rate decreases by nearly 50% compared to one pack/day smokers; the risk of cancer of the mouth is half that of a tobacco user.
[*]Within 10 years of quitting - your lung cancer death rate becomes similar to that of someone who never smoked; precancerous cells are replaced with normal cells; your risk of stroke is lowered, possibly to that of a nonuser; your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas all go down.
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If you meant what to expect sympton-wise, all I can offer you is what I went through:
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[*]Be pissed off
[*]Be pissed off
[*]Be pissed off
[*]Hate everyone
[*]Be pissed off
[*] Day 10: Suddenly realize it's all okay.
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I say that mostly tongue-in-cheek!
Bingo
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 4/23/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 51
[B]Cigarettes Not Smok
