But it's one big coincidence. No reason why quitting smoking is linked to these problems.

whatever is going wrong now either would have gone wrong anyway, and maybe not been as visible, or is the effects of the body trying to clean/repair itself. The more exercise the more repair will happen quicker.

.. I enjoyed the article (and am glad to read that you're mostly feeling better, RT -- keep up the good work!), but I have to say that I really can't relate much. I quit smoking about a year and a half ago now, and other than the initial, nearly insufferable cravings, had no adverse effects, as far as I can recall. I can't begin to describe how much better I felt after even a month, and that's only increased with time. I (and my lungs) feel pretty fucking amazing now compared to when I was smoking.

It's all down hill from 30.

Just wait till you hit 40.

Ha ha ha! I thought Ms.Traister's story was hilarious. So much for instant karma - I think that story utterly disproves that old notion. On the other hand, maybe smoking really is an act of conscience.

Yes, all of these things that you figured you would eventually get at age 75 or 80 are already upon you. Here's how it works:

30s - aches, pains, injuries, illnesses, etc. that are no fun while they last, but at least you get over them.

40s - you get your first injuries that don't go away, ever, often from doing things that are "good" for you. For example, you run to stay in shape, thus destroying your knees and giving you arthritis. You crash on your bike, and your wrist is never the same again. You get bifocals.

50s - here the chronic illnesses set in. You marry blood pressure medicine, until death do you part. You get diabetes, but it's controlled by medicine and diet, except you don't really change your diet very much. You now have not a ten pound problem, but a thirty or forty pound problem, because your knees are shot, you can't ride a bike because your wrist kills you, and you're too damned tired to go to the gym at the end of a long day. Illness and injury are now common topics of conversation between you and your friends. You tell yourself to stop talking about your maladies, but you do it anyway.

60s - I'll let you know when (and if) I get there. My current motto: "stay alive until 55."

Congratulations Ms. Traister.

May your freedom from nicotine last the rest of your life.

Just hit my one year anniversary on 3/5/07. Since quitting a year ago, I've had my elbow rebuilt (b-ball injury), my gall bladder removed, and a root canal. I might have to start again just to save my life.

I have to say that I didn't have near the physical mishaps after quitting smoking 15 years ago that Rebecca has had. But the most curious one was the rise in blood pressure. I thought smoking was bad for your cardiovascular system, but I never had high blood pressure till I laid off the cigarettes. I fought taking medication for a few years, thinking I could meditate my B.P. down, but each year off the butts brought my blood pressure higher till I finally had to cave and go on meds for it. Now insurance companies see me as a risk because of "a history of heart disease." That's something no one ever accused me of when I was smoking! Go figure.

... are interactive. Smoking is a psychological as well as physically addictive phenomenon. So to answer the question "why the hell is my body falling apart?" it might be a good idea to look at the psyche for a while, rather than separating the two halves of mind/body.

I've quit smoking several times for 1 year, 3 years and similar periods of time. Each time I quit, I was much more prone to colds, bronchitis, fatigue and any other number of ailments. I am now 39.

When I first went to a Dr. about this, he mentioned that this may be due to how the body has to find new ways to handle stress. Without smoking, I was no longer 'dealing' with stress in the same way, and it took it's toll. The body revolted.

Other Dr.s and a few accupuncturists said they could see nothing wrong with smoking, if you limited it to say, two cigarettes a day, after meals. But my problem is that it isn't so easy to limit them!

I'm convinced smoking is unhealthy in the long term, but I have yet to have ever felt any better by quitting.

I'm 52, and quit last year. Until then, I'd always been very healthy - constitution of a horse type of thing. A month later, for the first time in my life, I had a brutal 2-week-long bout of 'flu. I also experienced the depression you describe, and the cold sores. It's not just age(Jeeziz, you're only in your 30's!) - nicotine raises your metabolism by as much as 50% - the lack of it slows you and your nervous system down. I think it's a trade-off.

...don't take as gospel RT's series of unhappy events. Coincidence, no doubt creatively amplified for the sake of readability.

I quit smoking last summer and probably would not have gotten past the cravings were it not for Nicorette, a fantastic ciggie substitute.

Then it was a matter of reducing the gum frequency, until, by early fall, I was nico free. No strep, no blotches, no hacking, no pink-eye.

Yes, big-time cravings, but that's what the gum was for. Once you're beyond the habit of lighting up, you're halfway there.

A pox on RT for lending any credence to ill health as a result of NOT smoking. Sheesh.

Chew gum - it's the best way.

I quit smoking for the last time the week my dad died (three years ago) - but the end of the habit was nigh for me anyway. I have weak lungs, and was suffering constant low-grade bronchitis from the smoke. I don't regret tossing away the coffin nails. I do miss the meditative aspect of the practice, though.

Now I'm so damn smoke-intolerant that a valley inversion can give me a racking cough. I have a raging cold right now from inhaling too much secondhand smoke last wednesday. My immune system seems directly tied to the quality of the air I breathe...