Just quit smoking. Need some help.

[Th1onein]

I just got the flu and got a really nasty bronchial bacterial infection along the way. I'm taking antibiotics for it and am almost over it, after six days. I was so sick, I decided it might be a good time to quit smoking.

It's been eight days since I've quit smoking and EVERYTHING smells like cigarettes. Really, really nasty. Also, meat is absolutely terrible tasting. WHAT is causing this? I understand that, after quitting smoking, your sense of smell comes back, but what could be causing meat to taste so terrible? Could this be the antibiotic?

I've had sinus problems all of my life, but when this flu started, and I began sneezing non-stop, I decided to put some DMSO on some tissue and drape the tissue over my nose. Now, this might have caused the inflammation in my sinuses to disappear and let me actually smell for the first time in years, but what is causing meat to taste like shit? (ALL kinds of meat.)

[applegrove]

1. Don't know why your meat tates terrible. I do know that your sense of smell, taste and sight get

better when you quit. That right..apparently your sight improves and mine did.

Good luck with your quit. You may want to join the quitnet.com to get advice and support and an answer to your question on meat....imagine a site with hundreds of people quitting at the same time - it can be a zoo but it is fun.

[Ichingcarpenter]

2. Toxins have been removed and you are smelling things as they really are

I've had the same thing happen to me. Water even has taste and smells that should
be noticeable.. Your own shit will smell different when you quit red meat.

I hope you quit and become healthy soon.

[grillo7]

3. It's still probably related to your sense of smell...

The way food tastes is primarily based on your sense of smell. So the fact that this sense is returning after all this time is likely causing alterations in how food tastes to you as well. I wouldn't expect it to be the antibiotic, although it is a really remote possibility.

[Warpy]

4. The antibiotic can affect taste

but the effect is short lived. Having your sinuses blocked can also greatly affect taste, but usually by decreasing it.

You might also be tasting the infection itself, yum yum.

You will likely smell that stale cigarette odor until your clothing is all clean and your upholstered furniture has been Febrezed. You might need to buy new pillows, but the mattress on your bed should respond well to Febreze every time you change it.

No, I don't work for the company. The stuff just does work as advertised.

In the interim, explore the stuff that still tastes good and eat that until your sense of smell sorts itself out.

Congratulations. Quitting smoking is the best thing you can possibly do for your health.

[robinlynne]

11. Do not use febreze if you have animals in the house!

Several dogs have died. there are lawsuits. Febreze contains an ingredient from radiator fluid which was found in the dead dogs. It was the only thing the dead aniamls had in common.

[Warpy]

17. I wouldn't use it on their bedding

if they sleep in different areas than you do. People who have a tendency to soak Rover's bed in the stuff have found Rover having a reaction to it.

A light spray on mattress and furniture doesn't seem to affect cats and dogs. Birds and fish might be a little more sensitive to it and should be removed from the area until the spray has settled and dried.

I have a houseful of thrift shop furniture that needed to be deodorized and my cats not only survived it, they survived it into their teens.

I used a very light hand and kept the kitties away from the spray.

[alfredo]

34. teflon and birds do not mix either.

[Jane Austin]

42. Snopes.com debunked this years ago.

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/febreze.asp

[robinlynne]

44. not really. It is safe as ong as you remove birds from the room and do not let it touch dogs....

That doesn't sound like safe to me. People are talking about spraying bedding. Dogs touch bedding. They don't have clothing protecting them from furniture and bedding like we do...

Here in LA it was not from an email, but from a lawsuit, veterinarians, and dog rescue organizations. I never saw the email.

Do as you feel is best. I threw mine away and noone I know uses it anymore. Not worth playing around with killing your animals. The ingredient is the main component of radiator fluid. Would you put radiator fluid on your baby?

[Jane Austin]

48. I don't believe I either said I use it or that anyone else should.

I reported that Snopes had debunked it.

FWIW, I don't even use bleach around mine, and they drink filtered water.

[riverdeep]

49. Wait a minute,

this is off topic, but you can't just throw this out there without some backing. It really alarmed me when I read it, and will probably alarm a lot of other people, since it's so popular. Putting it like a generic 'similar to radiator fluid' is strange. Radiator fluid contains ethylene glycol, which is mos def harmful to pets, and there are documented cases of them licking the fluid and having renal (kidney) failure. I have an old bottle of Febreze sitting in my closet and went to get it to read the ingredients, and it's just typical corporate proprietary-speak:

Ingredients: odor eliminator, water, fragrance, non-flammable natural propellant, quality control ingredients.

About as vague as you can get, unfortunately.

We don't really know EXACTLY what's in Febreze, since they won't say, but ethylene glycol doesn't seem to be it's primary ingredient, but this individual says in a 2001 article (a few years after its release) it's a form of cyclodextrin, a group of chemically-modified starches:

Upon further investigation I have found the active ingredient of Febreze to be a cyclodextrin, that’s often used in cleaning supplies and helps reduce unpleasant smells. Cyclodextrin is a sugar like compound that traps the odour molecules. The odour molecules would still be present in the fabric but you wouldn’t be able to smell them, they would be masked. Once the molecules are trapped your noses will not be able to smell any further. Please do understand that these odour causing molecules are still present within the fabrics, it’s just that they are masked, Febreze is not intended as a replacement to cleaning.

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Febreeze__Review_5142664

And wiki concurs:

Over the last few years they have found a wide range of applications in food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries as well as agriculture and environmental engineering. It is also the chief active compound found in Procter and Gamble's deodorizing product "Febreze" under the brand name "Clenzaire".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_beta_cyclodextrin

But it appears that zinc oxide is the particular culprit people are blaming here. Coolant is around 3-4% zinc oxide, and Febreze is less than 1% (which is also used in sunscreen, and in nano form it may have health dangers when used in this way, but that's neither here nor there):

Dr. Hansen of NAPCC says, "In a high concentration, zinc chloride can be corrosive and can cause skin lesions. Febreze, with 1% or less of zinc chloride and a pH of 4 to 5, might be slightly irritating if sprayed directly on the skin, but not enough to cause skin lesions. It's not likely to be a problem if used according to the label instructions."

(from a 1999 article)
http://www.gooddogmagazine.com/how_safe_is_febreze.htm

I don't trust corporations as far as I can toss them, and with the pet food recalls and general piss poor quality control, I could believe this to be true. But in this case, it doesn't appear to be. Using it around birds, may have weird effects, but NORMAL use (as opposed to making every surface soaking wet as a substitute for actual cleaning) around dogs, cats, and children seems to be okay.

edit: wait, somethings wrong, I got zinc oxide and zinc chloride replaced. i must have had too many links open. someone else is going to have to check me on this until I can get back to it tommorow.

[librechik]

5. DMSO makes everything taste like GARLIC

in a very powerful way. It goes away when you quit using the DMSO, in a day or two.

Also, body toxins will be released by the DMSO and you will taste them.

Very likely the depressed/disturbed nasal system is contributing.

Congrats on sticking with quitting!

Don't forget how hard it was to quit, and NEVER GO BACK!

[Exultant Democracy]

6. Congrats, keep it up. Sorry about the taste thing, maybe lay off the meat for a while

no reason to eat something that doesn't taste good.

[dweller]

7. so, give up the meat also while you are at it ...

and get some fruits and veggies in you. Get the proteins in your dairy: cheese, yogurts, legumes, etc. Look on the bright side, if you can quit the nicotine, you can pretty much kick anything next. You can always bring back in the meat slowly, and pick and choose what you want to include in your diet as your tastes allow.

I think, personally, you are doing pretty good, and good for you, to kick one bad habit, and if other ones fall by the way in the meantime, all the better for you.

just my 2 pence, and good luck!
dp

[Th1onein]

13. I like meat and I have different ideas than you about what is healthy.

Cigarettes, we can both agree, are unhealthy, but meat is very important to me. I don't consider it a bad habit at all, while I DO consider many dairy foods quite unhealthy. Red meat has been given a bad name for far too long. It contains one of THE most important fatty acids: arachidonic. I'm not a vegetarian and would NEVER go that route, if I want to be healthy.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but quitting cigarettes will be much more difficult if I also have to give up something else that I love: MEAT.

P.S. I NEVER knew just how bad cigarettes smelled until now. Oh. My. God. How did I ever smoke them for so long?

[Warpy]

20. In the interim, you might try flavoring your meat

with strong sauces. That can help. Your tastebuds will eventually sort themselves out when the antibiotics are finished and the infection gone.

In fact, most ex smokers report food tastes so good they put on weight.

Don't let the veggie crusaders tick you off. Some people feel like hell when they eat meat and some people feel like hell when they don't. You're the best judge of how you feel.

[enlightenment]

21. I had a similar issue when I quit

11 years ago this year (go, me!). Similar circumstances - I had influenza (the real, came fairly close to buying the farm, thing) and it took about 3 months to recover. I wasn't up for smoking for about a month after the crisis passed and when I tried it, I found it rather distasteful - so, after 25 years, I decided to quit. It still took some work to convince my brain what my body knew.

A lot of foods tasted icky to me in the weeks that followed; I found that drinking lots and lots of ice water and eating more salty foods (I chose sunflower seeds, but whatever works for you) really helped while my sense of taste and smell were reestablishing themselves. I don't know if salt will help you, but perhaps just eating something that has a pronounced taste, whether it is salt, sweet, or bitter.

VERY best of luck. Hang in there. It's not easy - I still occasionally think about it - but it's one of the best decisions I've made in my life.

[Th1onein]

28. That's a good idea.

You know, tonight, when I was driving and talking to my friend in the car, I caught myself putting my hand up to my mouth, as if something was missing. It was like I was missing something I had always had in that hand. And then I realized that it was a cigarette that would normally go up to my mouth. Strange feeling, that automatic hand to mouth thing and the sense of emptiness, when it didn't end up with me sucking on a cig. It was really weird.

I'm sure that I'm going to need something to satisfy that hand to mouth thing. Sunflower seeds sound great. I'm scared to try jelly beans, especially the gourmet ones, since my tastebuds are so off.

[bperci108]

32. Wintergreen Lifesavers.

Or those little Tic Tac mints help. Not much sugar in those.

I still catch myself "smoking" a pen occasionally on the phone (and I quit almost ten years ago...) ;)

[Th1onein]

37. I'll stock up on pens. Just in case. You didn't light 'em up, did you?

:)

[bperci108]

39. MMMmmmmmm.....tasty!

:puke:


I'll be holding a pen in my teeth and when I go to remove it, I'll notice it's in between two fingers like a cig.... :rofl:


Old habits die hard, I guess.

[Ichingcarpenter]

35. Try organic baby carrots, they are good for you and they are like

a small cigar and give the oral gratification and the hand to mouth thing.

Lucky for you it seems the nicotine is almost out of the system.

[Th1onein]

41. YOU GUYS ARE WONDERFUL.

Just wanted you to know that.

I've gotten more great information here, in the last ten minutes, than I could get searching the web for hours.

Thank you so much!

I don't think it's will power, at this point, but it might come to that, and I have such a "jump" on this now, I don't want to hit that "wanting a cigarette" wall without having some kind of back up. The sunflower seeds, the pens, and the carrots (GREAT IDEA!) are a good start. (Right now, that SMOKE SMELL is so awful, I can't begin to think about sucking that shit into my mouth. Gross.)

[enlightenment]

61. Ah - the words of success!

"that SMOKE SMELL is so awful"

I tried quitting several times before I actually did, and the real difference that I found was that the last time I realised I didn't like the smoke smell.

Actually, it's the smell of smoke left on things (quite honestly, the smell of tobacco smoke in the air doesn't bother me, still) . . . the smell on my clothes and furniture - on OTHER people's clothes and furniture. It started to smell like a dirty ashtray - a wet, dirty ashtray. All of it. For a while it seeped out of my skin and I could smell it on my hands. I smelled like a wet, dirty ashtray. Totally gross. yuck.

I've talked to other people who have quit and they all say the same thing; when you finally realise that it stinks - when it stinks to your nose - you've made the transition.

The hardest part to manage is breaking the habit of the task itself, and that's where substitutes come in handy. I actually gave myself a different habit while trying to break the habit of lighting a cigarette - when my hand started heading for my mouth, I made myself continue on to my earlobe and gave it a little pull. Now I tend to pull my earlobe when I'm stressed. Oh, well! It helped me break the other habit . . .

[sweetpotato]

63. I liked Good n Plentys when I quit

The licorice flavor made me not want to taste a cigarette. It took care of the little nagging thing that was at the back of my tongue telling me to light up.

I would also suggest taking it one day at a time.

There were many days when I so desperately wanted a cigarette, but I told myself that if I still felt that way tomorrow, then I'd go buy some then.

I never bought any more.

I quit 7 years ago.

I can't believe I used to smoke the smelly things, either.

[bperci108]

29. With all respect for the previous suggestion....

I would suggest ignoring it. Too much at once....

Quitting the butts is bad enough without adding more to the list. Hang in there, the first week or two is the worst. It gets easier after that.


And you're lucky....it took over a year before they began to stink for me; every time I got a whiff of someone else's smoke it made me want one again for the longest time.

Hang in there and good luck. :hug:

[bananas]

46. You *used* to love meat, now it tastes terrible.

[dweller]

60. i'm not a vegetarian

'veggie nut' or whatever. Nor do you know my health habits or ideas.

my suggestion was simply 'don't worry about 'other' things (tastes of meat) while you are dealing with one trial by fire. Why add to the stress? I wasn't advocating giving up something 'you love'. I also pointed out you could add meats as your taste buds allowed, etc...

good luck all the same.
dp

[Th1onein]

66. When you're STARVING, you worry about eating things you love.

For days I had existed on a piece of toast and an orange, per day, because I was too sick to go out and could NOT stand the taste of meat.

[YOY]

8. Are you eating crap meat or good organic stuff?

When I manage to quit for months I actually enjoy eating more.

[Donnachaidh]

9. DMSO can *carry* other chemicals into your system

I used to use that as a base when working on horse's legs, it helped get other chemicals into the tissues. I'm just wondering if the tissues you draped over your nose that were soaked in dmso might have other chemicals in it?

Also, DMSO can give you garlicky breath as well as make everything taste really garlicky. But if you have been using your hands without washing them to apply the dmso you could be getting other stuff in your system.

Stop using the dmso for a week and see if the flavors get better.

[Th1onein]

15. I've used DMSO for years. It's not the DMSO.

I am very familiar with the smell and taste of DMSO. It's not the DMSO and it's not the tissue. I haven't used it for the past four or five days, anyway.

It's not that the meat isn't organic. It's the same meat I always buy, and it's ALL meats: fish, chicken, hamburger, steak, pork. All meats.

I've been existing on a piece of buttered toast and an orange a day, because I can't eat meat and everything else tastes strange, too. The toast tastes "normal," but the oranges taste not exactly like oranges are supposed to taste. Meat is BAD, though. Really, really bad. Unpalatable.

[Donnachaidh]

27. the last time I quit for any time I couldn't take the taste of meat

At least not the way my DH wanted it made. But even FISH tastes bad? Wow.

You may need to go with bland foods for a bit and then re-train your taste buds to accepting meat (if that's what you want to do). I really hope that settles down for you.

Stick with it! Giving up the cigarettes is the hardest thing in the world. I kick myself for going back.

[riqster]

62. Try dairy protein for a while -cheese, etc.

Beans & Rice are also good .

[Midlodemocrat]

10. Which antibiotic?

And your nose is just becoming more sensitive to the cigarette smell, which is why everything smells like cigarettes.

[Th1onein]

16. Levaquin.

It's a fluoroquinolone antibiotic.

[Midlodemocrat]

18. I know. Some of the fluroroquinolone's can leave a bad taste in the mouth

but unfortunately, they are generally only prescribed if the infection is severe.

Give it a couple of days after you are done with the Levaquin. I bet you be back to normal in the taste bud area. In the meantime, maybe go with with pastas and blander foods.

Congrats on the smoking cessation.

[SheilaT]

12. Since I have never smoked I can't offer

any personal observations, but occasionally I've read stuff from ex-smokers that they go through a period of time when pretty much everything tastes terrible. My guess is that while you were a smoker, everything also tasted like cigarettes, although as a smoker that wasn't a bad thing to you. And as someone else said, you also need to recognize that the cigarette odor is in EVERYTHING in your environment, and may take some time getting out. If you have carpeting, perhaps you can have them steam-cleaned. And you will also need to wash and clean everything in the house.

Meanwhile, good for you to give up smoking, and hang in there. There are lots of former smokers here who can truly relate and sympathize, and don't hesitate to ask for all the support you need.

[alfredo]

14. A lot of things will smell unfamiliar to you. Sex will get better in

a couple ways, one being the senses aren't being dulled, another is endurance.

I quit when I was sick too. That was back in the spring of 1973.

Good luck. Use heavy, deep breathing when you feel the need. Do it as if you are drawing on a cigarette.

Take the dollar amount you spend on cigarettes a day and put it away. After one year, spend it on a toy or a joy.


I smoked three packs a day when I quit. It wasn't easy, but I did it. It really uncluttered my life.

BTW, you might have some emotional changes if you used to cigarettes to numb you. So be ready for that. It's a good thing to feel those feelings, let them have their day and move on. You will grow.

If you fall off the wagon, try again. Keep trying.

[Th1onein]

22. I think getting rid of my sinus inflammation made me quit.

Well, getting sick made me quit. But being able to SMELL those cigarettes made me unable to smoke again. There's just no way I can smoke that shit again. And everything in here smells like those freakin cigarettes. It's awful. I've tried quitting many times, and failed, but this time, I am actually smelling how bad it is and I would have to have a lot of intestinal fortitude to be able to smoke another cigarette.

I just wish I could eat meat. I have been starving for a week.

[alfredo]

25. Find a good veggie restaurant and try that for a while. The meat aversion

will probably pass. Don't worry, just enjoy the awakening.

[babydollhead]

24. I agree, and also

change your tooth brush. Change your pillow, so you can spend your sleep, sleepy sweet dream. I think what repulses you at this detoxification, is a way of listening to your body and at this fragile first stage, you are sending "live" messages,, so all of your cells need to rethink their expressions. I hope you continue to feel better.

[alfredo]

33. gotta listen to your body, it's a truth teller. It might take time to figure

out what it is saying, but if you listen in time you will understand. I had a real emotional crisis after quitting my addiction, but I listened and felt, then I grew up. I may not have had that crisis and resolution if I had kept on pushing down my feelings with every drag on that cigarette. I was swallowing the feelings. My face held it in. It was like a stone wall. The cigarettes kept that stone wall strong. It was terrifying to tear down that wall, but I did. My whole life changed.

[babydollhead]

38. yes.

feeling have to be felt and let go. Sometimes it helps me to notice where i am feeling it in my body, it takes the sting out of it.

[alfredo]

43. For me it is essential. I have degenerative disc disease and other associated

work/age ailments. I stopped taking pain pills and just immersed myself in the pain, owned it and it's bearable.

[DainBramaged]

19. Wow, welcome to the club

Cold turkey August 29, 2005, five years after my first brain tumor (I quit for a month after the first, I was weak then)

I spent WEEKS washing and cleaning EVERYTHING. My walls had this yellow tinge I didn't see before, but turned up on the sponge and paper towels. ALL of the things that tasted great REALLY REALLY sucked. Coffee (my lifeblood for 30+ years, and now I am free of caffeine too) Oreo cookies (that hurt the most) meat, fish, fast food, god I cannot tell you how bad everything tasted.

It made me stop eating a lot of shitty stuff in my life. I KNOW I am healthier since I quit, and now I drink tea and A LOT of green tea, vegetables, tuns (actually tastes ok) Spam (yup) and pork tastes great.

If you can stop, please stay on target and realize in a year, you lungs will start to heal, and in 5 years, all of the shit in them will have been expelled by your body and you'll live longer and healthier.

[Th1onein]

23. Oh, this place is going to have to undergo professional cleaning.

I'm not living in this ashtray. It stinks.

But, let me ask you: You say that when you quit smoking, there was a lot of stuff that used to taste great that now tasted shitty? Were you undergoing chemo?

[DainBramaged]

26. Yeah, for six months. It still tastes different.

Oreos don't have the snap they used too, I can't STAND coffee AT ALL. Meat except pork tastes 'dirty'. Fruits are too sweet. Things like that.

[Th1onein]

31. How long ago was the chemo?

I've read that people who undergo chemo can't stand the taste of many meats, but I wonder if it's permanent? And, I wonder if it's THAT that caused you to dislike them, instead of smoking cessation?

[DainBramaged]

40. Six months, weekly for a month, than once a month for five months

I have to go for some gamma knife next year. An area they think is non-malignant caught their attention on closer look on my last MRI. The problem is the Gamma knife is going to an area they don't want to discuss over the phone but in person when I meet with oncology next year. It will be interesting to see what else I lose. (LOL)

I still have a sense of humor.

[Robbien]

30. That happened to me also.

My Doctor said it was because my body was expelling the tar and nicotine toxins built up in my body and I was tasting those which were in my saliva glands.

It does go away. It took weeks. Just under a month if I remember correctly.

[Th1onein]

36. Heh! Your doctor really said that?

Thanks for the info, but that doesn't really make much sense. I think your doctor was bullshitting you.

By the way, I HAVE noticed an increase in general bitchiness, in myself. I hope it doesn't get much worse. My poor business partner just left town and I was NOT nice before he left (I'm a bitchy sick person). He will be petrified if he gets back to find me even worse.

[zagging]

45. My free advice

Suck it up. You will recover, but you will suffer emotionally more than you are prepared for, and if you are not prepared to suck it up, you will make others suffer your inconsolable tantrums and breaches of good will.

Good luck.

[DainBramaged]

53. OMG so true, I was patently EVIL for a couple of weeks, short tempered

easy to argue. After the third week, when the nicotine was washed out, I felt calmer, AND warmer. My circulation increased too.

[Th1onein]

55. What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

Suck it up? Just exactly what does that mean? Bear through it? Stop doing it? Change? WHAT?

"Inconsolable tantrums" and "breaches of good will"? What the fuck are you talking about?

[Trajan]

47. The illness itself can alter your sensory organs ...

And your processing of the stimulus from them .... Combined with medication, your brain could be pretty confused ....

But I wouldn't worry so much about the loss of 'pleasant' taste and smell .... I would focus on quitting smoking, which is going to help you breathe so much better, for a long long time ....

After 35 years of smoking, I have been 'quitting' for over 5 years now .... I have mild COPD now ..... and whenever I 'cheat', I quickly reduce my capacity to absorb oxygen - I can feel it right away .... I still battle my nicotine addiction .....

Your sense of taste will return, after your illness dissipates .... You will also recover your sense of taste for the long term if your stop shocking your oral tissues with hot smoke ....

Good Luck ....

[Esra Star]

50. Two things

#1.
Physically put your "cigarette money" into a jar and watch it grow.
As soon as you feel like it, buy something indulgent as a reward.
Always remind yourself that you are pretty damn cool for quitting.

#2.
As far as I can tell, there are two hurdles to get over. One seems to be the physical addiction
and the other is possibly the psychological addiction. The trick is to clear the second and whatever you do don't smoke, don't even stand near someone who is smoking.
You get the idea.
Good luck and cheers

[madfloridian]

51. The world smelled bad when I quit. Food tasted so strong.

It took a long long time to feel normal in taste and smell.

Now if I smell a cigarette even outdoors, I get sick to my tummy.

[wtmusic]

52. Good luck Th1onein

Quitting was the hardest thing I ever did. You won't regret it. Gum and toothpicks for the oral fixation, stay away from anything with nicotine (just makes it last longer).

The antibiotic is probably affecting your taste, but your nose/taste buds are also more sensitive. Things will straighten out.

Watch out for the two week urge "bump". Make it past one month, and you're on the home stretch.

:thumbsup: :bounce: :toast: :bounce:

[katusha]

54. Could i get more info on the meat?

When you say the meat tastes BAD, could you be more specific?
Does all the meat have the same bad taste or is chicken more foul than fish(sorry for the pun)?
What is the bad taste in terms of major taste sensations? Salty, Sweet, Bitter, or Sour?
Have you tried meats prepared by others(restuarants, fast food, etc.) or just home prepared?

In general when you quit smoking your taste for salt is most affected and as time moves forward your palatte will become more sensitive.

[Th1onein]

56. They taste kind of rotten, I guess. Or chemical or something.

All of them have their own distinct taste, and the only difference is this "overlay" smell of them that turns my stomach. The fish tastes like liver. The pork tastes....I can't describe it, really, but it's BAD. The hamburger meat tastes weird. I guess if I had to say salty, sweet, bitter or sour, I would choose bitter. Totally unlike meat; more like cod liver oil. And it doesn't matter if they are from home or a restaurant.

I also notice, when I went to a restaurant tonight (I got some queso and chips, which finally satisfied my hunger), I was ASSAILED by a BARRAGE of smells of perfume and aftershave. It was really quite sickening for a minute there.

[katusha]

57. sounds like sickness/antibiotic to me

bitter etc. most of the time is antibiotic i've found with me. combine that with the heightened smell and you have some bad flavors. try to compensate by overwhelming the other sensations, like sweet and sour pork, spicy chicken enchiladas, salt pork etc.

ahhh the smells, I remember them being very intense and you got the good and the bad, it goes away fairly quickly, a week or two and you should be coming to the end of your anti-biotic regimine so things should start returning to pretty close to normal.

just remember this experience if you ever get the urge to smoke again because you will have to go through it each time you quit smoking. (I did it twice)

[bananas]

58. Welcome to the real world.

That's how things really taste and smell.

[madokie]

59. I would say the anti-biotic

[shadowknows69]

64. I found tearing my hair from my head and gouging my eyes out helped some

Struggling myself, I got nothing but best wishes for you.

[Mira]

65. Congratulations for starters ! About the rest, let it go for now.

Get well, stay off cigarettes, it is YOUR arm that bends to smoke. The only thing that matters in the first few weeks is to remain committed and not give yourself permission to even have a single puff.
The smell thing is not important right now, the antibiotics could cause it.
What IS important is to save your life.

I smoked for over 30 years, heavily. Been quit for 10 and grateful every day.

I lost two brothers to cigarettes.

Report back, I'm rooting for you.

[mtnester]

67. Your senses are waking up

it will pass....you will also start...how do I say this...putting out some weird odors as well.

Your body, ALL of it, will settle in to the new smoke free era. I waited a year before I started a different exercise routine to get used to the new metabolism...but I have to tell you, the body odors I had for a few months were....quite amazing. They are all settled down and I smell normal (like popcorn again per hubs)

Your taste buds will get better too. You may experience a bout of insomnia too...but stick with it. it is worth it (smoke free since August 11, 2007 and now running 3 miles at least per day)