I did hypnotism and it was easy to stay at 2 -3 cigs a day for years as long as I played my relaxation tape every other day (20 mins). My friend was at 1 1/2 pack a day and did acupuncture at our local hospital and never smoked again . That was a year ago..he said he wanted to a few times but was able to divert himself. These two methods are virtually painless to do but I think if you have health problems in general you still may need to taper off nicotine as opposed to cold turkey. Join the support group,we'll help you. Hugs Marie

2 days ago I was forced to blow 3 times because the readings were too low but I let that machine have it as hard as I could the lowest reading was 39% or 61% lower than normal the highest was 75% or 25% lower than normal ( I'm guessing this is by age and height because the tester asked) this means you are 60% of normal . The print out sheet read mild obstruction mild restriction as a result I looked at the sheet and tried to decipher what I could and asked the doctor what I didn't understand about the numbers . I too smoked for more than 30 years no less than 50 cigarettes per day . I'm hoping it was soon enough it took a heart attack to stop me from smoking its been almost a year . At 75% I find breathing difficult I don't smoke anymore infact this breathing struggle only started about 4 months ago . My step mother outlived (age wise) both my parents and my parents were health nuts who thought smokers should be rounded up and jailed lol the oldest smoker I ever met was 98 I don't believe she ever inhaled though other than her own 2nd hand smoke . I'm not condoning smoking but you should go hang out with the folks on the smoking addiction community they are all very supportive and they show it very much so almost toa corny level of support but it really is great over there even if you fail they'll pat you on the back for trying . It' a place where embarrassment for failing is nonexistant .

This is going to sound odd but I feel like saying it so forgive me if its lame and laugh if you see the humour in it ...Keep breathing all plants and Trees need your lungs to breath ...hmmm that did sound lame oh well I guess I'm allowed to laugh at my own lame joke . Cheers wishUwell

go to quitnet.com

Whoa I don't mean to be critical but damn its not easy breathing at 75% I'd hate to see what 60% is like . Avg out of 3 tries would make my breathing much less than 75% but since the maximum was 75% that is what mine is at least for that moment of that day 2 days ago . Athough I do agree quitting smoking is critical they have a bit of a motto over at the smoking addiction community which pops up every once in awhile which is "Its hard to quit but even harder not to" I'm curious what percentage everyone here has been DX'd with COPD Emphysema on the pulmonary test ? any takers ?It would greatly help me understand better where I stand .

Hi Rosey, I don't know what kind of number the test showed when I was tested for copd, but I was told I only have 22% of my lung capacity left. I quit smoking 2 monthes before I even got any symptoms of copd, Isn't that a hoot. Sorry i couldn't help any better than that, Kris

Hi Rosey, I don't know what kind of number the test showed when I was tested for copd, but I was told I only have 22% of my lung capacity left. I quit smoking 2 monthes before I even got any symptoms of copd, Isn't that a hoot. Sorry i couldn't help any better than that, Kris

Hi Rosey, I don't know what kind of number the test showed when I was tested for copd, but I was told I only have 22% of my lung capacity left. I quit smoking 2 monthes before I even got any symptoms of copd, Isn't that a hoot. Sorry i couldn't help any better than that, Kris

Wait for your PFTS and get some help to quit smoking (ask about chantix, etc)
you need to quit
Dr O.

Here is what I found

Normal Results Return to top

Normal values are based upon your age, height, ethnicity, and sex. Normal results are expressed as a percentage. A value is usually considered abnormal if it is less than 80% of your predicted value.

Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.

What Abnormal Results Mean Return to top

Abnormal results usually mean that you may have some chest or lung disease.

Risks Return to top

The risk is minimal for most people. There is a small risk of collapsed lung in people with a certain type of lung disease. The test should not be given to a person who has experienced a recent heart attack, or who has certain other types of heart disease.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003853.htm#Normal%20Values

No I no longer smoke and 22 %and 23 % are both unimaginable
I think my arms and legs would be flailing wildly to breathe either that or I'd be lying there as still as possible to suck in what little air I could if only the people on the smoking addiction community could read this .

Btw Dr O ...

Im curious what this could mean my blood oxygen rises and falls from 99% to 90/92% up and down like a yoyo I watched it for 7 hours on the monitor as they did all the heart blood work twice six hours apart . I went to ER because of my breathing but they chose to examine the heart function since I had an MI 10 months ago . My internist called my GP and told her a recent lung Xray was normal yet 4 years ago another doctor showed me alot of scarr tissue on six Xrays . I'm not going to ask you why the internist would do that but 2 days ago he said 75% is good but I'm reading that this is untrue ??? Should I continue on with him or tell him I know a better internist on the internet ... I caught you chuckling at that one lol
anyhow my guess is I did a number on my lungs over time ,I'm glad I quit smoking and if anything sounds familiar please let me know I would appreciate it ...for whatever reason nasal antihistamine , a fresh air walk and coffee are the only things which mildly help . Cheers

I wish I had that much lung function left. If you keep smoking you will not die fast but gradually. it's starts with not being able to do the smallest things like make a bed Please trow them away they are killers I smoked for 40 yrs and I wish every day I had stopped when I still had the chance to live a normal life now I can't even walk from one room to the other without having to sit down youmay not be this bad but if you continue to smoke you absolutely will be please love yourself enough to do this for your bodykillers

I was sure I could never quit, after over 40 years of smoking.
Well I got to the point I had to make a choice,keep puffing and die. I was scared and I quit cold turkey.

Most here know my story. Age 52
now. Diagnosed at age 43. Quit smoking immediately upon diagnosis. Stayed quit 5 years.
Started again due to (disclosure
of sexual abuse) and being totally "disowned" by family.
Still battling the nicodemon.
My last pulmonary tests showed me at 36%. My plumonary doc says I have the lungs of an 80 year old. Told me 1 1/2 years ago if I did not stop smoking;
he would give me a year of life left. Also, I suffer from Major
Depression, PTSD(from severe childhood abuse), and anxiety
disorders. Chantix was NOT recommended for me, as they are
now seeing some bad side effects
in individuals that suffer from
depression, and mental illness.
I went against my primary care's
orders and got Chantix from another doctor. DO NOT DO THAT!
Spiraled down into severe suicidal depression. I rarely
if ever give advice, but/ and:
LISTEN to your doctor or pulmonary specialist and DO whatever they suggest. I know,
easier said; than done. One thing I had found (personally)
that people not suffering from
mental illness do not know how
important and addictive cigarettes are to the mentally ill as a form of self medication; ie. mood elevator.
A HUGE percentage, of those suffering with any form of depression, smoke. Could be our
brains are wired differently;
or maybe we are just more vulnerable. I hate to think we
are "just weaker" as some have
suggested to me. So, 60-75%
lung function left sounds like
heaven to me. Best wishes!

I see alot of diagnoses at very low function here it almost seems like unless you are turning blue you are not going to be tested or they are not going to find anything wrong . Well hopefully I don't have to wait until then DX'd at 22 and 23% is unimaginable Doctors must not know very much in North America . All I can say is wow ! I almost don't believe anyone here was DX'd that low but if you say so then I suppose its true .

Sorry but I really have to respond to wishUwell. I'm at 18%. my arms & legs aren't flailing wildly gasping for air. In fact. I still get up & got to work every day. I go to rehab 3 times a week & I feel great most of the time. Don't put us DS'ers with low lung capacity in the grave yet. THERE"S STILL FIGHT ALOTTA FIGHT IN US!