Could smoking be the cause of this, and if so, what problems might there be if I don't quit smoking?

Obviously, see your doctor or a qualified medical professional. But as a former smoker, I'd say absolutely that your productive cough is due to smoking. Your bronchi are producing extra mucous cells to create more mucous to help remove the particulates in the smoke from your lungs, working with the cilia. That's what produces the phlegm.

If you do not quit, over time the cilia will disappear and eventually the mucous will plug the smallest air passages. That's called COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). You'll inhale but the little air sacs will eventually lose elasticity and not be able to expel the air. That is called emphysema. They become enlarged and the walls between them break down. Then, the carbon dioxide in your blood builds up and at some point you'll need supplemental oxygen. Before that point you'll see gradually increasing shortness of breath which worsens with exercise. That takes several years but never gets better, only worse.

The point is, there is no good outcome for you if you continue to smoke. The earlier one quits the less permanent damage to the lungs. No, your lungs do not heal 100%. The air sacs that have become enlarged and merged with other sacs are like that until you die. The sooner you quit yes, salvageable lung tissue will improve function.

I found nicotine lozenges very helpful for quitting. Heck, even if you become addicted to those at least you're not inhaling smoke. :)

Not telling you what to do. I think you know what you need to do. Once you get over the hurdle of quitting smoking it's great! I never even think about it anymore.

My son recently quit. His cough is gone. He can smell how bad cigarette smell now. And being around other smokers makes his chest hurt, just like when he smoked, only now he notices.

What could happen if you dont quit? You’re more likely to have heart issues. Lung infections are more common and ill eases take longer for smokers to recover from. Plus other fun things like copd and lung/throat and mouth cancers.
Or if you are like my father, nothing. Hes 84 and has smoked since he was 12.

However, myself, I can’t be around smokers without my blood pressure going sky high. Ive never smoked, but enjoyed a childhood of second hand smokers.

You should quit.

Yes it is a smoker's cough. If you quit smoking this will be greatly be remedied. You are kind of young to have long-term lung damage.

I am a former chain smoker. I quit when I was 36 years old...and in the morning I would wake up hacking and coughing and choking on my own phlegm. It was disgusting. The stuff that I coughed up was black. I didn't have shortness of breath and wheezing until I caught pneumonia in 2020. AFTER the pneumonia, I developed asthma.

To me, it sounds like you have developed asthma...probably because of the smoking.

My son had asthma as a child, and then started to smoke, and the asthma got worse and worse. He was finally able to quit smoking about 5 years ago, and the asthma disappeared.

HOWEVER...you could also have asthma caused by allergies...which is the cause of MY asthma. I am allergic to dust, grass pollen, molds of all kinds, and to cats.

It's a good idea to see an allergist and get tested. I went from coughing and choking ALL the time...to managing. I usually get by taking two to three allergy pills a day. Fexafenadine...(cheap Allegra).

I know / have known plenty of people (some of whom smoke, and others who do not smoke) who have suffered through the same symptoms: its called allergies. It sucks and there really isn't much if anything one can do about it.

Yes it is very likely it is due to smoking. If you don't quit you can look forward to COPD, emphysema, lung/mouth/throat cancers, and a drastically shortened life span.

My mom died of lung cancer after smoking for decades. At the end she was gasping like a dying fish, confused, unable to speak, unable to communicate her needs. It was horrible.

Depends on how much you smoke and what you're smoking. Those are classic symptoms from smoking.

Aside from the cancerous effects, if you don't stop, eventually your going to get a smoker's voice. It starts out just a bit gravely, then gets worse like Lucille Ball or Suzanne Pleshette, and even worse then you'll sound like Harvey Fierstein.

Yeah, I would assume that it's smoking

If you need help quitting, I highly recommend reading Alan Carr's books,
Or watching some of the book summaries on YouTube

He has many useful tips and those books are well known to help people quit smoking, amongst other stuff


Hope this helps ☺️

Emphysema. Your lungs are being coated with tar from smoking. The tiny air sacs in your lungs get destroyed over time and causes emphysema. My father lost the use of one lung before he quit smoking. If it progresses to emphysema you will have to breath with an oxygen tank.

Yes. Smoking is horrible.

The earlier you quit smoking, the better your lungs will replenish. The tar will clear out and your irritation in the lungs would be gone. Congratulations for taking the first step to think about it. Rest all would be easier.

My mother-in-law was a chain smoker and had all of those symptoms.

Eventually she had to go into a nursing home where she could not smoke. And in time, that cough went away.

Emphysema seems to be common with smokers as they age, there is no reversing it and they say it’s like the air being squeezed out of your lungs. Might have it 15-20 years.

You could have COPD. Or emphysema. Cancer, rotten teeth, screwed lungs.

Quit now, you'll survive the smoker catastrophe.

Yes it probably is from smoking. It creates free radical damage in your lungs. You could end up with emphysema which makes it harder and harder to breathe. Or lung cancer, premature aging of skin including tearing easily as you age and more susceptibility to chronic bronchitis or respiratory infections. Our immune systems get weaker as we age and that just adds to the susceptibility. Also a much higher risk of heart attacks.

It could well be connected- my advice would be to contact your Doctor for advice without delay.

Well, my dad is dealing state 3 lung cancer, so there’s that to look forward to 🤷‍♂️

There is NOTHING good about smoking unless you want to get sick and die

Ofcourse even you know the answers. But it's upto you to quit smoking or not.

Yes, my grandma is always coughing cause she smokes

Copd

If you are the age you show you are, i imagine its due to more factors than just smoking.
But smoking would be one of them.
Diet, health, environment, stress and underlying conditions, (such as toxins or malfunction), can all contribute.
It could be an accumulation of multiple reasons .

I had a freind who always smoked and he would always cuogh.

Yeah....you can read the warning on the side of the pack....

It could be asthma. too, definitely see a doctor.

Yep