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At 20 minutes after quitting:

• blood pressure decreases (though it can fluctuate weeks or months after quitting, and may be affected by NRT)
  
• pulse rate drops (though it can fluctuate weeks after quitting)
  
• the body manufactures more mucus to begin `flushing' the system
  
• body temperature of hands and feet increases

At 8 hours:

• carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
  
• oxygen level in blood increases to normal
  
• the nervous system begins to awaken

At 24 hours:

• chance of a sudden heart attack decreases substantially
  
• blood vessels are expanding back to normal
  
• most of the nicotine has left your body
  
• hormone and other body chemical levels begin a process of
  readjustment
  [If not using NRT, you may be experiencing tingling in the limbs and face; dizziness- due to increased blood/oxygen flow; blurred vision;
  concentration or memory difficulties- same reason]

At 48 hours:

• nerve endings start regrowing
  
• the cilia in the lungs, becoming unparalyzed, begin cleaning the
  lungs- IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN LUNG DISEASE BY NOW, YOU MOST LIKELY
  WONT.
  
• the body's cells demand nicotine
  
• ability to smell and taste may be enhanced
  [If not using NRT, you may be: jittery; exhausted; having difficulty
  sleeping; restless/irritable; angry and/or emotional; difficulty
  talking; increased clumsiness]

At 72 hours:

• eyesight may sharpen; colors become more vivid
  
• bacteria in the gastro-intestinal tract are shifting back to normal
  
• all nicotine has left the body, though nic metabolites will be
  detectable in the hair follicles and fingernails for up to a year
  [If not using NRT, you may be (still all of the above and): gassy;
  bloated; cramping; hungry or not hungry at all]
  
• heart may be fluctuating in rate and frequency

After the 2nd week:

• hormone levels begin stabilizing (though menstrual cycles may alter
  in the next months)
  
• most withdrawal symptoms have peaked in severity
  
• chemical (physiological) withdrawal comes to an end.
  
• bronchial tubes relaxing, making breathing easier (though you may
  feel tightness in ribs, chest, back)
  [If not using NRT, you may be continue to experience detox symptoms
  for a week or two more, although they'll generally be slowly
  diminishing over this time]

At 3 weeks to 3 months:

• circulation improves
  
• walking becomes easier
  
• lung function increases

At 90 days:

• Most quitters report feeling more-or-less back to normal by this time

At 6 months:

• Underlying depression issues may need to be addressed

By 9 months:

• coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decreases for good

At 1 year:

• excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker
  
• nicotine metabolites no longer detectable in the hair follicles or fingernails

At 5 years:

• risk of death from lung cancer to have decreased by almost half
  
• risk of stroke is reduced to that of a nonsmoker
  
• risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus is now half that
  of a smoker's

At 10 years

• all precancerous cells have been replaced
  
• risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and
  pancreas is now that of a non-smoker's

At 15 years +

• risk of coronary heart disease that of a person who has never smoked
  
• risk of death from lung cancer similar to that of non-smokers'
  
• overall risk of death has returned to nearly that of a person who
  has never smoked

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