Vaping and Heart Problems; Urgent!

[godspeed1208]

I can't remember having any "heat" but i felt like there was air or something stuck in my chest and arm. I did not have cold sweats or flu like symptoms but the first time it started i remember i wasn't able to even shake my legs while sitting down. I don't know what you call that.. fidgeting? I don't know how to describe that feeling but i think you understand. I would always try to sit up straight and i felt worse when i lied down . you seem to be the opp of me.

I thought i either had a heart attack or stroke but all doctors kept saying there was nothing wrong with me. I was just too confused at that time. I totally understand what you are going thru now. For me it ruined my normal lifestyle and took me about 4 months to get back to normal. Just hang in there, i'm sure you will get over this and maybe even find the cause why it happened to us. Sometimes i feel that i either had a slight/silient heart attack or stroke. But ECG's showed i was fine. How was it that i was not feeling good but doctors were not able to find anything wrong was the biggest doubt i had. It was like i was lying to them but i was not.

 

[Solrage]

I can't remember having any "heat" but i felt like there was air or something stuck in my chest and arm. I did not have cold sweats or flu like symptoms but the first time it started i remember i wasn't able to even shake my legs while sitting down. I don't know what you call that.. fidgeting? I don't know how to describe that feeling but i think you understand. I would always try to sit up straight and i felt worse when i lied down . you seem to be the opp of me.

I thought i either had a heart attack or stroke but all doctors kept saying there was nothing wrong with me. I was just too confused at that time. I totally understand what you are going thru now. For me it ruined my normal lifestyle and took me about 4 months to get back to normal. Just hang in there, i'm sure you will get over this and maybe even find the cause why it happened to us. Sometimes i feel that i either had a slight/silient heart attack or stroke. But ECG's showed i was fine. How was it that i was not feeling good but doctors were not able to find anything wrong was the biggest doubt i had. It was like i was lying to them but i was not.

It's entirely possible, of course, that we suffered from different things as well, even though the same parts of our body were affected. As for doctors not finding anything wrong, there are all kinds of illnesses that are very difficult to diagnose. The two possible ones I mentioned in this thread, esophageal and coronary artery spasms, are good examples. With the latter, the only way to diagnose it is to try to "induce" one during an angiogram. Most doctors/specialists will spend a lot of time trying to rule out more "common" things, like acid reflux, panic attacks, or CAD before even attempting to diagnose more unlikely ailments. It's understandable, probabilistically speaking, but the not-knowing is often just as bad as the symptoms. I doubt seriously that either of us had heart-attacks or strokes, though; ECGs can detect heart-attacks long after they happen, and it's rare for an ECG to go back to normal quickly after a heart-attack. The ER doctor told me the odds would be about 1 in a billion that I had a heart-attack and then my ECG look like that a few hours later.

I know what you mean about it ruining your lifestyle; I haven't felt like doing any of my normal activities for the past month, and the house is starting to get quite dingy from my lack of cleaning it.

 

[godspeed1208]

It's entirely possible, of course, that we suffered from different things as well, even though the same parts of our body were affected. As for doctors not finding anything wrong, there are all kinds of illnesses that are very difficult to diagnose. The two possible ones I mentioned in this thread, esophageal and coronary artery spasms, are good examples. With the latter, the only way to diagnose it is to try to "induce" one during an angiogram. Most doctors/specialists will spend a lot of time trying to rule out more "common" things, like acid reflux, panic attacks, or CAD before even attempting to diagnose more unlikely ailments. It's understandable, probabilistically speaking, but the not-knowing is often just as bad as the symptoms. I doubt seriously that either of us had heart-attacks or strokes, though; ECGs can detect heart-attacks long after they happen, and it's rare for an ECG to go back to normal quickly after a heart-attack. The ER doctor told me the odds would be about 1 in a billion that I had a heart-attack and then my ECG look like that a few hours later.

I know what you mean about it ruining your lifestyle; I haven't felt like doing any of my normal activities for the past month, and the house is starting to get quite dingy from my lack of cleaning it.

Ok glad to know if was not a heart attack or stoke etc but whatever that happen it sure felt like my time was up But i'm back to normal now and i hope you will get well soon too. In the mean time if you do find out what was the cause please do update me as well. Really wished i could vape again...

 

[Micavity]

This may have been asked, but if you do not mind me asking. If you were a never smoker, why the hell do you vape Nicotine? I switched from smoke to vape so i could GET OFF it, not get on it.. Your health may be going this way because your body doesn't do nicotine. Never has. Just a suggestion but, kind of sounds like introducing something new to your body may be screwing with it. Just my opinion though!

 

[Solrage]

This may have been asked, but if you do not mind me asking. If you were a never smoker, why the hell do you vape Nicotine? I switched from smoke to vape so i could GET OFF it, not get on it.. Your health may be going this way because your body doesn't do nicotine. Never has. Just a suggestion but, kind of sounds like introducing something new to your body may be screwing with it. Just my opinion though!

I'm on medication for other health problems that makes me very tired. Before nicotine my only options were caffeine or Ritalin, both of which made me jittery and made it hard to sleep. Nicotine actually gave me energy without affecting my sleep or making me jittery, so I thought it was a better solution. FWIW, I did a lot of research before I started vaping and, as far as I could tell, nicotine on its own hasn't been linked to any health problems or even addiction, only when it was paired with the other additives in cigarettes. In fact, a two-year long study with rats given extremely high doses of inhaled nicotine found no increase in mortality or tumors over control rats, and another study found that the test animals (I forget which) wouldn't self-administer nicotine on its own like they would nicotine when paired with the additives in cigarettes. My problem, if it was caused by the nicotine, probably has to do with a sensitivity to acetylcholine, which is linked to the operation of smooth muscle functions like the esophagus.

 

[Micavity]

I'm on medication for other health problems that makes me very tired. Before nicotine my only options were caffeine or Ritalin, both of which made me jittery and made it hard to sleep. Nicotine actually gave me energy without affecting my sleep or making me jittery, so I thought it was a better solution. FWIW, I did a lot of research before I started vaping and, as far as I could tell, nicotine on its own hasn't been linked to any health problems or even addiction, only when it was paired with the other additives in cigarettes. In fact, a two-year long study with rats given extremely high doses of inhaled nicotine found no increase in mortality or tumors over control rats, and another study found that the test animals (I forget which) wouldn't self-administer nicotine on its own like they would nicotine when paired with the additives in cigarettes. My problem, if it was caused by the nicotine, probably has to do with a sensitivity to acetylcholine, which is linked to the operation of smooth muscle functions like the esophagus.

No, I agree with the benefits of nicotine, I was just curious why you started it, that makes a little more sense to me now . Unfortunately I have had no issues with vaping that i could put my two cents in. Sometimes when over do it on the VG (PG makes me feel a little sick in high doses, so i vape max vg) my lungs hurt a little but but...Cant say i have had or heard of issues with the heart. Sorry this is happening and i hope you get it sorted out!

 

[MikeNY]

I understand what you're going through with GERD OP. I'm 31 and i've been plagued with chest pain and painful spasms in my chest, arms and back for the past year which has brought a tremendous amount of anxiety symptoms and required several trips to the docs for EKGs, 3 in total and a visit to the cardiologist a few weeks ago for a stress test. I was diagnosed last year with having GERD. All tests were fine so when I get chest and left arm pain I don't get freaked out about it now. Don't let it get you too worked up when they occur like I did and got stuck in a vicious circle of panic attacks and derealization (feeling spaced out and high all the time like living in a dream) I am only starting to feel like my old self now. Try to avoid alcohol and anything that flares up the GERD for a while. I'm starting a detox from alcohol today for a few weeks and i'm going to keep vaping to see if it is making it worse and decide whether i'll stop vaping for good. I've cut down my nic to 6MG since switching to a Kanger subtank at 1.2OHMS - 15W as 12MG was giving me a cloudy head. I hope I don't having to quit vaping as I've just bought a lot of new coils and a bulk order of juice!

 

[abekage]

I can't remember having any "heat" but i felt like there was air or something stuck in my chest and arm. I did not have cold sweats or flu like symptoms but the first time it started i remember i wasn't able to even shake my legs while sitting down. I don't know what you call that.. fidgeting? I don't know how to describe that feeling but i think you understand. I would always try to sit up straight and i felt worse when i lied down . you seem to be the opp of me.

I thought i either had a heart attack or stroke but all doctors kept saying there was nothing wrong with me. I was just too confused at that time. I totally understand what you are going thru now. For me it ruined my normal lifestyle and took me about 4 months to get back to normal. Just hang in there, i'm sure you will get over this and maybe even find the cause why it happened to us. Sometimes i feel that i either had a slight/silient heart attack or stroke. But ECG's showed i was fine. How was it that i was not feeling good but doctors were not able to find anything wrong was the biggest doubt i had. It was like i was lying to them but i was not.

Exactly what I am experiencing and what I have done. I went to heart specialist hospital last month and did a full checkup but the doctors found nothing wrong. The tight feeling and numbness still presence 24/7. Sometimes hard sometimes unnoticeable. But in my case, I can pretty much assure that this symptom only started happening when I started vaping. So, there must be a relationship.

I am curious. Is PG/VG/flavoring totally harmless to our respiratory system? How do respiratory system excrete these substance? Will there be residue building up that can be harmful in the long term?

 

[Solrage]

I understand what you're going through with GERD OP. I'm 31 and i've been plagued with chest pain and painful spasms in my chest, arms and back for the past year which has brought a tremendous amount of anxiety symptoms and required several trips to the docs for EKGs, 3 in total and a visit to the cardiologist a few weeks ago for a stress test. I was diagnosed last year with having GERD. All tests were fine so when I get chest and left arm pain I don't get freaked out about it now. Don't let it get you too worked up when they occur like I did and got stuck in a vicious circle of panic attacks and derealization (feeling spaced out and high all the time like living in a dream) I am only starting to feel like my old self now. Try to avoid alcohol and anything that flares up the GERD for a while. I'm starting a detox from alcohol today for a few weeks and i'm going to keep vaping to see if it is making it worse and decide whether i'll stop vaping for good. I've cut down my nic to 6MG since switching to a Kanger subtank at 1.2OHMS - 15W as 12MG was giving me a cloudy head. I hope I don't having to quit vaping as I've just bought a lot of new coils and a bulk order of juice!

Thanks for the response, Mike.

I've been dealing with this going on 2.5 months now. Stopped vaping shortly after and it's definitely improved. I haven't had any severe (heart-attack-like) episodes since stopping vaping, but I'm still having symptoms that come-and-go periodically, mostly after I fall asleep these days. I think the arm (especially left arm) pain is what scared me the most, as everything online says that radiating pain to the arms (and elsewhere) is one way you distinguish heart problems from GERD, though my doctor said that GERD can cause arm pain too, so it's good to hear from someone like you who was diagnosed with GERD and also having the arm pain. I've definitely gotten better at not freaking out, because now I know I can usually take a Dramamine and some Gavascon and be OK shortly after.

I'm in the same boat with you in thinking that I'm going to have to give up vaping after having bought a bulk order of juice, coils, and tanks! I spent over $1000 around Christmas and started suffering with this in early January, so most of what I ordered hasn't even been opened! I may try vaping with 0 Nic to see how that works, but even with that the best case scenario is I'll have to sell all my old juice, undoubtedly at a substantial monetary loss, and buy new stuff all at 0 Nic. It really sucks. :/

 

[ReacT]

@abekage, @Solrage
Just wanted to post on this thread as well, maybe i can help or at least show the way.

First of all, I just posted a very useful information about GERD and my own solution for it. Vaping and Acid Reflux (GERD, LPR, Heartburn, etc.)

abekage:
I had the same problem 'tight chest feeling' like unable to breath well too when I started to vape 3 years ago. Yes it was somehow related to vaping but not directly, it is also related to GERD as well. I realized that if i drink 2 or 3 liter water everyday, it goes away and if i dont, it comes back. Thats how i got it fixed and never happen again because I do drink atleast 2 liter water everyday now. It was bad especially when I vaped high VG liquids, I also switched to %50PG/VG in the past and vaped %50 for about 4 months + 2.5L water everyday and it has gone. I can vape high VG liquids now but not all the time, I should also tell you that some people are allergic to VG and some people are to PG, so you need to make tests. I'm allergic to some flavors and if i vape them they cause tight chest with unable to breath well, example pomegranate flavor. Another example for me any cinnamon flavor, altough I share and make cinnamon flavored e-liquids on this forum but I cannot vape it all day long. If i do, my arms getting red and itching I did tests in the past since I do make my own liquids. But the main issue is water before anything else.

Solrage:
I have a word for you my friend. "You will never get better until you stop trying to get better". Please keep this word and tell your self everyday.

As doctors done tons of heart tests for you and they found nothing and said you have GERD. I do have GERD for at least 10 years now. The most bad side of GERD is; it breakes your psychology and gives you a perfect anxiety which creates endless cycle and loop between anxiety-GERD-Heart-worrying-hospial-doctor. GERD can replicate exactly a heart attack, pain in arms, legs, chest, feeling tired, unable to wake up, unable to breath, feeling like going to die, feeling like something bad is going to happen and many other issues, that is why I gave the above word to you. Read my above link to get rid of that GERD and everything will be okay. The day you stop thinking and worrying, your all symtoms will go away including GERD. By reading 4 pages of all long messages, I can say you are already in that endless loop. Dont misunderstand me, my intention is to help you, since I was there in that endless loop.

I'm going to have to give up vaping after having bought a bulk order of juice, coils, and tanks! I spent over $1000

If you consider my words, I would like to tell you quit vaping as you already considered it. That is not because of vaping is bad or harmfull that is because you are none-smoker and you never smoked before. So why vaping ? Nicotine is addictive and you should never take it as a none-smoker. We are vaping yes because we were all smokers in the past.

 

[MikeNY]

I am curious. Is PG/VG/flavoring totally harmless to our respiratory system? How do respiratory system excrete these substance? Will there be residue building up that can be harmful in the long term?

This is something that's been really bothering me recently and it's because of all these commercials on TV about COPD and lung cancer and everything else. They are truly frightening and make me consider why i'm vaping at all. We don't yet know the long term affects of vaping or what inhaling VG/PG does, but I get frightened at the thought of it being even more harmful than smoking. Who knows if VG/PG is causing a buildup of residue in our lungs which might cause serious respiratory issues. I had to watch an uncle of mine develop sclerosis of his lungs and within a few months he was gone. He suffered terribly not being able to breathe and in the end they had to put him in a coma until he passed to end his suffering. He smoked for many years but had quit for at least 20+ years. This is something I think about a lot and I can't imagine a worse way to go. I am only 31 but this stuff really gets to me. I'm pretty sure this year I will quit inhaling anything ever again. It is just not worth. We are like the first generation of lab rats for vaping and who knows what this will do to us in 20 years.

 

[Solrage]

@abekage, @Solrage
Just wanted to post on this thread as well, maybe i can help or at least show the way.

First of all, I just posted a very useful information about GERD and my own solution for it. Vaping and Acid Reflux (GERD, LPR, Heartburn, etc.)

abekage:
I had the same problem 'tight chest feeling' like unable to breath well too when I started to vape 3 years ago. Yes it was somehow related to vaping but not directly, it is also related to GERD as well. I realized that if i drink 2 or 3 liter water everyday, it goes away and if i dont, it comes back. Thats how i got it fixed and never happen again because I do drink atleast 2 liter water everyday now. It was bad especially when I vaped high VG liquids, I also switched to %50PG/VG in the past and vaped %50 for about 4 months + 2.5L water everyday and it has gone. I can vape high VG liquids now but not all the time, I should also tell you that some people are allergic to VG and some people are to PG, so you need to make tests. I'm allergic to some flavors and if i vape them they cause tight chest with unable to breath well, example pomegranate flavor. Another example for me any cinnamon flavor, altough I share and make cinnamon flavored e-liquids on this forum but I cannot vape it all day long. If i do, my arms getting red and itching I did tests in the past since I do make my own liquids. But the main issue is water before anything else.

Solrage:
I have a word for you my friend. "You will never get better until you stop trying to get better". Please keep this word and tell your self everyday.

As doctors done tons of heart tests for you and they found nothing and said you have GERD. I do have GERD for at least 10 years now. The most bad side of GERD is; it breakes your psychology and gives you a perfect anxiety which creates endless cycle and loop between anxiety-GERD-Heart-worrying-hospial-doctor. GERD can replicate exactly a heart attack, pain in arms, legs, chest, feeling tired, unable to wake up, unable to breath, feeling like going to die, feeling like something bad is going to happen and many other issues, that is why I gave the above word to you. Read my above link to get rid of that GERD and everything will be okay. The day you stop thinking and worrying, your all symtoms will go away including GERD. By reading 4 pages of all long messages, I can say you are already in that endless loop. Dont misunderstand me, my intention is to help you, since I was there in that endless loop.



If you consider my words, I would like to tell you quit vaping as you already considered it. That is not because of vaping is bad or harmfull that is because you are none-smoker and you never smoked before. So why vaping ? Nicotine is addictive and you should never take it as a none-smoker. We are vaping yes because we were all smokers in the past.

react,

Thanks for all the advice. I've already taken many steps to lessen the symptoms of GERD, including not worrying about it so much as I AM quite sure that's what I have. I soon realized that worrying/anxiety made it worse, and I've had many years of practice dealing with illness-induced stress, so it wasn't too hard. However, eliminating thinking and worrying about it isn't a total solution. I hadn't had symptoms for nearly two weeks, hadn't been thinking about it at all, and suddenly it hit me bad one night. So there is definitely a physical component as opposed to just being mental.

As for the stopping vaping: I explained above why I started, because nicotine was the only thing I found that gave me energy without making me jittery. There are studies out there that show that nicotine isn't addictive by itself, only when paired with many of the chemicals in cigarettes. Indeed, I haven't vaped in over a month now and I didn't suffer any withdrawal symptoms.

 

[romer242]

I agree with @react,

I had GERD also and didn't know it. I believe that some flavors, nicotine, etc might induce GERD (Just an observation). The key for me was to balance my stomachs PH to prevent a GERD attack. I vape normally now. WHOOT! Hope you find a solution. That feeling sucks.

 

[Hulamoon]

Well, I'm glad it's getting better for you! Thanks for the updaate. You might want to check diet etc. GERD is pretty common as one gets older, and through necessity or choice, changes in eating and drinking habits, eating too much before bed, all sorts of stuff, stress etc. Use an extra pillow to keep your head raised when you sleep. Keep an eye out for triggers, and keep up to date with your wellness checks.