a test of my stength and willpower

[caligirlINky]

the other day i posted about my concern for my hubby and asked how or what ppl were doing to transition from smoking to ecigs. he started off well but slowly tapered off the ecig. my concern was his health.

during the week we live 2.5 hrs apart (bc of his job) and see each other on the weekend. he lives in huntsville al. i live in hopkinsville ky. when i talked to him this afternoon telling him our son was putting in a new starter in my truck (ive been wo a vehicle for almost a week) he said he wasnt feeling well and might go to the er (he has heart problems). he called back an hr later and said that the dr was doing tests but that it was probably anxiety. i was goingbto make the drive anyway (the new starter works!). as i started my trip he sent a txt... the pulminary adema was bad again and his bp was 208/126 (yikes). they got the numbers down and wanted to observe him over night but were transferring him to a hospital with a cardiologist. an hr before i got there the cell rang but i dropped the phonr and couldnt reach it til i got off the highway. my anxiety level was elevated so i was pretty much chain vapping... used up my little battery in 90 min. good thing the other was charged.

as i got into town i got ahold of the nurse. they called earlier because as the ambulance brought him to the 2nd hospital he started having chest and arm pain... he was having a heart attack!! they got him into surgery right away, got a stint in (he already has 2) and opened up the main artery to his heart. it was more than 80% blocked. the rest of the drive (20 min) i went thru half a mil of juice and it took everything i had to keep from getting a pk of smokes (1st time ive wanted them since i started vapping). i just couldnt go in smelling like them and make his cravings worse. i couldnt help but start crying when i saw him laying there with all the tubes and oxygen. he is spending the next few days in CCU. tonight im sleeping in the waiting room. i sooooo want to use my ecig but even going to the restroom isnt going to work well here.

i know him not smoking the last 2 months wouldnt have changed tonights situation. but im hoping it will be enough to get him back on track and use his ecig again. btw.. the nuse (who is an exsmoker) was shocked when i told her i quit cold with my ecig and how many ppl ive talked to on here that have done the same thing or greatly reduced their smoking. she didnt realize how much of an impact the ecig could make.

i hope i can hold my ground and keep from buying a pack of smokes and that my hubby can get used to using his esig again. im glad i havr this forum for support. thanks for all your help and knowledge the past month.

 

[bfrie]

that is really sad to hear stick through it. just remember buying a pack will only put you in the same place he is in now someday. sending my support from minnesota

 

[StormFinch]

My prayers are with you and your husband.

This was probably brought up in your other thread but bears repeating. If your hubby tapered off the e-cig then he probably needs a higher percentage of nic, the next two percentages would be good if he has room to move that far, and either some WTA juice (http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-liquid-discussion/230570-wta-e-liquid-issues.html) or snus to supplement his vaping. It sounds like you could use a higher percentage as well, just for stressful occasions, though God forbid there's another one like this. Depending on his current equipment, an upgrade with that might also be beneficial.

As for stealth vaping in the bathroom, holding the vapor in your lungs long enough will cause 99% of it to dissipate before you breath out. Send the rest down the front of your shirt.

 

[caligirlINky]

i guess sleeping in the waiting room was wishfull thinking. im too worried about him. he is caughing so much and so hard because of the pulminary edema and his allergies are really bad. the caughing could cause a hematoma at the stint insertion site in his groin. he could also have another heart attack. they said they would call if anything changed but i know he would already be in surgery by that time and i wouldnt be able to see him 1st.

his ecig: CE4 650 passthrough. he really liked it at 1st. was using 20mg nic. but once he started tapering off i got him 24mg. but it was already too late... he got too used to smoking again and it went down hill from there. the last 2-3 weeks he hasnt used the ecig at all. we talked about it last weekend and he agreed that it was time to get back to using it. the biggest problem is hes not sure why hes smoking more. he likes to use the ecig the 20mg nic seemed enough. he thought maybe it was because his timing was off meaning when he smokes it takes a certain amount of time from start to finish. with vaping it hard for him to tell when its time to stop. may be psychological but its almost like the nic doesnt seem to be hitting his system as fast so he feels like hes taking too long during each break. the other thing is he likes going out to smoke with his coworkers. because he has a passthrough he can use it at his desk then feels like hes mussing out on going outside or if he does go out with them feels like hes taking advantage of the situation because hes already been vaping at his desk... he shouldnt have to take time away from his work to go vape. i dont quite understand all this because i dont work any mire so vaping allows me the freedom to do so in my house. i enjoy not having to smoke outside. its one of the things that has made quitting smoking so much easier for me. until last night i havent had any cravings. being around cigarette smoke made me want to walk away.

some vendors sell 36mg and higher juice. ive got a few supplies toward making my own but im not there yet. if we get through all this (him going back to the ecig and me not smoking at all) im going to work on getting the rest of my supplies faster (including safety equip cuz i wont start without it). i want so much to help him with this and make it as smooth as a transition as possible... his life depends on it.

 

[Ardo]

I hope you and your husband get through this. Stay strong and I wish you both all the best!

 

[StormFinch]

I definitely feel for you and just want you to know that I'm there for you in spirit.

It does sound like his nic percentage was okay then. What you're describing I believe is the ritual of it all. We aren't just addicted to the nicotine, it's also the hand to mouth, and the ritual... The first cigarette of the day with coffee, or cola or newspaper, the one we smoked after certain activities; like a reward for a job well done, the one we smoked just before calling it a night. We all had our own rituals and for your husband, going out with the crew was his. If he's going to successfully quit he needs to continue that ritual for at least as long as it takes to get out of the habit of smoking. I'm not familiar with the CE4, but if it doesn't allow for unhooking from the computer I'd definitely get him something like an e-Go that he can take outside.

As to the when to cease vaping, tell him NOT to worry about that yet. Yes, the nicotine from e-cigs gets into the bloodstream slower, and of course we don't have that cigarette .... to tell us we're done. Most new vapers hit their e-cigs like a freight train for the first few months, and most worry about it. It does taper off, and eventually you can go longer without vaping than you ever could without smoking. For now, all he needs to worry about is getting off the cigarettes. Nicotine is self regulating, if he gets dizzy, a case of hiccups, or nauseous, then yes, it's time to put the PV down. As long as it's keeping the smoking at bay though he can keep that e-cigarette glued to his hand if he needs to. I know I did, and I know I'm not alone.

 

[HK-47]

Supportive statement: I hope your husband recovers from his surgery well, and that he takes a lesson from it about re-examining a few of his choices in life so he doesn't have to go through such a horrible thing again (we hope).

Commentary: As StormFinch above pointed out, part of the addiction is behavioral and not just chemical. Most smokers (myself included) smoke more when we drink coffee, alcohol, are stressed, when we first wake up, while driving, etc. It's also a social activity as well, I used to go smoke out in the back myself but also jumped at most opportunities to go smoke when one of my co-workers was going for a smoke break as well.

He can still go with his friends out to have a vape, and vape while he's at the desk. It's not overly concerning a prospect unless he's vaping so hard that he's starting to feel the negative consequences of too much nicotine (nausea, headache, twitchy fingers, sweats, etc). Most people vape more when we first start because you do absorb less nicotine with vaping than you do smoking, and juices lack the additives in cigarettes which speed the absorption of nicotine in the blood.

There's kind of a rule that states it takes about 3 weeks to make or break a habit. Being really conscious of behavior patterns and choices for a few weeks will end up resulting in the changed behavior.

For me, I tended to do a lot of 'mindless smoking' while I was sitting here at the computer. I had to go outside to smoke at work, and that was highly annoying sometimes (especially in the summer when it's 110F + outside) so I'm looking forward to being able to stay inside out of the heat this summer and still being able to get my nicotine satisfaction. But I found it an easy transition to mindlessly vape instead of smoke, which was good.

I wish your husband a speedy recovery, and you the strength to continue through and not 'fall off the wagon.'

 

[vernhall]

Wish you both nothing but the very best and hope your Hubby makes it thru this in fine style...

As far as vaping goes, as stated before, tell him not to worry about looks and just be concerned about results! So what if he vapes at his desk and then goes outside with his buds on breaks? It's not going to hurt him in any way and, maybe, by vaping on break he'll bring the light to some of his friends and start them on their way off analogs too...

 

[caligirlINky]

thanks for all the well wishes anf ideas. he will be a non-smoker/non-vaper while he is in the hospital. im hoping that will kick-start his giving up the smokes altogether and go straight to vaping. even if he has to smoke maybe being cooped up for a few days will break some of those social habits.ill get him some 36 or 48mg nic juice and keep filling up the clearomizer for him... anything to keep mind off cigarettes.

thanks

 

[ShayBabe15]

Oh, my heart goes out to you and your loves. I know all too well about how heart-wrenching and emotional these situations can be. I really hope everything turns out fine. Good vibes are coming your way.
I can relate to your other living that far away. My fiance` and I have been together for three and a half years and we too live quite a bit apart now. I live an hour and a half away during half of the week..even though it's not as quite as long as your guys' push, I still feel..it is hard at times.
The last couple weeks, I've been craving a pack of smokes. Like you, because of happenings, events, etc. You, need to stay strong. Your will power is times a million, your will power is your son and husband. You can do it, and I promise after the time is up, you'll feel so much stronger, not to mention how proud you will be. How proud all of us will be. Be encouraging, be the rock. You've got this, just hold on. Everything happens for a reason, and with reason you can push. Don't worry the negative, keep positive and everything will play out wonderfully

 

[IrishUpstart]

Just wanted to offer my thoughts/prayers to you and yours. Hope all turns out well.

 

[caligirlINky]

thanks everyone...
and irish i know you have alot going on right now. im really surprised to see you posting. im sooo sorry things turned out the way they did for u and her. you have been in my thoughts eventhough i didnt get a chance to reply back to your very sad news. i hope his mom is doing better than i would be if i were in her shoes and i hope thr stress of it all didnt have you giving into the smokes but if it did you just start over again. no big deal. we have all had to do that before.

 

[Drael]

I want to second the suggestion of having some WTA liquid in the mix (as opposed to higher nic level for your man). Google "whole tobacco alkaloid" if your curious.

Nicotine on its own is a stimulant, like coffee. With WTA its more of a mixed stimulant/relaxant effect, and you tend to get "satiation", where you stop vaping, instead of just keeping at it. Overall, it tends to lower your nicotine intake, as well as the subjective stimulation.

With an active heart condition or blood pressure condition, one may want a slightly lower nic level/usage pattern (just like one would watch coffee intake more, or any other mild stimulant) to be easier on the heart, and for that I personally feel, WTA might be a good thing to look into - it just might help keep the stimulation/nicotine aspect lower - for the future of course though.

In that I dont really agree with getting 36 or 48mg at all (plus that would be some serious throat burn, lol)

Of course much of heart risk is the oxidation from combustion etc of smoking, but some much smaller amount of it is the stimulation of the nicotine, and if I were coming out of a scenario like that, id wanting to have my nic and caffiene etc intake lower if I can too (like for the nic maybe 16/18mg, or even 12mg nic perhaps, in some WTA e-liquid).

Of course even 30mg is probably only just equivalant per puff to a stinky nic wise, but when its on its own without WTA its a little more stimulant, and when its less satiating you tend not to put it down as much, and thus puff more.

WTA also helps with those struggling to give up, and you yourself might find it very useful, at least in the short term to keep you off the nasties.

I personally use WTA. I find myself, that you don't need a whole lot in there to take it from being more stimulating to more relaxing, I mix it about 50/50 with regular e-liquid a lot of the time. You could probably still get some use out of it mixed at 1/3 or so even. You certainly dont need a huge amount of the WTA at all, to change the effect profile and vaping behaviour. I put my e-cig down all the time, even when I am stressed, i "max out" like with a stinky, satiated, and I have had enough.

I use vapelicious, but there is a massive backorder scenario with them, so for now theres also aroma e-liquid which I haven't tried.

I am not a doctor, but its just a thought for you both, to think about during some better time...

May times get easier for you!

 

[Reaper0329]

You and your husband are in my prayers. I hope me makes a swift recovery.

 

[Dansauls]

There is a B&M on university drive in huntsville. I am also here localy (I work on the Arsenal) if you need anything PM me.

 

[mecocina]

Wishing a speedy recovery to your hubby and peace of mind for you. You're a strong lady....sending prayers!

 

[caligirlINky]

There is a B&M on university drive in huntsville. I am also here localy (I work on the Arsenal) if you need anything PM me.

my hubby works for calibre. he has an officr off post but also works on the arsenal. we bought our 1st ecigs and juice from eco smoke.

good advise about the WTA. i will definitely look into it. i havent heard of that... prob because ive only been vaping for 2mos. less stimulant makes sense. what he has now is 20 and 24. if i could get him down to 18 or less and still feel satisfied that would be great.

finally talked to his dr today. things have been worse than i thought. he had a massive heart attack... one he was luvky to survive. but even with that part over the danger isnt. since then hes had some tachicardia events that are typical and dangerous. basically as the heart gets used to the refreshed blood flow it has periods where the rate speeds up then slows down. because the heart is already enlarged and having trouble, the speeding up/slowing down could start an arythmia that it may not be able to correct. the episodes were the worst last night and this morning. they have tapered off and gotten weaker as his heart gets stronger. because of this they are keeping him in ccu another night before putting him in a regular room.

the hospital as about 75 recliners in a room for family of ppl in ccu. last night there were several empty for me to choose from. tonight there is a wait for them already. what upsets me is ive got a bad back and im the only family member here for my hubby. there are several families of 4-6 ppl for one person in ccu and all are taking a recliner. this puts me sleeping in my truck or 30 min away from the hospital with no where to park if i leave and have to comback. my back is already killing me from the stress. on the bright side... i can get away with vaping all night if i want.

 

[IrishUpstart]

Cali,

Keep her chin up. I wish you didn't need to deal with this, but it sometimes it happens. If you need someone to talk/rant or ..... to please do not hesitate to hit me up on PM

Cheers and strong thoughts,

Irish

 

[trishdadish]

Thank you for reaching out to tell your story. He is lucky to have a lady who loves him so. I know this will be difficult to do, but make sure you take time for yourself. You'll be in no shape to support your husvand if you're emotionally, or physically burnt out. Go home and sleep, hes in good hands. Ditto on the PM if you need to talk.

Trish

 

[StormFinch]

Thank you for reaching out to tell your story. He is lucky to have a lady who loves him so. I know this will be difficult to do, but make sure you take time for yourself. You'll be in no shape to support your husvand if you're emotionally, or physically burnt out. Go home and sleep, hes in good hands. Ditto on the PM if you need to talk.

Trish

Wise and beautiful sentiment Trish, unfortunately home is 2.5 hours away for Cali. If he's on his way out of the woods tonight though, here's hoping she can find a hotel for the night. *fingers crossed for both events*