Another rough day, but not giving up

[Ann48]

Hi all,

I've been hanging in there this week with 1/2 of the reg cigs I normally smoke and using Blu disposable in between some. So this is day 5 and I've been through the mill - fatigue one day so bad I didn't think I could stay awake at work. Now today a few sore places on tongue. But the worst part is a co-worker has come in all week sick as a dog....now I think I'm getting it. Or is it nicotine working out of system. Is the sore tongue nicotine working out of system...or from Blu. Ugh. And some stomach issues. But I kept going back to what a poster said in another one of my threads that I should think of it as the nic getting out of my system rather than blame the Blu. Soon I hope I get the courage to fire up (not literally fire) my eGo and try that and see how I do. I think I need a higher nic level than I'm getting to ward off withdrawal symptoms. Then I think I can give up the regulars easier. OH and I forgot....a migraine the other day - aura and all!! I get those maybe 1-2 times a year. So I blamed it on that rather than anything to do with cutting in half my intake.

Thanks for being here.

 

[wabah58]

Good luck.

 

[dohcboy]

Good luck and keep at it. You might find that ego works better for you. I sense the desire within you that you want to give up cigs for good so stay strong and you will get through it.

 

[Acidreign]

Don't get too discouraged, and go at your own pace. Some of the best advice I have seen here is, don't think of the cigarettes you are still smoking. Think about the ones you are not. I'm in my 4th week without a smoke. 6 or 7 since I stated vaping. It gets easier.

 

[Stosh]

Go with the eGo, it made a huge difference for me. Also be sure you're getting enough nicotine to ward of the withdrawal. You're switching where you get it from, not trying to go cold turkey.

Quit the smoking first, then worry about if you want to quit nicotine later down the line. Hang in there and it can be done.

 

[trouble1000]

Just stick with it you're doing great so far. Stay positive that's the main thing

 

[Ann48]

Thanks! I do have that desire. I've thought of it as switching brands. And I like that thinking: "Think about the ones you are not." I am starting to cough again a good bit...but I've been thinking that's clearing out the old crap (which after all the years I have smoked could take a while!)

 

[dripdaze]

Hello Ann48! Hang in there. I used 24mg/ml juice to quit and just vaped when I wanted a smoke. It gets easier as time goes by. Good luck.

 

[Buggainok]

Glad you're still hanging in there, Ann. I agree with the other posters that you should give the ego a try. I started with the Blu and it worked, but just barely. I used the Blu for a couple of days and managed not to smoke - but it was tough.

The day I got my ego kit and first used it, I was amazed. I got 24 mg. juice, and the difference was like night and day. I was really comfortable, and had no vague, anxious feelings at all.

I am 71 years old and smoked heavily for all of my adult life, starting when I was in my 20's. I never, ever even tried to quit, because I think I knew I would fail. Vaping has worked for me, and I know it can work for you. Keep at it!

 

[TuTu25]

The eGo will make all the difference. I had some disposables before I got my evod and they just were not worth it. I quit once I started Vaping for real with the evod and haven't looked back. Do not even crave an analog - 1 month and going strong. Keep trying, you'll figure out what works for you.

 

[Ann48]

That sounds like me Buggainok. Smoked 44 years...used to be 2 pack a dayer, then the past few years down to 1 1/2 ish, sometimes just one. I never tried to quit either - or when I would try to cut back, I wouldn't tell anyone about it - because I didn't think I could do it anyway. Now I've talked to hubby about it all and I feel more serious than ever - that desire is there. But I don't know how to determine how many mg I need. Sis sent me 18 mg with eGo, but not sure if that is too much. I looked up my cigs (how much nic) and it said .06. So I took .06 times 27 cigs avg per day...and that comes out to 1.62. Oh that's a big help!

The thing that makes me leary of the eGo is the juice she sent is not only 18mg but its a 50/50 mix of VG/PG and I'm not certain about allergies yet (not 100% sure). Look at me....I'm starting to talk a little big of the lingo!!

Anyway - do you inhale in lungs Buggainok, or did it work well enough to just hold in your mouth?

The itchiness is there whether I use Blu much or not, so I think it just might be withdrawal and/or stress/nerves.

 

[ibndevilish]

Hi all,

I've been hanging in there this week with 1/2 of the reg cigs I normally smoke and using Blu disposable in between some. So this is day 5 and I've been through the mill - fatigue one day so bad I didn't think I could stay awake at work. Now today a few sore places on tongue. But the worst part is a co-worker has come in all week sick as a dog....now I think I'm getting it. Or is it nicotine working out of system. Is the sore tongue nicotine working out of system...or from Blu. Ugh. And some stomach issues. But I kept going back to what a poster said in another one of my threads that I should think of it as the nic getting out of my system rather than blame the Blu. Soon I hope I get the courage to fire up (not literally fire) my eGo and try that and see how I do. I think I need a higher nic level than I'm getting to ward off withdrawal symptoms. Then I think I can give up the regulars easier. OH and I forgot....a migraine the other day - aura and all!! I get those maybe 1-2 times a year. So I blamed it on that rather than anything to do with cutting in half my intake.

Thanks for being here.

I would personally try something other than blu..I think if you find something different you will be happier. Also try another juice that could also help you. Anytime you feel like a real cig go right for your battery instead and puff on that. I started with a WalGreens kit and uck then got the blu which crapped the bed then got another half way descent battery more or less then kept finding something better. the blu cartridges did nothing for me so I now fill my own tanks and haven't had a real cig in a very long time, almost 2 years..Anytime I wanted a real cig I would just puff on my batteries and the feeling goes away. I started smoking when I was 11 as I thought it was cool back then and I'm 49 now and feel so much better..When I use my E-cig and provari I just think of it as a cig and then fool my brain into thinking it is. I no longer can stand the real cigs smelling them makes me ill..I'm trying to get the hubby and my mother to quit and my daughter..I know you can do this..Just think of yourself as Thomas the train I know I can I know I can..Good luck on your journey

 

[Ann48]

Thank you ibndevilish. Yeah, it was such a cool thing back then...I was there too with my whole family smoking. I started stealing them from parents for my older sisters very young...and then later thought it would make me cool like everyone else in the household!

 

[Stosh]

..... But I don't know how to determine how many mg I need. Sis sent me 18 mg with eGo, but not sure if that is too much. I looked up my cigs (how much nic) and it said .06. So I took .06 times 27 cigs avg per day...and that comes out to 1.62. Oh that's a big help!

The thing that makes me leary of the eGo is the juice she sent is not only 18mg but its a 50/50 mix of VG/PG and I'm not certain about allergies yet (not 100% sure). Look at me....I'm starting to talk a little big of the lingo!! ....

The nicotine listed for cigarettes is what is expected to be absorbed, each cigarette actually contains 10-20 mg of nicotine. The 18 mg in your e-liquid is what is in an entire mL - much more than you will use by taking 10 or 20 puffs like a cigarette. In vaping we generally will only absorb about 50% of the nic in the liquid in any case.

The level you need will be mostly be determined by how you feel, how your body reacts. If you have withdrawal symptoms, irritable, listless, you may need more inc --- if you are getting nausea, hiccups, headaches, you need less. Listen to your body, it knows...

 

[Buggainok]

That sounds like me Buggainok. Smoked 44 years...used to be 2 pack a dayer, then the past few years down to 1 1/2 ish, sometimes just one. I never tried to quit either - or when I would try to cut back, I wouldn't tell anyone about it - because I didn't think I could do it anyway. Now I've talked to hubby about it all and I feel more serious than ever - that desire is there. But I don't know how to determine how many mg I need. Sis sent me 18 mg with eGo, but not sure if that is too much. I looked up my cigs (how much nic) and it said .06. So I took .06 times 27 cigs avg per day...and that comes out to 1.62. Oh that's a big help!

The thing that makes me leary of the eGo is the juice she sent is not only 18mg but its a 50/50 mix of VG/PG and I'm not certain about allergies yet (not 100% sure). Look at me....I'm starting to talk a little big of the lingo!!

Anyway - do you inhale in lungs Buggainok, or did it work well enough to just hold in your mouth?

The itchiness is there whether I use Blu much or not, so I think it just might be withdrawal and/or stress/nerves.

Ann, I started off with 18 mg. and it worked, sort of. Then I went back to the vape shop and got some 24 mg. and it really did the trick for me. I smoked the better part of 2 packs a day. I always got into a second pack and whether I finished it or not depended on how late I stayed up, lol. I'm lucky to be retired now, and love to stay up late and read into the wee hours.

As far as the inhale goes, I of course didn't know what I was doing at first. I just sort of took a puff into my mouth, held it there a little bit, and blew it out. It seemed to work. Then as I got more comfortable with the process (I was nervous and scared, like you) I inhaled into my mouth, and sort of swallowed a bit, and then exhaled. Don't know quite how to explain it really. I don't know what folks mean when they say "lung inhale", and actually that sounds awful to me. I don't think I do that.

I will say that the e cig inhale process is really quite a bit different than smoking cigarettes. I had to make myself draw in slowly, like they say, sipping a milkshake through a straw. I was inclined to want to inhale quickly and exhale quickly. I think it was all those years of "I got to hurry up and smoke this cigarette and get my fix." Vaping is a much more leisurely, relaxing thing than smoking ever was for me.

 

[Ann48]

Well I've had a couple beers, so I think I'm ready to go for it lol. Thank you for sharing Buggainok!! I know some of the details sound weird...but I'm serious about this. After I get past the initial "fear" of changing, I think I will be able to share and help like you are. But for now...it is what it is. I'm new....nervous...and afraid giving up my "best friend". Funny how our best friend turned into our worst enemy! I mean....remember "you've come a long way baby"?? Different meaning now days huh!! Thanks so much for sharing your beginning with me. That's where I am. I wish I were further along or not such an anxious person. But it's me....and I will get through this. I am strong as I've survived a lot in my years. I'm 59, facing 60. Started really smoking when I was around 15-16. I would like to be done with it before I'm 60 in Sept!! And put that phase of my life behind me. I believe this board and all the good people here will help me through this transition.

 

[Lessifer]

You're doing great, and like was said before, it's about the cigarettes you don't have, not the ones you do. Breaking a 40+ year habit is tough, vaping makes it easier, but it's still tough. Give the ego a shot, you'll know if you're getting too much nicotine. Listen to your body, if you're having a craving, vape. If you feel like you might be getting a nic buzz, put it down for a bit.

Also, almost better than the vaping, you've got an entire internet sized support group here to cheer you on

 

[Dvx67]

Hang in there I think it's impressive that you are where you are. I agree with others in that you should try some different hardware. It will quickly turn into a hobby and after a short while you will enjoy vaping more than you ever enjoyed smoking. It is that good with the right combo.

 

[glointhedark]

Ann48 - You are doing great! Keep on trying. Try the Ego setup - you may find that you get a lot more satisfaction using that, so it may make quitting a little easier. Daughter and I know from weird reactions to things, so there's nothing to be sorry about. If you find that the 50pg/50vg juice is too much, at least you tried it, and will know not to get that blend next time. Same with the 18 mg. nicotine. In the Ego, it just may give you what you need to help you quit. If not, you will know that you need to go up a little or down a little next time. We are in the process ourselves of adjusting nicotine and pg/vg ratios. The Evods we recently got are hitting differently than the cigalikes we used for the last 2 years. The great thing about vaping is that you have so much more control over things like flavor, nicotine levels, etc. than you do with cigarettes. Keep at it, and remember - it's not how much you vape, it's how many cigarettes you are not smoking.

 

[Ann48]

Thank you Less, Dvx and Glo!!

I can't get ahold of my sis and I have no clue how to start with this eGo. Is there a youtube video on how to fill it and start using?