bad allergy symptoms due to EC

[ssbenss]

i recently just started vaping last week and i am starting to get a bad sore throat, coughing up dark yellow phlegm, and have a runny nose.

might it be possible im allergic to the PG or could it be that it could be something else.

i read in my manual for my EC and it said "the nicotine dilution contained in the cartridge of this 'electronic cigarette' is prohibited from direct contact with mucositis. No direct entrance to mouth is allowed, it may lead to nicotine dilution by mouth if you used too much suction"

so im wondering if it is the amount of nicotine that is bothering me, or the propylene glycol, because ive heard a lot of people have bad reactions to PG

 

[CaptJay]

To be honest it sounds more like the effects of giving up smoking (or cutting back drastically) -have you looked at the 'detox' effects of quitting smoking?
Describes your symptoms perfectly - you may also get canker sores and acne (its all from stopping smoking - quitters who neevr vape have similar/the same things happening after they give up).
There's a post around somewhere listing everything - yukky reading even f you never vape lol.

 

[KDK]

From a retired nurse point of veiw, what you are experiencing could be from the change to PV, or a completely differrent problem altogether. Coughing up "dark yellow phlegm" is, or can be, indicative of an infection in your respriratory system. If you generally feel well, and are not running a temperature, you are probably OK, but if you are not feeling well or are running a temp, you should SEE A DOCTOR!!!!

 

[star4024]

I am a respiratory therapist and IMHO it sounds as though you have a cold with some chest congestion. Yellow is not a good color to be coughing up. It usually indicates an infection, But,, as the nurse stated, as long as you feel generally well, you are probably okay. I doubt that it is related to EC. You can have increased coughing due to your lungs clearing out all the tar and garbage but that should not be accompanied by yellow or any other nasty color.

 

[DenniZ]

Good advice from the above two posts.

By dark, do you mean almost clear tan to brown tar-like thin ribbons, or do you mean blood tinged? By yellow do you mean mostly clear but mixed with the above tar/blood slightly to fully opaque yellow?

If you have no fever and the phlegm is clear but mixed with thin non-opaque "sheets" of a tan substance then you body is probably responding in a very good way by expelling the built up tar in your airways, be thankful your cilia still have the motility to push this stuff out.

If the secretions are opaque and yellow you are most likely coming down with an infection of some sort. Typically allergic reactions present with clear mucus unless there is associated tissue death that the body's white blood cells need to clean up.
If the darkness you are seeing is blood, go to the doctor.
Even if it's "just strep". While strep throat itself may not kill you, strep can cause you body to develop an auto immune disorder called rheumatic fever. It's caused because strep has many similarities to cardiac/joint/skin/brain tissue. In short your body starts attacking itself in a case of mistaken identity. It's quite the price to pay for being stingy with the antibiotics.

If you are experiencing additional symptoms such as itchy rash/hives, swelling, sloughing, difficulty breathing, these are all classic symptoms of an allergic reaction, and can be very serious.

I'm just a nursing student, so this is in no way a medical diagnosis, you may be experiencing any combination of these scenarios, or symptoms of a deeper underlying condition.

 

[Seabrook]

Sounds like you're detoxing to me. Try drinking 8-10 oz of distilled or reverse omsosis water -- something really pure -- every hour while you're detoxing.

I got a consistently runny nose for about 3 weeks, depression for about a week and am now just healing from an adult acne outbreak. Try and stick with it, because it will do your lungs a world of good. I had to go out and buy a neti pot just to get my nasal/sinus passages cleaned out. I never coughed up phlegm, but I had a knot in my throat for a while. It turned into a nasal drip -- eck, I could feel it dripping down my throat.

Here's an article from the UK (I think London, not sure) that might lift your spirits. It points out that your lung cells regrow in 6 weeks.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1219995/Believe-lungs-weeks-old--taste-buds-just-days-So-old-rest-body.html
Sometimes it gets worse before it gets better. It's called the Herxheimer reaction (in wikipedia or can google). If you want, you can vape VG to see if it makes a difference. I do oil pulling (can google it) to heal faster. It's a panacea -- even helps w/degenerative disease. It supposedly gets the toxins out quicker -- we'll see. I do know one thing for positive sure though, it immediately whitens your teeth, or at least it has for me.

 

[VaporSource]

Good advice,I think you can try VG instead of PG, try low strength of nicotine, and let's see.

 

[ssbenss]

Good advice from the above two posts.

By dark, do you mean almost clear tan to brown tar-like thin ribbons, or do you mean blood tinged? By yellow do you mean mostly clear but mixed with the above tar/blood slightly to fully opaque yellow?

If you have no fever and the phlegm is clear but mixed with thin non-opaque "sheets" of a tan substance then you body is probably responding in a very good way by expelling the built up tar in your airways, be thankful your cilia still have the motility to push this stuff out.

If the secretions are opaque and yellow you are most likely coming down with an infection of some sort. Typically allergic reactions present with clear mucus unless there is associated tissue death that the body's white blood cells need to clean up.
If the darkness you are seeing is blood, go to the doctor.
Even if it's "just strep". While strep throat itself may not kill you, strep can cause you body to develop an auto immune disorder called rheumatic fever. It's caused because strep has many similarities to cardiac/joint/skin/brain tissue. In short your body starts attacking itself in a case of mistaken identity. It's quite the price to pay for being stingy with the antibiotics.

If you are experiencing additional symptoms such as itchy rash/hives, swelling, sloughing, difficulty breathing, these are all classic symptoms of an allergic reaction, and can be very serious.

I'm just a nursing student, so this is in no way a medical diagnosis, you may be experiencing any combination of these scenarios, or symptoms of a deeper underlying condition.

its bright yellow phlegm and dark dry-blood looking ribbons, but i went to a doc today and they said i have acute bronchitis and they prescribed me about 3 different meds, 1 was a steroid,1 an inhaler, and another was antibiotics. i am feeling MUCH BETTER now.

and to come to think of it the ozone condition did go to orange this week. my father and sister were also sick so it is very possible that the EC didnt cause it.

but i did read in my manual that the nicotine dilution may cause mucuositis if you consume the niquid (which is what i was suspecting happened) but i guess i'll never know what caused this out-of-the-ordinary acute bronchitis.

i havent been consuming anything different besides the EC.

im thinking it just might have been the ozone condition now taht i think of it.

 

[ssbenss]

thx seabrook for the link. that was very helpful. i think i will stick to my origional container for 3 weeks and see if the results change.

i know when i used to vape, id get the same yellow phlegm runny nose, but i guess i require further research.

and denniz, i havent started developing hives or a rash. so i'm pretty sure it isnt an allergic reaction.

 

[Grenage]

it just might have been the ozone condition now taht i think of it.

Ozone condition?

 

[fresca]

Ozone condition?

It's often called "Air Quality Index" (AQI). It has to do with ozone levels, pollution, carbon monoxide... weather conditions play a role in it, as I recall.

This link might help illustrate it better:

Today's Ozone Forecasts - Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - www.tceq.state.tx.us

See "Interpreting the AQI", near the bottom.

 

[Grenage]

It's often called "Air Quality Index" (AQI). It has to do with ozone levels, pollution, carbon monoxide... weather conditions play a role in it, as I recall.

This link might help illustrate it better:

Today's Ozone Forecasts - Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - www.tceq.state.tx.us

See "Interpreting the AQI", near the bottom.

Ah, thank you. I've never heard it called that before, but I'm in the UK. I was a bit confused because I couldn't figure out how ozone levels way up there would affect health.

 

[DenniZ]

I'm very glad that you took the initiative to go to the doctor for a proper diagnosis, bronchitis can snowball into some serious conditions.
Take the medications as prescribed and check back with the doctor if you condition doesn't go away or gets worse. I'm not sure if the doctor gave you the full lesson on your meds that he is supposed to so I always like to do a follow-up lesson to make sure that the meds are understood.

The steroids that you are taking may take a few days to take effect, they are lipophilic so they like oil. This also means that they dislike having water touch them, so they like to rest against another oil to minimize the surface in contact with water. This causes them to push against the phospholipid bilayer of your cells, and since they are made up of oil they can pass through into the cell. Once they are inside the cell they make their way into the nucleus and alter the way that your cell's DNA works. Steroids are great because they can actually alter the cells DNA and the cells response to stimuli, however the downside is that this process can take a while and have other broader effects.

The inhaler was most likely prescribed to maintain your airway while the steroids have a chance to start working. Use it as prescribed, the proper way to use an inhaler is to actually hold it 3 finger widths (1 inch or so) in front of your open mouth and begin inhaling before you press it. Most people don't use this method, but it is the one that is taught. It allows the mist to fully aerosolize and pass into your bronchi as opposed to hitting your tongue and mouth and staying there.

The antibiotics should be used for the full duration and should not be discontinued until the final dose is taken. I'm sure you've heard this before, but once again, always take all of them as prescribed, this will help prevent the bacteria from surviving the treatment and coming back.

Giving your body some time to rest is a good idea. Drink plenty of fluids and do breathing exercises, (coughing and deep breathing,) to bring up the mucus and stop it from settling down in the bases of your lungs.

I hope you are back at 100% soon.
-Dee

 

[Seabrook]

.......

Take the medications as prescribed and check back with the doctor if you condition doesn't go away or gets worse.

.....

The antibiotics should be used for the full duration and should not be discontinued until the final dose is taken. I'm sure you've heard this before, but once again, always take all of them as prescribed, this will help prevent the bacteria from surviving the treatment and coming back.

.....
Giving your body some time to rest is a good idea. Drink plenty of fluids and do breathing exercises, (coughing and deep breathing,) to bring up the mucus and stop it from settling down in the bases of your lungs.

......
-Dee

Yep, DenniZ gives good advice. The way most people err is to start feeling better and chuck their meds, i.e., not finish the bottle. If there is even a teeny bit of bacterium left, it can breed and mulitiply to gift you w/another infection. Be sure and take ALL the bottle.

About rest, when I was in my early 20's, my doctor told me that rest means rest. He told me to stay in bed and not to even watch t.v. He told me I could lie in bed and read a good book and drink a lot of water, but that was all. I remember being so sick I would get dizzy when I got up, but I would shake it off and go down to the barn in the rain and feed the horses. No wonder I didn't get well for such a long time.

Good advice, Dee.

 

[violetgypsie]

Wow DenniZ,
Great advice and knowledge. I'll be sure to look you up if I run into any sxs of vaping. I am going to be ordering my first one soon and am thinking of using the Glycerin ones as they appear to cause less sxs.
Thanks!
violetgypsie

 

[tristessa363]

Sounds like you're detoxing to me. Try drinking 8-10 oz of distilled or reverse omsosis water -- something really pure -- every hour while you're detoxing.

I got a consistently runny nose for about 3 weeks, depression for about a week and am now just healing from an adult acne outbreak. Try and stick with it, because it will do your lungs a world of good. I had to go out and buy a neti pot just to get my nasal/sinus passages cleaned out. I never coughed up phlegm, but I had a knot in my throat for a while. It turned into a nasal drip -- eck, I could feel it dripping down my throat.

I've been vaping for a little over two weeks - the first week i had no negative side effects, but i was still smoking. I had my last cigarette a little over a week ago, and a few days later I got a really bad cough and runny nose (and yes, accompanied by post nasal drip). Clear mucus. I also do nasal irrigation. Is this just detox and I need to wait it out? I hate doctors/anti-biotics... My other concern would be a sensitivity to PG - what are the symptoms of a PG allergy?

 

[tristessa363]

obviously i don't know how the quote thing works yet...

 

[Seabrook]

Hi there, tristessa363. I can't give you a definitite yes, as each person is different. But what I have read of others detoxing comments, these seem to be the more common symptoms of detoxing from analogs. As for the allergy of PG, do you get allergic reactions when you eat commercial cake icing and iced cookies? They have the PG in them to make the icing fluff up and give it body. I don't think too many people are allergic to PG, as the toy stores sell the zodiac line of fogger toys for kids to have fun with. I would just keep vaping for a couple of weeks UNLESS you have some sort of allergic reactions like hives or a rash. The most important thing is to drink a LOT of water, as PG is dehydrating, so I've read. Also, it helps flush the toxins out of your system.

On ECF somewhere, there is a post that details all the symptoms of detox, but I still haven't found it. A lot of people start coughing tar up from their lungs like crazy after they've been vaping for 2 or 3 months. Haven't gone there and done that yet -- yuck. Tons and tons of posts of bad acne breakouts when the detoxing starts. Mine lasted about 2 months, but now my skin is nice and soft now and has the same coloring I had before I started smoking cigarettes.

When you do a quote, just click on the quote button, then go down to the very bottom of the last bracket (]) sign, press enter a coupla times and type in your post. The persons comment that you have quoted will begin with a left bracket ([) and will end w/a right bracket (]). Don't erase those. Somehow you got the end bracket erased. Not to worry.

If you would like to read what others say about coughing, check out this post. It's entertaining and kind of funny. But I think everything is funny, so maybe it won't be to you. Hang in there and go to the health forum if you get too concerned. We all help each other out in the EDF family. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/health-safety-e-smoking/57417-coughing-very-badly-2.html

Happy vaping, welcome to ECF. Congratulations on your new vaping venture.

 

[funguy]

Wow DenniZ,
Great advice and knowledge. I'll be sure to look you up if I run into any sxs of vaping. I am going to be ordering my first one soon and am thinking of using the Glycerin ones as they appear to cause less sxs.
Thanks!
violetgypsie

As mentioned above, not too many people are allergic to PG. I thought I might be and then I realized I was just detoxing. A couple of weeks of that and I'm good to go. No side effects aside from the dehydrating effect from the PG. Just drink more water.

 

[DenniZ]

@tristessa363,
First thing you should do is figure out if you are coming down with something.
Are you feeling any malaise?
Are you running a temperature?
Do you have any sinus pressure?
Barring any of these you may indeed have a sensitivity to PG, or may just be experiencing detox.

Again, I'm not a doctor so I can't give you a DX but, if it were me I'd try and rule out PG sensitivity by placing a SMALL amount of PURE PG, (zero nicotine,) on a sensitive area of my arm and place clear tape over it. If I were to experience redness and itching (contact dermatitis,) I'd assume I was having an allergic reaction, and go to a doctor for a RX, most likely steroids, something like Prednisone, (nasty drug btw.) I wouldn't ingest anything to rule out a allergy to it.

As for your post-nasal drip, if possible, stay away from Sudafed, (pseudoephedrine,) prolonged use of this can lead to rebound congestion among other side effects. As you said this has been going on for a while, Sudafed probably isn't for you.

GL and hopefully these symptoms are from detox and will go away soon.
-Dee