Chest Congestion

[dave180]

Alright let me clear a few items out of the way to weed out the inevitable response:

I am not new to vaping
I am allergic to PG and vaping VG exclusively

Now that that's out of the way.. If I vape a decent amount during the day (lets say I pick it up 20 times a day, hitting it 2-3 times for a total of 40-60 'puffs' a day [yes that is a decent amount to me, some days I pick it up 10 times]), the next morning my chest will feel very tight and congested, along with my mouth feeling somewhat raw (not painful, but raw/rough when I run my tongue around the inside of my mouth), and phlegm built up in my throat that I have to constantly clear and spit out. I always have a difficult time achieving a full inhale that following day as well.

If I vape a small amount the prior day, I still get a little bit of phlegm in my throat that I need to clear and spit out, but the chest pain and raw mouth are not there.

If I don't vape at all, no chest pain, no throat phlegm, no inhalation difficulty.

It was noticeably worse when using a cinnamon e liquid which actually gave me a nasty sore throat. Upon research into this, it does appear cinnamon e liquid can wreak a bit of havoc on our bodies. I switched back to my normal coffee flavor and the worst symptoms subsided (but not all of the previously mentioned, just the sore throat).

Not trying to shun or demonize the e cig or vaping, just looking for suggestions/opinions. My doctor is clueless about the subject.

 

[jamie]

You might want to try flavorless and compare results.

 

[Majestic]

Two other things you might consider...... First, try backing down on the nic strength. I've noticed the higher nic levels tend to cause mouth and throat sensitivity, at least with me. The extra sensitivity in turn might be causing your body to increase phlegm in order to protect the mucus membranes.

Secondly, if you are vaping at a higher voltage try backing that down as well. The higher voltage may produce clouds of vapor, but I've found it can lead to added congestion and more phlegm production. I tried 5 volt vaping for a while and the clouds of vapor were impressive, but the added chest congestion and need to cough up a lung wasn't.

 

[dave180]

You might want to try flavorless and compare results.

Thanks, I'll give this a try.

Two other things you might consider...... First, try backing down on the nic strength. I've noticed the higher nic levels tend to cause mouth and throat sensitivity, at least with me. The extra sensitivity in turn might be causing your body to increase phlegm in order to protect the mucus membranes.

Secondly, if you are vaping at a higher voltage try backing that down as well. The higher voltage may produce clouds of vapor, but I've found it can lead to added congestion and more phlegm production. I tried 5 volt vaping for a while and the clouds of vapor were impressive, but the added chest congestion and need to cough up a lung wasn't.

I'm at 12 mg currently, do you recommend trying 6 mg? I usually vape around 3.7-3.8. Anything less than that and it seems I'm not getting much of anything.

Was wondering if trying PG exclusively might change anything. Maybe I wasn't allergic to PG, it was just my lungs healing when I initially tried it. I never had rashes or blotches while using it.

 

[Majestic]

I'm at 12 mg currently, do you recommend trying 6 mg? I usually vape around 3.7-3.8. Anything less than that and it seems I'm not getting much of anything.

You can try try 6mg and see what happens. I have a tendency to chain vape so I try to keep my daily juice to the 6mg level. For those times where I'm ticked off at the world and need a little more, I keep a couple of bottles of 12 or 18mg around. After you use 6mg for a while, 12-18mg gives me enough of an added nic hit.

If your already at the 3.7-3.8 volt range than that is probably the limit. Anything lower and the satisfaction just isn't there like you have already found out.

Was wondering if trying PG exclusively might change anything. Maybe I wasn't allergic to PG, it was just my lungs healing when I initially tried it. I never had rashes or blotches while using it.

You might try doing a little variety in your next juice purchase. Get some 6mg along with a bottle of straight PG and see how it goes. Depending on the flavor of the PG you could even try a 50/50 or 70/30 mix with one of your existing VG flavors and see how you tolerate that combination.

Like you I suffer from a lot of phlegm as well. The phlegm I can live with, but when it leads to congestion then it plays havoc with my asthma. For myself, I was a user of juices that were predominantly PG base. I have since started to use straight VG based juices and the phlegm problem has somewhat lessened, at least in my case.

 

[NetteG]

I am wondering if the problem you are experiencing is that you might be getting some PG in your flavorings and/or nicotine. I always send an e-mail to the vendors who advertise 100% VG, most are a VG Base, but the nic and flavor are based in PG. If it's not truly 100% VG or VG and distilled water ... I usually don't buy. Unfortunately, that limits me to only certain vendors and I am probably missing out on some amazing flavors but it's what I have found works and keeps me off of analogs. Just another point of view. Good luck in your findings and keep us posted.

 

[dave180]

I switched to Virgin Vapor juice which is 100% VG (I ordered from the absolute line to be sure), and sure enough, still in pain. I'm literally getting sicker and sicker each day.

Missed work again because of it. Terrible cough now as well.

I can't avoid the nicotine, not sure what to do. Should I just accept defeat and smoke?

PS, tried all PG juice, painful chest tightness was almost instant, so decided that PG is definitely an issue with me as well.

 

[mel_vin]

id def try no flavor and see. while the jury is still out on if vaping is any less harmful or not, i think adding flavors to the mix doesnt help, as boring as that is...just my opinion of course.

 

[dave180]

id def try no flavor and see. while the jury is still out on if vaping is any less harmful or not, i think adding flavors to the mix doesnt help, as boring as that is...just my opinion of course.

I know there are side effects of quitting smoking, but is it possible I have 'Quitters Flu'. I have a terrible immune system, always have, and each and every symptom is spot on.

Opinions anyone? Sorry, my doctor and my family's doctor has been absolutely no help.

Why It's Okay to Have the Quitter's Flu - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

 

[patkin]

You don't have to inhale to get your nic. Hope you're feeling better.