Coughing up LOTS (tmi)

[drtinker]

Sooo 2 and a bit months smokefree, and I have only just started coughing stuff up.

I vape frequently, and have had no issues other than an ulcer when I first started.

The cough is loose, not painful at all, and I am bringing up fairly big amounts of phlegm---all shades of brown/yellow imo (sorry yuck!)
am not sick either!

Am I correct in assuming this is a sign my lungs are healing/clearing?
Is it usual for it to happen 2months + after switching to e-cig?
And are there any of you that associate this kind of coughing exclusively to vaping, and no relation to prior smoking?

Ty!

 

[jdrewry]

Lungs are healing. And the time frame is different for many people. Your body is starting to purge itself of all the stuff the cigs put into it.

 

[MorpheusPA]

If it continues, I'd definitely see your doctor just to make sure you don't have an infection or something that can be easily solved.

My coughing continued for a solid six months, although what I brought up rapidly decreased. For a while it was...as you noted...fairly colorful!

I had a mouth ulcer myself (for that I did go to the doctor, it was the size of a friggin' quarter). She shrugged and told me to come back in two weeks if it didn't get better, but did give me a minor topical wash for it that really helped.

 

[The Torch]

Yup, lung clearing. Most people start after 2 weeks, but timing does vary. It lasts about a week or 2 in most cases. I felt like I had the flu for 2 weeks and coughed up all the colors of the rainbow and combinations during the first week.

The only times I get something similar with vaping is when I don't drink enough water and it is definitely due to dehydration only; no phlegm, just mucus like when playing intense sports.

Just saw Morpheus' post: I'd definitely be worried if it lasted that long!

 

[drtinker]

Thank you for the reassurance everyone!! feels good + bad at the same time lol
@morpheus I will definitely see a doctor if it is on going thanks!

 

[Rickajho]

If you are lung inhaling you may want to back off that for a while. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/337017-inhalation-technique-e-cigarette.html

 

[drtinker]

If you are lung inhaling you may want to back off that for a while. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/337017-inhalation-technique-e-cigarette.html

Thanks for this- so there are associations between coloured phlegm production and incorrect use??
I believe I am using my e-cig (halo mini tank) correctly, I definitely never direct lung inhaled with analogs, always held in mouth first, am pretty much using my ecig the same way? I do sometimes just hold in my mouth without inhale at all on the assumption that nic is still absorbed

I wasn't aware this could impact the production of 'stuff' to cough up!

 

[Rat2chat2]

to ecf drtinker . So glad you are here. I do not recall having that particular issue when I stopped smoking but like the others, if it persists I would check it out with your family doctor. I am not sure if this could be a sign of pg sensitivity or not. I seemed to have developed more seasonal allergies as I have gotten older. Good luck to you and I hope you do check it out

 

[Rickajho]

Thanks for this- so there are associations between coloured phlegm production and incorrect use??
I believe I am using my e-cig (halo mini tank) correctly, I definitely never direct lung inhaled with analogs, always held in mouth first, am pretty much using my ecig the same way? I do sometimes just hold in my mouth without inhale at all on the assumption that nic is still absorbed

I wasn't aware this could impact the production of 'stuff' to cough up!

It's more that when you are clearing out your lungs you can go through an 'insult to injury' phase where lung inhaling is just an extra annoyance your lungs aren't happy with. It is known that liquids high in PG can be irritating for some people, and PG irritation is a potential side effect documented by those lovely folks at Dow Chemical. So while you are already inclined to be coughing up stuff as the tar is getting yarked up you don't need lung inhaling aggravating the situation. Using a liquid higher in VG instead can help some.

When I smoked I was a deep lung inhaler and my first tries at vaping just sent me into hacking fits far worse than anything I ever experienced from smoking. (But like I said - that whole insult to injury thing...) It took me weeks to un-learn my 30 year auto-pilot smoking technique to drop lung inhaling when I started, in order to give my lungs a break while they cleared. I can lung inhale now, but I rarely do as it's something I really don't miss about smoking.

 

[drtinker]

It's more that when you are clearing out your lungs you can go through an 'insult to injury' phase where lung inhaling is just an extra annoyance your lungs aren't happy with. It is known that liquids high in PG can be irritating for some people, and PG irritation is a documented potential side effect documented by those lovely folks at Dow Chemical. So while you are already inclined to be coughing up stuff as the tar is getting yarked up you don't need lung inhaling aggravating the situation. Using a liquid higher in VG instead can help some.

When I smoked I was a deep lung inhaler and my first tries at vaping just sent me into hacking fits far worse than anything I ever experienced from smoking. (But like I said - that whole insult to injury thing...) It took me weeks to un-learn my 30 year auto-pilot smoking technique to drop lung inhaling when I started, in order to give my lungs a break while they cleared. I can lung inhale now, but I rarely do as it's something I really don't miss about smoking.

Thank you for the clarification! I don't think it is an issue for me, but I have someone close to be that lung inhales and as mentioned their cough worsens at times, will pass the info on, very helpful!!