Coughing?

[Antha]

My mom and my sister are both willing to try PVs. Yay. My sister's stuff will be arriving as early as this Friday. In the meantime, I brought over a 510 and let them try it out with the sample of menthol I got especially for them to try (I'm allergic to mint). My sister has taken hits off my vanilla and menthol carts. No problem. My boyfriend has tried both as well. However, my mother either takes too gentle of a puff or she hits it too hard and ends up coughing.

Its ironic because her smoker's cough is part of why I want her to be able to quit. I keep trying to tell her: Draw from it smoothly, like you are taking a sip of pop from a straw, not sucking down a milkshake through a straw. Is there a better way to describe it for her? She still wants to try it, but says she is "afraid of inhaling" now for fear she will cough. No one else has had this problem. Could it be that she drags harder on her regular cigarettes due to reduced lung capacity?

Also, don't know if this is relevant, but my mom is really okay with "fiddling" with things. She rolled her own tobacco for quite some time and had no problem with it. She's also very tech savvy for someone her age (she just turned 69).

Her main draw is that after the initial investment, its "cheaper". For me, I want to quit for my health and I want her to quit for hers (her smokers cough is becoming very concerning - its not just in the morning, its all day). I've told her to think of it as the same price as smoking. I don't want her to become discouraged because its not a huge savings every month (I don't know what the cost will end up being, but that's really not the point).

My sister and my mom seem to consider me the "researcher" and ask me all their questions. I try to answer to the best of my ability, from what I've read here on the forum. I've given them links and the address to this forum, I even ordered my sister's initial stuff for her. I'm willing to hold their hands in this process if it gets them to stop smoking, but I do hope they will look for some of their answers themselves.

Like I said, I am brand new to this. I've been researching and reading for a couple weeks, but I don't feel I'm an authority on it. For goodness sake, I will have gone 24 hours without a real cigarette at 5pm tonight. That doesn't make me the expert. They asked today, "How many drops do you use a day?" and I said: "Um, I don't know. I'm finding out myself right now, but I did read on the forums that its around 2ml, depending on how much you vape".

On another note, I cannot believe its really this easy. I'm not getting inordinately mad at other people, I don't have the usual symptoms when I quit smoking: headache, spacey feeling, dizziness, short-fuse, etc. I really thought I'd wake up this morning fiending for a cigarette, that the 510 wouldn't be enough for me. It was. I've felt fine all day. I planned on just trying it out, but saying if I wanted to buy a pack of cigs it would be fine too. Again, I'm just fine and don't need to spend $6.87 on one pack of cigarettes. Just amazing. I'm still going to say to myself that its no big deal if I have a real cigarette, but I really don't see myself having a problem. I hope its this easy for my mom and my sister.

If you've read this far, thank you for taking the time. I tend to be long-winded and rambling.

 

[oldtechno]

As far as the coughing goes...it could be several things--check out the health section.

I'd have to say her nicotine is too high--or maybe the flavor is just a little rough.

2 or 3 ml is about right for a normal smoker.

You got the 510? Well, you got the right start up equipment. Make sure you 'line up' the cartridge, here's the quick instructions;

1. On your keyboard you have an O and a 0...notice how the 0 seems narrower and kind of skinny on the sides? This is the bottom of your cartridge.
2. Now, look in your atomizer. Use a flashlight and magnifying glass if you need to. Down inside the atomizer you'll see two little white colored insulators. One is at the top, one is at the bottom.
3. You want that 0 on the bottom of your cartridge to cover those two insulators...so the top of the 0 goes over the top insulator. The bottom of the 0 goes over the bottom insulator.

If the cartridge is not lined up, it 'might' cause your mom to cought.

Welcome aboard--don't be afraid to ask!

 

[JustJulie]

Well, as you're figuring out, some folks seem to take like vaping like ducks to water . . . for others, there seems to be a big more of a learning curve.

My best advice is to explain that the draw should be sloooooooooooooow, almost leisurely . . . effortless. Also, she might find it helpful to hold the vapor in her mouth for a second or two before inhaling it all the way into her lungs.

And, yes, the flavor could make a difference. Menthol might be a bit harsh for her, although I'm finding it hard to believe that vanilla would be harsh enough to cause coughing.

For someone with such little experience, you've done a very good job of educating yourself. Your soon-to-be vaping family is lucky to have you as a coach.

 

[laurieok]

I have found...to me....the 510 is a lot harsher than the 901. The 901 to me has a much smoother feel in my throat. I still get a throat hit and lung hit, but it is not as harsh. I smoked 2 packs a day for over 40 years and I had that cough that continued all day. I was really concerned about it. I coughed so hard that I would hit my gag reflex and start choking. That cough was gone in less than a week!! Vaping is wonderful!! Your mom will love it!!

 

[VA Slim]

Ditto...Laurieok....the cough will go away. But sometimes when you get an extra good throat hit, there is a slight cough reflex. That's OK, just reminds me of the ole' days, but how now I am more satisfied w/ vaping than chain smoking for 35 yrs.

Also, the PG in the juice can be drying to the throat, at least for me. I just drink alot of fluids all day and no problem.

As JustJulie said, the draw should be slow....I take a couple of small primer puffs and then the slow draw, almost like smoking a cigar. You really don't have to take the hit down into your lungs, after awhile, a good throat hit and clouds of vapor is all you need to be satisfied.

Good Luck and Happy Vaping!

 

[angiebi]

Coughing can also be caused by not smoking ordinairy cigarettes as well......your system has been "dead" by smoking cigarettes, and when you stop smoking, you will cough more for a while........(that is the reason why people stop coughing when they have smoked their first cigaret in the morning for example, their system is put back asleep again
I hope I 've explained it right, I'm not used to explain things in English

 

[Antha]

Thank you for all your replies. I hope she can switch. I should have mentioned that my mom is a heavy menthol smoker. She was smoking a regular cigarette prior to taking any drags on the PV. Hopefully, she will be able to learn to inhale smoothly. She took had another of her cigarettes after some puffs on the PV. No coughing for her reg cigarettes, but coughing if she inhales off the PV. Maybe she just needs more practice.

I really hope her cough will go away. My mother also used to never get sick. Only once per yer and it was always a quick and mild cold. In the last couple years, she still does not get sick as much as regular people, but she does get sick more often than she used to and it will last and linger 2-3 weeks (a cold, not a flu). Her immune system, crazy enough, was always really superior to most peoples but I see in these last couple of years that it is waning. I wouldn't have suggested this to her if she weren't interested. She's been saying for a couple years that she needs to quit, she wants to quit, etc.

I got the 510 based on the reviews and such here (thanks to everybody who had posted/answered questions about the 510). It was between the 510 and the 901 for me. Maybe my second PV will be 901. My mom, sister and I all smoked the harsh cigarettes, high nicotine. I knew we'd need the throat hit more than flavor to simulate smoking, since regular smoking is not about the taste but about the feeling of the smoke. My mom and sister's reg cigs were harsher than my reg cigs.

On a side note: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my 510 and am so glad there was tons of info about it. The throat hit is awesome. I got the $35 deal from cignot -- again, thanks to the people of this forum or I never would have found cignot.

I will keep working with her on it until she gets it and maybe once my sister gets her 510 she can demonstrate and help as well.

 

[sbucciarel]

I'm new to ecigs too and have a 510 that I love. The first week I had a coughing problem also ... more of a choking when it hit my throat. The only thing I did was to reduce the amount of liquid that I put into the cartridge. I just use a few drops and refill more often and that cured my choking problem. Now I'm loving it and smoking only a few analogs per day and will phase those out too.

 

[KathyinColorado]

I was a heavy menthol smoker 2+ pack/day (until 12 days ago when I started vaping!) and smoking for 30 years. I ordered the menthol and tried several different kinds and it was really strong for me. I was smoking whatever was cheapest menthol lights. I coughed for about the first 2 days of vaping (still smoking also but down to 1/2pack or less immediately). There is an adjustment period for switching because it isn't smoking.
I didn't cough when I had an analog but I did every time I vaped for a while. You just have to stick it out until you get your technique down and your body adjusts.
I have ended up using RY4 juice (reg tobacco) and adding a drop or 2 of menthol juice.
I get a more mild menthol flavor. Some folks like that strong menthol but it was too much
for me. I felt like I was vaping mint candies all day. Once in a while might be nice, but
I just didn't care for it. I have also been enjoying the RY4 (5-6 drops) to 1 cappaccino.
That is a really nice smooth vape!
Best of luck to you and your Mom!

 

[KathyinColorado]

Hi again- forgot to add that I didn't try to just STOP immediately. I just decided to take up vaping and not torture myself. If I wanted a smoke I had one and I was down to 9-10 a day immediately overnight. It is now 12 days and I have gradually wanted a
smoke less and less and I am now down to one in the morning and I had one this evening and that will be it. I was a hard core "not gonna quit" smoker until I found this
and I couldn't be happier. Don't worry about still having one if you want to. You won't
want to for very long. After vaping an analog tastes so bad it won't take long!

 

[thewomenfolk]

I got the 510 and the 901 on the same day. The 510 was too strong for me as a beginner (42 yr smoker) but the 901 was the cat's meow....I could inhale without coughing and it was as smooth as silk. I think your Mom might do very well with the 901 and something like nhaler's Lung Pear juice or any mild juice. (I have NO idea why the 901 is so much easier on the throat...but it is)

After a few days with a 901 and mild juice, she can try the 510 again with menthol (or mint...stronger than menthol) and may not have a problem. Good luck, you're doing a good work!

 

[Chasm]

However, my mother either takes too gentle of a puff or she hits it too hard and ends up coughing.

Her main draw is that after the initial investment, its "cheaper". For me, I want to quit for my health and I want her to quit for hers (her smokers cough is becoming very concerning - its not just in the morning, its all day). I've told her to think of it as the same price as smoking. I don't want her to become discouraged because its not a huge savings every month (I don't know what the cost will end up being, but that's really not the point).


On another note, I cannot believe its really this easy. I'm not getting inordinately mad at other people, I don't have the usual symptoms when I quit smoking: headache, spacey feeling, dizziness, short-fuse, etc. I really thought I'd wake up this morning fiending for a cigarette, that the 510 wouldn't be enough for me. It was. I've felt fine all day. I planned on just trying it out, but saying if I wanted to buy a pack of cigs it would be fine too. Again, I'm just fine and don't need to spend $6.87 on one pack of cigarettes. Just amazing. I'm still going to say to myself that its no big deal if I have a real cigarette, but I really don't see myself having a problem. I hope its this easy for my mom and my sister.

If you've read this far, thank you for taking the time. I tend to be long-winded and rambling.

1. Re the cough, make sure the atomizer is properly cleaned, they have some sort of gunk on them when new that had me (former 2 pk/day guy) coughing & sneezing. Pull the filler out of the cartridge, rinse cart with water & dry with Q-Tip. Replace EMPTY cart on atomizer and puff gently until no more vapor appears. Remove cart & drip directly down into atomizer 2-3 drops of whatever juice you are using. Replace cart, still empty, & repeat the puff-drip-puff routine until it any bad taste is gone.

Once the bad taste is gone, drip another drop or two and hand it to your mother. Tell her to take about half a normal drag, hold it in her mouth for a few seconds, then into the lungs, gently.

2. It will be cheaper, eventually, once you figure out how much equipment (spare batteries, atomizers, chargers, juice, etc.) you want to have on hand. My cough (first thing in the morning, occasionally during the day, then again at night, until I got comfortable in bed) disappeared within 24-48 hours.

3. Incredibly easy - YES! Some of us here weren't so lucky, but I for one was/am and it sounds like you might be another one.

Good luck to you and your sister and especially your mother.

 

[Chasm]

On another note, I cannot believe its really this easy. I'm not getting inordinately mad at other people, I don't have the usual symptoms when I quit smoking: headache, spacey feeling, dizziness, short-fuse, etc. I really thought I'd wake up this morning fiending for a cigarette, that the 510 wouldn't be enough for me. It was. I've felt fine all day. I planned on just trying it out, but saying if I wanted to buy a pack of cigs it would be fine too. Again, I'm just fine and don't need to spend $6.87 on one pack of cigarettes. Just amazing. I'm still going to say to myself that its no big deal if I have a real cigarette, but I really don't see myself having a problem. I hope its this easy for my mom and my sister.

If you've read this far, thank you for taking the time. I tend to be long-winded and rambling.

I should add - I went from 2 pks/day to 1 pk/week in the 10 minutes it took me to open the package, figure out how to load nicotine, and take the 1st puff. Stayed at 1 pk/week for about 4 weeks, when I tried some stronger nicotine solution, at which point I seem to have cut down to 2-3 cigs (analogs, that is) per week. Further improvement expected but I'm not going to push that hard, just take it as it comes.

If you were trying to quit cold turkey (I have, tried that is), a single cigarette is a disaster because it leads to a whole pack, then another, etc. and you feel like crap having to try again (someday). With a PV as backup, a single cigarette doesn't lose the battle.

 

[Antha]

My mom says the taste is good, but the throat hit is surprisingly sharp. Are you saying just drip on atomizer and have nothing in cart to get rid of a /bad/ taste, or just in general? I've noticed myself that I want an even stronger throat hit than the one I am getting. My sister says it seems good and powerful, and obviously my mom thinks it kicks like a mule, but I want it to hit strong every time. Should I get a higher nic juice?

Oh, and today is 4 days of *almost* completely analog free. It would be 4 days total, except I stupidly decided to wash BOTH of my atomizers last night and this morning they weren't "ready". I never thought I'd quit immediately, I just tried it and it worked. I really figured I'd just cut down, no pressure to quit.

I need to get more atomizers...and batteries...and juice. I had 4 cigarettes (they smelled like dirty socks and kind of tasted like them too). I was freaking a little, getting antsy, frustrated, irritable. The first thing I do in the morning is have a couple of chain-smoked cigarettes, and since neither atomizer was working, I broke down and bought cigarettes. I smoked them, but I certainly didn't enjoy them. Once my atomizers were working again I gave the cigarettes away to a friend. I kept complaining to my BF: "I don't want /these things/. I want my PV! They smell and taste bad! I want my good tasting vanilla!" Yes, I get crabby and whiny without nicotine...and now my PV, which is SOOOO much better.

Lesson learned: do not get caught without charged batteries (has happened but didn't have an analog) and do not get caught without a working atomizer. I really need to stock up.

I have looked into the 901 previously and decided it wasn't for me because it was more flavor and less throat hit. To me, throat hit is the most important thing but maybe for my mom it isn't. Maybe I should have a conversation with her on what the most important points are for a PV for her.