Damage to lungs

[AndriaD]

After 30+ years of smoking 1-2 packs a day vaping was the only thing that worked to get me to stop. It's been 15 months now and I definitely feel better. A month or so ago I had a chest cold and went to the doctor to get some antibiotics. He listened to my chest and said my lungs sounded good. I had not heard that in years usually it was that I was on a fast track to copd and emphysema. I'm sure I did damage to my system that will never heal but I feel so much better. I also suffer from a severe case of evening sweettoothitis and the vaping keeps that in check too. Another friend of bill here too 8/20/04

12 step groups must run out of white chips in August!

Andria

 

[jbnuke]

I quit a couple weeks ago and I cant really tell a difference. I smoked 10 years... but then yesterday my girlfriend told me that my breathing sounds the best it has since we met... guess it is working lol....

 

[danibanani]

I quit a couple weeks ago and I cant really tell a difference. I smoked 10 years... but then yesterday my girlfriend told me that my breathing sounds the best it has since we met... guess it is working lol....

Were you a heavy smoker? I smoked two packs of Marlboro Reds for 22 years. Maybe that makes a difference in terms of lung damage?

 

[Deeo]

Well i have no proof of better lungs other than i can go up and down stairs and walk /run with out my chest feeling like it is about to cave in and i dont use my inhalers everyday anymore. I use it about once a month if that now. But i can tell you my lungs feel soooooo much better. I tend to go with how my body feels as to the fear mongering articles out there. Would love for you to update if you ever get another test done. I had a test done once when i quit cold turkey about 3 months in and the doctor told me that he didnt think i was asthmatic however my count for breathing out was not what he wanted it to be. I have now quit smoking and vaping for 10 months or so and i am going to wait till i am one year quit and ask for the test again. Not sure if it is the same test you took or not. It was this thing i had to breathe into and it took a reading.

 

[danibanani]

Well i have no proof of better lungs other than i can go up and down stairs and walk /run with out my chest feeling like it is about to cave in and i dont use my inhalers everyday anymore. I use it about once a month if that now. But i can tell you my lungs feel soooooo much better. I tend to go with how my body feels as to the fear mongering articles out there. Would love for you to update if you ever get another test done. I had a test done once when i quit cold turkey about 3 months in and the doctor told me that he didnt think i was asthmatic however my count for breathing out was not what he wanted it to be. I have now quit smoking and vaping for 10 months or so and i am going to wait till i am one year quit and ask for the test again. Not sure if it is the same test you took or not. It was this thing i had to breathe into and it took a reading.

Deeo,

If it's not too personal, can you share what inhalers you used? I'm on Qvar as a maintenance and albuterol as a rescue inhaler. I would love to go off of these once my lungs heal. Were you a heavy smoker for a lot of years? I'm just curious what your PFT will show after a year, please keep me updated.

Thanks,
Dani

 

[jpargana]

I do not have a "long term" study... but I have my own "almost-long term" data...

I have started vaping almost six years ago. I have rhinitis, and about a year before I switched, I was diagnosed with light symptoms of asthma. Not something to be very concerned, but I was advised to smoke no more than four cigarettes a day, or it could eventually get worse - needless to say, I never smoked less than 10-12...

As a precaution, I was using some inhaler once a day, in the winter only. Just to counter those light symptoms.

Well, since I started vaping, my rhinitis only got better. it's rare to have to take a pill nowadays.

As for the asthma, the last inhaler I was using back then eventually expired, with very little use - and found it's way to the trash bin.

So, what I can tell you, from my experience alone, is that I experienced a great improvement in my health.


No more rhinitis, no more asthma, more stamina... I can even climb stairs without tripping in my own tongue now.

 

[Topher the Geek]

I'm a recent THR convert, and by recent I mean 2 weeks fully tobacco free today. I smoked for 23 years, Cowboy Killers, at 1-1.5PAD. I have never felt better, and feel better every day!

Your stories are amazing, and have several parallels with my own. At 14, I was a ...... addict. I have been completely sober since the age of 18, but still every now and then have the desire to use, but now, it's much easier not to.

I wish you both the best of luck in your quit and in your improved health!

 

[danibanani]

No more rhinitis, no more asthma, more stamina... I can even climb stairs without tripping in my own tongue now.

The tongue thing cracked me up! Thanks for the laugh because I totally get it. I'm glad you were able to get off the inhalers. That's a long term goal. The doc said we would reevaluate in the Spring because Winters are hard for those with lung obstruction diseases, so we will see.

Take care!
Dani

 

[danibanani]

I'm a recent THR convert, and by recent I mean 2 weeks fully tobacco free today. I smoked for 23 years, Cowboy Killers, at 1-1.5PAD. I have never felt better, and feel better every day!

Your stories are amazing, and have several parallels with my own. At 14, I was a ...... addict. I have been completely sober since the age of 18, but still every now and then have the desire to use, but now, it's much easier not to.

I wish you both the best of luck in your quit and in your improved health!

Topher, your story is a lot like mine; smoke 1.5 cowboy killers for 22 years, etc. Congratulations on your two weeks, I'm on day 19 so we're definitely getting a good start to our new, healthier lifestyle!

Quitting drugs accentuated my analog abuse. Instead of coping with drugs, I was coping with analogs. That's why kicking the habit is so huge for me mentally. I'm conquering ALL of my addictions and that feels darn good.

Thank you for sharing your story. It helps because I don't feel so alone with battling with two addictions.

Take care,
Dani

 

[skoony]

I did no research, but it it possible that after five years chances of cancer are reduces by (let's say) 80%, and another 10 years give just the rest - 20%.

those numbers don't mean any thing.
they are virtually meaningless to those under 30-40 years old.
the figures are weighted with people in the plus 40 range who
decide to quit. some try for fear of health issues,some from appeals
from doctors,loved ones or friends,some because of the onset
of various health issues that start occurring starting around that age,
tragically some because of serious illness.
the problem lies in the fact that the after forty group quit
right at the age these illnesses would start to appear in non risk groups any way.
the under forty group that has quit have an advantage in time to when they
are expected to reach the age when these illnesses are most likely occur
without regard for risk factors.
though i believe there is an extended risk factor it
is no where near as long as we are lead to think.
we are told that lung cancer is increasing in the smoking population
due to the use of cheap fertilizer.fair enough. Dr. C. Everett Koop
stated he believed so over twenty years ago.
but as usual its what they don't tell you that would put things into perspective.
rates of lung cancer are increasing in non risk groups at a higher rate. why?
they don't know.

regards
mike

 

[WharfRat1976]

You can say you are a member of a 12 step program(edit). You can say you are an addict or an alcoholic. You cannot say you are a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. That is described as an "ANONYMITY BREAK" at the level of radio press, film or new age media. It is against all AA guidelines. They changed the guideline for the internet to include new age media like this forum.

Can we please stop with the anonymity breaks on ECF---good lord man.

To the OP- Assume vaping is harmful going in. Assume no one knows the short or long term deleterious effects. Assume it is not healthy. Assume that all of the pseudo scientific responses and opinions and pseudo psychobabble on these threads is just that---babble.

Good luck in your journey.

 

[danibanani]

You can say you are a member of a 12 step forum. You can say you are an addict or an alcoholic. You cannot say you are a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. That is described as an "ANONYMITY BREAK" at the level of radio press, film or new age media. It is against all AA guidelines. They changed the guideline for the internet to include new age media like this forum.

Can we please stop with the anonymity breaks on ECF---good lord man.

Sure enough. Sorry about that.

Take care,
Dani

 

[AndriaD]

I do not have a "long term" study... but I have my own "almost-long term" data...

I have started vaping almost six years ago. I have rhinitis, and about a year before I switched, I was diagnosed with light symptoms of asthma. Not something to be very concerned, but I was advised to smoke no more than four cigarettes a day, or it could eventually get worse - needless to say, I never smoked less than 10-12...

As a precaution, I was using some inhaler once a day, in the winter only. Just to counter those light symptoms.

Well, since I started vaping, my rhinitis only got better. it's rare to have to take a pill nowadays.

As for the asthma, the last inhaler I was using back then eventually expired, with very little use - and found it's way to the trash bin.

So, what I can tell you, from my experience alone, is that I experienced a great improvement in my health.


No more rhinitis, no more asthma, more stamina... I can even climb stairs without tripping in my own tongue now.

Man, I'm hoping this happens for me, eventually; so far, between VG and some mystery ingredient(s) (I suspect some type of diketones) in some of the juice I was vaping, my inhaler use has actually gone UP since I quit smoking, although at first, when I was vaping high-PG with no known diketones in it, I did see some improvement, and my lungs *are* clearer, I just get that "breathless" feeling a lot. I'm in it for the long-term, so I'm hoping that over time, my asthma will also improve. Considering that I smoked for 39 yrs, and 30 of those as a diagnosed asthmatic, it just might take a little longer.

Andria

 

[Deeo]

Deeo,

If it's not too personal, can you share what inhalers you used? I'm on Qvar as a maintenance and albuterol as a rescue inhaler. I would love to go off of these once my lungs heal. Were you a heavy smoker for a lot of years? I'm just curious what your PFT will show after a year, please keep me updated.

Thanks,
Dani

I am on the blue Ventolin salbutamol and when my bronchitis hits (which hasn't so far since vaping) I would use the orange inhaler ,Flovent fluticasone. I smoked for over 25 years and lots of them. I was up to 2 packs a day. I use to say "i smoke like a champ". I would have hidden cartons that my husband didn't know about and therefore he didn't know how much i really smoked. He just thought i smoked the one cartoon a week. I noticed improvement in my lungs a couple months after vaping but wow after about 6-8 months later i was flying up and down the basement stairs like it was nothing and it hit me! I wasn't wheezing or had a heavy chest etc. It just gets better slowly and one day you just notice a huge difference, I will update on my blog here when i get the test done again.