Did Your Doctor Suggest Vaping?

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jolly_st_nic

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Mine did, and I was wondering how common that is in America these days. He especially likes that you can taper down nicotine strength eventually and thus reduce dependency. He explained to me the dilemma of nicotine addiction very well. In layman's terms (and I am a layman), when you smoke it causes a spike in nicotine that makes you feel relaxed, as if everything is ok. He said that if that was all it did, nicotine would be a pretty good drug. However, the nervous system maintains homeostasis (balance) by releasing adrenaline, and, as the nicotine levels subside, they subside faster than the adrenaline subsides. The excess adrenaline makes you feel anxious, fight-or-flight sort of responses. He told me that, in his view, the way indigenous people used tobacco in America was much healthier, used ceremonially and only occasionally - not in the form of an easy-to-inhale, quick fix of nicotine from a cigarette that is repeated throughout the day.

I'm interested to here what other people's doctors say about e cigarettes, nicotine dependence, etc. My current doctor is actually the second doctor that suggested vaping to me, and his suggestion has been a big motivator to me to pursue vape and ignore a lot of the negative propaganda in the news. It really helps to have your doctor on board with this.
 

DaveP

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Mine is on board with vaping. I'm sure he'd like to see people quit smoking without vaping, just like he'd like to see them quit fatty foods and sweets. He's smart enough to know that a lesser evil is better than a greater evil. In the case of vaping there's not much evil to complain about according to the British doctors who studied vaping and after a couple of years decided that vaping was 95% better than smoking. They later said that they included the 5% unknown figure just because something could be discovered later that they missed.

E-cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco estimates landmark review

Vaping is the key to my quitting the cigs and he's fine with me vaping.
 

DeloresRose

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Mine did not suggest it, and was initially skeptical. He was glad I’d quit smoking though. And although he’s an old guy -88- he was open to the idea of finding information for himself as to how safe/healthy or not it is.

He’s cautiously okay with it, and pleased with how my lungs and heart are doing so there’s that.
 

jolly_st_nic

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My doctor's rationale is that vape contains no carbon monoxide, so it must be, like you say, a lesser evil if it causes less damage. He said that, if you're lucky enough to not get lung cancer / emphysema / COPD and the like, the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke is near the level of actual CO poisoning in a heavy smoker, and that, over the years, the inhalation of CO wreaks havoc on all of the internal organs - heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, brain, every organ in the body by depriving the blood of oxygen. Vape has zero carbon monoxide.
 

Anise

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None of my Drs are happy about me vaping. They're happy I quit smoking but don't want me to vape. I had to explain that without vaping I'd still be smoking.
My SO's vascular surgeon on the other hand is thrilled with vaping and wishes my SO would take it up also and quit smoking.
I'm going to see a cardiac specialist in a few weeks and I'm interested in seeing what he thinks about vaping. But no matter what I know I wouldn't have gone the last 7 weeks without smoking if I didn't vape and that's the important thing to me.
 

stols001

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My docs were all fine with me vaping (one of them also vapes, he also says tar and combustion are the real dangers of smoking) but even the not so maybe enthusiastic of them was like, "your lungs are better vaping," and they all appeared to take comfort in the fact that they were not going to be dealing with a 42 year old COPD patient. I was glad about that too, actually.

So yeah they were all fine with it, compared to 3 ppd of cigarettes, or at least glad enough to be cautiously optimistic, etc.

Anna
 

Doctorvapes

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Yes, one said it would add 20 years to my life.

And a specialist I see recommended it.

Interestingly enough my primary care doctor suggested when I was smoking that it was helping balance my mood (I'm bipolar) so all my doctors are pretty happy I'm vaping and didn't just cut smoking out as its dangerous mentally. Also my asthma has really cleared up though I still smoke the occasional cigarette.
 

r77r7r

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    My cardiologist a few years back disliked it because of the nicotine. My GP wants me off because vaping is bad for the children. Scares me a bit, makes me question where he gets his info. But I get away with alot of behavior other doctors wouldn't condone. And most importantly, he doesn't use a rubber glove during our visits. :)
     

    ENAUD

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    My PCP had a response when I told him I was no longer smoking..."when are you going to quit the vape?"

    My response to him was never...it's the only thing that I have found in over thirty plus years that kept me off the smokes and not having overpowering desires to smoke again. we reached an accord of sorts, and he just accepts that I am a non smoker now, no questions asked. there are bigger fish to fry in my situation...
     

    ScottP

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    I think I started vaping before most doctors even heard about it. Not to mention, I don't even have a doctor. I'll see a doctor when I need something sewed back on. My wife sees doctors fairly regular though. Every time that I go with her, I feel like we are more of a product on an assembly line setup to maximize the doctor's profits rather than a patient that is getting proper attention.

    Lawyers are not allowed to double bill for the same time, but doctors are. If a lawyer reads one clients email while on the phone with another, he can only bill one client or another and even then only for the fractional time unit he spent helping that client. A doctor can have 20 patients in the waiting room see each of them for just a minute or two and bill all of their insurance companies the same outrageous "office visit" price essentially making several thousands of dollars per hour. Then everybody wonders why insurance is so high.
     
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    JCinFLA

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    For approx. 16 years (length of time he'd been my PCP & my endochronologist), my doctor would recommend that I quit smoking. I tried several times during those years and nothing worked. I figured I'd just be a lifelong smoker and that was it.

    During a regular check-up though, in January of 2014...I told him I'd had my last cigarette 2 weeks earlier. He was shocked and wanted to know how I did it! We talked about my vaping and why it had worked for me, when other methods had failed. I also told him I knew I'd never have another cigarette, because I loved vaping much more than I ever liked smoking, and that I had no desire at all for one. He got a big smile on his face, and gave me a High-5 and a thumbs up.

    For the first year after that, during each 6-month checkup, he'd routinely ask if I was still not smoking and was just vaping. He'd make a note of it in my records and then give me a thumbs up again. He was also noting improvements in my health, found during my examinations and proven by various test results.

    After that first year, he no longer asks about smoking and has no problem whatsoever with my vaping. In fact, he's mentioned that he may even discuss vaping with several of his other patients who've been unable to quit smoking.
     
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    My dad's heart doctor performed a procedure where they scope your ateries. While viewing the video I asked "how is blood getting past that spot there?" (pointing to an obvious clog in his artery). He said it's one of those miracles of the human body. He explained that in some folks tobacco smoke causes build up of plaque in corners and curves of arteries like behind the knee. Or worse, in small veins throughout the body.

    Knowing that, a few years later my regular doctor knew my dads history and wanted to start ultra sounding my neck when I kept telling him of dizzy spells. He found a slight build up. Later he discovered my thyroid was the issue for the dizzyness. He always said "think of the money you'd save if you give up smoking".... and that was it.

    In early summer I started having afib in the heat. Thinking it was my thyroid pill and heat sensitivity, I went to my regular doctor. He said "nope, thatz not it". It continued. I went to a dox in a box who said "you're normal".... then an ER said the same thing. My regular doctor requested I wear a monitor for a month. A week in I get a call from a heart doctor who said "get here asap".... like today... so I did.

    After filling out a typical questionaire that I smoke 20-30 a day he says "your issue is your bp med".... he also said "since you aren't a heavy smoker (surprised me), I don't think plaque is the issue... yet. But it will be". An ultrasound was scheduled. Swapping bp meds fixed the issue but....

    I had the notion of plaque build up running through my mind. The ultrasound checked out good but by then I had started vaping to ween off cigarettes. In the past I had done the cold turkey thing and was a wreck each time. Oh, the first few days were easy. It was the monster I had become post smoking for a few months that I wanted to avoid this time.

    I returned to the heart doctor for the follow up. He said everything looks great. I reached in my pocket and pulled out a Rover X mini mod and said "check out my new cigarette"..... he smiled and said "good idea".

    I do not think a lung doctor would agree. Afterall, inhaling concentrated steam is foreign to the lungs. Yet versus tobacco smoke there has to be some advantage. If not to the lungs, to the cardiovascular system long bombarded by the poisons of tobacco smoke. When I see my brother exhale giant clouds I whince. Surely that must hurt I ponder. Yet somehow the direct lung drag feels easier to my lungs. Yet, psycologically I like the M2L drag better. It's almost as if direct lung is more efficient where an M2L causes turbulance on the way in and that somehow tickles stuff direct lung misses?

    Bottom line is I prefer the toodle puff, tickle and all in order to reduce the amount of concentrated steam reaching my lungs while my brain ponders 'steam vs smoke'... 'steam is better'.... As a lad I used a water device for the moisture so it would cause the attitude adjuster to "stick" to my lungs better. 25 years later my mind still thinks "that was about as good an idea as leeches for pnuemonia".... so there is an adjustment going on. First thing in the morning a vaper causes me to choke, but a cigarette does not. So you know which one my brain wants regarding feeding the nicotine monkey. This morning my brain said "pfffft, that stupid cigarette aint got no flavor like that sour apple/sweet grape thing does." And so it was. No cigarette first thing today.....

    No, none of my doctors said to vape. But they all agree that smoking tobacco is a bad habit and don't mind me doing a vaper to ween off cigarettes.
     
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    sorrynomore

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    I now have to see a Cardiologist once a year after getting a pacemaker installed (2016).At my first appointment he asked if I was a smoker to which I replied ... Nope I vape is that okay ... He then said it's better than smoking.

    I told my Primary Care Doctor I was vaping instead of smoking and he said he'd prefer I did neither.
     
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