Getting a cold?????????

[Jman8]

*Was honestly going to insert a few dozen more question marks in the title.

This isn't a thread about my getting a cold from vaping. Nope, just the opposite.

I've heard other vapers say similar things, but here goes.

In my 3 years of vaping, I have had exactly one cold that lasted more than 1 day.

Prior to vaping, when I was a heavy smoker, I would average 3 colds a year. Even when I was a non-smoker (going cold turkey), I would average at least 2 colds a year.

I thought of posting this thread more than a month ago. Then, I noticed a bunch of people around me (friends and family) who were getting colds. I started feeling like I was getting one. But that never materialized. Perhaps I was starting to get a cold, but by end of that day, there were no noticeable symptoms, thus was less than a day long.

I do think in last 3 years, there are numerous times (like 10 or more) where I woke up thinking I may be getting a cold, then by end of the day felt like I was over whatever symptoms I was experiencing earlier in the day.

I think there are many factors that go into this phenomenon (of my getting less colds than prior to vaping). I could list them all, but near the top would be that I think the PG (or other ingredient) in eLiquid fights off colds and either prevents them from occurring or relieves symptoms very quickly.

I must note though the one cold I did get in the last 3 years got to a point, within a day, where it was not possible for me to vape without it hurting my throat really bad. And as I am one who is a dual user, I noticed that while a smoke didn't feel great (nor tasted great), it was a way for me to get my nicotine and not have the pain that I was experiencing then from vaping. After the cold subsided, I went back to my normal activity of 95% (or more) vaping and 5% (or less) smoking.

So, how about you fellow vapers? How are your experiences with getting colds since you started vaping?

Who knows, by a certain point of this threads, we may have another fairly visible benefit that comes from vaping.

 

[defdock]

since i started vaping, i have not experienced any common colds.


buy i can say - in the last 3 years, this is the first time ive had a sinus infection. and its suprizingly lasting a good week....

 

[fordp]

The key here is you were a heavy smoker. You were killing yourself and you had a weak immune system. Since then you have been making positive choices regarding your health, switching to a less damaging alternative to smoking and I'm sure making many other positive choices regarding your health.

Your just a healthier person today than you were 3 years ago and your immune system is working better.

That, or you have just been lucky the last 3 years. Honestly, instead of attributing this to PG, you could instead attribute this to not going outside with other smokers, especially sharing lighters.

Honestly, you would be better off offering this argument, which I still find implausible :

You no longer smoke as much. You don't go outside with smokers, even if you do to vape, you do not have a lighter to offer other smokers. Other smokers who forget their lighters probably have an underlying condition that caused them to forget their lighter, IE being sick with the cold. People who are sick with the cold forget their lighter, and borrow yours. You no longer have a lighter to loan and are less likely to be exposed to the cold virus..

 

[ReigntheGamer]

since i started vaping, i have not experienced any common colds.


buy i can say - in the last 3 years, this is the first time ive had a sinus infection. and its suprizingly lasting a good week....

This.^^ Hate to say it but shortly after I started vaping I got hit with the worst sinus/chest infection I have had in quite some time taking nearly two weeks to get over it.

 

[ReigntheGamer]

Double post.

 

[Jman8]

The key here is you were a heavy smoker. You were killing yourself and you had a weak immune system. Since then you have been making positive choices regarding your health, switching to a less damaging alternative to smoking and I'm sure making many other positive choices regarding your health.

Your just a healthier person today than you were 3 years ago and your immune system is working better.

That, or you have just been lucky the last 3 years. Honestly, instead of attributing this to PG, you could instead attribute this to not going outside with other smokers, especially sharing lighters.

Honestly, you would be better off offering this argument, which I still find implausible :

You no longer smoke as much. You don't go outside with smokers, even if you do to vape, you do not have a lighter to offer other smokers. Other smokers who forget their lighters probably have an underlying condition that caused them to forget their lighter, IE being sick with the cold. People who are sick with the cold forget their lighter, and borrow yours. You no longer have a lighter to loan and are less likely to be exposed to the cold virus..

Perhaps you missed the point I made in OP about going cold turkey and still getting colds on average 2 times annually.

I went cold turkey for 8 years, and in many ways seemed more susceptible to bugs / colds.

 

[jchisholm]

Had a crappy cold now for over two weeks.
Can't enjoy vaping, hell I can't even vape at all as I go into fits of choking and coughing
if I even attempt a very minor mouth-lung hit.
Really irksome as I just broke down and shelled out upwards of $300 Cdn for a Reo and
a couple of atomizers.
So yea I'm cranky and seriously considering just tossing it all out!
At the end of the day I just can't be bothered trying and ALL my juice tastes disgusting!!
May be incrementally better than smoking but any inhaled e-juice at 6mg that causes paroxysms and
choking seizures just ain't good!

OK rant off, but man I hate chest colds.

Quit smoking cigars in Sept, this is the first bad cold since then. Difference seems to be that a hit of
"real" smoke would often have a decongestant effect while the 80VG/20PG is just plain nasty.

 

[Javamon]

I have a completely unscientifically based theory that vaping actually does make it less likely that one will absorb germs leading to illness.

There is zero science behind that. Just my gut.

 

[fordp]

Perhaps you missed the point I made in OP about going cold turkey and still getting colds on average 2 times annually.

I went cold turkey for 8 years, and in many ways seemed more susceptible to bugs / colds.

I did say my point was implausible I'd look at your overall health and lifestyle now vs then before attributing it to vaping.

 

[Robino1]

My hubby thinks I am a freak because I don't get sick. Even when he does.

I have had a cold (?) once. I question whether or not it really was a cold simply because it didn't last but a few days at most.

For some of us, it may be the PG. What would be more interesting is to chart what ratio of PG we are vaping.

I'll start: 70/30 PG/VG ratio

 

[ReigntheGamer]

Mostly 65PG/35VG my other ADV is 50/50.

 

[FlamingoTutu]

I was skeptical when I first heard about this, not because I didn't believe the folks who saying it but because I didn't want to get my hopes up. First winter I was smoking and vaping, didn't get sick. Second winter, not sick. This winter, might have had a small cold but hard to tell with a local allergen hanging around due to a mild winter. Before vaping, I'd get KOed at least once a year by some bug that always went straight to my chest. Due to some other health issues, I should have been far more susceptible to getting sick the past three years. I ain't complaining! Husband still got sick all three years. He doesn't smoke or vape.

Vape 80/20 PG/VG

 

[Robino1]

This.^^ Hate to say it but shortly after I started vaping I got hit with the worst sinus/chest infection I have had in quite some time taking nearly two weeks to get over it.

Mostly 65PG/35VG my other ADV is 50/50.

Could the stopping smoking have contributed to your getting sick? Have you had a cold since that one right after starting to vape?

In other words, could it have been the quitters flu?

I'm genuinely curious. This issue has been in the back of my mind for a very long time.

 

[ReigntheGamer]

Could the stopping smoking have contributed to your getting sick? Have you had a cold since that one right after starting to vape?

In other words, could it have been the quitters flu?

I'm genuinely curious. This issue has been in the back of my mind for a very long time.

It very well could've been the times are right for it to be that. And I wasn't implying vaping made me sick just that it didn't make me Superman/woman.

And with my luck which I always say if it wasn't bad I'd have none I would be the one to get no health benefits from PG.

 

[mattiem]

I vape 60pg/40vg and 50/50. I've not had one single bout of cold or flu during the 3 years I've been vaping. While I was still a smoker I had at least one chest cold every year. Most of them had to be treated with antibiotics. I think we are seeing a pattern here. JMHO

 

[klynnn]

I would like to know the composition of the liquids people are using when they make their comments about colds. I vape 70/30pg/vg and have for the last three years. I make my own liquids and haven't had any illness at all since 2 weeks after vaping exclusively with no cigs.

 

[Underwhelmed]

I haven't had a cold since I started vaping either.

I used to get chronic bronchitis every year.

This was not exclusively smoking related as I got it every year as long as I can remember. One year(2002 I think) I got a nasty case of pneumonia as well.

 

[Robino1]

I haven't had a cold since I started vaping either.

I used to get chronic bronchitis every year.

This was not exclusively smoking related as I got it every year as long as I can remember. One year(2002 I think) I got a nasty case of pneumonia as well.

What ratio do you use?

 

[erikajeanT87]

The key here is you were a heavy smoker. You were killing yourself and you had a weak immune system. Since then you have been making positive choices regarding your health, switching to a less damaging alternative to smoking and I'm sure making many other positive choices regarding your health.

Your just a healthier person today than you were 3 years ago and your immune system is working better.

That, or you have just been lucky the last 3 years. Honestly, instead of attributing this to PG, you could instead attribute this to not going outside with other smokers, especially sharing lighters.

Honestly, you would be better off offering this argument, which I still find implausible :

You no longer smoke as much. You don't go outside with smokers, even if you do to vape, you do not have a lighter to offer other smokers. Other smokers who forget their lighters probably have an underlying condition that caused them to forget their lighter, IE being sick with the cold. People who are sick with the cold forget their lighter, and borrow yours. You no longer have a lighter to loan and are less likely to be exposed to the cold virus..

Points to be made against this argument:
The only thing that's healthier about me is the vapor that goes down my throat
I vape outside at work inside at home same as I did with cigs
I used to always have a lighter hardly ever shared
People ALWAYS forget/lose their lighters sick or not

Now everyone's different but I thought I'd change your statements to fit around mine. I've only been sick once since I've started vaping. And it was like a mild-moderate two day thing so idk if you could even call that a cold. And previously I was always sick with something. I'm a server in a tourist town so not only do I have close contact with people but it's people from all over the place which just got me thinking about what I was going to say next. There's always some bug going around likely because of my previous sentence. My husband and co workers are always catching that bug while I remained untouched. Why? Who knows. PG? Maybe. (Ha rhymes)

Vaping 70/30 PG/VG

 

[rico942]

I attribute my freedom from multiple annual colds to vaping as opposed to smoking, but also to no longer spending my days in a poorly ventilated sealed office building full of chronically sick coworkers who were apparently raised by wolves, and never learned to cover their mouths when coughing, sneezing, and spewing large bacteria-laden infectious clouds in my vicinity. The place was a veritable Petri dish of viral hazards ...

Rant over, retirement is awesome ...