Giving up

[cbrite]

I ended up in the hospital myself with terrible ........ a few months back. (Before I vaped) they never could really pinpoint the cause after many tests and seeing a gastrointestinal doctor. I had it for one month. It left as mysterious as it came.

By any chance were you using something with artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame? I had a similar issue years back and lots of tests and meds later, I traced the beginning to chewing sugarless gum (aspartame used as the sweetner). Stopped chewing the gum and the ........ was gone.

 

[patkin]

^+1. The very first thing anyone should do when experiencing severe ........ other than viral/bacterial is check their food/drink for artificial sweeteners of any kind. They can't be digested and can cause it and I'm not just referring to a little trotting but a WHOLE LOT.

 

[Deeo]

Well after 5 months of happy vaping, but the sickest winter I can ever recall I'm out of here. Been in the hospital for a week because of vaping according to 3 different doctors. Seems that something in the liquid is now digesting right and was holding in my intestinal infection and stomach which in return caused my ulcers to flare up and so much ........ that it took me out. 2 out of the 3 doctors told me that I wasn't the first person they had seen this happen to and that if they where me they would stop vaping and take another drug (chantex) to stop. Been on it before and with the nightmares that's not happening. the 3rd said he use to vape and went back to smoking that from a doctor tells me something right there. So for now I'll just have the occasional smoke.
Thanks for all the help over the last 5 months that everybody's put out there.

Some people find out after quitting that they have crohn's. You might want to get tested for that. I too don't believe your doctor that it is from the ecig. JMO

However i do hope you find what works for you.

 

[Feignix]

I find it unfortunate that according to your banner, after the time you have away from smoking that you'd even CONSIDER it, even "occasionally". As others have stated, if vaping is no good for you, then you can quadruple that and apply it to smoking even "occasionally". Of course that's barring your even ABLE to smoke "occasionally". I have found there to be very FEW who fall into the camp of an "occasional" smoker, which by the way, what does that even mean??? To me "occasionally" would be maybe one or two every few months or so, much like the way I drink. Of course, I might go 6 months or more without drinking also. With smoking however, most find that while initially they may be able to smoke one here and there, over time the amount they smoke increases as tolerance builds and dependency occurs. If you smoked more then that in the past, chances are GREAT, that you will return to whatever amount you previously smoked.

I don't think ANYONE can really advise you properly on this thread, as most will not only be unqualified, nor have you given enough information for anyone to even really speculate properly, what could have been the cause for your symptoms. Given what you have said though it makes me wonder, how much you smoked, and for how long. How much you vaped, what strength, duration, brands, quality, PG/VG mixes. Unless even one of those doctors questioned you extensively about your vaping history, and your health history in general, I can say WITHOUT A DOUBT, as a medical professional, that their "medical" OPINION means NOTHING! Without proper testing, of which there currently would be FEW to even narrow down a culprit, stating that "vaping" is the cause unequivocally, would be wrong! They could say, try to stop vaping ALONG with everything and if the ........ stops, and your health improves, MAYBE it was the suspect, but again, with ALL the variations you have from "vendor" to "vendor", with some people literally mixing stuff up in their sink and bathtub to state of the art labs, this would be darn near IMPOSSIBLE to pinpoint!

ANYONE can mix up some "juice" and "hang a shingle" out on their doorway to the WIDE world web, and call themselves a PREMIUM, and QUALITY e-juice supplier, doesn't make it so though! There are also an ASSORTMENT of flavoring that could be causing the problem, whether you "vape" them, or consumed them in substantial quantities! As someone else mentioned, you may be consuming too much nicotine. I know for myself, I can't consume the same amount of liquid that has 24 mg WTA, added to my 18 mg/Nic in small amounts, without getting ill. However without it I can "chain vape" all day and be just fine!

Pardon me, but it sounds like you've already made up your mind. Part of me wonders if the addiction to smoking as a whole isn't complicating the issue and contributing to your decision. It just seems like if it were me and I had that much time, as I only have a couple of weeks if that myself, but if I had your time and TRULY wanted to stay off cigarettes, I wouldn't be so quick to go back to them, or give up vaping, and would DEMAND more specific answers! Unless there's A LOT more to what you're sharing, they haven't really told you ANYTHING of consequence AT ALL! I sure hope you haven't invested the amount I have into vaping gear as well! Either way, I hope you get it sorted out! Best of luck, and we'll still be here, or hopefully so, ECF will I'm sure, if and when you figure out that smoking isn't the answer...

 

[supertrunker]

Is it a military thing, but there's a lot of shouting in that reply?

I doubt that returning to smoking is the cure for anything, although it'll reduce your disposable income some. I'd get some tests done and see if that can narrow things down. I had in the first year i stopped smoking, high blood pressure, dental issues and hair loss (ok - i had that before too), so vaping is not going to excuse all the abuse you put yourself through prior.

Good luck.

T

 

[ScottP]

Seems that something in the liquid is now digesting right and was holding in my intestinal infection and stomach which in return caused my ulcers to flare up and so much ........ that it took me out.

Are you drinking or allowing the liquid to be swallowed? The ONLY time I had any of those issues was when I was using swallowable nic-replacement (Commit Lozenges, Marlboro Snus).

 

[Lessifer]

I wish you the best of luck. Though, like others have said, you should make sure to fully investigate what is going on. If you don't want to vape anymore and you want to go back to smoking, that is a choice you are absolutely free to make, just be sure that the smoking wasn't/isn't covering up some underlying issue that only became apparent when you quit.

 

[CountBoredom]

Mitch, first of all, despite what anyone has said on this thread, you have to do what you feel is right. It's your health not ours. I hope that you have a speedy recovery and resolve your problems in a manner that you find satisfactory.

That said, I think that even the "shouting" responses here have merit. Most of what we have to go on with regards to his condition is speculation because the information provided is scant. What makes this matter disturbing is that it strikes at the core of what we do: we vape and pretty much the entire world wants to end our right to do so. Add to that the unknown level of safety of the practice (it's better than smoking but, as others have pointed out, we do not know that it is 100% safe), and it's easy to become scared or defensive.
Personally, I would be skeptical of the prescription to quit vaping if it meant that I would likely take up smoking. As Feignix said--and most of us know firsthand--it's a slippery slope to smoke "occasionally." I've had enough experience with physicians to know that they are just as human and flawed as the rest of us and that even a subconscious bias can cloud a diagnosis. But that's just me.

It cannot have been easy for the OP to admit defeat. Considering the passion one finds in this forum, I would find it hard to believe that he would meekly submit to such a result without questioning it. All we can truly do is wish him a better outcome and hope that he returns to the forum (even if he does no longer vape) to relate, hopefully in more detail, his experience so that the rest of us may learn from it.

Good luck, Mitch!

 

[Feignix]

Is it a military thing, but there's a lot of shouting in that reply

T

If that was in reference to my reply, since I'm typing and not talking there actually isn't ANY "yelling". When I'm having a conversation or dialogue in text format I use all caps for words I want to EMPHASIZE. I guess I could use parenthesis, or could even consider italics, that's just been my style lately, it's whatever. I apologize if it bothers anyone. Beings as we don't have non verbal cues, tone, voice inflection etc. one is limited in available option to infer a particular point, feeling or idea. I always thought that in text conversations USING ALL CAPS was yelling....BUT I COULD BE WRONG!!!

 

[d29308]

Although judging from Feignix avatar I'm way older. I somewhat agree with Feignix.The first time I ever heard that all caps was yelling was when I returned a text from an old high school friend after he ask why I was yelling. I said "heck your the same age as me I thought it would make the text easier to read" I don't get worked up about it. Not sure I like it being so accepted as a rule.

 

[rob33]

Mitch, hope you are feeling better and thanks for sharing. I would caution you on the chantix, hell it has more dangerous warnings than smoking. Given your health issues you should listen to the doctors and give up both vaping and smoking. We wish you luck and give you support for whatever route you take.

 

[FlamingoTutu]

I hope you continue to try to pinpoint the problem. You certainly aren't the first person to have a real medical problem after switching to vaping. The last doctor that told me he smoked, and that smoking wasn't all that bad, died of inoperable cancer less than a year later. Just read an article that said 1 in 20 people are misdiagnosed and that, sadly, doesn't surprise me. A little over a year ago I had a doctor leave the exam room, then charge back in, get in my face and tell me what was wrong with me was "100% caused by smoking." Turns out it wasn't. I don't even like looking at a hospital through binoculars (because I don't like being sick) so can sympathize with your decision but do hope you are able to find a doctor with a brain that can sort this out for you. Good luck and take care.

 

[TheJakeBailey]

I'm not a doctor, and won't try to play one on the internet. I find it incredible, (somewhat hard to believe) that any doctor would recommend going back to smoking for any reason, in any amount. i understand other NRT, or even Chantix, but certainly not smoking. That doctor would be fired. I'm sorry to hear about your illness, and i hope when you get it sorted out you come back to this thread to fill us in on what it was, and what caused it. Best wishes.

 

[Weizenheimer]

All caps has been considered yelling for at least 15 years

 

[madpiano]

I am so sorry to hear that you are feeling so bad. But yes, cigarettes do help with some gastro issues. IBS is one. Shame they kill you at the same time. It's not the nicotine in them it's something else. I am OK so far. I watch carefully what I eat, so not had an IBS attack since stopping smoking. I know my trigger foods (artificial smoke, BBQ sauce and Majoram) but sometimes they are difficult to avoid. I have no intentions of going back to smoking. I stick to peppermint oil capsules and meditation instead...

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Virtual Life]

More than once in my life I have been told things by docs that turned out to be untrue. In this case with multiple docs telling me it is vaping, I would want to know how, why do they say this? I would test that theory. But given no more information than what I have now is reason enough to stop vaping, at least for awhile. Does seem hard to believe though.

Best doc I ever had told me straight up that there is a lot of guessing in medicine. They even have a word for "we don't know why", idiopathic.

All uppercase typing is yelling. But the post in question was mostly lowercase with occasional uppercase words, that is not yelling.

 

[molimelight]

the 3rd said he use to vape and went back to smoking that from a doctor tells me something right there.

What it tells me is that I wouldn't listen to ANY MD (OK, I shouted that!) who resumed smoking cigarettes after vaping! Reminds me of a shrink who I told (a long time ago) that I would probably feel better about myself if I was able to quit smoking. As he lit yet another cigarette, in his office that was tan rather than white due to all of the smoke damage, he replied. "Maybe if you felt better about yourself you'd quit smoking." Pithy reply, doc, but I think it did more for you than for me.

That is not to say that some ingredient in the juice you are using is causing the intestinal problems. Inhaling causes vapor or smoke to go into the stomach as well as the lungs. Maybe a better approach from a physician who is not addicted himself or who is not invested in writing prescriptions would be to work with you to find a juice that doesn't cause your symptoms. Good luck with your journey Mitch.

 

[crxess]

The whole Dr deal stinks of Lazy Medical Practice.

I suffered all you have complained about. Doubled over in pain and continued to try working. Finally I collapsed at work.
2 Throat surgeries and 60 days of Digestive hell later I started getting better.
Doctors wanted to remove my Gaul Bladder, Surgeon made the call to do an Exploratory first and found the damage from Stomach Acid.
*note - I never suffered from heart burn*

I am posting this so you can understand...............
I was still as smoker at the time. I quit and switched to Vaping 8 months later. I have NOT had any vaping related illness in the 20 months since the switch.

There may be many reasons for the conditions you describe, but you will find they have been around much longer than people have been vaping.

Best of luck in finding a solution that works for you!

 

[klynnn]

I read dozens of comments daily by doctors who haven't the first clue about vaping or what is involved with it. Seems they go with whatever the latest most widespread meme is and right now it's the poison that will kill you. I personally don't have much faith in them and have never had major problems even though I smoked 47 years. I would suggest a second and third opinion on any illness.

 

[salleh]

......Hey I do that too.....cap for 1 or 2 words to emphasize......it's the fastest way to do so ....I get it