I'm Now Convinced That Vaping Is Weakening My Immune System

[KattMamma]

I always wonder about those who post a controversial topic, then never return...

 

[bluecat]

I don't think anyone who posted is a doctor? It may be possible that either quitting smoking or vaping could change someone's immune system. I don't think the OP's question should cause anyone to be nasty or rude. I've been debating it myself, as per my earlier post. One of my ponderings has been that quitting smoking may be allowing infections an easier pathway via the respiratory system. Not necessary vaping (though it could be), but rather not having lungs filled with gunk.

On Christmas I had strep throat. I haven't had it in about 20 years so unfortunately I waited too long to see my doctor. By the time I realized what it was, I had to go to an urgent care. Last weekend I was very sick again. It is weird since I'm not around other people much.

We should be able to discuss our concerns with each other rationally. We don't know the long term effects yet. Of course we should also seek professional medical care, but I think its natural to suspect lifestyle changes may cause health problems, and to ask others if they are having similar issues.

Probably no one is a doctor. Then again if they wanted a doctors opinion, I would assume the doctor's office would be a good place to start.

The strange thing is when I quit smoking and starting vaping... the slightest change made me think vaping was responsible. The slightest good thing that happened I thought vaping was responsible. My guess is was not the cause good/bad.

The one thing I do know that after 30+ years of smoking, after quitting my body did change. According to all the experts... smoking will kill you. So I guess I won't die now that I vape.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

Probably no one is a doctor. Then again if they wanted a doctors opinion, I would assume the doctor's office would be a good place to start.

The strange thing is when I quit smoking and starting vaping... the slightest change made me think vaping was responsible. The slightest good thing that happened I thought vaping was responsible. My guess is was not the cause good/bad.

The one thing I do know that after 30+ years of smoking, after quitting my body did change. According to all the experts... smoking will kill you. So I guess I won't die now that I vape.

Everyone dies.

 

[roxynoodle]

Yes, everyone dies.

I did say we should seek professional medical care for health issues. I also said I think its normal to ask others if they've had similar issues. Heck, we might be a better source for knowing side effects as I don't know if many doctors are following the research.

My mother blames everything on my vaping. I dropped something and cracked my toenail in half, and she blamed vaping. Yes, my nails are weak. I think its a vitamin deficiency from fat malabsorption. Can't digest fat means can't digest the fat soluable vitamins. But, she hates my vaping so it must be that. She used to blame my pets for any health issues I had. Now its vaping.

 

[aznnp77]

A few questions. What mg are you vaping? what PG/VG ratio? How many ml a day? What juice flavors/brands? What types of coils? What kind of wicks? Without this info, it is going to be hard to narrow down what you might have an allergic reaction to.

Out of curiosity, what style of vaper are you? High power, low nic? Low power high nic? somewhere in between? High pg, or high vg?

Sorry it's taken so long for me to get back to the thread. I went to the doctor on Monday and have been using antibiotics and eye drops, and still coming to work. Luckily I caught it early this time, so hopefully the swelling doesn't get as bad as it was before.

I started off with MBV and a local's juice 12mg at 20pg/80vg ratio. That's when I got my original canker sore. After about a month I switched to 50/50, and about 3 months in I switched from MBV to ITC Vapes.

Edit: Sorry, I forgot to state that I'm a low wattage vaper. For protanks and Kayfuns I usually go between 7-8 watts. Otherwise it tastes burned to me, and I hate that taste.

I originally used pre-made kanger single coils. Rebuilt them with rayon about 2 months in. I still use the rebuilt protank heads, but I use a KFL+v2 rebuilt with rayon now.

I've tried moving down to 6mg, but the throat hit was like non-existent. That weekend I smoked my first cigarette in months, but maybe I need to give it a second try.

I'm afraid the only alternative to vaping is to start smoking again. That's the only way to satisfy these cravings. All those saying to quit vaping altogether are forgetting that e-cigs are primarily used as smoking cessation products. If I could quit using nicotine products on my own, I never would have started vaping.

To all those that claim you are in better health after switching to vaping, I don't doubt you one bit. I even said myself that i enjoy not smelling like crap, and have noticed that I can run without getting winded now. My health has improved. Not drastically, but definitely a little noticeable.

I was just saying that it feels like I'm more prone to getting sick now.

 

[H0rus]

Sorry it's taken so long for me to get back to the thread. I went to the doctor on Monday and have been using antibiotics and eye drops, and still coming to work. Luckily I caught it early this time, so hopefully the swelling doesn't get as bad as it was before.

I started off with MBV and a local's juice 12mg at 20pg/80vg ratio. That's when I got my original canker sore. After about a month I switched to 50/50, and about 3 months in I switched from MBV to ITC Vapes.

I originally used pre-made kanger single coils. Rebuilt them with rayon about 2 months in. I still use the rebuilt protank heads, but I use a KFL+v2 rebuilt with rayon now.

I've tried moving down to 6mg, but the throat hit was like non-existent. That weekend I smoked my first cigarette in months, but maybe I need to give it a second try.

I'm afraid the only alternative to vaping is to start smoking again. That's the only way to satisfy these cravings. All those saying to quit vaping altogether are forgetting that e-cigs are primarily used as smoking cessation products. If I could quit using nicotine products on my own, I never would have started vaping.

To all those that claim you are in better health after switching to vaping, I don't doubt you one bit. I even said myself that i enjoy not smelling like crap, and have noticed that I can run without getting winded now. My health has improved. Not drastically, but definitely a little noticeable.

I was just saying that it feels like I'm more prone to getting sick now.

I am sorry mate. Sucks that you have had all these problems. But given that there is a lot of heat involved in Vaping and the effects of vaping are not fully understood and yes yours might be caused by Vaping. BUT... I have a suspicion that since your bodies response seems to be an outlier, I would expect that there is a different underlying cause.
I would suggest that you stop vaping and get on Nicotine gums for a week or two. Yes, nicogums are not as effective as vaping. But give it a serious try. One way or the other, you can rule out vaping as the cause.
Also, ease off of vaping a little? I mean you might want to go back to the sort of vaping that a beginning vaper does (No bing vaping I suppose. Just vape when you crave the nic). Dont chase clouds or flavor. Just use the vape to quit.

 

[bluecat]

Everyone dies.

Aye mate. Strange death is a part of life. I don't want to knock on her door sooner than needed.

 

[bluecat]

Sorry it's taken so long for me to get back to the thread. I went to the doctor on Monday and have been using antibiotics and eye drops, and still coming to work. Luckily I caught it early this time, so hopefully the swelling doesn't get as bad as it was before.

I started off with MBV and a local's juice 12mg at 20pg/80vg ratio. That's when I got my original canker sore. After about a month I switched to 50/50, and about 3 months in I switched from MBV to ITC Vapes.

I originally used pre-made kanger single coils. Rebuilt them with rayon about 2 months in. I still use the rebuilt protank heads, but I use a KFL+v2 rebuilt with rayon now.

I've tried moving down to 6mg, but the throat hit was like non-existent. That weekend I smoked my first cigarette in months, but maybe I need to give it a second try.

I'm afraid the only alternative to vaping is to start smoking again. That's the only way to satisfy these cravings. All those saying to quit vaping altogether are forgetting that e-cigs are primarily used as smoking cessation products. If I could quit using nicotine products on my own, I never would have started vaping.

To all those that claim you are in better health after switching to vaping, I don't doubt you one bit. I even said myself that i enjoy not smelling like crap, and have noticed that I can run without getting winded now. My health has improved. Not drastically, but definitely a little noticeable.

I was just saying that it feels like I'm more prone to getting sick now.

A couple things mate. Dual use. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You still will cut back on the smokes.

Try different drip tips. Certain ones cause me to get the cankers. There is some discussions on ECF with nickel allergies. you can try glass,ceramic or wood. I went with a long surgical grade stainless and haven't received one. I decided the shorter ones got hotter and that may be contributing too. Also a little drop of liquid may be coming to the drip tip. I started to wash my lips after I washed my hands just in case it was that.

I chewed some nicotine gum, smoked and vaped all to quit smoking. I still get the urge to smoke but I can put the urge down with willpower now. I will smoke a cigar on the weekends to help.

It is a life changing experiment. Some are lucky and it works instantly. Others like me... still have to work at it. It all depends on how committed you wish to be.

Just some things to try.

 

[Lessifer]

Sorry it's taken so long for me to get back to the thread. I went to the doctor on Monday and have been using antibiotics and eye drops, and still coming to work. Luckily I caught it early this time, so hopefully the swelling doesn't get as bad as it was before.

I started off with MBV and a local's juice 12mg at 20pg/80vg ratio. That's when I got my original canker sore. After about a month I switched to 50/50, and about 3 months in I switched from MBV to ITC Vapes.

I originally used pre-made kanger single coils. Rebuilt them with rayon about 2 months in. I still use the rebuilt protank heads, but I use a KFL+v2 rebuilt with rayon now.

I've tried moving down to 6mg, but the throat hit was like non-existent. That weekend I smoked my first cigarette in months, but maybe I need to give it a second try.

I'm afraid the only alternative to vaping is to start smoking again. That's the only way to satisfy these cravings. All those saying to quit vaping altogether are forgetting that e-cigs are primarily used as smoking cessation products. If I could quit using nicotine products on my own, I never would have started vaping.

To all those that claim you are in better health after switching to vaping, I don't doubt you one bit. I even said myself that i enjoy not smelling like crap, and have noticed that I can run without getting winded now. My health has improved. Not drastically, but definitely a little noticeable.

I was just saying that it feels like I'm more prone to getting sick now.

Welcome back, glad you went to see the doctor.

I know when i first started vaping higher vg juices(I started at 80pg) I broke out a lot. Some vendors' VG seems to be "oilier" than others. I still wouldn't rule out some kind of allergy or something like that though.

"just stop" vaping is probably not an option at this point but maybe you could cut back on the overall amount? Like get some higher nic juice and do shorter, less frequent sessions?

 

[AndriaD]

I'm one of those... I have rheumatoid arthritis (a very nasty case of it - it's been attacking the sheath that surrounds the nerves in addition to the usual joint stuff). It's only been 4 months, and while an immune suppression effect would be nice, I'm not seeing it.

In fact, I think my swelling has gotten a tad worse, then I read that nicotine helps control inflammation and may be why RA sufferers have a hard time quitting cigs. Hmm. I went from 1-1/2 PAD to 6nic in 4 months. I'm thinking about upping my nic to see if it helps.

You might find WTA more helpful for that than plain nic; one of the other alkaloids (anabatine) is actually being researched as an all-round anti-inflammatory.

Andria

 

[AndriaD]

Yes, everyone dies.

I did say we should seek professional medical care for health issues. I also said I think its normal to ask others if they've had similar issues. Heck, we might be a better source for knowing side effects as I don't know if many doctors are following the research.

My mother blames everything on my vaping. I dropped something and cracked my toenail in half, and she blamed vaping. Yes, my nails are weak. I think its a vitamin deficiency from fat malabsorption. Can't digest fat means can't digest the fat soluable vitamins. But, she hates my vaping so it must be that. She used to blame my pets for any health issues I had. Now its vaping.

I know the feeling. I've been struggling with laryngitis for a couple weeks now; no sore throat, no fever, no congestion, just hoarseness. So of course the first thing out of my mother's mouth was "it must be that vaping stuff."

Truthfully, I *have* considered it, but given that I vaped for 9 months *without* laryngitis, it seems most unlikely. I wonder if PG could be burning my vocal cords? But if it's not burning my throat in general, that seems rather unlikely too.

At this point, I figure it'll either go away as mysteriously as it arrived... or I'll have a sexy new hoarse voice. I sound like Sara Evans!

Andria

 

[Alien Traveler]

I'm afraid the only alternative to vaping is to start smoking again. That's the only way to satisfy these cravings. All those saying to quit vaping altogether are forgetting that e-cigs are primarily used as smoking cessation products. If I could quit using nicotine products on my own, I never would have started vaping.

Do not stop vaping. Find the right way for you to do it (nic level, PG/VG ratio, etc.) Vaping is much less damaging that smoking.

You've seen some negative responses in this thread. Unfortunately some (minority) of vapers respond on any negative info on vaping on the level of bodily functions. Please forgive them, they are too involved with their hobby.

 

[H0rus]

Do not stop vaping. Find the right way for you to do it (nic level, PG/VG ratio, etc.) Vaping is much less damaging that smoking.

You've seen some negative responses in this thread. Unfortunately some (minority) of vapers respond on any negative info on vaping info on the level of bodily functions. Please forgive them, they are too involved with their hobby.

Agreed. Try alternatives. Try vaping smart. But dont ever do it to a point where it is causing serious issues. Here are some alternatives I tried during my quitting efforts.

• Nicotine gum
• Nicotine patch
• Vaping smarter
• A combination of all the above
• Run/jog to help your blood flow and metabolism improve (plus, meet chicks at the beach when your running! Win win)

 

[AndriaD]

Do not stop vaping. Find the right way for you to do it (nic level, PG/VG ratio, etc.) Vaping is much less damaging that smoking.

Exactly right!

I have to vape 84% PG, because any more VG than 16% makes me completely unable to breathe. But I didn't start off knowing that -- I had to learn how my body reacted to inhaling VG, to know it caused me a problem.

And early on, I suffered very severe dehydration and electrolyte issues -- at first, I thought vaping *caused* those problems, because I never got puffy ankles as a smoker! What I've determined is that I was already borderline dehydrated, for many many years; vaping just worsened it to the point that my electrolytes got severely out of whack. I solved the problem by adding the daily consumption of coconut water (high in potassium!), lowering my regular salt intake (now I use my husband's Lite Salt), and eliminating about 75%-80% of my caffeine consumption -- because caffeine was making me pee so much, my body couldn't hang on to proper hydration long enough to benefit from it.

I suspect that adding WTA is what caused my asthma to worsen, because I didn't have any problems with my asthma RE: vaping, until I added the WTA. Stop WTA? Nope, because the WTA is to eliminate the cravings that would make me go back to smoking. When I saw my doc for my regular asthma checkup, I mentioned that my asthma had gone out of control, that using solely a rescue inhaler just wasn't getting the job done anymore. So now I also use Advair. I've been reducing my WTA monthly since the first of the year, and I'm hopeful that once I'm done with it in the fall, my asthma will return to near-trouble-free.

It's a dance, a seeking of balance, and every body is different from every other body -- if you want to vape instead of smoke, you just need to find the right balance that will suit YOUR body. It might be challenging, it might be difficult, it might be tedious in the extreme -- but sooooooo worth it.

Hang in there!

Andria

 

[Jode]

I really have no answers for you but wanted to take a moment to tell you that I am sorry you are having difficulties. There seems to be quite a few positive suggestions here you could try to see if your trouble ease up. Sometimes we go through a period in our lives where it seems we are sicker then others and don't always get answers to why. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Cacique]

I would also try some different materials on the drip tips to see if it helps. Is your current drip tip metal? Maybe there's an allergy and you could try something like acrylic, glass or pom. Good luck!

 

[WharfRat1976]

Big Macs weaken my immune system

 

[Alien Traveler]

Big Macs weaken my immune system

I see.

 

[Gahh]

You do seem to be an isolated case. You should just quit vaping and see if anything changes in the coming months!

5 years of vaping for you !!!!! And no complaints on health !!! NICE
Don't want to be rude BUT, Leads me to believe that 77 might be just falling apart.

 

[H0rus]

5 years of vaping for you !!!!! And no complaints on health !!! NICE
Don't want to be rude BUT, Leads me to believe that 77 might be just falling apart.

Dude. Weak..