Initial reaction to starting to vape and a couple questions

[stash]

First, i REALLY wish i had decided to try e cigs a lot sooner in my life. I have smoked 17 years, a pack a day, and for whatever reason was never able to quit, and despite hating cigarettes for so long i just could not quit the habit. last thursday i decided to go out and buy an ecig, so i went to my local tobacco shop and decided i would just buy whatever they had there for sale since i had not done any real research and what i did do i found very confusing.

he had the 510 ecig for sale, and i bought one, and i am proud to say i have not smoked a real cigarette in a week now, something i would never have been able to do on my own due to my own lack of willpower i guess.

at this point the thought of lighting up a real smoke disgusts me, and i can not imagine ever doing that again, something i have not thought in nearly 20 years.

after a week, i woke up today with a really sore throat. Is it possible i am vaping too much, or should this be considered a natural side effect of not smoking real cigs?

will my lungs and throat begin the repairing process even if i keep smoking e cigs?

is what comes out really just water vapor? i have a son and do not want to vape in the house if there are harmful chemicals in my exhale

will my teeth start to improve even with e cig usage?

anyways, any insights would be helpful, i am proud to have joined this vaping community and even prouder that i have not smelled like smoke in a whole week

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Hello and welcome to ecf.

Yes, as far as we know it is just water vapor.....
Make sure you drink plenty of liquids....vaping dries you out big time...could be the cause of sore throat.
You will find all aspects of your health will start to improve,,,,,at least I did.
510 is a good starter.....It is one of the most popular and vendors carrying lots of atties, cartomizers and tanks.. You may find that you need a longer battery life such as an ego or Riva 510, but it is not necessary as long as you are not hampered by having to recharge the 510 reg every 2-3 hours.

 

[JohnnyKozo]

Congrats. We don't really call them "real cigs" around here. Instead we call real cigs "analogs". We also prefer to call e-cigs "personal vaporizers" or PVs to kind of separate from the stigma of calling it a cigarette. Everyone has their opinion on that though.

Your sore throat is most likely caused by your throat healing itself. Kind if like when you get a scrape, it scabs up before it heals all the way. Your throat and mouth and lungs have been getting beat up for 17 years, you're going to have to let them scab up a little as they heal.

What you're breathing out is the same thing as your breathing in. Vaporized Propylene Glycol, vegetable glycerin, flavoring, and probably nicotine. Most of us around here contend that the vapor we breath out isn't damaging, but if your son is still a toddler or younger, I'd definitely avoid blowing vapor in his face or letting vapor clouds loom around him. Just to be safe.

 

[stash]

Thanks for the quick replies,

yes i understand about the short battery life. Luckily the vaorizor set i got had 2 batteries so i just leave one charging all the time and periodically just swap them to keep a good charge, but i could see it being a problem when traveling or away from the house for long periods.

i will continue to drink lots of water, and see how the body reacts, i can already feel a difference when i run up the stairs, but i think maybe some of that is in my head.

despite the sore throat i am feeling very positive about the switch, and i did not realize that vaping would dry you out, so hopefully extra H2O intake will help sooth the throat a bit too

looking forward to learning more here

thanks again

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Also, if your ejuice is 100% pg that could be a source of a sore throat also....Some members here like a mix between pg/vg, but if you like the throat hit then pg should be the dominate ingredient...

 

[JohnnyKozo]

If you're ever worried about battery life, just know that Ego batteries are 100% compatible with your existing 510 cartomizers/atomizers/etc. They come in models up to 1000mah. The 1000mah batteries will last you all day and charge while you sleep, and they're only about $20-25 a piece.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

The difference you feel when you're running up the stairs IS NOT all in your head! IT'S REAL and it's empowering to those of us who made the switch. I felt it, too and I'm still feeling it! Hell, I even started working out again! I can get on elliptical machine and crank out 2 miles in 20 minutes! That says a lot!

Your lungs are repairing themselves and cilia (like hair like follicles) that line them are starting to become active again. You might go through a period where you cough a lot. This is normal because the lungs are clearing all the years of built up tar and gunk. Your sense of smell and taste are also going to change. You'll be able to smell things that you never really noticed before, and taste things that previously had very little or no taste.

E-cigs are the best thing ever!

 

[Cyatis]

Congrats, and I agree that the first week or so can be painful as the body repairs itself. Drinking to replace the water in your body from vaping is a must. I was very cynical before I started vaping, but tried to keep an open mind about it. Two weeks later I'm a convert. Now six months later, I can honestly say, stick it out, you won't regret it.

 

[stash]

That all sounds great.

When i go back to the shop i will check about different battery options.

I was hesitant to spend too much last week when i went because i thought it would be like the dozen or so times i wasted my money on the patch, or on gum that never really did the trick for me. This vaporizer is like a miracle, and I only wish i had come to my senses long ago before i did so much damage to myself over the years.

I understand that a lot of the damage and risk i put myself at will never go away, but every day i do not smoke i feel as though i am buying back some of my life.

The main question was whether or not my lungs would heal even if i continued to vape. I understand that vaping does not cause more damage, but i just wasnt sure if it was fooling my lungs into thinking i was still smoking or not, but it sounds like the repair process will continue which is fantastic. my goal is eventually stop the vapor too, but for now this is a perfectly acceptable alternative for me. my wife says i am switching one addiction for another, which i dont think is actually true, seems like the addiction is the same, just not one that will kill me eventually

thanks again for everyone's responses, i will try to pay it forward by buying one of these for friends that smoke and hopefully others will start to realize that you can enjoy a little nicotine without so much danger.

i honestly feel like my life has changed, and that is the most empowering feeling i have ever had!!!!!

sorry to ramble so much, but this thing really changed my life in one week more than anything else i have ever purchased in my entire life

 

[Nomoreash]

Give the sore throat a week or two. Same thing happened to me when I switched to e-cigs. I chalked it up to a minor cold or whatever but I've seen many since then report the same thing early on. It cleared up for me in about a week.

 

[kabonk]

you asked about your teeth, one of the reason I quite smoking was because of gum problems on my last cleaning my hygienist could believe how much my gums had improved most of my problem areas had healed

 

[wrigleyvillain]

Yeah I wish I had really gotten into this sooner but it's pointless to be so hard on yourself especially when you consider they've only existed for like 5 years.

 

[dzlady]

I agree with you. I wish I had started this much sooner. I have smoked for about 20 years and though I have fibromyalgia which effects my "getting winded", I can tell a difference. I started out vaping just here and there and now when you see me, you see in my hand a pv. I also have a 510 but I also have a passthru. Since I am disabled, the passthru helps a lot that I dont have to change the batteries all day long. A battery will only last me an hour or two. I went to bed early last night at 7 pm. When I turned off the tv to go to sleep at 11 pm, I was on my third battery. I have 11 batteries. Last night wasnt a good night and I was awake quite a bit. When I would wake, I would reach for my pv and take a puff or two. I would like to get a bigger battery, but I dont like the idea of them being bigger around.