Introduction and vaping journey explained

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MissyG

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Hello everyone,

Just wanted to make my introduction and I will apologize ahead of time for the novel here, but my journey to vaping is a long and complicated one. I am a newbie vaper. I have smoked off and on since I was in high school (I am 34 years old now). I have never considered addicted to cigarettes because I have quit cold turkey several times, often for several years without any problems. Mostly what I crave is just the ACTIVITY of smoking. My most recent re-entry into smoking happened about 5 years ago. I started a new job and bonded with the few other people that started in my same training class. A couple of them smoked and we all would try to take our breaks at the same time. I started smoking with them on breaks because it was something to do and if they were smoking, why shouldn't I? Pretty dumb I know. At the same time my husband had started smoking cigars (black and milds) fairly regularly so at home it was a way for us have to go outside and sit together and have some one on one time to talk. Again, more of a social activity for me. I will also mention now that my parents NEVER knew I smoked at all, not as a teenager and not as an adult. Any smoke smell they might have smelled on me they always assumed was due to me being around others who smoked. They knew I had lots of friends who smoked so they never questioned whether I did or not.

Fast forwarding a bit, I was set to have weight loss surgery which required me to quit at least 6 weeks before my surgery, which I did. I had some serious complications with my surgery that required another surgery and tons of tests and other procedures. To not bore you with all the details, in the end the complications (lack of nutrition from not being able to eat or keep food down for a couple months) left me with peripheral neuropathy, basically I could not move my legs at all. I could feel my legs, but could not lift them, move them, move my feet, or wiggle my toes. I also had some diminished ability on my hands as well as frequent muscle ticks and twitches due to some nerve damage to my spinal cord as well. I spent 9 weeks in the hospital's physical rehabilitation floor trying to learn to walk again. Basically though I had to wait for the nerves to grow back and build my nutrition up again. I had a PICC line inserted (basically a permanent IV port) to provide me with liquid nutrition and I left the hospital still in a wheelchair. I had to move in with my parents (I am married though) so I could have the full time care I needed.

Over the course of a year and a half through intense physical and nutritional therapy I learned to walk again. Needless to say this put an intense strain on my marriage since I was also still living with my parents this whole time. Once I was able to walk again I started frequenting a local karaoke bar with my husband. He had started going there while was sick to relive stress. Our marriage was on the verge of collapsing so I wanted to spend time with him. He had made some good friends there which in turn became my friends. The problem though of course is being in a bar setting made me want to smoke. I always wanted cigarettes more when I drank and here everyone around me was smoking so needless to say I started smoking again. At first I only smoked at the bar, which was just the weekend, but then I found myself wanting one during the week so I would sneak outside when my parents went to bed (crazy I know sneaking around like a teenager at 34 years old) and have a couple cigarettes during the week and I would smoke in my car when I would run errands for myself.

A positive about hanging out at this particular bar is that the karaoke DJ is an experienced vaper along with his girlfriend. One day I just got tired of my hair smelling nasty and not to mention that cigarette smoking is definitely not good for my neuropathy, which I still deal with in my feet (basically I still have a pins and needles feeling in my feet along with pain and some circulation issues). I talked with my friend and his girlfriend had just upgraded her setup so they started me off with a couple evod batteries and some tanks (sorry I am a newb and can't remember what kind they were). They let me try some juice flavors and gave me some of the flavors I liked.

I started vaping and I loved it. Since I have switched out the tanks they gave me to some Aspire BDC tanks because the ones they gave me tended to leak. So right now I am using a couple Kanger evod batteries and my Aspire BDC tanks. I have smoked some analogs still every now and then, but it is less and less because they taste so bad and my ejuice tastes so good! I am still getting that hand to mouth ritual I really crave and saving my health, and with the health challenges I still face I know I should not be putting something I know is harmful into my body. I am thankful every single day that I can walk again (though I still have pain and twitching issues and a slight limp on the right side) which was not guaranteed and I know it was totally stupid to purposely harm myself by smoking. Also, since I still live with my parents (my husband and I are mending out marital issues slowly, but I have still not been able to move back home due to other circumstances regarding our house itself which is a longer story), vaping is much easier because I can do so in my room whenever I want without them knowing any different.

I am already thinking about upgrading my setup in the future. I just went to my local vape store and the manager was totally helpful, walking me through some of my options for upgrading. I am looking for something easy to use (I am NOT mechanically minding so building coils and such is not of interest to me). The setup that I tried and seemed easiest and was recommended to me was the Vamo V5 mod and the Aspire Nautilus tank. I could totally taste the difference in the taste of the juice with the Nautilus tank. It seemed very easy and newbie friendly as well as the Vamo 5. I am on disability so price is definitely a factor for me as well. If anyone has any other suggestions for me I am definitely open to hearing them.

Currently my favorite juices are Kringle's Kurse by Halo, Wookie Cookie by the Vapor Hut, and Flame Thrower by High Caliber ejuice. I do NOT like fruity flavors (I don't even eat fruit). I love the hot cinnamon flavors, peppermint, and the more dessert type flavors. I am really looking for a good mint chocolate flavor. I have some Manic Mint Chocolate by Mr. e-liquid which is okay, but I was not not getting much mint flavor from it. I put a couple drops of Kringles Kurse in it and that did the trick, but I would really like to find a juice that really tastes like a thin mint cookie on its own. I do like citrus, but the one plain orange flavor I tasted was not very good. I would definitely love to hear any recommends for juices you think I might like.

Sorry for the novel but I just wanted to really paint a picture of my vaping journey. Looking forward to participating in this community of vapers!
 

peraspera

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Sep 2, 2012
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Welcome to ECF and congratulations on making the switch to vaping. I'm sorry to hear about the terrible complications from your surgery and wish you a full recovery.

The VAMO 5 and Aspire Aspire Nautilus would be an excellent choice for an upgrade. The VAMO is very easy to use and is reliable other than the 510 threads tend to be soft. Pick up a 510 to 510 adapter so the adapter takes the thread wear and tear rather than the VAMO.
 

IndigoChild

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May 10, 2014
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Welcome, welcome! I'm brand new here, too. Sorry to hear about your situation - I also have a disability and I know all the in's and out's of that conundrum - congratulations on being able to walk again! I have been using cig-a-likes, (my favorite is Blu), but am now upgrading to a vaporizer system for the obvious reasons - efficacy, better made technology, more cost efficient, longer battery life, higher nicotine content, more flavors, etc. etc. I have been having a great time on this forum ever since I found it and I'm sure you will, too. Good luck & welcome!
 

Susan~S

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Hi and welcome MissyG. Sorry to hear about all your personal/health challenges.

Having a brick & mortar store to visit and taste test flavors makes finding a vape you like so much easier in the beginning. That said, there are some wonderful online vendors who manufacture their own eliquid. Check out the following forums for some ideas.

* General E-Liquid Discussion
* E-Liquid Reviews
* Best gourmet ejuice vendors

I recently discovered 3 wonderful gourmet e-liquid vendors: Nicoticket, Alussion & Velvet Cloud Vapor. Great flavors, wonderful service, passionate customers here on ECF (check out what others are saying about them).

Good to have you here and enjoy!
 

MissyG

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Oh, I was so excited I forgot to tell you about my local B&M (Cravinvapes.com). They have an AMAZING "Grasshopper" flavor. Tastes like an Andes mint to me.

See that is exactly what I am looking for, an Andes Mint / Thin Mint cookie flavor. I want the chocolate and the mint taste to be very balanced. The mint flavor in the Manic Mint Chocolate flavor I have now just did not have the amount of mint I wanted, thus the addition of a bit of the Kringles Kurse when I vape it.
 

Susan~S

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Love the cat pic! Looks kinda like a Bengal to me. I used to breed and show Bengal cats and still have a couple pet Bengals as well.

Thank you MissyG! Yea, that's one of my Bengal guys at about 2 years old. He's a brown spotted tabby. I also have another, a brown marble tabby. They aren't blood brothers but I got them around the same time. They are both 10yrs old now but still act like kittens. I can't imagine my life without them!
 

MissyG

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Thank you MissyG! Yea, that's one of my Bengal guys at about 2 years old. He's a brown spotted tabby. I also have another, a brown marble tabby. They aren't blood brothers but I got them around the same time. They are both 10yrs old now but still act like kittens. I can't imagine my life without them!

I knew it! I bred and showed Bengals for 6 years. My first Bengal pets were litter mate brothers...a brown marble tabby and a seal lynx point spotted tabby. They are 9 years old. I also have a seal mink marble girl, two silver marbles, a boy and a girl, and one other brown marble. Bengals are absolutely awesome, and like yours even my 9 year olds act like kittens. One is asleep on my pillow behind me right now, lol.

KholeandBlizzard.jpg

This is Khole and Blizzard, my nine year old boys. Khole (the brown guy) is "mine" while the snow guy is totally my husband's cat. I could not imagine my life without discovering this awesome breed of cat.
 

Slots

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Wow, that's quite a trip through life.
Welcome to the forum .. it's more like a family .
I have a few threads that I subscribe to, and everyone on it has know each other for about two years.
I could walk right by them and not even know who they are, and yet they are "best friends".
You will enjoy being here ..lot of help, humor, and advice.
Vaping (for me) is a hobby, and when you finally get the chance .. you will enjoy making your own juice.
I make an "Andes" mint flavor juice that I love much better than anything you can buy, so think about trying it later on down the line.
 

Stag

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May 14, 2014
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Los Angeles CA
Welcome to the forums bud! I myself am new, and i've found nothing but hospitality here.

As medical concerns go, vaping is really helping a family member of mine fight cancer. She wants nothing more than to smoke, and as you can't tell a senior woman what to do, at least we've got her off analogs. Hope to hear more from you around here.
 

Susan~S

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Did you get them from a breeder? I might know who they are, lol. At one time I knew most of the Bengal breeders at least through email.

Yes, I got both of them from breeders. I purchased Ming, the spotted tabby, from Jean Danforth of Baako Bengals in Mora, MN. He's much wilder looking and acting (closer to an F1 than Tai). He's extremely athletic and muscular and weighs about 8 lbs. He jumps up on door jams, up on my entertainment center and I can't let him out on my 2nd floor balcony unattended due to his laser vision/focus with birds.

Tai, on the other hand, is closer to 12 lbs. He has a sweet face, doesn't jump up on door jams and can only jump up 5ft so he needs a boost to get up on the top of my tall cabinets. I purchased him from Dawn Needham of Tenderheart Bengals. Dawn is no longer breeding bengals. She had an F1 at the time I purchased Tai, and that cat was fascinating. Wouldn't want one as a pet, but beautiful!

Each has their own very different personalities. But they get along very well. Ming will cuddle up next to me or sleep on my lap when I'm on the sofa or on the computer and sleeps next to me at night. Tai doesn't cuddle on the sofa but grooms me in bed (he sucked on my fingers until he was almost a year) and he sleeps on top my arms, using them as pillows. They usually curl up with each other during the day and are waiting for me at the front door when I come home.

That's my life with bengals!
 
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MissyG

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Verified Member
I know both of those breeders, though email and Bengal Breeder forums. Life with Bengals is definitely an exciting one! Several of ours know how to open our kitchen cabinets and like to sleep there. We had one particular boy when we were breeding that knew how to pop open our floor registers so when he wanted to get at a girl in heat he would just travel through the ductwork to get to her, lol. We eventually had to screw them all down so he wouldn't open them anymore. We taught several of ours to play fetch and give kisses on command. My 9 year old brown marble boy Khole stays with me at my parents' house and when it is time to go to bed and he is in another part of the house I can tell him "Khole go to bed" and he will trot to my bedroom and go lay on my pillow. Our cattery was called Fianna Bengals. The brown marble boy in the picture is SGC Zendada Sun Catcher of Fianna. He was our pride and joy and was 17th best cat in our region our show year.

fiannabanner.jpg
 

MissyG

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Verified Member
Wow, that's quite a trip through life.
Welcome to the forum .. it's more like a family .
I have a few threads that I subscribe to, and everyone on it has know each other for about two years.
I could walk right by them and not even know who they are, and yet they are "best friends".
You will enjoy being here ..lot of help, humor, and advice.
Vaping (for me) is a hobby, and when you finally get the chance .. you will enjoy making your own juice.
I make an "Andes" mint flavor juice that I love much better than anything you can buy, so think about trying it later on down the line.

I have already felt right at home! I have over the course of my life been a part of several different "communities" of people. I used to be a huge online role player (Think Whitewolf if you know what that is). I also have been in cat breeding groups and forums. I love that vapers really are a community of people that have made me feel welcome. I was intimidated at first to go to a B & M store being such a newbie, but no one has ever made me feel stupid for not understanding terminology or not knowing what something was. I am lucky also that I am good friends with a very experienced vaper who has served as my vaping sensei, lol.
 

MissyG

Super Member
Verified Member
Wow, that's quite a trip through life.
Welcome to the forum .. it's more like a family .
I have a few threads that I subscribe to, and everyone on it has know each other for about two years.
I could walk right by them and not even know who they are, and yet they are "best friends".
You will enjoy being here ..lot of help, humor, and advice.
Vaping (for me) is a hobby, and when you finally get the chance .. you will enjoy making your own juice.
I make an "Andes" mint flavor juice that I love much better than anything you can buy, so think about trying it later on down the line.

Oh, also, I would love your "recipe" for your Andes mint juice. I am a total sucker for mint and chocolate. :D
 

Slots

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Oh, also, I would love your "recipe" for your Andes mint juice. I am a total sucker for mint and chocolate. :D

I'll "friend" ya, and when you get into DIY someday, I'll give it to you.
I had Ocelot cats, now I have 2 sisters that are Silver tipped Chinchilla Persians, .. and a Siamese (who's the trouble maker)
 
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