Lungs

[Lea Ormond]

Hi I'm 10 weeks smoke free after changing to vaping. I smoked for 35 years and thought I would never be able to stop. My main reason for wanting to stop was my lungs as I have the start of emphysema but from what I have read here you shouldn't vape if that is the case. But I don't think that I would be able to stay off the smokes without vaping. Now I don' know what to do as I don' t want to make them worse. Can anyone in the same situation share there experiences with me. I really thought the tar ect in cigarettes would be worse than vaping.
Thanks Lea

 

[bombastinator]

serious medical conditions are not something I feel comfortable commenting on. Your doctor is a better source than the internet

 

[coldgin96]

Hi I'm 10 weeks smoke free after changing to vaping. I smoked for 35 years and thought I would never be able to stop. My main reason for wanting to stop was my lungs as I have the start of emphysema but from what I have read here you shouldn't vape if that is the case. But I don't think that I would be able to stay off the smokes without vaping. Now I don' know what to do as I don' t want to make them worse. Can anyone in the same situation share there experiences with me. I really thought the tar ect in cigarettes would be worse than vaping.
Thanks Lea

I have IPF. I am O2 dependent. I have had a bronchoscopy, lung biopsy and a slew of other tests. Vaping is not hurting me. In fact, whatever caused it in the first place has cleared up (ground glass.) My breathing has improved since starting this journey. I'm not giving you advice and won't, just sharing my experience.

 

[Lea Ormond]

I have IPF. I am O2 dependent. I have had a bronchoscopy, lung biopsy and a slew of other tests. Vaping is not hurting me. In fact, whatever caused it in the first place has cleared up (ground glass.) My breathing has improved since starting this journey. I'm not giving you advice and won't, just sharing my experience.

Thanks

 

[coldgin96]

Thanks

You're welcome. Matter of fact, my Wife has asthma. Hasn't used her inhaler since she started vaping 5 years ago and can now climb 4 flights of stairs without getting winded. Don't get her started!

 

[Maytwin]

Have a read of this from Dr Ricardo Polosa who is an expert in respiratory medicine

 

[stols001]

I can't recommend starting vaping either without talking to your doctor. I do know several folks with COPD that did start vaping successfully and it improved their sx, but I believe they all talked to their doctor, first.

Best of luck,

Anna

 

[Letitia]

Welcome to ECF Lea. I agree with the others, talk to your Dr.

 

[Hawise]

While I'm not in your situation and agree with everyone who said you need to rely on proper medical advice, I thought I'd add my experience.

Adult-onset asthma runs in my family. I was diagnosed with it a few years ago and switched to vaping shortly thereafter. Since then, my lung function test results have improved and I haven't had a single episode of pneumonia, which I'd had each spring for several years previously. I expect I'd be even better off if I didn't vape, but vaping beats smoking hands down.

Good luck.

 

[r77r7r]

Welcome and GL. It is often easier to quit vaping than cigs.

 

[Hawise]

Welcome and GL. It is often easier to quit vaping than cigs.

That's an excellent point. You might be able to use vaping as a temporary step in quitting altogether.

The reason vaping isn't recommend for those with COPD is that we don't know what the effect is, so it's easier and safer to say don't vape. There's a lack of evidence about the long-term effects of vaping in general, and even more so when COPD is involved (although I'd recommend you read @Maytwin's link if you haven't already).

On the other hand, there are strong indications that, absent COPD, vaping is at least less unsafe than smoking. There is no specific evidence to say that that isn't also true when COPD is involved. My guess is that it is - quitting altogether is best, but if that's not an option someone with COPD is better off vaping than smoking. However, that's just the guess of some random twit on a message board, so make of it what you will.

 

[Walee]

To me this is a rough one. Yes, as per all, getting sound medical advice from a doctor would be the best approach. But can you get that from your doctor? There are still a lot of doctors out there that carry the mantra "Vaping Bad, No Vape!" without reasoning. I would still give having the conversation a shot.

 

[stols001]

I'd love to be able to recommend vaping too, but I really can't. I know certain docs are more open to it than others, and I think that also depends on what stage of COPD you are at, as well as other factors, so I do hope that consulting your doctor might be fruitful and helpful.

Anna

 

[Fog n Vape]

Hi as someone with several serious and a couple very serious medical conditions I always talk to my doctors about my lifestyle choices.
My gp doesn't support vaping but my cancer specialist's do.

 

[coldgin96]

Hi as someone with several serious and a couple very serious medical conditions I always talk to my doctors about my lifestyle choices.
My gp doesn't support vaping but my cancer specialist's do.

I quit asking doctor's about vaping when all I could get out of them was, "You're still getting nicotine." Yeah, so?

 

[MJCSD]

Hello and welcome to ecf

 

[stols001]

My doctors are all rather informed about vaping, except my psychiatrist who kind of boggled at me when I suggested that tobacco and nicotine pathways were different, then spent the rest of the session looking it all up. LOL. He's an MdPhD, I think he finds me a challenge, though. I'm pretty med savvy for a social worker, but my parents were geneticists and I rather quickly came to the conclusion, "Blind obedience as a patient in psychiatry leads to much badness." I'm usually telling him more stuff to verify than the reverse. All my docs are happy I'm vaping though...

Anna

 

[coldgin96]

My doctors are all rather informed about vaping

Must be nice....

 

[Fog n Vape]

I quit asking doctor's about vaping when all I could get out of them was, "You're still getting nicotine." Yeah, so?

Not to derail this thread but informing the doctor does not mean they will agree with our choices. My local cancer specialist at first was against vaping but after informing him that I vape on the next visit he brought up that after our conversation he looked into it more and changed his medical opinion and now agreed that vaping was less harmful than cigarettes.
I've had great doctors and also have briefly had doctors that should be ditch digging for a living not practicing medicine.
Back to the original post, research your medical condition and vaping as it applies to your medical condition, talk with your doctor, then make an informed decision, after all it really is up to you.

 

[BrotherBob]

Hi I'm 10 weeks smoke free after changing to vaping. I smoked for 35 years and thought I would never be able to stop. My main reason for wanting to stop was my lungs as I have the start of emphysema but from what I have read here you shouldn't vape if that is the case. But I don't think that I would be able to stay off the smokes without vaping. Now I don' know what to do as I don' t want to make them worse. Can anyone in the same situation share there experiences with me. I really thought the tar ect in cigarettes would be worse than vaping.
Thanks Lea

Welcome and glad you joined.
If you look at the information below, there may be some good news. 10 weeks is fantastic!
Might like to read:
Dr. Polosa, Italian vapor and tobacco expert, reviews e-cigs in BMC Medicine | American Council on Science and Health
http://www.vapewild.com/the-wild-blogger/vapewild-test-results/