Possible harm / esophagitis / allergy ???

[joshstrike]

Hi all.

So a few months back, I went and bought an e-cig, the only one in my local tobacco shop, w/o any company info on the box. It works fine and, actually, I enjoyed it.

About a week in, however, I got a problem where when I swallowed, the lower part of my esophagus would seize up, sort of like tighten to the point where whatever I swallowed became terribly painful going down. It got so bad that I couldn't eat or drink water. I was in terrible shape; it lasted two weeks; I had to get an upper GI, from which the doctors thought I had some kind of tumor on my esophagus...this was followed by an endoscopy which revealed that there was no tumor, just contractions, and an area of severe irritation in the lining there.

It went away by itself.

I don't know if it was caused by the e-cig. It could have been something else. I've got a history of acid reflux, etc., but nothing like this. I stopped vaping and went back to cigarettes (roll my own). I'm a pack-a-day smoker, 29 years old, smoking for about 15 years.

What I want to know is, is it possible that this whole painful episode was some kind of allergic reaction, possibly not even to the nicotine, but to something in the "cotton" or the burner or whatever else may have been in the cartridges that came with this unlabeled e-cig? Has anyone else experienced or heard of anything like this happening?

 

[Shaka]

Hi Josh! Sorry to hear of your episode. Could be a couple of things...poor quality juice from the noname company, sensitivity to the pg/vg in the juice, or even a small potential for sensitivity to fumes release by the polyfill stuffing when scorched.

Many members have had reactions to pg (myself included) and switched to a higher vg to pg ratio, or even to 100% vg as I did. However, I've never heard of problems with the esophagus, the problems were usually in the larynx.

Perhaps it was just a flare-up of your acid reflux...mine flares up occasionally so I know your pain...but it hasn't happen yet since I began vaping. May want to try a small sample of 100% vg in say 18mg nic level and stop at 1st sign of recurrence. Just a suggestion.

Perhaps more experience members may shed additional light on your problem.

Best of luck to you...I'm sure other members will contribute.

 

[DC2]

You might want to try poking around in here...
Health, Safety and E-Smoking - E-Cigarette Forum

 

[joshstrike]

Thanks, shaka808. I'm tempted to give it another try with some new juice after reading about VG. I would not want to go through that hell again, though... frankly, I'd rather keep smoking bad old tobacco, even if I knew for a fact that I'd die from it before I turn 50.

I asked my doc a couple times about this, but he had no idea whether some compound in the e-cig might have contributed to it... on my chart it's labeled as acute esophagitis, unknown cause. He did say that it looked like it could have been an allergic reaction to some food or chemical, probably not caused by reflux alone.

So before I take the plunge again, assuming I'm going to find some 100% VG-based juice, are there any other compounds in there that anyone thinks could cause an allergic reaction? I'm assuming I'm not allergic to nicotine after smoking more than half my life.

And @DC2, I've been lurking around but haven't found much about esophagitis in there... I'd post this to that forum, but I'm still new and not allowed in.

 

[beckah54]

I wonder if the flavoring in the eliquid is the culprit. Maybe some of those would cause an allergic reaction when inhaled? Just a thought. You might try some unflavored and see if you still have a reaction.

 

[joshstrike]

Are there any e-liq brands that have all natural flavors or completely list out their ingredients?

 

[Metstoo]

I've had some strong reactions to flavoring, natural or not. I can vape most flavors but I got a batch of cherry cola that, for some reason, immediately tightened up my airway.

Also, I did better with a mix of pg/vg.

 

[LadyPhoenix]

Ok I am not a doctor. BUT I do also suffer from acid reflux. I think that is the main culprit to your problem. My cousin also suffers from acid reflux and he had the same symptoms as you described (he is a non-smoker). He couldn't eat for weeks and dropped alot of weight.

I have given up alcohol, sugar, carbonated beverages, and a host of other foods in order to control my acid reflux without meds. It improved but you know what...my smoking kept it going! Going back to analog cigs won't help you, my friend. Cigarettes are killer for acid reflux. Amongst the other reasons for giving up analog cigarettes, I am hoping that ecigs will also improve my acid reflux over the long haul. Perhaps you should try VG instead of PG, or a 50/50 mix. Also, buy your juices from a quality supplier. There are myriad threads here about suppliers. And as others said, you might have a sensitivity to either the PG or the food additives. Perhaps you can limit your flavors until you figure out what triggers it. It's just my opinion, but I think it's worth trying again and not going back to analog cigs because they will NOT improve your acid reflux in any way.

Good luck.

 

[vedoss]

This happened to a friend of mine. Turns out he has a PG allergy. We hooked him up with some VG liquid (same manufacturer and flavor) and he has been fine since. Hope this helps.

 

[CaptJay]

Also, and Im surprised no-one mentioned this, you have to DRINK HEAPS MORE when vaping - for which your kidneys might just leap out and ask you to marry them. PG and VG are BOTH humectants, which means they are going to draw moisture to themselves from available sources, and one of those sources is going to be YOU. Offset this with large amounts of water and many of the issues will disappear. Otherwise the other advice is good - some people do have a mild allergy to PG but its less common than imagined - a lot of so-called PG allergy issues resolve over time (and more water!).
Nicotine can also cause/worsen acid reflux btw - you want to keep it low if you suffer from this.