So upset! I think I have to stop vaping.
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Whole heartedly agree.....DRINK until you cannot stand it and feel like you are 5 lbs heavier..
Believe me I've considered dehydration. Been drinking copious amounts of water - to the point where I live on the loo!
If it were dehydration surely my face wouldn't be burning so painfully as it is? I'm sure it's not that.
To be honest it seems SO very unlikely that it would be VG that I'm allergic to. From everything I've read it seems almost impossible. Ok so there's a slim chance that it IS the flavourings. Maybe I need to keep going for a few more days without any flavour? I don't know how allergies work. Does it take a lot of time for them to work themselves out of your system? Longer than two days? I could maybe put up with this for one more day at least
Or I could try switching the VG juice to another brand. I did read somewhere that this helped someone with chest related issues.
I know though that to accurately assess the situation I'll have to go back to cigarettes.
No point in switching to ANOTHER "unknown" by trying the lozenges or gum which may further cause other symptoms or increase these problems.
I need to go back to what was totally normal for me prior to vaping to see if all this STOPS.
I appreciate all your replies. I hate to complicate things by posting of my negatives but I guess we're all guinea pigs and unless we are honest with our experiences we won't learn anything.
I just hope I can come back in a few weeks and post that my issues were TOTALLY unrelated to vaping - or at the very least that I have found a solution so I can still vape.
If it were dehydration surely my face wouldn't be burning so painfully as it is? I'm sure it's not that.
To be honest it seems SO very unlikely that it would be VG that I'm allergic to. From everything I've read it seems almost impossible. Ok so there's a slim chance that it IS the flavourings. Maybe I need to keep going for a few more days without any flavour? I don't know how allergies work. Does it take a lot of time for them to work themselves out of your system? Longer than two days? I could maybe put up with this for one more day at least
Or I could try switching the VG juice to another brand. I did read somewhere that this helped someone with chest related issues.
I know though that to accurately assess the situation I'll have to go back to cigarettes.
No point in switching to ANOTHER "unknown" by trying the lozenges or gum which may further cause other symptoms or increase these problems.
I need to go back to what was totally normal for me prior to vaping to see if all this STOPS.
I appreciate all your replies. I hate to complicate things by posting of my negatives but I guess we're all guinea pigs and unless we are honest with our experiences we won't learn anything.
I just hope I can come back in a few weeks and post that my issues were TOTALLY unrelated to vaping - or at the very least that I have found a solution so I can still vape.
I agree about the water, it talks a lot of water to counteract the VG, even PG too.
Also, just from recent experience, I can tell you that poison ivy does travel through the air. On Easter Sunday afternoon I was outside but did NO yard work and have never seen any poison ivy around. We are fairly particular about the plants around the house outside as my husband has a lethal allergy to wasps and bees, so no flowing plants or vines, and I watch for vines, so no poison ivy. That afternoon was windy though, very windy, even for Texas.
On Thursday of the next week I started having a rash much like you describe, started on my face, spread EVERYWHERE !
I was so puzzled and the rash in my case got so severe that I was scratching myself raw in my sleep, had to wear gloves to bed. Used all sorts of creams, ointments, etc., to no avail. Finally went to doc thinking the unthinkable, SCABIES. Well, it was poison ivy, big steroid shot took care of it after a week.
Try the water and the unflavored nic juice.
Good luck and I hope you find an answer soon. I so feel for you !
Also, just from recent experience, I can tell you that poison ivy does travel through the air. On Easter Sunday afternoon I was outside but did NO yard work and have never seen any poison ivy around. We are fairly particular about the plants around the house outside as my husband has a lethal allergy to wasps and bees, so no flowing plants or vines, and I watch for vines, so no poison ivy. That afternoon was windy though, very windy, even for Texas.
On Thursday of the next week I started having a rash much like you describe, started on my face, spread EVERYWHERE !
I was so puzzled and the rash in my case got so severe that I was scratching myself raw in my sleep, had to wear gloves to bed. Used all sorts of creams, ointments, etc., to no avail. Finally went to doc thinking the unthinkable, SCABIES. Well, it was poison ivy, big steroid shot took care of it after a week.
Try the water and the unflavored nic juice.
Good luck and I hope you find an answer soon. I so feel for you !
That's awful! I feel for you, and hope that whatever this is will go away fast.
Let's assume for a minute that this is due to vaping. I think you are doing the right thing by trying to eliminate potential culprits one by one. But it doesn't seem to work...try PG juice, but if doesn't work either, I can't imagine what it could be (you ruled out nic, and tested flavoring). The only other thing that I can think of that woud be related to ecig (besides the VG) would be the primer in the atty (not sure what's used). Did you change your atty recently?
Hope you will find out soon what is causing this big headache (literaly!)
Let's assume for a minute that this is due to vaping. I think you are doing the right thing by trying to eliminate potential culprits one by one. But it doesn't seem to work...try PG juice, but if doesn't work either, I can't imagine what it could be (you ruled out nic, and tested flavoring). The only other thing that I can think of that woud be related to ecig (besides the VG) would be the primer in the atty (not sure what's used). Did you change your atty recently?
Hope you will find out soon what is causing this big headache (literaly!)
No mango allergy here. I can't eat enough of them! Fruit of the Gods! That's not to say that an artificial flavouring is the same - it's just not.
TomCatt....you make a good point regarding the atty/cartomiser. I'll check on that.
Fruit of the Gods! That's not to say that an artificial flavouring is the same - it's just not. TomCatt....you make a good point regarding the atty/cartomiser. I'll check on that.
I'd go to a dermatologist, even if it is from vaping it could be the sign of something else. In my example, eczema, had I not gone in when I still had the rash they would not have been able to diagnose it and I wouldn't be getting the correct treatment. It is very likely that they will tell you to stop vaping to see if it helps, but the most important part is having a specialist involved in the process so they can help narrow down what the underlying problem actually is... otherwise you could end up with issues later without ever knowing what it was that actually causes the problem (maybe it's one of the flavorings, or could be the PG... lots of things it could be, but without finding out you can't avoid it in the future).
I know this sounds insane but is there any way you could be allergic to the nic juice? I know it doesn't make any sense at all but I've read the side effects from nicotine gum/lozengers etc and they DO mention allergic reactions. So I suppose it "can" happen?
I wonder if it's even vaguely possible to be ok with nicotine in a cigarette but not necessarily in gums, lozenges....or maybe even e-cigs?
That would be a nightmare scenario for me because I need nicotine !
My tongue played up big time in the first two weeks or so of vaping. Really sore and irritated. Nicotine after all IS a skin irritant. Maybe the filter on a cigarette stops that irritation?
Nah.....surely not. It could explain my sore tongue but not the face rash. If I were truly allergic to nicotine I would have been prone to eczema whilst smoking - surely!
I wonder if it's even vaguely possible to be ok with nicotine in a cigarette but not necessarily in gums, lozenges....or maybe even e-cigs?
That would be a nightmare scenario for me because I need nicotine !
My tongue played up big time in the first two weeks or so of vaping. Really sore and irritated. Nicotine after all IS a skin irritant. Maybe the filter on a cigarette stops that irritation?
Nah.....surely not. It could explain my sore tongue but not the face rash. If I were truly allergic to nicotine I would have been prone to eczema whilst smoking - surely!
I doubt if it's related to vaping considering all the chemicals in cigarettes. Maybe you're detoxing.
What makes you think that's true?
What makes you think that's true?
I would switch liquid suppliers. It could be (as mentioned earlier) a reaction to a flavoring. It could only be the batch you are currently using. I would get several different suppliers liquids and some PG based liquid and do some experimenting. I am sorry to hear about your problem.
Swedish fish ....I'm saying that because this "seems" to me like eczema , in appearance anyway.
Should have said "If I were truly allergic to nicotine I would have been prone to allergic rashes such as this while smoking - surely?" Anyway, that's just being silly - and desperate. I'm sure I don't have an allergy to nicotine! An addiction yes.
Sugar and Spice the juices are from here in Australia and yes they are all VG.
Should have said "If I were truly allergic to nicotine I would have been prone to allergic rashes such as this while smoking - surely?" Anyway, that's just being silly - and desperate. I'm sure I don't have an allergy to nicotine! An addiction yes.
Sugar and Spice the juices are from here in Australia and yes they are all VG.
If you're pretty sure it's vaping related, I'd rather you stopped vaping temporarily and figured out the allergy. Even if you switch to gum, lozenges, even back to cigs... that's better than anaphylactic shock or something.
BTW... I have some allergies, so I DIY my own juice. If I find flavors that cause me to have a reaction (mine are mild like hives, itching) then I don't use em and can avoid them in future mixes.
If you do a skin test with PG and then VG, that MAY tell you something. Your doctor could tell you about that too even if she isn't aware of e-cigs or recommend an allergist. IDK if a skin test is conclusive. Also if you find there is no reaction to PG/VG/Nic, try vaping unflavored again. Also, nic is often mixed in PG unless you are positive the juice is 100% VG. And try another vendor, some juices I've tried cause mouth irritation, switching vendors helped. Not all PG and VG and Nic are created equal. Oh, and you may even wish to ask your doctor about an epipen if you continue vaping. See if she thinks it is prudent or not necessary.
Then again, if you tried unflavored, and didn't get a reaction out of the VG... IDK. Try the doctor again, or anther one. And test the PG too.
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P.S.
BTW... I have some allergies, so I DIY my own juice. If I find flavors that cause me to have a reaction (mine are mild like hives, itching) then I don't use em and can avoid them in future mixes.
If you do a skin test with PG and then VG, that MAY tell you something. Your doctor could tell you about that too even if she isn't aware of e-cigs or recommend an allergist. IDK if a skin test is conclusive. Also if you find there is no reaction to PG/VG/Nic, try vaping unflavored again. Also, nic is often mixed in PG unless you are positive the juice is 100% VG. And try another vendor, some juices I've tried cause mouth irritation, switching vendors helped. Not all PG and VG and Nic are created equal. Oh, and you may even wish to ask your doctor about an epipen if you continue vaping. See if she thinks it is prudent or not necessary.
Then again, if you tried unflavored, and didn't get a reaction out of the VG... IDK. Try the doctor again, or anther one. And test the PG too.
EDIT:
P.S.
Not impossible at all. In fact, the product that caused my mouth irritation noted above was VG from a vendor I hadn't tried before. So... not all VG is created equal (or the other ingredients for that matter). Hope it is just extreme quit-zits or something. But, sounds like you're sure it's an allergy.
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Sorry to hear about your problems. I know that once your body has an allergic reaction it releases histamines and even after you take away what caused it, it will continue. It can do this for up to a week. And other things like heat can cause a reaction once the histamines are in your system. Benadryl can help alleviate this some. So even if you stopped whatever caused this you might see symptoms for up to a week after. Good luck and hope you can stay away from the butts.
When I first started vaping (Dec. '10) I too developed a rash. I KNOW it was from vaping - nothing else had changed. It was not as bad as what you are describing however. I had bumps and was itching and thought "OH NO" I didn't want to quit vaping and I didn't. I'm a pretty heavy vapor and after about two weeks or three weeks it finally went away. I'm NOT suggesting you suffer through this however, what I had was more annoying than anything. I use more vg than pg in my juice. I've seen on this board several discussions about being allergic to vg so maybe you're going to have to increase the pg. I really hope something works out for you.
Do you have access to just straight vg alone without any nic or flavor.....? maybe if you just tried lowering the nic and use just straight vg....since vg is in practically everything, ie. shampoos, soap, lotion, etc it is hard to think that vg is the culprite since we all use some products that already have it in them.....the cortizone creme the dr gave you should help but may take a few days....and if it is an allergic reaction, an anti-histamine would help it greatly. Can you get those over the counter in Australia? ask the pharmasist..(sp)
I feel so bad for you.......you must be miserable.....
Hmmmm, my mother ate so much shellfish (mostly fried oysters) that she became allergic to shellfish.No mango allergy here. I can't eat enough of them!
She couldn't eat any shellfish at all without getting horrible allergic reactions.
Have you had any mangos since this started?
(No mango's DC2...unfortunately the season is over. Winter here. )
I just want to say that you guys are just SO kind! Thanks so much for trying to figure this out for me and for all your helpful suggestions, relating of your own experiences and pm's.
I've literally been sitting here bawling my eyes out because this is so disappointing to me and not an easy decision to make at all but I really AM miserable and in pain.
I doubt whether this could become something life threatening. Surely that would have happened by now? No breathing problems at all, but it is becoming rather sanity threatening.
Ok, so I have a plan!
I'm going to stop vaping today and go back to smokes. I know, I know....cringe....but I feel I have to so I can get back to what was normal for my body before I began vaping.
I have never chewed nic gum OR used the lozenges so I don't know if they will throw some untoward symptom into the mix that might confuse the issue.
I'll do this for a week or so and see if this rash goes away.
If it does go away then I'll start vaping again with a new brand of VG and no flavour whatsoever.
See how that goes.
If I get any untoward symptoms I can assume then that it's a VG intolerance.
SO....then I'll switch to PG and NO flavour.
By then surely I should know whether it's the VG.
After that I can start slowly introducing flavours - not that the flavours bother me that much to be honest because I can hardly taste them anyway - not with VG anyway.
So I'll do a slow process of elimination. It's all I can do.
I'm NOT going to give up the idea of vaping because I want more than ever to not smoke!
)I just want to say that you guys are just SO kind! Thanks so much for trying to figure this out for me and for all your helpful suggestions, relating of your own experiences and pm's.
I've literally been sitting here bawling my eyes out because this is so disappointing to me and not an easy decision to make at all but I really AM miserable and in pain.
I doubt whether this could become something life threatening. Surely that would have happened by now? No breathing problems at all, but it is becoming rather sanity threatening.
Ok, so I have a plan!
I'm going to stop vaping today and go back to smokes. I know, I know....cringe....but I feel I have to so I can get back to what was normal for my body before I began vaping.
I have never chewed nic gum OR used the lozenges so I don't know if they will throw some untoward symptom into the mix that might confuse the issue.
I'll do this for a week or so and see if this rash goes away.
If it does go away then I'll start vaping again with a new brand of VG and no flavour whatsoever.
See how that goes.
If I get any untoward symptoms I can assume then that it's a VG intolerance.
SO....then I'll switch to PG and NO flavour.
By then surely I should know whether it's the VG.
After that I can start slowly introducing flavours - not that the flavours bother me that much to be honest because I can hardly taste them anyway - not with VG anyway.
So I'll do a slow process of elimination. It's all I can do.
I'm NOT going to give up the idea of vaping because I want more than ever to not smoke!
I don't know but whatever the cause you should get some Benadryl or the equivalent to relieve your symptoms and I find it astounding that two different docs couldn't give you a daiagnosis.
Also as far as poison ivy type rash if that's what it was the doctors would've been able to diagnose it.
Also as far as poison ivy type rash if that's what it was the doctors would've been able to diagnose it.
Instead of going back to cigarettes, maybe if you bought some SNUS pillows to aleviate your nic cravings while you determine what is causing your reaction. At least you won't be putting the poisons back in your lungs. SNUS does work as an effective nicotine delivery system at least for you it could be a short term fix. I feel so bad for you. I hope you get this figured out soon.
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