I am very excited. DH bestest friend and mine too since DH and I have been together (20 years) is asking me for advice and help to stop smoking. He is the one that has congestive heart failure and out of control diabetes. I have been trying to get him to try vaping since I started almost 8 months ago.
He is in bad shape. Will lose his toes soon. He is on Lasix for water retention so I am worried about starting him on 24mg or 18mg nic because he has to limit water (liquid) intake. I have a couple of spinners to give him and a ton of juice. I also have DIY stuff: nic base in pg, pg, vg and flavors, along with lots of premixed vendor juice.
He has cut his smoking to about 4-5 packs a week. When he has tried my vapes at the 24mg I was at back last summer he coughed and acted like I was trying to kill him. So, I am thinking, give him a couple of 24mg juices watered down with some vg to cut the nic to 15mg or less for his cravings. And then only give him 12mg or less in the juices I have from vendors. I can Diy some stuff with 0 nic in about a dozen flavors.
Lox, the ecig that you gave me that looks like a cigarette pack will go to him. Thank you. I am giving him one brand new spinner and one that I have used for a few months. I will give him a bunch of 510 attys and a couple of evods and heads. And some other clearo that I think may be a disposable ce4. Don't know, but I know I have not used it and will not and I can help him to use it.
He is dying. He is not 50 yet and pushed it too far. He is like a brother to me and would not listen to my lectures. Has congestive heart failure, out of control diabetes and is going to loose his toes. Also 24hr oxygen which he is not doing. I want to write him off, but I love him and can not do it.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to provide nicotine to someone that is on Lasix to limit fluids???? I need help with this. I will not abandon him. I have plenty of juice that I can dilute. But how?? Do I add distilled water? Do I add vg??
How do I help him???? I love you guys.
I am going to beat him with a wet noodle for the next year, if he lives that long. I need help with this, please.
First off Shari, my condolences on the condition of your friend, don't worry about dilution yet though. From experience, everyone I have helped get to vaping has had that same cough, as did I.
For 99% of them the cough was gone and in about a week they were already breathing better. Consider the nic rate though. Unless he was smoking non-filtered cigarettes, you can figure on about 1mg/analog and that's what I tell people starting out. An average pack a day smoker will do fine on an 18mg liquid (BTW, 1.6ml @ 18mg is close to a pack and a half of analogs mg for mg as far as nicotine goes).
The bit about the heavy cough, IMO, is breaking up the mucus in the lungs which holds a major amount of the tar and chemicals. What I would suggest about that is having VG not water handy and dilute (approx 10% at an attempt) to find something he can vape without hacking like crazy. He may end up nearly 100%vg for a while, which will lower the nic content (see ejuicemeup calculator for more info) but hr doesn't need to know that yet. Also another plus is that with CHF (which took my Dad), the coughing can be a good thing as long as its productive and isn't too violent as to jar the heart too much (ie: car-crash).
Also, the pg is hydrogenic (right word I think, meaning that it draws water in, hence early vaping cotton mouth. Just don't let him start chugging water to make up for it.
As always, follow the drs orders unless the dr is an idiot and watch for the obvious warning signs, mainly:
* Very shallow or labored breathing while resting
* A gurgling or rattling while breathing which can indicate fluid on the lungs
* Pitting edema, or fluid retention normally found in legs from the kneed down that when pressed with a finger DOES NOT refill to normal appearance in a timely manner (in a few seconds)
The second of these the cough can actually help by breaking up and removing the fluid on his lungs naturally and the lasix will help with the edema but the labored breathing at rest, especially with elevated heart rate would make me more concerned. There are many treatments for fluid retention and drs have even taken over 9.5 liters of fluid off my 120lb wife post childbirth!
Tell him from a fellow heart patient that vaping may be hard for a week but to start slow and mouth-hit the Atty and inhale after, as it will tame the pg some, and that it is worth his life to at least try (see my signature for all the 4,000 reasons he may need.
Another note since he is diabetic, and like most, I assume he likes deserts and sweets. If he can convert to vaping, he can have all the desert he wants and none of the sugar that can cost him more toes... much easier to walk that way lol. Also, juice has been known to be flavored with both stevia and maltodextrin/maltodextrose neither happen to affect the body the way sugar does.
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One last thing, if he wants to know if its going to work, tell him that a genuine hero (sorry about the bragging, just sometimes it comes I'm handy lol, god forgive me) gave you the extra advice on it.
Here's the link if he wants to know how I'm a hero:
http://www.disclosurenewsonline.com/2013/11/27/tragedy-in-wake-of-motorcycle-accident/
By the way, he survived, kept the use of both arms and is currently in rehab to learn how to to walk again with a prosthetic, and yes, the biker was drunk and crossed the center line. It was the same kind of logic I told Dan that night on the road that kept him calm until the ambulance got to the scene and finished what I started with a tourniquet to save his life. I spoke to him personally this month... no compliments please, not said to brag.
Best of luck with your friend, let me know if I can help.
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Fogging out my Bulldog with an Igo-W on a k101 or an I30 when I don't have time to drip.
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About analogs vs ecigs :
http://www.janty.com/en/news/item/vapor-test-results-by-keca