Hey all.
First and foremost, as per my stats, I am familiar with ECF and the generally positive vibe that flows through these forums. I used to enjoy scanning through the New Posts and helping as many new users as I could, but lately, it seems like I am the one that needs some guidance. This post is meant to search for optimism and hope in my vaping journey, just as everyone has had their own obstacles to overcome. (mods, this might deserve to be in the Health subforum, FYI.)
A little background info on me and vaping:
I smoked cigarettes (on average anywhere from 5 to 15 a day) for 5 and a half years. I quit on September 24th, 2013, so I have been vaping for a little over a year with no cigarettes - there is no appeal to ever have one again either. I started with cigalikes (My7s) around 18mg for a few months, moved on to an eVic and clearos (2-3 mL of 6-12mg a day), then to a DNA30 and some mechs (down to 3mg, normally use drippers on anywhere from .5 to .8 subohm builds and vape 3-6mL per day). I have been regularly dripping for about 2-3 months now. My Tobeco Kayfun has been giving me troubles recently so I have not set up a reliable tank in a while. I gave all my clearos and atty heads to coworkers who I have passed my vaping knowledge onto.
The predicament:
Recently, in the past 3 months or so, I have been experiencing reduced lung capacity. It has been growing persistently worse. Reduced lung capacity is really just a vague identifier, as I feel this could fall under "trouble breathing", "tight chest", and a few other obscure derogatory monikers. I am 24 years old, weigh 170 lb., am in good health (presumably), go to the gym twice a week, and play an hour of indoor soccer once a week. My occupational life is sedentary, but otherwise, I am very active - eating well and getting plenty of rest. Hydration-wise, I drink around 120oz of water a day. In light of my healthier aspects in life, I feel as if I am the only vaper experiencing this problem since these forums are normally focused on the positives aspects of vaping. And before anyone gets the wrong idea, I am all about the so-far scientifically-proven positive aspects. I still defend vaping against any naysayers even though it tears me apart that I am experiencing this problem.
Isolating the problem:
When it first started, I thought that since I was experiencing some uncomfortability, I should look into isolating the problem so I could eliminate it from the equation. The very first thing I looked into was VG and PG. Normally, we hear that certain vapers have a PG sensitivity/allergy and switch to a higher VG to ease their problems. I've never vaped any juice over 60/40 PG heavy, as I am not really into the throat hit attribute. I decided to switch from 50/50 to 70/30 VG heavy which definitely seemed to reduce the throat hit, but also tended to be a little heavier on my lungs. I wasn't experiencing allergic or flu-like symptoms, but my breathing felt a little heavier (especially if dripping). I decided that my body and vaping experience was more in favor of VG than PG, so I stuck with the higher VG blends.
I then looked into the amount of nicotine in the juice (at the time, 6mg on a 1.0ohm Kayfun). I decided to drop from 6mg to 3mg, which was a good decision, but I still felt as if my breathing was still labored. In contrast, this problem coincided with my interest in mech mods and RDAs, where I was going through 5-8mL a day just because they chug juice so much faster due to the higher wattage. The low(er) nicotine levels lead me to believe that I was not experiencing a nicotine OD, since scientifically it didn't compute. I decided to stay on 3mg since it is the most available nic level that is closest to 0mg (and I still want a little buzz, don't we all?). I am 99.9% sure that nicotine is not the culprit.
Although a very small factor, I have been avoiding any driptips or atomizers that are made of copper or brass, just as a precautionary measure.
At this point in time, our community (in conjunction with Dr. Farsalinos) was now hearing more and more about Diacetyl testing and how juice companies were ignorant to the fact that their juices contained Diacetyl, and it's substitutes, AP and Acetoin. Although there has been a ton of scaremongering on this subject lately, I believe that ecigarettes and vaping can absolutely be categorized as harm reduction, and it is 100% okay to want to reduce as much potential harm to your body as possible. Some disagree and say "it can't be half as bad as the 3000 chemicals in an analog", and, while I agree, I still would like to try my best at concocting a safer and healthier vaping plan. Now I don't believe I am actually developing "popcorn workers lung" (Bronchiolitis Obliterans) from vaping the flavoring Diacetyl, but after reading what the symptoms are, I feel as if my problem shares some similarities with it, such as reduced lung capacity. Also, desserts flavors have always been my go to, which is where Diacetyl plays a main role. I have recently been trying to buy from vendors who have had their juices lab-tested (a bit extreme, strokes/folks) so I can eliminate yet another variable out of my dilemma. It seems as in FlavorArt and some other flavor manufacturers are beginning to create 100% diketone-free flavors to fight this problem (this is great for our community's future, btw).
Where I sit now:
This very moment, I'm quite torn since something I used to love is now starting to become a burden. I want to figure out what is wrong and get back to where I was a few months ago. I'm sick of trying to go to sleep when I feel as if I can't breathe normally because my lungs feel heavy. I plan on visiting the doctor by the end of the month, but already know what they're going to say - that vaping is the same as smoking and the results are still unknown.
I really don't even know what I planned to accomplish in posting this; I guess I just wanted to get my feelings out there since ECF is a great source of feedback, guidance, and assistance.
I'll be glad to answer any questions anyone has.
hump.
First and foremost, as per my stats, I am familiar with ECF and the generally positive vibe that flows through these forums. I used to enjoy scanning through the New Posts and helping as many new users as I could, but lately, it seems like I am the one that needs some guidance. This post is meant to search for optimism and hope in my vaping journey, just as everyone has had their own obstacles to overcome. (mods, this might deserve to be in the Health subforum, FYI.)
A little background info on me and vaping:
I smoked cigarettes (on average anywhere from 5 to 15 a day) for 5 and a half years. I quit on September 24th, 2013, so I have been vaping for a little over a year with no cigarettes - there is no appeal to ever have one again either. I started with cigalikes (My7s) around 18mg for a few months, moved on to an eVic and clearos (2-3 mL of 6-12mg a day), then to a DNA30 and some mechs (down to 3mg, normally use drippers on anywhere from .5 to .8 subohm builds and vape 3-6mL per day). I have been regularly dripping for about 2-3 months now. My Tobeco Kayfun has been giving me troubles recently so I have not set up a reliable tank in a while. I gave all my clearos and atty heads to coworkers who I have passed my vaping knowledge onto.
The predicament:
Recently, in the past 3 months or so, I have been experiencing reduced lung capacity. It has been growing persistently worse. Reduced lung capacity is really just a vague identifier, as I feel this could fall under "trouble breathing", "tight chest", and a few other obscure derogatory monikers. I am 24 years old, weigh 170 lb., am in good health (presumably), go to the gym twice a week, and play an hour of indoor soccer once a week. My occupational life is sedentary, but otherwise, I am very active - eating well and getting plenty of rest. Hydration-wise, I drink around 120oz of water a day. In light of my healthier aspects in life, I feel as if I am the only vaper experiencing this problem since these forums are normally focused on the positives aspects of vaping. And before anyone gets the wrong idea, I am all about the so-far scientifically-proven positive aspects. I still defend vaping against any naysayers even though it tears me apart that I am experiencing this problem.
Isolating the problem:
When it first started, I thought that since I was experiencing some uncomfortability, I should look into isolating the problem so I could eliminate it from the equation. The very first thing I looked into was VG and PG. Normally, we hear that certain vapers have a PG sensitivity/allergy and switch to a higher VG to ease their problems. I've never vaped any juice over 60/40 PG heavy, as I am not really into the throat hit attribute. I decided to switch from 50/50 to 70/30 VG heavy which definitely seemed to reduce the throat hit, but also tended to be a little heavier on my lungs. I wasn't experiencing allergic or flu-like symptoms, but my breathing felt a little heavier (especially if dripping). I decided that my body and vaping experience was more in favor of VG than PG, so I stuck with the higher VG blends.
I then looked into the amount of nicotine in the juice (at the time, 6mg on a 1.0ohm Kayfun). I decided to drop from 6mg to 3mg, which was a good decision, but I still felt as if my breathing was still labored. In contrast, this problem coincided with my interest in mech mods and RDAs, where I was going through 5-8mL a day just because they chug juice so much faster due to the higher wattage. The low(er) nicotine levels lead me to believe that I was not experiencing a nicotine OD, since scientifically it didn't compute. I decided to stay on 3mg since it is the most available nic level that is closest to 0mg (and I still want a little buzz, don't we all?). I am 99.9% sure that nicotine is not the culprit.
Although a very small factor, I have been avoiding any driptips or atomizers that are made of copper or brass, just as a precautionary measure.
At this point in time, our community (in conjunction with Dr. Farsalinos) was now hearing more and more about Diacetyl testing and how juice companies were ignorant to the fact that their juices contained Diacetyl, and it's substitutes, AP and Acetoin. Although there has been a ton of scaremongering on this subject lately, I believe that ecigarettes and vaping can absolutely be categorized as harm reduction, and it is 100% okay to want to reduce as much potential harm to your body as possible. Some disagree and say "it can't be half as bad as the 3000 chemicals in an analog", and, while I agree, I still would like to try my best at concocting a safer and healthier vaping plan. Now I don't believe I am actually developing "popcorn workers lung" (Bronchiolitis Obliterans) from vaping the flavoring Diacetyl, but after reading what the symptoms are, I feel as if my problem shares some similarities with it, such as reduced lung capacity. Also, desserts flavors have always been my go to, which is where Diacetyl plays a main role. I have recently been trying to buy from vendors who have had their juices lab-tested (a bit extreme, strokes/folks) so I can eliminate yet another variable out of my dilemma. It seems as in FlavorArt and some other flavor manufacturers are beginning to create 100% diketone-free flavors to fight this problem (this is great for our community's future, btw).
Where I sit now:
This very moment, I'm quite torn since something I used to love is now starting to become a burden. I want to figure out what is wrong and get back to where I was a few months ago. I'm sick of trying to go to sleep when I feel as if I can't breathe normally because my lungs feel heavy. I plan on visiting the doctor by the end of the month, but already know what they're going to say - that vaping is the same as smoking and the results are still unknown.
I really don't even know what I planned to accomplish in posting this; I guess I just wanted to get my feelings out there since ECF is a great source of feedback, guidance, and assistance.
I'll be glad to answer any questions anyone has.
hump.
Last edited:
