Vaping, Fibromyalgia, and autoimmune thyroid?

[JesikaBeth]

I have Fibromyalgia and an autoimmune thyroid disorder. It seems that since I started vaping (which could be purely coincidental) my fibromyalgia has gotten worse

I am assuming it's the fibro, and not the tens of dozens of symptoms that come with having an autoimmune thyroid condition. But who knows...

Just wondering if anyone has experienced this at all?

 

[sammy43]

I just got Jacob Teitelbaum's book - From Fatigued to Fantastic! It seems to cover the topic of fybromyalgia and chronic fatigue quite thoroughly. I did a quick scan of the index and there is not much in the book about smoking or nicotine but it does have information on stimulants such as caffeine. Just thought I would throw that your way if you are the book reading type.

 

[cigarbabe]

I also have fibro,chronic fatigue syndrome, heart and vascular issues and a host of other problems.
I thought I was getting worse when I started vaping but it was actually because of all the chemicals and toxins from the cigarettes leaving my body.
I was in more pain and having to be deal with bleeding gums, more sensitive to cold, heat, touch, etc.
but that went away as I continued to vape.
I also have severe chronic pain issues and it can be hard to distinguish what is acting up. Unfortunately I think most people like to attribute these things to vaping when it probably isn't the true cause. You should see your doctor to help you weed out what is actually causing you to have issues.
C.B.

 

[JesikaBeth]

Sammy43, I have read that book before, thanks for the info though

CigarBabe, yea I have a doctors appointment set in December. Yea I wouldn't think it's due to vaping at all, but my pain became worse when I quit smoking/started vaping, so I was wondering about the time frame. Would you think that I'd still be getting the toxins out of my body this far into quitting smoking? It's been over a month now.

Thanks guys

 

[denali_41]

Would you think that I'd still be getting the toxins out of my body this far into quitting smoking? It's been over a month now.
)

depending on how heavy a smoker you were before ?? it can take up 10 years for the body to repair all the damage from smoking

 

[Cokeybill]

I "had" PMR(polymyalgia Rheumatica). It is rare and your complete body is in pain. Exhaustion only takes 3 minutes of walking and the pain to take 10 steps is terrible. I lost 55 lbs in 4 months. My 1st Dr. missed it, he figured it was the C word but did not say anything to me. I went to one of my old Dr.s and she sent me for a batterie of tests. That found the trouble...PMR. I took prednisone(30mgs) and 24 hours later, I was putting up curtains and doing everything that I did prior to this. I thank myself for getting a second opinion. I really thought that my day was coming. Vaping has not caused any problems with my condition.

 

[JesikaBeth]

Really? Wow... yea I was a pack and a half a day smoker for the better part of 17 years

 

[JesikaBeth]

@CokeyBill, glad you are doing much better How scary!

 

[Kgrin]

My experience is that yes, the nicotine is what raises your pain levels, but only for a short period of time, it took a couple of months for mine to go back to previous levels, but then it actually got a little better because of the other things I wasn't getting because of traditional cigs. I have found that I had to lower the levels of nicotine in the juice I order because I am so sensitive to the nicotine itself, so you might try that if you continue to experience more pain, and definitely a good idea to go see the doc to, because like the others said it could be a coincidence as well and something else is going on.

 

[JesikaBeth]

thank you kgrin

 

[orachel]

What are you vaping? I've got super severe fibro/CFS/Sleep Disorders.. the whole disabling gamut. Been totally compromised for about 7 years now. Vaping for almost 2 years, after 18 year pack a day habit. I absolutely felt a little bit worse (during detoxing from cigs) and then a LOT better when I first started vaping. I developed some weird new symptoms over the first 6 mos vaping, but just thought it was due to all my hormonal imbalances and fibro symptoms. I finally figured out about a month ago that I'm sensitive to PG, (was vaping primarily PG liquids, and vaping a LOT of em). Since I've been on 100% Vg liquids, 100% organic... all those symptoms have gone away and I'm doing a little better. Plus oddly enough my appetite is much less. Hey, I'm not complaining.

But just keep in mind that PG and or any number of artificial colors/flavors/ sweeteners like sucralose could be causing some sort of reaction with you in terms of newly developed allergy or sensitivity. None of those things are considered 'healthy'. They might be rated safe for human consumption, but they are detrimental to your health (much like mcdonalds food isn't going to kill ya, but isn't ideal to offer nutrition). I'd try cutting out everything but natural veg glycerine and organic/natural flavors in your liquids, wait a few weeks and objectively look at how you feel then.

I love the Virgin Vapor organics, but I think there's a few other places that do all natural/organic like Ahlusion and places that offer some organics like Vaperite. I can't believe the difference in how i feel on the organics, personally. Plus they smell and taste much better, work great in my boge cartos. Just perfect all the way around for me.

Good luck!

 

[JesikaBeth]

thank you orachel

I usually vape 60/40 or 70/30 PV/VG ratio. Very interesting reply, thank you so much!

 

[orachel]

Glad it was helpful! And oh gosh.. I left out the most important part! lol In the last year or so, and I've been really sick near housebound for about 7 years, I've developed some pretty severe chemical sensitivities. WEIRD stuff, like a super acute sense of smell (not the good thing you'd imagine it would be! rofl) and my family members can't so much as spray a single spray of cologne thru 3 closed doors, with exhaust fan on, and across the whole length of the house. It literally tightens my chest and airway so much that I'll wake up from a solid sleep (or as solid as my sleep gets, anyway) choking and gasping. Developing chemical sensitivities is not uncommon for people with Fibro. And for me, it happened almost overnight. That's one of the reasons I'm so sold on the organic (really I don't care so much that its organic, just all natural) ingredients in the pure VG base. And BTW, i was vaping VERY similar blends to you... usually 70/30, some 80/20, and some custom FSUSA flavors at 50/50. Were I you, I'd cut out all artificial stuff from your vape for about a month to six weeks. If you end up feeling better, then you have your answer. Just as an aside, you might notice a bit of stuffiness and congestion the first few days you're off the artificial stuff, just cause PG has a tendency to dry out your mucous membranes and when you get off it it normalizes. But it wasn't uncomfortable or anything, just a detox reaction.

BTW, those VV liquids are NOT a compromise in terms of taste and performance. I was worried about cartos with 100% VG, but its nice and thin, and literally the best tasting stuff I've ever found. PM me if you're wanting a link, as I know there's a thread of about 250 pages of people raving about the juices, and i think there's a coupon code in there for a free sample bottle w first order. Anyway, I don't have the link off hand, but i could find it without trouble, so sing out if you'd like it.

Good luck! And I'd love to know how you fare if you decide to give that a go. I was KICKING myself that I didn't realize for a year and a half that my vape was causing some of my newer symptoms. Could have saved myself a bunch of discomfort! rofl

 

[JesikaBeth]

Glad it was helpful! And oh gosh.. I left out the most important part! lol In the last year or so, and I've been really sick near housebound for about 7 years, I've developed some pretty severe chemical sensitivities. WEIRD stuff, like a super acute sense of smell (not the good thing you'd imagine it would be! rofl) and my family members can't so much as spray a single spray of cologne thru 3 closed doors, with exhaust fan on, and across the whole length of the house. It literally tightens my chest and airway so much that I'll wake up from a solid sleep (or as solid as my sleep gets, anyway) choking and gasping. Developing chemical sensitivities is not uncommon for people with Fibro. And for me, it happened almost overnight. That's one of the reasons I'm so sold on the organic (really I don't care so much that its organic, just all natural) ingredients in the pure VG base. And BTW, i was vaping VERY similar blends to you... usually 70/30, some 80/20, and some custom FSUSA flavors at 50/50. Were I you, I'd cut out all artificial stuff from your vape for about a month to six weeks. If you end up feeling better, then you have your answer. Just as an aside, you might notice a bit of stuffiness and congestion the first few days you're off the artificial stuff, just cause PG has a tendency to dry out your mucous membranes and when you get off it it normalizes. But it wasn't uncomfortable or anything, just a detox reaction.

BTW, those VV liquids are NOT a compromise in terms of taste and performance. I was worried about cartos with 100% VG, but its nice and thin, and literally the best tasting stuff I've ever found. PM me if you're wanting a link, as I know there's a thread of about 250 pages of people raving about the juices, and i think there's a coupon code in there for a free sample bottle w first order. Anyway, I don't have the link off hand, but i could find it without trouble, so sing out if you'd like it.

Good luck! And I'd love to know how you fare if you decide to give that a go. I was KICKING myself that I didn't realize for a year and a half that my vape was causing some of my newer symptoms. Could have saved myself a bunch of discomfort! rofl

I relate to you a lot... for over 2 years I was very sick, in and out of one hospital stay, having to walk with a walking cane, and nearly housebound with a "mystery diagnosis" (this was prior to my starting to vape) ~ it took a toll on everything in my life, and left me miserable. Luckily I was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, Hashimotos Thyroiditis, Celiac Disease, and Diabetes. BUT, that's besides the point... I just wanted to let you know I really relate to the struggle being near housebound is (( Hugs ))

With that said, it's GOOD to know that going VG does not compromise flavor or performance, that's a big important factor with vaping, of course

I'd love any info you can give me. For now, I have quite a bit of PG/VG juice so I think I am going to get through those and then switch to VG and see if I can tell a difference.

 

[Kams Cats]

I have Fibromyalgia and an autoimmune thyroid disorder. It seems that since I started vaping (which could be purely coincidental) my fibromyalgia has gotten worse

I am assuming it's the fibro, and not the tens of dozens of symptoms that come with having an autoimmune thyroid condition. But who knows...

Just wondering if anyone has experienced this at all?

When I first quit smoking and started vaping it felt as if my thyroid got suddenly worse. I had heard that smoking masks the symptoms. I went back on a strict routine and back on my extra supplements. Made sure my thyroid hormones were at the right level etc and things finally started to go back to normal.

 

[Kurt]

Sammy43, I have read that book before, thanks for the info though

CigarBabe, yea I have a doctors appointment set in December. Yea I wouldn't think it's due to vaping at all, but my pain became worse when I quit smoking/started vaping, so I was wondering about the time frame. Would you think that I'd still be getting the toxins out of my body this far into quitting smoking? It's been over a month now.

Thanks guys

I use nicotine to treat fundamental nerve pain from an illness I had. Smoking worked, but vaping does even better for me, and the types of pains I get I am told is similar to FM. It might be that if you are only vaping you are not getting enough nic. Its a tricky thing, however, and in no way am I saying this is your situation, but nic and nic-like compounds are used for MS and Parkinson's, also involving the nerves and pain.

 

[cigarbabe]

Like Kurt I have also found some relief from using nicotine and now that I'm using more WTA nicquids it has gotten even better! I never had the relief I expected from plain nicotine that I get from WTA's!
I would see an allergist who can do tests to truly see if it's the pg/vg or anything else before making a determination myself only because it's always good to have confirmation of something you suspect.
I started out using a high percentage of vg after I initially thought it was the pg making me feel "cloudy".
It turned out not to be the case. The nicotine I used at levels that were too high initially was what made me feel "cloudy" but it was the vg which was clogging up my chest and making it hard to breathe after I had been vaping for a few months.
I find that vg somewhat mutes the flavor of juices also.
If you want more info on WTA's pm me Jesikabeth.
C.B.

 

[Momster]

Unfortunately, I also have some conditions that cause me to have severe pain (Ankylosing Spondylitis/Psoriatic Arthritis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myofascial Pain Syndrome). I noticed my pain levels increasing when I switched over to vaping, but in a couple of months, my pain levels actually decreased for the first time in more than a dozen years. I've also reduced the nic in my eliquids to less than 12 mg.

Hang in there, JesikaBeth, and I'd give the vaping at least a few more weeks. Make sure you're well hydrated to help your body get rid of the analog toxins. Also, if you've reduced your nicotine intake drastically, some of your prescription meds may need to be adjusted because nicotine can cause some meds to have a greater or lesser effect.

 

[JesikaBeth]

My pain levels are finally starting to decrease I am so happy about this!!! I've noticed I've hardly been in any pain over the last few days. Thank you all for your advise/support! Good to know I wasn't just imagining it

 

[Running Wolf]

Thanks JesikaBeth for asking the question I know a few folks with fibro and a few of them smoke, was going to suggest trying to vape to them..... And Orachel beating me to the punch. Was going to say to try to stay to one flavor a day and vary the PG/VG levels.

A lot of times an allergy might not be to a specific "drug", but the fillers, dyes, and other inactive ingredients in them. Found that out a decade or two ago. Asked someone where I was working at where a pharmacy was so I could get some allergy pills. She told me to go to the dollar store. Forget what brand/kind of allergy pills it was but same active ingredient in the dollar store brand and didn't have a problem with them.