Vapor's effect on the lungs

[schm00zer]

So I have a question for the veterans...

I'm a noob...I'd been smoking analogs for about 30 years, about a pack a day. I have quit cold turkey several times in the past...12 weeks was my max, but I always returned to it.

Now I've been vaping for about 3 weeks, and only a few analogs in that time, and absolutely none for almost two weeks now.

But something I was wondering about is the "lung cleaning" I've read about in the past for those who quit. Apparently, at some point after a smoker quits, the lungs begin to clean themselves, causing the ex-smoker to cough up lots of the tar and crud that has accumulated over the years. What I remember reading is that smoking causes the cilia in the throat, bronchial passages, and lungs to become paralyzed, suppressing the natural process of the respiratory tract to clean itself, and after quitting smoking this process can engage again and help clean stuff out...

So I'm wondering if vaping negates any of this? For those that were long-term, heavy smokers in the past, did you find yourself starting to cough up all the gunk after awhile...even after going to vaping? If so, how long before it kicked in? If not, do we think that vaping keeps this from happening?

I'm personally hoping that vaping does not hinder the process, because after 30 years, I'd love to see some progress of my body's attempt at a "clean-up". In all my time smoking, I've never had a cough, or any real respiratory problems (even after catching the flu or a cold), but I do know that my lung capacity is greatly diminished now (which is a fundamental reason why I switched...that, and the fact that my Mother passed away of lung cancer last year...).

Anyway, just some thoughts and questions about this. Looking forward to your feedback...

Schm00zer..

 

[SpitfireSMS]

I will try to fill in with links later, but I remember quite a bit of what your asking.

Yes the lungs need time to regenerate, and I have read some studies concluding that people that quit when they are 40-45 have a significant increase in life expectancy.
Likewise, people that quit at 25-30 can live on to the full life expectancy.

There has been a thread somewhere in this health section that discusses if vapor actually aids the process of healing.
Its an ongoing discussion, but there is a possibility of this being the case.

And yes, people cough stuff up.
Im young myself, only smoked for 5 years really, and I began coughing up stuff today(after 3-4 days of vaping) and it seems to have quit tonight.
I would imagine for someone that smoked more, the coughing up of gunk would happen a little later initially, and last a bit longer(depending on how damaged your lungs are of course)
Its great to hear that vaping is keeping you off the analogs, and i wish you luck
Hope this helps!

 

[Steph2323]

So I have a question for the veterans...

I'm a noob...I'd been smoking analogs for about 30 years, about a pack a day. I have quit cold turkey several times in the past...12 weeks was my max, but I always returned to it.

Now I've been vaping for about 3 weeks, and only a few analogs in that time, and absolutely none for almost two weeks now.

But something I was wondering about is the "lung cleaning" I've read about in the past for those who quit. Apparently, at some point after a smoker quits, the lungs begin to clean themselves, causing the ex-smoker to cough up lots of the tar and crud that has accumulated over the years. What I remember reading is that smoking causes the cilia in the throat, bronchial passages, and lungs to become paralyzed, suppressing the natural process of the respiratory tract to clean itself, and after quitting smoking this process can engage again and help clean stuff out...

So I'm wondering if vaping negates any of this? For those that were long-term, heavy smokers in the past, did you find yourself starting to cough up all the gunk after awhile...even after going to vaping? If so, how long before it kicked in? If not, do we think that vaping keeps this from happening?

I'm personally hoping that vaping does not hinder the process, because after 30 years, I'd love to see some progress of my body's attempt at a "clean-up". In all my time smoking, I've never had a cough, or any real respiratory problems (even after catching the flu or a cold), but I do know that my lung capacity is greatly diminished now (which is a fundamental reason why I switched...that, and the fact that my Mother passed away of lung cancer last year...).

Anyway, just some thoughts and questions about this. Looking forward to your feedback...

Schm00zer..

There was a thread on this which had a lot of info, but I can't find it now. My story is that I smoked 1 1/2 packs per day for 30 years, and the longest I was ever smoke free was 3 weeks. until now. As soon as I rec'd my first ecig, I quit analogs completely. It took a while for the "real" lung cleaning to start for me. In the first week, I could breathe better, but it took at least 6-8 weeks for me to start to cough up all of the brown speckled phlegm,and found others who had the same issue. For me, at least 2 months of this, and now it has cleared after 4 months. It wasn't constant, but it was annoying and I thought I was getting bronchitis at times. It takes a while is the bottom line. Good luck.
Stephanie

 

[jaybird]

i smoked for 20 years or so....i was 15 when i started. iv been vapeing for 5-6 months , and i feel great. im not a doctor, but im sure iv gotten all of the benefits of quitting smoking. as far as what the e-liqud does to your body,..well nobody real knows the long term, but i feel fine . no side effects, i can breath, i can smell, taste, and i dont stink anymore, + i have a lot more money in my pocket. i think most of us that vape, are taking a leap of faith, but i know my body, and over all health are thanking me for it.

jay

 

[~kerri]

Schm00zer- there is this thread about not coughing http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/quitting/15386-when-am-i-supposed-start-coughing.html
(I remembered it because I started it)
and no I have NOT started yet.
what does it mean? bad? good? dunno- but I feel better and my mouth tastes good...

 

[four2109]

I smoked 35 years. Switched to vaping from 2+ packs a day, over 6 weeks ago.
Haven't coughed at all. I think the nic probably still paralyzes the cilia.... or maybe the PG coats the lungs too. We don't know.

 

[schm00zer]

Thanks! Good stuff...

I guess I'll have to wait and see. I can say that my e-cigs definitely are completely fulfilling for me. So much so that I have no desire to smoke an analog. We'll see how it goes...

Schm00zer

 

[akr]

hey guys,
i have a fairly important question on the effects of the vapor on my ability to run long distances.
I usually give up smoking mid-summer to get ready for the soccer season which runs until november.
to test my lung capacity i usually would try and run 2 miles in less than 13 minutes. It starts off slow and im usually around the 16.30 mark, but last summer i managed to get it from there to 11.30 minutes in just 2 months of intense training.
Im looking to somehow make it all a bit easier this summer however. I had a torrid time giving up last year, and went straight back to analogs after the season ended.
If i start to smoke vapors will my lung capabilities increase enough so that it wont affect my running in games or at least help me get to 12.30 minutes with the help of intense training and healthy eating?
Thanks

 

[Daze]

Hey just curious, from what I can figure out vg is better to use then pg. I'm not sure about this, its just from I can pick up here and there. When I say better, I mean does less damage if any and is a safer product to use. I will go zero nicotine and just smoke for the flavor mixing candy oils and vg to the whatever taste im looking for, trying to be as safe as possible. This has scared me a little into thinking that the vg is going to cause some kind of dehydration or fluid in the lung issue now. Anybody have any links or thoughts on this?

 

[four2109]

No one here can tell you that anything about ecigs is safe, or better than anything.
Many use VG or PG because they have reactions to one or the other. VG is also popular because it creates a more dense vapor that lingers longer. We don't know anything, except many of us have been able to stop smoking cigarettes by satisfying the cravings with ecigs.

Schm00zer, 13 weeks and still no coughing.

 

[warp1900]

My grand father smoked 2 cigars and 1 pack of cigarettes a day for all his life since he was 16 years old.
He died last year at 94, and he was very active till his last days.
Never had respiratory problems.

So, does that mean that smoking is good?

Each one of us is different even though we think we are all the same.
That is why medicine is not an exact science.
I don't care what the FDA or anyone else says... I care about what my own body "tells" me and that is what i go for.

 

[Moonflame]

I decided when I started on e-cigs to see how long I could inhale (regular air) to test my lung capacity so that I could then test to see if it improved. I managed a 4 second inhale, which I realize was really sad. I tried at 30 days of vaping and can manage 14 seconds now. I'd say that's a HUGE improvement in lung capacity! Not a very scientific test, but I know I feel so much better. I can also smell and taste better than I have been able to since I started smoking 23 years ago. My husband thinks I smell and taste better too .

 

[mrrunon]

i've smoked 6 or so marlboro lights analogs per day for about 8 years (i know, light compared to some others here) now.. is that going to cause noticeable affects? i haven't really paid much attention really, so i don't even know. once i get my ecig, im not going to smoke analogs at least for a week and see how i feel. i've quit before, and i can say taht i genereally did feel better, but i think it was because of the nicotine.

 

[AVITWeb]

No one here can tell you that anything about ecigs is safe, or better than anything.
Many use VG or PG because they have reactions to one or the other. VG is also popular because it creates a more dense vapor that lingers longer. We don't know anything, except many of us have been able to stop smoking cigarettes by satisfying the cravings with ecigs.

Schm00zer, 13 weeks and still no coughing.

i've smoked 6 or so marlboro lights analogs per day for about 8 years (i know, light compared to some others here) now.. is that going to cause noticeable affects? i haven't really paid much attention really, so i don't even know. once i get my ecig, im not going to smoke analogs at least for a week and see how i feel. i've quit before, and i can say taht i genereally did feel better, but i think it was because of the nicotine.

I can tell you I started vaping Saturday and haven't touched an analog since...And I already feel better for it....My only problem is a headache that has developed and a slight burn in the lungs when I inhale from my e-cig...The headache I cant figure out if its too little or too much nic. The lungs I attribute to healing...but I have been vaping alot, bother 0 nic and low...we shall see! I was about a 1/2 pack a day smoker for about 20 years and my 510 has done more for me in less than a week than the patch, or gum could ever do.

 

[maddog628]

Water vapor is just that, "Water". My question is what happens when you introduce water vapor in your lungs for long periods of time. Can you get pneumonia? The chemicals are a done debated deal and I see the lab reports on the effects if I do a little research. I tried to research water in the lungs with no information one way or another. I am not a hypochondriac and have been smoking for 30+ years. I have low lung capacity and try to push myself to the limit like back when I was 20 in the military. I sweat profusely and can't catch my breath. Here is a for instance, I rode my bicycle for 40 miles and it took me 3 hours and was cold and clammy with no sweating the last two miles. It was only 75 degrees lol. I'm hit in the summer time and won't push myself until I can breath right. I have to take it easy for a day. I work out in the garage 3 times a week lifting weights and doing sit-ups to get rid of that beer gut I worked so hard to get. I know I'm predisposed with my grandfather dying of emphysema and my father dying of lung cancer. If vapor will only give me a cold and sniffles but repair lung capacity, I can live with that but I would really like to know the effects. The only reason I added the personal information is to get some input. I think I need to pull the trigger and buy a starter kit and some American juice. too much research and thinking things through to the minute detail will just kill me anyway from analogs.

 

[CES]

Everyone is different, and the shift to e-cigs affects people differently. Remember, we're switching from 4000+ chemicals to just a few (plus whatever is in the air that we breathe). Some people cough a bunch of stuff up, some of us don't. After 30+ years of smoking I'm 4 months completely smoke free (with no cravings - woo hoo!) I never really went through the coughing up stage that people describe, but my constant need to clear my throat is gone. The deeper parts of my lungs are still in the process of coming back- I hadn't been breathing deeply for a long time. But i feel much better- to me that's what counts.

The thing that we all have in common is that switching to vaping is a big change, and there are no guarantees. There are some general experiences that *most* people have. You can see many of them in the health and safety sub forum (edit- i didn't quite catch where this thread is living, oops, sorry). It's hard to interpret the source of the changes: is it too much nic? not enough nic? are there the elusive other factor (tobacco alkaloids, monamine oxidase inhibitors)?. is it PG? is it VG? Muscle cramps are possible, nicotine binds to the receptors that make muscles contract. Maybe not very likely since most vapors have had nicotine in their systems.

The changes bring anxiety, and the fact that there are no guarantees doesn't reduce it. Anxiety comes with its own associated physical symptoms, making it even harder to figure out whether symptoms are from stopping smoking or from starting vaping, or from something completely unrelated occurring in the same time frame. There aren't any one size fits all answers. We're breaking new ground and fighting for the opportunity to continue to do so.

The thing to remember is that, unlike smoking, there are no reported deaths from e-cigs. I'm also not aware of any reports of major side effects (including pneumonia). Keeping asking questions and looking at other peoples answers- we're building a body of knowledge here. But also be aware that there are differences in people's physical experiences.

 

[FJF]

Thanks for the post CES (neighbor - Alabama here too) ... as a fairly new e-cig user (2 months), your answer helped with some of my questions too ...

 

[CES]

Howdy FJF. it's great to have neighbors!

 

[underwater goddess]

According to the reading I have been doing, vapor causes slight lung damage, and cigarette smoke causes severe lung damage.

 

[thorn]

Water vapor is just that, "Water". My question is what happens when you introduce water vapor in your lungs for long periods of time. ...

They call it "humidity".