?What Was Your Doctor's Reaction?

[DaveP]

Almost a year ago, I went in for my first physical after starting to vape. I took my PV and some printed material about Ecigs to show the doctor. Once was the New Zealand lab test results. He asked me about my smoking and I explained Ecigs. He asked me if I had mine with me. I did and he let me demo it. His eyes widened when I blew out a plume of RY4 in the examining room!

I asked him if he smelled tobacco. He said he didn't and remarked that he didn't smell much of anything other than a slight fragrance. I left the copies of Ecig info with him and he said he would check out the links I gave him.

My mother also goes to the same doctor. She was in for a checkup the next week. She told me that he had pamphlets in his waiting room for electronic cigarettes that urged smokers to switch and try Ecigs!

A month or two ago, I went back for a routine checkup. He asked me if I was still using the Ecig. I told him yes. He asked if I had stopped smoking tobacco and I admitted that I still have several a day. He urged me to quit tobacco completely and use the Ecig. I plan to stop the after dinner and coffee T-cigs. They are just a bad habit I need to rid myself of.

 

[jlarsen]

I went to a doctor once that told me "smoking is smoking", at that time I had cut back from half a pack a day to two cigs a day, and he told me that two a day was just as bad as a half pack, and that the only safe level of cigs was ZERO. I have a feeling that the same doc wouldn't be too impressed with ecigs. I'm glad to hear that they are being well received by so many doctors. Unlike the FDA, most doctors have brains enough to know that sucking soot into your lungs is BAD, and that nicotine and PG are much more minimal health risks. Of course the docs that want to push some drug like chantix which has a whole host of nasty side effects, are probably not distanced enough from the FDA and the big pharma companies. If you've already quit smoking by switching to vaping, and your doctor tells you that you should take chantix, I'd find another doctor.

 

[hoogie76]

My doc was thrilled and totally impressed with the concept when I first told him about it.. When my next appointment was due, he called and asked me to bring in some samples to give out to his smoking friends, relatives and patients. More importantly than us gaining some new customers is that it was recommended by my MD to them

Similar with my dentist as my gum health has improved to 'normal' from grey I guess. He also hands out my business cards to some of his patients and my hygienist has gotten her mom and sister to swap over to e-cigs.

 

[mlinky]

My doc had heard of e-cigs but had never seen one. He practically danced a jig when I pulled out my pv and told him I had quit smoking. He then had to look at it, explained e-cigs to a NP intern that was following him around, and called in some other members of his practice to see it. I emailed all sorts of info to him.

 

[dinky]

my dr said if i had gone wit th epatch i would of quit by now. not supportive at all.

 

[cookiebun]

I've been taking an antidepressant since 1986. Not only for my mood but for a sleep disorder. I can't function without it. Last time I saw my doctor he suggested Chantix or Wellbutrin. I'd already read up on those and found that combined with my current med they'd put me at in increased risk for seizures. I told him that and he was sympathetic. I have to see him next month and plan to show him my ecig. He's never nagged me too much about smoking, even after I had pneumonia. I'll bet he'll be supportive of the ecig.

 

[cookiebun]

my dr said if i had gone wit th epatch i would of quit by now. not supportive at all.

Been there, tried that, didn't work.
Your doctor should know better.

 

[Moonflame]

Most interesting Dr/ E-cig Demo I have done was with my blind psychiatrist. He'd never heard of them so I explained what it was, let him hold it and examine it, took it apart and let him handle the parts (I was using a passthrough with a Kensington Power Pack), told him there were types that didn't have a cord and were much smaller, and explained what was in them. He was thrilled and said that quitting smoking was one of the best things I could have done for my health. He didn't have any problem with the fact that I'm still using nicotine. My family doc is very happy that I have switched. He had to do a chest x-ray after I complained about chest pains and didn't see any problems with my lungs either. No worries over the chest pains, after a bunch of tests they have determined it's just another symptom of Fibromyalgia and nothing to worry about. The cardiologist he sent me to was very happy with my my heart was functioning and I was happy that I made it through the stress test. 6 minutes of walking faster and faster and more and more uphill would have had me passed out on the floor when I was smoking. All in all, I've had pretty positive reactions from my doctors. Especially now that I've been off cigs for a year and 9 months, they know I've really quit unlike the great majority who go back to smoking after trying all of the doctor recommended methods.

 

[JohnReagan]

My doctor had never seen one before and he was very pleased - fascinated with it actually, although concerned that I was still on Nicotine with my high cholesterol and my family history of propensity towards heart disease. He said he couldn't medically recommend it to patients until further tests were made public, which makes perfect sense. He views the e-cig as a way to step down from nicotine with the end goal of eventually eliminating it.


For anyone interested, I posted about my encounter with him and another doctor back in September here:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-smoking-discussion/125196-2-doctors-1-e-cig-rant.html

 

[pigelty]

wow...seems like more replies have come in the past few days.
more positive-that's good !

 

[silentt]

Saw my doctor today and... She is really proud of me for quitting smoking but she really wants me to cut all the nicotine out.

Hmm... but i love vaping

 

[kellie]

I saw my Dr today I burnt my arm pretty bad at work and he asked if I was still using my e cig. I told him I had cut out those last few analogs a couple of months ago. He was pretty happy with me.

 

[JohnReagan]

wow...seems like more replies have come in the past few days.
more positive-that's good !

This is a great and timely thread that can benefit everyone. Well done!

 

[lookin2quit]

I haven't been to my MD yet since I started vaping full time, but my psychiatrist was very pleased. He knows I've tried to quit in the past and prescribed the Nicotrol inhaler for me once but nothing worked. For a while he would tell me not to pressure myself about quitting, that if I had to smoke then do it. But he was very happy to hear that I finally found a way to quit and he wants more information for himself since he quit smoking years ago but has taken up cigars recently. He was extremely happy that I hadn't gone on Chantix, said he would never prescribe it for any of his patients due to the bad psych effects.

 

[Moonflame]

Saw my doctor today and... She is really proud of me for quitting smoking but she really wants me to cut all the nicotine out.

Hmm... but i love vaping

Did you ask why she wanted you to get rid of the nicotine? Unless you have cardio vascular issues it's not really any different than caffeine. Did she ask you to cut out caffeine too?

 

[pigelty]

Oooh, but out of every bad thing comes something good:

I'm hearing NICOTINE may reduce and prevent effects of certain neurological disorders such as Parkinsons, Depression, etc.

Guess everything on this planet has the yin-yang complex! LOL!

 

[cathysull]

This is a great question. With the support of real-world doctors, the vaping community might have a fighting chance against the FDA.

Both my cardiologist and my GP have recommended vaping to their patients after I showed them mine and explained it to them. My neurologist for Parkinson's Disease is still skeptical but says he can't argue the results

 

[txtumbleweed]

I am 70 and had smoked for most of my life although I had managed to quit once for ten years and another for five but due to circumstances in my life I started smoking again. I thought if my lungs start getting bad like my dads and brothers did I will quit again. Five years ago I was diagnosed with the beginning stages of COPD and told by the VA doctors I had to quit. I tried to quit again and struggled more this time and tried all the nicotine helps but without success. I just couldn't quit eveytime some stress came into my life I headed to the 7-11 for a pack of cigarettes. By this time I was using two different inhalers, having problems walking upstairs, coughing and wheezing all the time. The VA doctor just shook his head and said my lungs sounded like an accordian. I discovered vaping 17 months ago and have been free of smoking since. I know longer use my inhalers, wheeze or cough, I was able to run up and down the driveway last week teaching my grandson how to ride a bike. I went to the VA last week and he listened to my lungs and to my great surprise he said they sounded "Normal" I knew they were 100% better but I never expected him to say normal. I pulled out my GO-Go and gave him a demonstration in the examing room. He ask where I got them and wanted lots of information. I ordered some cards to take in next time. He pulled up my old x-rays of my lungs and yikes they didn't look good. He said it looked like I had emphyzema but my lungs certainly did not sound like it. He scheduled more breathing tests for next week and I'm excited to take them. This time I will have some ECF cards with me to hand out. Sorry this was a long story but I am excited about my health improvement!

 

[tearose50]

My Doc was very much in favor of switching to vaping.......or other nic delivery system. Anything but the Smoke.

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

Had my first visit to the VA since I started vaping 2weeks ago, have to call the doctors reaction neutral.
Went in for a stress test this week and managed to make it through on the tread mill, if that would of happened 4 months ago I don''t think I would have made 30 seconds without having to stop. I know I'm in much better shape than I was.