Worried about lung damage

[Becki kinsella]

Hi, as the title suggests, I'm worried that my e cig may be damaging my lungs. First of all, a bit of background. I smoked around 40 roll ups a day from the age of 12. I'm now 23. About 14 months ago I switched to an e cig and I've never looked back. I started with a basic one, can't remember what it was, but had no problems with it. A few months ago I switched to an in innokin cool fire 4. I use 3 mg premium liquids, usually pura lite. I use my battery on 20w. I usually vape 15 puffs every half an hour to an hour. I'm very dependent on my e cig, I can't go long at all without it. The cravings are worse then they ever were with cigarettes.

Anyway, to my main issue. After I vape, I really struggle to breathe. My lungs rattle and I cough a lot. I also have a lot of mucus in my chest, throat and sinuses pretty much 24/7. This has been the case since I started using this e cig

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[Douggro]

1. STOP vaping.
2. See a DOCTOR.

I have no idea of what's going on with your lungs/breathing, but your doctor is the person you should be talking to.

 

[Becki kinsella]

I plan on going to the doctors. I'm just wondering if I'm doing something wrong, or if anyone has any similar experiences

 

[Susan~S]

In addition to seeing a Doctor, what is the Pg/Vg ratio of your juice?

I prefer to vape 50/50 as high VG give me phlegm. If you raise your nicotine level you wont feel the need to vape as much.

 

[Becki kinsella]

I don't know what the ratio is. How do I find this out?

I've tried 6 mg but it is too harsh for me.

 

[Douggro]

I don't know what the ratio is. How do I find this out?

Which of these four product lines are you using? Each has a different VG/PG ratio.

 

[Becki kinsella]

Puralite gold

 

[Becki kinsella]

Says it is 50/50

 

[AndriaD]

It does sound like too much VG. That Puralite Gold apparently is 50/50, which is still a great deal of VG -- I have to vape 87% PG, or I can't breathe; in fact anything less than 80% PG, and I can't breathe AT ALL -- I used 85% for a while, but I still wheezed, so I went up to 87% PG, and it's helped a lot.

It still may be a good idea to see your doctor, but if you get rid of a lot of that VG, it might help a great deal. Some people just can't tolerate VG in their lungs, it's so thick and sticky.

Andria

 

[Becki kinsella]

Can you recommend a brand?

 

[bussdriver]

My first reaction would be to raise the nic level. You state you vape 3 mg. That's pretty low for a person that smoked 40 cigs a day. Try raising your nic level to 12 mg and see if that helps. Vaping is not smoking; cigs have lots of stuff to be addicted to that you simply won't get while vaping. If your nic level is enough, it could help get over the other addictive stuff. A lot of liquid in starter kits is much higher in nic level; I've seen as much as 48 mg here in the states. That is substantially higher than the 3 mg level you are currently using. (If you are chasing the elusive cloud, high nic levels may cause dizziness.)

It seems most Pura Lite is 50/50 ratio of PG/VG. VG will cause a lot of people to have mucus and a heavy feeling in their lungs. In that case a higher PG liquid could help. On the other hand, a PG reaction can occur in a few people; in this case, a higher VG liquid should help. Experiment, and maybe try a different brand. Could be the flavoring used in the liquid that causes your upset.

 

[Becki kinsella]

I'm using a box mod, I thought you were supposed to use lower nicotine levels in these. That's what they told me when I bought it anyway. Most brands of juice suitable for this type of e cig only go up to 6mg

 

[AndriaD]

sweet-vapes.com offers customizable PG/VG levels, and ejuice down to 3mg, if you think you really need that little, but I'd agree, that isn't very much for such a heavy smoker. I had to start at 6mg because I smoked ultra-lights for the last 20+ yrs I smoked, and still vape 5mg -- and I smoked only about 20 cigs a day or less, of ultra-lights.

I'd suggest 80% PG as a starting point; you may not need quite that much, but it's a good place to start to get your lungs back to something like normal function, and definitely higher nicotine. It has nothing whatever to do with the mod, other than whatever wattage you select; using low nicotine is if you're using a low resistance coil, or very high wattage. If you use a normal resistance, 1 ohm or more, and low to moderate wattage, then 6-12mg would be more appropriate, and you wouldn't need to vape so much.

Andria

 

[bussdriver]

Now I'll use the ECF names.

If you're a tootle puffer (little puffs to the mouth with or without inhale) then you need the higher nic levels.
If you're mod womper (correct me if I'm wrong) or in the middle then you probably want the mid range of around 12 mg.
If you're a cloud chaser with 2 or more coils in a dripper then you would want the low end.

It's not the size or power of the box, it's the atomizing device and the power levels you use it at.

 

[Becki kinsella]

This makes no sense to me ^^

 

[Bad Ninja]

This makes no sense to me ^^

Do you take deep long hits directly
To the lungs?
Or do you draw similar to smoking?

 

[Robino1]

This makes no sense to me ^^

You may need a device that vaporizes the liquid at a cooler temperature. Some box mods tend to need a device that needs lower ohm coils/attomizer that really vaporizes the liquid at higher temps. When you have a stronger device, you are getting more vapor which in turn can be causing some of the issues you are having.

Here is an example that just happened to my daughter this last week. She was recommended a device (box mod) that requires a lower ohm coil/device to vape. She Always coughed when vaping this thing. We went to another vape shop that understands that some people cannot vape with that hot of a setting. They set her up with a different device to use with another mod that I gave her. She now can vape the 12 mg nic with no problems. The lower 6 mg did Nothing to reduce her cravings.

You should not be feeling like your chest rattles. You really should go to the doc but also try a different device.

I hope some people can recommend a different device to you (come on you helpful peeps!)

 

[TrueNorthist]

I went through a period of several months where I was hacking up a lot of goo, but I will join with the others above who suggest a trip to your Doc. Your lungs are likely going through a tough time trying to expel the years worth of damage and as has also already been said the e-liquid itself can lead to further complications. A doctor visit is your first and best option, then the rest can be sorted at your leisure. Some even have an allergic reaction to some, many or all of the ingredients in e-liquid.

 

[Izan]

I'm using a box mod, I thought you were supposed to use lower nicotine levels in these. That's what they told me when I bought it anyway. Most brands of juice suitable for this type of e cig only go up to 6mg

What did they say at the shop (where you bought it) when you told them about this issue?

How do you vape?
long drags, but slow and even? Hard fast and deep? medium speed, Into your mouth first then into your lungs?

Cheers
I

 

[AndriaD]

The thing about the doctor though -- while it would be a very good idea to try and rule out any sort of actual problem with your lungs, whether it be smoking-related or perhaps even some kind of infection, doctors in general aren't terribly well-informed about vaping, and some of them will actively discourage it (the ones who are purists rather than realists). That's why it would be a good idea to try out higher PG/lower VG, because you might be able to completely clear up the problem just doing that. Though bear in mind, any improvement won't be immediate; when I once tried 67PG/33VG, it bothered my breathing so badly that even going back to 80% Pg took a week before I didn't feel like I had a hairball in my chest.

So, a doctor visit would probably be a good idea, but if the doctor says that vaping is just as bad as smoking... don't believe him/her -- it's really not. But it often takes a lot of trial and effort to find the right balance for a given individual's tolerance -- it's not one size fits all, not by any stretch of the imagination.

Andria