copd & e-cigs?

[mandyjg]

Hiya. Day 17 of not having a cigarette. I am on e-cigs. I have smoked for 40yrs and have copd! I find first thing in the morning when I have my cup of tea & e-cig I get a bit wheezy, why is that I thought e-cigs only have nicotine in & no other chemicals that could affect my lungs & breathing...Or have they??

[kevin123]

Hi Mandy

Well done and keep it up.

Find a way not to inhale much but it will take time..

They worked for me.

Good luck

[nixy 27 Months Winner]

17, days or is 1t 18 now. Consider yourself a non smoker now. Well done, keep up the good work.

[mandyjg]

Thanks nixy for that......But I would only consider myself a non-smoker when I have given up e-cigs e.g nicotine! At the moment I feel I have given up one habit for another.

[tomc LONG TERM WINNER]

I have to admit that I am using ecig too much.

They do make me wheezy to but, my sputum is clear and not thick so they must be helping.

Try to take little puffs on them and don't use them unless you begin to climb the walls.

Reduce the dose as soon as you feel confident and then try reducing the dose further.

Well done though in being toxic chemical free for so long.

Tom.

[kevc 26 Months Winner in reply to tomc]

give it a couple of more weeks and the wheezing will stop and ur chest will be loads better. what e cig are u using?

[monky Administrator Cake sniffer outer]

Aup Mandy, it's lovely to meet you and a big big well done to you for reaching day 17erm no day 18 now

I'm sorry Mandy but I dont know much about copd, only that there are a few other people on this site with it, and I hope they might come forward and help you

Rite 18 days !! so your body is still getting used to the changes, as in getting rid of the bad chemicals that come with smoking, so maybe its just a way of your body cleaning itself out

if you are getting concerned about it, then I would make an appointment to see your GP just to be on the safe side eh

Mandy your doing so so well gal, try and stick with it, any other questions you have, then fire away gal speak soon Pete

[Hidden]

Hi Mandy,

I'm into my 5th week and have a vapor eCig, and also have COPD. I know what you mean about exchanging one way of smoking for another... I don't like it either. the way I intend to do it is too use the eCig as little as possible. It's very easy to keep up the same habits and times when we smoked ciggies. Make sure you change your habits. ie don't have a cuppa with a puff of the eCig, either have one or the other. Which is more important to you - the puffs, or the Cuppa? If I smoke the eCig, I have to decide to do it and nothing else - making it as unpleasant a situation as I can - going outside with it, when it's raining for instance.

I was told at the Smoking Cessation Class, if I was really desperate for an Epuff, then do it, but not to do anything else pleasurable with - to break the pleasure association. I find that re-enforces the hassle of doing it, and hopefully I'll get fed up of it being such a nuisance.

I also checked with the Chest Consultant I had to see on Tuesday. He said, these are not supposed to be a replacement for smoking, just an aid to stopping. They have in them, two specific chemicals that cause them to vaporise, in order to imitate smoke. One is Propylene Glycol, the other is Vegetable Glycerine, then usually, Pharmaceutical grade nicotine and natural or artificial flavours. It's the PG that gives you the "hit" at the back of your throat, and it can make you chesty at first, particularly if you have existing chest problems.

Although they don't have the 4000 + nasties in them like tobacco cigarettes, you are still inhaling chemicals, (some of which are used in very small quantities in Medical Nebulisers).

The Jury is still out on these, as they are quite new, and very little research has been done on the long term effects yet. Perhaps bear in mind that, although nicotine itself isn't carcinogenic. It still can damage the heart, circulation and possibly other organs and tissues.

I'm no authority on these things, but they concern me enough to be very cautious about using it long term. Especially as I want to be a "real non smoker", and not just have a replacement addictive habit.

Right now I do use them, but I'm hoping - not for much longer.

Go on line and have a look about, there's lots of differing opinions there, but at the end of the day it's a personal choice, as continuing to smoke is.

Hope this helps a bit,

All the best,

Gill.

[mandyjg in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou Gill. Helped a lot... I am only on day 22 so earlyl days! started on on e-cigs 1.8% Nicotine Menthol. I am now on 1.1% cherry & Minty.

I have to admit I really like to "Vape" especially with these flavours. I work with several people who are also using e-cigs!! A good talking point comparing flavours... I feel sooo much better, my chest is a lot clearer no more coughing up phlem & I hardly wheeze at all now.

The way I am now looking at it is..... I am not taking in any of those horrid chemicals & so what if I am still addicted to Nicotine!! Slowly but surely as I break the habits of times when I needed a cig I can ween off the addiction.... May I also give myself a pat on the back for also managing to loose a few pounds in weight. I have completely changed some of my lifestyles. I am eating healthily not drinking so much vino, taking the dog for longer tougher walks, stated a course in Pilates. Overall a new lease of life & loving it.

Going on holiday in 2wks time so a big challenge there. I can honestly say that so far I have not felt an overwhelming desire for a smelly cig so long may than continue. I do think about them a lot but have not been really really tempted. My hardest time is first thing in the morning I wake up wanting my cup of tea & a fag.

[aak123]

Hi All,

Start of May 2013 i noticed that i have some breathing problem at the same time missing heart beat sometime. I visited cardiologist for missing heat beats. He declared after ECG and ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC test, that i have no heart disease and suggested to meet with any chest specialist.

Chest specialist diagnosed COPD in start stage. He told me to quit smoking and use E-Cig. i was smoking 20 cigarettes daily since last 22 years. after thinking 10 days about to quit smoking, i decided to quit.

7 days i had no cigarette. These 7 days were very long. 8th day i ordered my E-Cig eGo-T and 9th day i received it and start using it.

in 7 days when i had no smoking, i was feeling 100% perfect no breathing and heart beat missing issues but 9th day when i start E-Cig. i feel i am having breathing issue again not very much but a little. Now i am thinking is it due to "Propylene Glycol" or i have not fully cured from COPD.

I start searching around and found very less material about COPD+Propylene Glycol. Only one website said that Propylene Glycol is dangerous for the patients of COPD.

I am worried again, what to do. what are the facts about COPD+Propylene Glycol.

[Sukeen1 11 Month Winner]

You can never be cured of copd, I myself am at stage 2 into my 9th week stopping with ecig, stopping smoking will halt the copd it will not cure it, my daughter is a nurse and explained copd better to me than my gp, I read a lot online and now I am fully up on the facts of this horrible thing. The best thing you can do for your health and to halt the copd is stopping smoking the stopping smoking is the most important thing you can do. Good luck and well done.