Dionne's Journey of Recovery - What happens as your body recovers? And what effect is inhaling nicotine having?

Hey, come on in and take a pew.

We’ve been vaping together a little while now…. I wondered, have you begun to feel different?

Whilst we vape, and our actions mimic the action of smoking (minus flicking ash and stubbing out etc.), we’re still receiving the addictive drug nicotine that kept us hooked on smoking for so long.

Although it's the nicotine that’s additive, it's the other toxic chemicals (over 4000 of them) in tobacco smoke that form a deadly cocktail; substances such as arsenic, carbon monoxide, ammonia, tar, benzine to name just a few… these poisonous ingredients are amongst those responsible for causing harm. 

  • According to Cancer Research UK, it is this enormous list of poisons present in tobacco smoke that are responsible for more than one in every 4 cancer deaths in the UK and the biggest single cause of cancer in the entire world.
  • Ash tells us that there are approximately 100,00 deaths per year in the UK from smoking related illness. They tell us for every death there are 20 smokers suffering from a smoking related illness. Thats 2,000,000 people in the UK.

So we know that by choosing to vape we’re taking a positive step to safeguard our health and the health of those around us who are now free from our second hand smoke. It’s a given that using electronic cigarettes are a much safer way to get our nicotine and can potentially save many millions of pounds in healthcare costs caused by smoking related illness and disease.

What’s happening to your body as you recovers?

It’s easy to find on the internet with simple searches what happens when you stop smoking…

  • within 8 hours carbon monoxide levels in the blood have dropped and oxygen levels returned to normal levels.
  • Within 24 hours the risk of heart attack is decreased.
  • At 48 hours your nerve endings begin to repair, senses of taste and smell improve and so on.

It’s all brilliant news for those quitting smoking and for those of us who decide to make the transition to vaping.

LUNGS: Now that your lungs are not taking in all that harmful tobacco smoke they begin to recover and quickly the cilia, minute hairlike structures that line the surface of the lungs, begin to be able to move again. They beat in waves carrying pollutants and microscopic particles out of the lungs to keep them healthy. These were previously clogged up and now will quickly begin to do the work they were designed to do.

  • Some new vapers experience coughing and might immediately worry that they are allergic or overly sensitive to an ingredient in the e-liquid, and, admittedly, some people are sensitive to propyl glycol in e-liquid, however, for many of us it is a sign of our lungs starting to recover and to clear out the gunk.

BLOOD: Your blood is cleaner and flows much more easily throughout your body. Healing of any cuts will occur much faster and there is more oxygen in your blood, muscles and organs.

When I began vaping I didn't suffer the coughing that some do, however I did have what for me, seemed to be a lot of bleeding from my gums. I have to admit as it went on and I realised it had begun when I started to vape I felt alarmed by this.

At first I thought, having done some internet research, that I might be sensitive to PG400 (no longer used in eliquids and replaced by PG) and, in an attempt to alleviate this I did for a time make my own VG (Vegetable Glycerine) only custom blends. However despite this the bleeding went on and did not seem to be decreasing. Also, I found the VG liquids very gloopy and, owing to the glycerine, for me they were too sweet. Weird really since I’d always thought I had a ‘sweet tooth’. Apparently for me, where vaping is concerned I am most certainly not.

After a visit to the dentist, I was reassured that nothing was wrong and that this was simply the increase of blood flow and it was a sign of a much healthier body. My dentist reassured me that it would eventually settle. And, he was right, it did. I should have been more patient I guess!

I went back to using Exhale Black Label (a 60/40 PG/VG blend)

SMELL & TASTE: After about 9 or 10 months I began to notice smells a lot more. It seemed like my olfactory organ (nose) had gone into overdrive. And, at the same time I noticed that my treat of choice, chocolate, seemed sweeter. Both further signs of my recovering physiology and well known features of someone quitting smoking.

My new senses of taste and smell and its affect on my e-Liquid choices: About 6 months into my successful vaping (after discovering Exhale whilst searching for ‘cheap’ e-liquid) I decided to stop vaping with tobacco type flavours. I asked Dan at Exhale for some advice on this and he suggested that I try a strong fruit flavour, perhaps lime or lemon. I plumped for the lime to begin with and although it took some getting used to and I did at first miss the tobacco taste, if I was asked to vape with a tobacco type flavour now, I wouldn't like it at all. My bottle of lime finished, I thought that as my treat of choice was chocolate I could vape with chocolate flavour instead of eating it. I had an idea that if I vaped with chocolate perhaps my lust for eating chocolate would be satisfied without calories and I could lose weight too! That was a spectacular fail and I still ate chocolate! Weirdly I found this chocolate flavour e-liquid was too sweet for me.

I didn't finish that bottle of chocolate and moved on to try a mint flavour. I didn't really expect to like this based on the fact that I never enjoyed a menthol cigarette. If I smoked a mental cigarette I never felt that I’d actually smoked. So, it seems really odd now that out of all the e-liquid flavours menthol has become my No.1 choice. 

I began with Green Mint which was nice but quite sweet. It reminded me of chewing gum. I then got an Ice Mint which was like the ice chewing gums or, more like those little slivers of film breath fresheners. And so next was Menthol which really packed a punch and provided a good satisfactory hit and powerful taste without the sweetness. Finally I had found my perfect vape!!!

Nicotine Reduction: I was still thinking that vaping would be temporary and so, having successfully transitioned to vaping and given up tobacco flavours the next step would be nicotine reduction. So far so good.

Over all these weeks I had always used an 18mg liquid whether buying ready mixed blends or when I was custom blending. But now I had come to that time when reducing my nicotine intake would be addressed. So, on the next order I bought a 12mg in my Menthol flavour. Now, I know that I was using the same range (Black Label) and all that was changed was the nicotine strength, but somehow the taste had altered. And I was not keen. I can’t describe the difference I just knew there was one. But I decided to stick with it and for some weeks I did manage to stick it out and vaped with the 12mg dose. I thought that over time I would get used to it. No pain, on gain eh?

But on 12mg it was no good. I was vaping more and more and never getting the satisfaction or flavour sensation I had achieved before. There was a gaping hole in my life because I was not satisfied and so vaping was beginning to fail me as an alternative. I was again craving smoking. I did not want to go back to the fags so I relented and returned to 18mg and right away my vaping pleasure was restored.

People around me, now were used to seeing me vaping had begun to ask if I was going to give up vaping. That had actually been my plan as I set out on this journey. However I loved smoking. I really did, and up until this attempt to reduce my nicotine I had also begun to love vaping. But following my failed attempt to reduce the nicotine content of my e-liquid I had begun to alter my perceptions of my ability to manage without my electronic cigarette and it’s eliquid. Where once my answer to the question would have been that I was going to reduce and reduce, slowly weaning myself off of my nicotine addiction, I was now answering that No, I was enjoying vaping and saw no reason not to continue doing so. I know I was benefitting myself, others around me and my environment by not smoking. I knew I was saving money hand over fist. And nothing I have read or been told since has made me think otherwise.

Although I had failed to reduce my nicotine dosage my husband persevered and has managed, and is managing, to vape with 8mg. He followed the same pattern as I had. Making the transition, then giving up tobacco flavours and then reducing his nicotine. He maintains the 8mg as his staple vaping liquid and he too settled on Menthol flavour. 

But what I have noted time and again is that he is asking me to order liquid and is on his last bottle whilst I still have a few left. In fact he gets through pretty much twice as much liquid as I do. Interestingly, on top of using more fluid more quickly, I also note that he vapes for less hours (because I have perpetual insomnia and so am vaping for more hours). I wonder then if his reduction to 8mg has actually reduced his overall nicotine intake compared to mine? I think not.

Other health benefits of transitioning to vaping:

Now, Im a disabled lady, with limited mobility so to hail the benefits of transitioning to vaping with regard to physical ability would be somewhat difficult for me. However, both my husband and son have definitely found their stamina is improved and they both report that they do not become breathless during physical exercise anymore. My husband when cycling, and my son (who also vapes) with his football playing and fitness training. This would point to much better lung function and blood flow being supplied to the muscles. So because of this they can do and achieve more and this benefits their health very much indeed.

The three of us all began our vaping journey’s at about the same time. We all followed a similar pattern. One of us has reduced his nicotine dosage (but not necessarily intake) and all of us have improved health and improved finances. All of us are ‘confirmed’ vapers. We all know that we are still addicted to the drug nicotine.

So what about nicotine then? Is there any good in it?

The American Heart Association says that nicotine (from smoking tobacco) is one of the hardest substances to quit - at least as hard as the 'big gun' that is heroin.

Nicotine has a bad reputation ~This is because it is always linked to the harm and deaths caused by tobacco smoke. It is not the nicotine in the smoke that has caused the health problems, that is all down to the things like cyanide, tar and carbon monoxide etc. It’s the nicotine that has kept us using the cigarettes or tobacco products!

Nicotine has been proven not to cause cancer.

Within about 2 hours of inhalation and entering the body half of the nicotine inhaled is gone. Overnight all traces of nicotine are removed.

Studies have shown that nicotine appears to improve memory and concentration. Experts say that this is due to an increase in acetylcholine and norepinephrine. Norepinephrine also increases the sensation of wakefulness (arousal).

Nicotine results in increased levels of beta-endorphin, which reduces anxiety.

Nicotine is a drug and if taken in its pure form in large doses can be fatal. However, when vaping you are never  taking or inhaling pure nicotine and never in doses that cause harm.

I’ve read a lot on the internet about nicotine and personally I feel quite safe about it’s use in vaping. It is sensible and right that we all make our own choices and base them on our needs and our knowledge. Studies will continue to be made into the effects of vaping and I will watch these with interest.

Exhale would love to hear your stories, so please do get in touch or ask questions. 

You can write to support@exhalecigarette.co.uk

14th May 2014 Dionne

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