5 replies to this topic

[elevelyn]

My mother has very bad emphysema, she was told by a specialist that she has the lungs of a 90 year old and she only turned 50 in march!!!

The doctors couldn't help her until she stopped smoking and in the past she was never able to for a long period of time but I showed her my ego-t, she got one and is off cigs over a month now. The specialist had no problems with her using her ego-t and said it was brilliant and not to stop.

She was also told that if she stays off them for 6 months she can go on the transplant list!! This is great news as she cant walk for longer than 5 seconds without having to take a break.

I know its gonna be alot of hard work for her to go through yet but I just wanted let people know how great these things are!!!

[HillBill]

Wow, Elevelyn, thats fantastic news and you must be overjoyed. I hope she gets her transplant soon and it all goes well.

[elevelyn]

HillBill, on 03 September 2011 - 12:17 PM, said:

Wow, Elevelyn, thats fantastic news and you must be overjoyed. I hope she gets her transplant soon and it all goes well.

Yeah thanks I couldn't believe it when she told me. Fingers crossed for the next few months, she has ALOT of other health issues too (she has manic depression which could really feck things up if she became ill) but its crazy that she might get new lungs - I cant imagine the difference to her quality of life it would make

[Maz]

We have people arguing that nicotine is not addictive and we smoked only because we wanted to and enjoyed it, cases like your mothers, my grandfathers (also emphysema) and many, many others emphatically prove otherwise. Nobody enjoys it to the point they will voluntarily damage themselves to this point.

I was going a similar way, breathless, chest xrays showing hyperinflated lungs, my doctor telling me point blank to stop smoking or I would almost certainly develop emphysema. I was told this at age 36, I'd been smoking 25 years (they got me quite young). I couldn't stop regardless of the likely consequences, thankfully whilst frantically googling for a 'ray of light' I stumbled upon a "Gamucci", a horribly overpriced leaky 801 and that started the vaping ball rolling.

Three years later and I'm reasonably healthy, not distinguishable from the average for my age, I hate to think what I'd be like if still doing a half ounce of cutters choice a day. I think they'll definitely save lives, as do many health professionals (who aren't in various pockets) and the organisations who have nominated Hon Lik for various awards.

Good news about your mum, my health has noticeably improved (well beyond my expectations actually) and I'm sure your mums will improve too

[westcoast2]

Maz, on 03 September 2011 - 01:10 PM, said:

We have people arguing that nicotine is not addictive and we smoked only because we wanted to and enjoyed it, cases like your mothers, my grandfathers (also emphysema) and many, many others emphatically prove otherwise. Nobody enjoys it to the point they will voluntarily damage themselves to this point.

Maz, there are a number of factors as to why people smoke tobacco. Although unfortunate these cases do not 'emphatically' prove that it is nicotine in tobacco that is addictive. Some of what I have written has pointed to several factors including behavioural, self-medication and a mixture.

If the purly addictive element in tobacco were nicotine then NRT would be more successful and switching to an e-cig even more so. With NRT this is obviously not the case and witht e-cigs the success rate is high though for some still not adequate. Some people do say that people smoke because they enjoy it and I do take your point. The cases you mention though seem to show that there is something more involved. I am not convinced it is just or only nicotine. Because Nicotine was claimed to be the 'addictive' element, research on other possible explanations seems to have dryed up. It is a pity that this rigid orthodoxy persists as potential advances not only in reducing harm but also effective treatment are being missed.

Fortunately e-cigs can be satisfying for many and if they can be useful then that is all for the good.

I wish elevelyn and her mother both well.

[szaxe]

In my opinion nicotine is addictive. I do a lot of things that are ritualistic and not related to prior phsycholigical reasons such as thumb sucking, nail biting and they can be stopped without problem.

I don't believe that twenty lolipops a day habit for several weeks would turn into an addiction like twenty cigs a day for the same period.

I wouldn't recommend anyone to try this but it would be interesting to know from any previously none-smoking vapers that vape nicotine free ejuice or ejuice with nicotine and ask if it was difficult/possible to stop vaping.

In fact I may start this question as a new thread.