Horror X-ray shows mum’s lungs after vaping left her scarred, battling pneumonia and unable to walk without gasping

A MUM was near horrified erstwhile a daze X-ray showed her lungs were permanently scarred aft vaping.

Nicola Hutchinson thought making the power from smoking cigarettes to puffing connected flavoured air 11 years agone was the "healthier option".

But aft being struck down with a thorax corruption that near her struggling to breathe, the mum-of-three was dealt thing much sinister conscionable a week later.

The 39-year-old ended up "gasping for air" aft taking a mates of steps and was successful agony contempt being prescribed antibiotics.

Nicola's hubby James, 42, insisted she spell to A&E arsenic she continued to deteriorate.

It was determination medics rushed Nicola to the respiratory ward with debased oxygen levels - fearing her organs would fail.

The retail idiosyncratic was past fixed a terrible pneumonia diagnosis and assigned a furniture successful intensive attraction due to the fact that of her vaping habits.

Fearing she would die, Nicola, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, said: "It was terrifying.

"I would person died if James didn't get maine to hospital.

"I was successful agony. I'm not a melodramatic idiosyncratic but I asked if I was going to dice and the caregiver said I was precise poorly.

"I was conscionable reasoning 'What astir my children? What is my hubby going to accidental to them?'.

"In the X-ray, you can't adjacent spot my lungs, it's conscionable acheronian shadows.

"I had pneumonia and if it wasn't for the vaping I would ne'er person been truthful poorly and I wouldn't person been successful intensive care.

"They said I was excessively young for it to beryllium that bad. They said if I wasn't young and healthy, I would beryllium dead.

"Vaping was conscionable habit. I ever had 1 successful my hand. It was determination constantly.

"I thought it was the healthier option.

"When I work articles astir vaping being atrocious for you, I'd laugh. I thought it was decidedly amended than smoking but it's connected par.

"I was vaping close until the constituent I went to the hospital, adjacent with my thorax infection."

She was successful infirmary for 3 weeks wherever she relied connected a disguise to pump 60 litres of oxygen into her assemblage each minute.

Nicola was besides prescribed steroids to help.

But the harm to her lungs is imperishable and she'll request to usage 2 inhalers for the remainder of her life.

She's presently inactive excessively fragile to instrumentality to her plot centre occupation and volition beryllium successful large occupation if she adjacent catches a cold.

Nicola added: "I haven't touched a vape since. I've binned them.

"If I didn't enactment successful infirmary for 3 weeks past I would person recovered it hard to halt but each the nicotine was retired of my system.

"The doctors said I can't drawback a acold oregon get the flu.

"My kids are going to schoolhouse and younker clubs but they can't person friends over.

"The furthest I've been is to Tesco astatine 6am."

She is present urging others to reconsider vaping, adding: "If I didn't vape, it wouldn't person been truthful terrible and I wouldn't person astir died.

"I thought I was going to dice and my kids were going to suffer their mum.

"I enactment connected a brave look for them and we didn't archer them however sick I really was.

"My lungs are permanently damaged and I'll request 2 inhalers for the remainder of my beingness due to the fact that of it.

"Don't vape, it's not worthy it."