'I thought vaping was healthy, X-ray after weeks in hospital tells the truth'

Nicola spent 3 weeks successful infirmary aft her oxygen levels dropped truthful debased her organs were astatine hazard of failure

A mum who took up vaping due to the fact that she thought it was the healthier enactment had to beryllium rushed to infirmary and spent 3 weeks connected oxygen acknowledgment to the scarring. Medics told the mum of 3 she was acold excessively young to beryllium truthful sick and she says vaping is 'not worthy it'.

Nicola Hutchinson, 39, went to her GP for a thorax corruption which near her struggling to respire and was prescribed a people of antibiotics. A week later, she was successful agony and couldn't adjacent instrumentality a mates of steps without “gasping for air”. Husband James, 42, insisted that she spell to A&E and Nicola says the determination saved her life. Nicola was rushed into a respiratory ward arsenic her oxygen levels were truthful debased that her organs were astatine hazard of failing.

The retail idiosyncratic was diagnosed with pneumonia and says she thought she was going to die. She says she was shocked erstwhile medics told her that her terrible information was owed to vaping. The mum-of-three swapped her 20-year smoking wont for vaping 11 years agone due to the fact that she thought it was healthier.

"It was terrifying," said Nicola, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham. "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."

Nicola was successful infirmary for 3 weeks wherever she was prescribed steroids and fixed an oxygen disguise which supplied her with 60 litres of oxygen each minute. Her lungs are permanently scarred and she'll request to usage 2 inhalers for the remainder of her life.

She's inactive excessively unwell to spell backmost to her plot centre occupation and she needs much CT scans and x-rays. Nicola said: "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.

"I don't judge successful conspiracy theories but determination isn't capable grounds retired determination to accidental that vaping is safe. 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."

Nicola is sharing her communicative to pass of the dangers of vaping. She added: "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."