I wanted to make a quick post to apologize for being MIA this past week.
It has been pretty crazy around here and I just haven't had the time to post. My mom had a passing out episode again while we were out watching fireworks and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. This is the second time in a month she has had to be admitted. The first time they did a cardiac cath and found nothing wrong with her heart and released her after a few days. This is when she started using an electronic cigarette to try and cut back on her smoking. A week or so later she got a horrible cough and was having trouble breathing. She went to the doctor and was given antibiotics and inhalers to use. She still continued to have shortness of breath though. She had a followup appointment with her doctor who suggested some tests for her leg pain and also a lung function test. It was that same night that she had this most recent passing out episode. I am not going to lie to you and say I wasn't scared to death because I was and honestly still am. Especially when you have a doctor telling you the things I was being told could be wrong with her. She was admitted as I said earlier, and a ton of tests run on her. The doctors were finding nothing that could be causing all this to go on. Finally yesterday a doctor was in her room and witnessed one of her breathing/almost passing out episodes and immediately told her what was wrong. She has COPD which is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is an umbrella term used
to describe progressive lung diseases, encompassing emphysema, chronic
bronchitis, refractory asthma.You can read more about COPD by clicking here.
In talking with the doctor and a few other people and also doing some research on my own I have something I would like to bring to peoples attention. I am not saying I am an authority on this at all but I think it is definitely something people should look into. My moms condition became worse after her first admittance to the hospital. While she was there we talked about her stopping smoking, she asked me to go get her an electronic cigarette. I was more than happy to run that errand for her in hopes that it would help her quit. Now I am kicking myself in the butt for it, and wish I had done some research on it first. I never thought about what health risks they could pose for someone and believe me there are health risks. Did you realize that what a person is inhaling is vapor? Did you realize this vapor goes straight into your lungs, a vapor that is not as innocent as it may seem. This is a vapor made up of nicotine, propylene glycol, and what other chemical the company chooses to add, it is heated by the unit and is turned into an aerosol. Did you know that they create their effect by vaporizing nicotine which is dissolved in a solution of water and
propylene glycol (which, minus the nicotine, is basically the fog that is used in fog machines)? Yes I realize when we use a vaporizer we are breathing in vapor, but it is far from the same thing. You can click here to see what the FDA has said about the Ecigs. What we were told by the doctor at the hospital is that they are finding that these electronic cigarettes can cause pneumonia Because there is a huge lack of labeling of all the components and their ingredients no one can be sure the health risks they can have from using them. Now I am not saying the electronic cigarettes are the cause of my moms illness at all. What I am saying is just like anything else READ, RESEARCH and RESEARCH some more before you begin to use these. Talk to your doctor and get their opinion, when it comes to your body and your health you can never be too careful.
Peace, Love and Cupcakes
