August 13th 2024.
Paul Cowling, an avid gym-goer and self-proclaimed "gym-addict", was working from home one day when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the right side of his chest. As someone who takes their health and fitness seriously, Paul was taken aback by this sudden discomfort. He was in the middle of "chain vaping" at his desk, a habit he had picked up while working from home. At first, he thought it was just trapped wind and continued to work while trying to alleviate the pain with remedies. However, as the pain persisted and he began to struggle to breathe, he knew something was seriously wrong.
Concerned, Paul contacted 111 online and was advised to see an out-of-hours GP. After an appointment and an X-ray, it was confirmed that he had a collapsed lung. Shocked and in excruciating pain, Paul was rushed to the hospital where doctors inserted a pump into his chest in an attempt to re-inflate his lung. Unfortunately, due to the severity of the collapse, the procedure was unsuccessful and he was quickly transferred to another hospital for surgery.
As an IT consultant, Paul was used to sitting at his desk for long periods of time, often indulging in "social smoking" since 2015. However, in 2019, he switched to vaping and found it to be a more convenient and stress-relieving alternative. He would often go through four or five disposable vapes a week without a second thought. But after his experience with a collapsed lung, Paul has quit vaping altogether and is now sharing his story to raise awareness about the potential dangers of vaping.
Reflecting on the incident, Paul recalls the sudden sharp pain in his chest while taking a puff from his vape. He initially thought it was trapped wind due to the discomfort in his diaphragm. However, as the pain worsened and he began to struggle to breathe, he knew it was something more serious. Even though he left work early and tried to alleviate the pain with gas-relieving remedies, nothing seemed to work. When he finally reached A&E, he was in so much pain that he had to crawl on the floor to get help.
After his three-hour surgery, Paul had to undergo a double blood transfusion due to the severity of his lung collapse. He also had to face the reality of irreversible damage to his body caused by vaping. This experience has left him with "life-changing" repercussions, unable to be as active as he was before. As someone who loved hiking and going to the gym, Paul now has to come to terms with the fact that he may never be able to do these activities again.
As he continues to recover, Paul is determined to spread awareness about the potential dangers of vaping. He believes that if he had known the irreversible damage it could cause, he would have never picked up a vape in the first place. He hopes that by sharing his story, he can prevent others from making the same mistake. As he puts it, "there is no scientific evidence out there yet telling you the damage that vapes are doing, but if they weren't causing damage, this wouldn't happen to you." For Paul, this experience has been a wake-up call and he hopes others will learn from his mistake.
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