A MUM was left horrified when a shock X-ray showed her lungs were permanently scarred after vaping.
Nicola Hutchinson thought making the switch from smoking cigarettes to puffing on flavoured air 11 years ago was the “healthier option”.
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But after being struck down with a chest infection that left her struggling to breathe, the mum-of-three was dealt something more sinister just a week later.
The 39-year-old ended up “gasping for air” after taking a couple of steps and was in agony despite being prescribed antibiotics.
Nicola’s husband James, 42, insisted she go to A&E as she continued to deteriorate.
It was there medics rushed Nicola to the respiratory ward with low oxygen levels – fearing her organs would fail.
The retail worker was then given a severe pneumonia diagnosis and assigned a bed in intensive care because of her vaping habits.
Fearing she would die, Nicola, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, said: “It was terrifying.
“I would have died if James didn’t get me to hospital.
“I was in agony. I’m not a dramatic person but I asked if I was going to die and the nurse said I was very poorly.
“I was just thinking ‘What about my children? What is my husband going to say to them?’.
“In the X-ray, you can’t even see my lungs, it’s just dark shadows.
“I had pneumonia and if it wasn’t for the vaping I would never have been so poorly and I wouldn’t have been in intensive care.
“They said I was too young for it to be that bad. They said if I wasn’t young and healthy, I would be dead.
“Vaping was just habit. I always had one in my hand. It was there constantly.
“I thought it was the healthier option.
“When I read articles about vaping being bad for you, I’d laugh. I thought it was definitely better than smoking but it’s on par.
“I was vaping right until the point I went to the hospital, even with my chest infection.”
She was in hospital for three weeks where she relied on a mask to pump 60 litres of oxygen into her body every minute.
Nicola was also prescribed steroids to help.
But the damage to her lungs is permanent and she’ll need to use two inhalers for the rest of her life.
She’s currently still too fragile to return to her garden centre job and will be in major trouble if she even catches a cold.
Nicola added: “I haven’t touched a vape since. I’ve binned them.
“If I didn’t stay in hospital for three weeks then I would have found it difficult to stop but all the nicotine was out of my system.
“The doctors said I can’t catch a cold or get the flu.
“My kids are going to school and youth clubs but they can’t have friends over.
“The furthest I’ve been is to Tesco at 6am.”
She is now urging others to reconsider vaping, adding: “If I didn’t vape, it wouldn’t have been so severe and I wouldn’t have almost died.
“I thought I was going to die and my kids were going to lose their mum.
“I put on a brave face for them and we didn’t tell them how ill I actually was.
“My lungs are permanently damaged and I’ll need two inhalers for the rest of my life because of it.
“Don’t vape, it’s not worth it.”