In May 2023, Alex Gittins was using a vape when he discovered it wasn’t functioning normally and that his throat had a “horrible taste.”
The 31-year-old went to A&E shortly after complaining that he was having trouble breathing. He received the horrifying news that his lung had collapsed there.
County Durham resident Alex is worried that others might find themselves in his situation after having to have a portion of his lung removed in order for it to be reinflated.
“My main worry is that this could have happened to kids,” he said.
There are a lot of them walking about puffing on vapes, but the government is doing nothing to outlaw them.
“You know what smoking does to you, but you have no idea what vaping does,” There’s a problem; children could perish.
Roofer Alex claims to have purchased the vaporizer from Easi-Vape in Bishop Auckland, where he has been buying vaporizers for the previous four months.
Although he had smoked dozens without incident and was paying £20 for six, he instantly sensed something was amiss this time.
‘I started smoking it until it suddenly didn’t make the mist properly,’ said Alex, a mother-to-be due in September. My throat had a horrible taste in it.
Five or ten minutes later, I was standing there and breathing in, but it felt like I had a huge stitch, the woman continued.
Within the following hour, It started getting worse.
Alex’s chest started to feel significantly worse while he was driving home from work.
His breathing got worse at A&E after he visited a walk-in clinic, where he was told to proceed to the closest hospital.
He learned the unsettling news that his right lung had collapsed and needed to be reinflated when a doctor checked him.
However, a routine surgery went wrong, and as a result, fluid began leaking from his lung.
Suction was used by the medical professionals in an effort to drain the fluid, but after two days, the lung had not yet reinflated and fluid was still present.
Finally, Alex underwent an emergency procedure in which doctors cut out a portion of his lung, stitched it back together, and then inflated it.
Although Alex has since been discharged, he still gets weekly check-ups and finds it difficult to fully exhale. He’s not able to work right now, too.
Should you be encountering any of the difficulties outlined in this article, please reach out to us, and our team will try to help in any way possible.