A care technician from 22 years had a lung injury from overuse vaping (electronic cigarette) in the state of Virginia, im US.
Jonathan Belcher He woke up short of breath and with severe pain in his left shoulder, like it was a “balloon about to explode.” The case happened on April 26 and was reported by The Mirror newspaper on Monday (22).
The nursing technician went to the hospital and the doctors found that his left lung was perforated and went inside collapse. Compressed air began to crush the pneumothorax and the young man had to go through surgery.
To close the hole, doctors had to remove an upper quarter of Jonathan’s left lung. One of the nurses involved in the case stated that he “faced death.”
“I woke up dying [naquele dia]. I was terrified and knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what,” Jonathan told the Mirror.
consequences of an operation
Jonathan started vaping at the age of 17 and developed one severe addiction, which is equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day. After the operation, the young man spent almost two weeks in the hospital and was released on May 9th.
With part of the lung removed, the caregiver struggles to sleep and gets winded after simple activities.
“The pain wasn’t the worst thing about coming home, it was actually the trauma,” he revealed. He laments that he is no longer able to do things the way he used to.
Jonathan claims he stopped smoking altogether after the trauma. “Given the pain I endured, the trauma it caused and the issues I’ve faced since then, the best advice I can give anyone looking to quit smoking is to keep this in mind that this will happen to you, too,” he said.
“Don’t think like it’s going to happen, think about when it’s going to happen,” the nurse urged.