'I thought vaping was healthy, X-ray after weeks in hospital tells the truth'

Nicola spent three weeks in hospital after her oxygen levels dropped so low her organs were at risk of failure

A mum who took up vaping because she thought it was the healthier option had to be rushed to hospital and spent three weeks on oxygen thanks to the scarring. Medics told the mum of three she was far too young to be so ill and she says vaping is 'not worth it'.

Nicola Hutchinson, 39, went to her GP for a chest infection which left her struggling to breathe and was prescribed a course of antibiotics. A week later, she was in agony and couldn't even take a couple of steps without “gasping for air”. Husband James, 42, insisted that she go to A&E and Nicola says the decision saved her life. Nicola was rushed into a respiratory ward as her oxygen levels were so low that her organs were at risk of failing.

The retail worker was diagnosed with pneumonia and says she thought she was going to die. She says she was shocked when medics told her that her severe condition was due to vaping. The mum-of-three swapped her 20-year smoking habit for vaping 11 years ago because she thought it was healthier.

"It was terrifying," said Nicola, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham. "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."

Nicola was in hospital for three weeks where she was prescribed steroids and given an oxygen mask which supplied her with 60 litres of oxygen every minute. Her lungs are permanently scarred and she'll need to use two inhalers for the rest of her life.

She's still too unwell to go back to her garden centre job and she needs more CT scans and x-rays. Nicola said: "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.

"I don't believe in conspiracy theories but there isn't enough evidence out there to say that vaping is safe. 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."

Nicola is sharing her story to warn of the dangers of vaping. She added: "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."