Since the first confirmed vaping-related death, more and more people have come forward with stories about their own experiences.

Sadly, more deaths have also been attributed to e-cigarettes.

Perhaps one of the most cautionary tales belongs to 18-year-old Adam Hergenreder, who will live out the rest of his life with the lungs of a 70-year-old after vaping for just over a year and a half.

Hergenreder (below) spoke to CNN about the habit that almost killed him.

“It was scary to think about that — that little device did that to my lungs,” Adam said, remembering the news from his doctors about his lung health.

Adam is among the hundreds of e-cigarette users in the United States who have been sickened with mysterious vaping-related lung illnesses, many of them young people. Investigators haven’t yet identified the cause of the illnesses.

Adam, who vaped nicotine and THC products, said he isn’t sure his lungs will ever be back at 100% — and he worries whether he will ever be able to wrestle again.

“I was a varsity wrestler before this and I might not ever be able to wrestle because that’s a very physical sport and my lungs might not be able to hold that exertion. … It’s sad,” Adam said.

There are currently 450 possible cases of lung illness associated with using e-cigarettes across the United States, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health officials have also confirmed six deaths — in California, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Oregon and Kansas — in connection to vaping-related lung illnesses.

While the illnesses and deaths have occurred in both young people and older adults, experts have warned of a rise in vaping among youth.

Back to Hergenreder:

At first, doctors did not connect Adam’s symptoms to his vaping. He was given anti-nausea medication, but he said that his vomiting did not stop. After visiting various physicians, he finally saw someone who asked if he was “Juul-ing” and using THC.

“I answered honestly,” Adam said. “I said I was.”

The team overseeing Adam’s care performed a CT scan of his stomach and noticed something unusual about the lower portion of his lungs. The doctors then took an X-ray of his lungs.

“That’s when they saw the full damage,” Adam said.

Juul is a brand of e-cigarette, FYI.

Hergenreder spent six days in hospital, and had doctors not intervened, his lungs might have collapsed.

Adam is now home from the hospital and “it’s still difficult to even do normal activities, like going upstairs. I still get winded from that,” he said.

Even though he is still recovering — including doing breathing treatments — Adam has focused on sharing his story. Through his advocacy, he said that he has even convinced some of his friends to stop vaping.

So, yeah – nobody is saying you shouldn’t vape, but it always pays to be aware of the potential pitfalls.

[source:cnn]