A university student has begged her peers to stop vaping after she spent several days in hospital with ‘the most horrific pain’ brought on by a collapsed lung.
American student Grace Brassel, 23, recently spent two stints in hospital after suffering a spontaneous pneumothorax – the sudden onset of a collapsed lung without any known cause.
She said in a now viral TikTok that she woke up coughing blood and was sent to the emergency room where a tube had to be placed into her left lung.
But one week later she was rushed back to hospital after she again spluttered blood.
American student Grace Brassel, 23, recently spent two stints in hospital after suffering a spontaneous pneumothorax – the sudden onset of a collapsed lung without any known cause
She then had to undergo emergency surgery, spending the next four days in hospital, three of which she spent with another tube in her lung.
Ms Brassel said her sudden illness was due to genetics and the fact she was tall and thin, but added her habit with e-cigarettes could have made the situation fatal.
‘This didn’t happen directly because of vaping but the vaping could have killed me,’ she said.
She showed the X-ray of her left lung which had collapsed
The 23-year-old’s surgery involved doctors removing parts of her lung which had caused it to collapse.
‘Then they take a really rough and sharp scrubber thing and they go inside and they scrub my lung and my rib until it’s really raw and inflamed, almost like a horrible rug burn on the inside of your organ,’ she said.
The 23-year-old said while her illness wasn’t directly related to vaping, e-cigarettes could have ‘killed me’
‘When I woke up from the surgery, I asked the nurse if this is what death is, if I was dying,’ she added choking back tears.
‘It was one of the most horrific pains I’d ever experienced and it would not end … one of the nurses started crying because she felt so awful, because it’s known to be one of the most horrific surgeries ever.’
She then had a tube inserted into her lung which remained there for the next three days, to drain any blood or fluid.
Ms Brassel likened the pain to ‘torture’ and said ‘the only way to describe it is inhumane’.
Pictured is Ms Brassel during her first stint in hospital when her lung collapsed
She is now hoping her story will push others to stop vaping, with e-cigarettes taking a massive hold on younger generations around the world.
She noted vaping wasn’t the direct cause but said her habit would not have done her any favours.
‘A lot of it has to do with being thin and tall but vaping does not help and I will never vape again in my life,’ Ms Brassel said.
In Australia vapes are illegal unless the person has a prescription, but many have admitted just how easy they are to get even without one.
Vaping in young people can cause acute effects including heart palpitations, chest pain and irritation to the throat and lungs.
Vapes can also contain nicotine and be highly addictive.
Nicotine has severe negative impacts on the developing brain, as well as affecting memory, mood and mental health.
The uni student has urged her friends to stop vaping after she went through ‘torture’ in hospital to repair her collapsed lung
A variety of dangerous additives were also found in vapes including nail polish, insect spray and detergents.
A person who vapes is three times more likely to become a smoker.
Vaping has exploded in popularity in recent years – particularly among young Australians – as it doesn’t carry the same stigma and price tag as cigarettes.
Chinese-made vapes can be bought for as little as $20 at most convenience stores and tobacconists compared to a packet of cigarettes for $50.
Experts say vaping can be particularly damaging for young people because it damages DNA, promotes tumours and can cause a number of respiratory issues.
A study conducted by the Australian Drug and Alcohol Foundation found 20 per cent of non-smokers had tried vapes and two thirds who smoked cigarettes were also using the disposable devices.
It is estimated at least 400,000 Australians now vape, including one tenth of the NSW population aged 16-24, where numbers have doubled in the last year.
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