A TikToker has taken to the platform to issue an urgent warning to young people to 'respect [their] lungs' and not vape. Catch the clip here:
Vapes and e-cigarettes have surged in popularity in recent months, with it hard to walk down the street without seeing plumes of strawberry-scented smoke every 10 steps you travel.
However, while the brightly coloured packaging and range of flavours may be enticing, many have warned against the use of the e-cigarettes because of the risk they pose to your health.
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And in more recent times, a university student named Grace Johanna has spoken out after she ended up in hospital with a collapsed lung which, according to Grace, her vaping contributed to.
Grace took to TikTok to detail her four-and-a-half-day hospital experience to her followers, explaining she was admitted with a 'spontaneous pneumothorax'.
The student continued: "So my lung completely collapsed, from here to all the way down to here.
"This experience has completely changed how I view the world, how I view pain, how I view nurses. Literally angels from heaven."
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Grace said she was in the hospital the week before with her first collapsed lung, but had to be re-admitted when it collapsed again and she started 'coughing blood'.
The TikToker noted how doctors told her she needed emergency surgery which left her 'horrified'.
Grace was put under and a 'little piece' of her lung was cut off by the doctor. Part of her rib and lung was then 'scrubbed' so it was 'really raw and inflamed'.
The student explained when she woke up, she asked the nurse if 'this is what death is' because she was experiencing 'one of the most horrific pains' and it felt 'never-ending'.
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For three days, Grace had to have a tube inside her lung.
"I felt like I was drowning. I know what it feels like to be tortured," she said.
Grace noted she's been asked a lot whether her collapsed lung was caused by vaping, which hasn't yet been confirmed by medical professionals. However, the student believes it certainly contributed to her condition.
As per Asthma and Lung UK, a primary spontaneous pneumothorax can happen for 'no apparent reason'.
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A secondary spontaneous pneumothorax is noted as developing in someone with 'an existing lung condition'.
Other causes are noted as 'a chest injury, such as a car crash' and an 'accident during a medical procedure'.
An endobronchial valve placement and acupuncture needles are also detailed as potentially causing a collapsed lung.
Whatever caused her collapsed lung, Grace resolved: "A lot of it has to do with being thin and tall and vaping does not help.
"I'm never going to vape again. Ever in my life. I'm going to respect my body."
Poppy Bilderbeck