Vaping caused collapsed lung?

[wossgoinon]

My 18 yr son is currently on a drain in hospital due to a collapsed lung awaiting surgery.

I to pick up clothes for him as he will be in hospital for at least 2 weeks and I found vapes in his drawers.

Is there evidence to suggest that vaping may have caused this?

he is young, fit and well otherwise and this is a complete shock

No it can just happen for no reason. I've had it happen twice, over 10 years apart. The first time I did it, I initially thought it was a pulled muscle. Well it kind of was, I was mucking out a stable and it went as I turned with a really heavy shovel of wet bedding to tip it in the barrow) By the time I went to the GP (I was a smoker so put it off for a few weeks) it turned out it was 90% collapsed. When it happened again over 10 years later I hadn't smoked for nearly 10 years. Wasn't anywhere near as bad, about 10% collapsed - I didn't need the absolutely agonisingly painful chest drain and ad-lib morphine - and it resolved itself on its own. I have no idea why that one happened, it really was spontaneous.

So I would say based on my own experiences, not necessarily down to vaping, but you don't need to let him know that. The first one was certainly the trigger for me to give up.

If it happens again, they've said I'll need an operation.

I'm not tall and skinny by the way... I was fairly slim for me when it happened, but that's still size 12/14, I am a solid frame rather than willowy!

It is a shock but spontaneous pneumos are always fixable. They either heal themselves or there are options e.g. resection, pleurodesis etc. It's like human plumbing!

There is a facebook group called spontaneous pneumothorax, very helpful, it's people all over the world who have had it. As PPs said tall and skinny men is a risk factor. If ever worried you can pop to A&E for an xray.

Can happen to women for hormonal reasons too, I have had it (though mine turned out to be something else).

I bought a pulse oximiter which allays my anxiety if I get twinges in my chest, when my lung was collapsed my sats went to 95. Rarely use it now but good to have.

Strange feelings and gurglings post surgery usually turn out to be nothing and can be ignored! A diet rich in protein helps healing and lots of water - lungs need water.

I was doing yoga and felt tired and next day went for a run and practically saw stars and nearly passed out... ignored it for 2 weeks! As thought it was after effect of a cold. I was googling shortness of breath and it said go to the GP. Glad I did as she sent me straight to A&E. Had no pain. It can push on the heart and cause a tension pneumothorax. How I functioned for 2 weeks on a collapsed lung I don't know. It was about 50% collapsed. Mine has been glued to the inside of the lung wall using a sterile talc that irritated the lung and caused it to scar and adhere to the chest which is 90%+ effective at preventing another collapse as two drains did not work. Amazing what they do. Thanks to the NHS.

I hope your DS makes a full recovery OP. The vaping is probably a coincidence, but might not be a bad thing to encourage him to give up.
I had an operation similar to pp to repair a pneumothorax about 10 years ago.
I didn't have the profile for this at all, so doctors carried out loads of tests and discovered I have a really rare condition called Birt Hogg Dubé syndrome. It doesn't affect me in my daily life at all, I just have to regular scans to check for kidney tumours (another symptom).
I've never met with anyone else with this condition and most doctors haven't even heard of it.
It is a genetic condition and we've since found out my mother has it and one of my DC.
The only thing we're not allowed to do is scuba diving, which is no big deal.