A woman who became so addicted to e-cigarettes and indulged in e-cigarette smoke nearly died after her lungs collapsed and black mucus started pouring from her mouth and nose.
Jordan Brielle had been smoking since she was a teenager, but decided to quit in 2021 and switch to e-cigarettes.
But the 32-year-old quickly became addicted and ended up spending a lot of money to support her new habit.
Brielle, from Cincinnati, Ohio, first noticed her health declining in November 2023 when she began to feel a noticeable “heaviness” in her breasts.
The residential care assistant was visiting hospital two to three times a week because of breathing problems, but continued to use e-cigarettes.
Jordan Brielle has smoked cigarettes since she was a teenager, but decided to quit in 2021 and switch to e-cigarettes.
But the 32-year-old soon became addicted to e-cigarettes and was spending $500 (£379) a week to support his habit.
Brielle, a residential care worker from Cincinnati, Ohio, US, first noticed her health declining in November 2023 when she began to feel a noticeable weight in her chest.
She was rushed to hospital in May this year after her partner found her unresponsive in bed and with “black mucus” dripping from her nose and mouth.
Upon arriving at the hospital, doctors aspirated two liters of “black” fluid from her lungs and placed her in a medically induced coma for 11 days.
Brielle says she hasn’t touched an e-cigarette since then and now warns others to shun the habit.
She said: “I was totally addicted. I was vaping so much, I was taking cigarettes to bed, I was taking cigarettes with me in the shower. I was vaping so much.”
“Then in mid-November I started to feel a weight in my chest and at first it just seemed to be a respiratory infection or bronchitis so I kept going to hospital with difficulty breathing.
“I had a terrible cough and was going to hospital two or three times a week for help. I could barely speak.”
The mum-of-one was visiting hospital two or three times a week with breathing difficulties but continued to vape.
She was rushed to hospital in May this year after her partner found her unresponsive in bed and with “black mucus” dripping from her nose and mouth.
Upon arriving at the hospital, doctors aspirated two liters of “black” fluid from her lungs and placed her in a medically induced coma for 11 days.
“Each time, they would send me home. I felt like I had 80 pounds of pressure on my chest. I’d never felt so sick in my life.”
“My body was swollen from my ankles to my kneecaps. It just kept getting worse, so I kept going back to the hospital.”
“My skin turned grey, I couldn’t concentrate and I was very confused. It hurt to walk. I could barely do anything. No one knew what was wrong with me. I thought I was going to die.”
She claims she continued to vape despite the health issues she was experiencing when she contracted COVID-19 and pneumonia.
It was after her hospital stay that she decided to quit vaping for good.
Doctors found that she had at least two liters of fluid in her lungs, which were also severely damaged by smoking and vaping.
Brielle says she hasn’t touched an e-cigarette since then and now warns others to avoid the habit.
“When he went to wake me up,” Brielle said. [before a night shift]The doctor said I had black mucus coming out of my mouth and nose, I was out of breath but unable to breathe, I was unresponsive and my pulse was weak.
“He began suctioning phlegm from my nose and mouth to try and perform CPR.
“CPR didn’t work, so he called 911. I don’t remember anything. I was immediately intubated and taken to the hospital.”
Doctors found that she had at least two liters of fluid in her lungs, which were also severely damaged by smoking and vaping.
Brielle said: “My body was trying to force the fluid out of my lungs. The fluid was like concrete. It was pitch black and looked like blood. At the hospital, they were sucking it out of me.”
“It felt like a balloon had burst in my lungs. I had to undergo breathing and lung exercises before I could be discharged from hospital. The lack of oxygen to my brain left me with mild brain damage,” she added.
Doctors told him there was a high chance his lung would collapse again.
She said: “They literally saved my life. They told me that if I had waited a little longer, I wouldn’t be here. I haven’t touched an e-cigarette since.”
“I would encourage everyone else to quit smoking however you can – for your health, for your family, for your life, for your lungs – whatever your motivation may be. I don’t want anyone else to go through what I went through. I’m grateful to be alive.”
Nearly 350 hospital admissions due to e-cigarette use were recorded in England in 2022, with the main cause thought to be respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, chest pain, lung inflammation and, in severe cases, respiratory failure.
E-cigarettes, available in tempting flavours such as cotton candy and crème brûlée, have captivated millions of young people.
According to statistics from Public Health Wales (PHW), the number of final year secondary school pupils in Wales using e-cigarettes at least once a week has more than doubled from 6.6% in 2017 to 13.6% in 2021.
This is despite the sale of e-cigarettes to under-18s being banned and people found selling them to children being threatened with fines and prosecution by the Trading Standards Office.
An analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that millions of students in the U.S. also use e-cigarettes.
In 2023, more than 6.2 million school-age children tried a tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, cigarettes, or smokeless tobacco.
Of those who have tried e-cigarettes, about 47% currently smoke e-cigarettes and about 25% smoke them daily, roughly the same percentages as in 2022.
What you need to know about e-cigarettes
How much nicotine does an e-cigarette contain?
There are many different brands of e-cigarettes available with different nicotine contents.
In the UK, the legal amount of nicotine in e-cigarette liquid is 20mg/ml, equivalent to 600 to 800 puffs.
One of the UK’s most popular e-cigarettes, the Elf Bar 600, is advertised as coming in 0mg, 10mg and 20mg nicotine strengths.
How many cigarettes are in an e-cigarette?
Analysts say one Elfbar 600 contains the equivalent amount of 48 cigarettes.
It can be smoked 600 times before needing to be discarded, which means that in theory every 12.5 puffs is equivalent to one cigarette.
Experts say that for most e-cigarettes, 100 puffs are equivalent to 10 regular cigarettes.
Elfbar is a brand of e-cigarettes often marketed in flashy colors and child-oriented names and flavors, such as Blue Razz Lemonade and Green Gummy Bears.
Are e-cigarettes healthier than cigarettes?
According to the NHS, e-cigarette products are considered better than cigarettes as they expose users to fewer and lower levels of toxins.
Health officials add that vaping instead of smoking cigarettes reduces exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease, and heart and circulatory problems, including stroke and heart attack.
The now-defunct Public Health England published an independent review by experts in 2015 which concluded that e-cigarettes were around 95% less harmful than cigarettes.
But e-cigarettes still contain harmful toxins, and the levels of toxins found in tobacco products are much higher, according to a study by researchers at the Silesian Medical University in Poland, so using e-cigarettes is not without risk.
Dr Onkar Mudar, a London-based dentist who posts videos on TikTok, also said Elf Bars can cause gum inflammation, swelling, and bleeding.
That’s because nicotine dries out the mouth, reducing saliva and causing irritation from bacteria and food buildup that can’t be washed away, he said.
Nearly 350 hospital admissions due to e-cigarette use were recorded in England in 2022, with the main cause thought to be respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, chest pain, lung inflammation and, in severe cases, respiratory failure.
