Yahoo News Teenager left in a coma with rare lung disorder from vaping every day
A teenager who was placed in a medically-induced coma with a rare lung disorder has claimed that her illness was down to years of vaping.
Maddie Nelson, 18, has urged the public not to use the pens, popular among teenagers, which she smoked every day for three years.
In a heartfelt post on social media, Ms Nelson said: "I am sharing my story so you all are aware that there is something crazy in these pens that is not safe and almost cost me my life.
Ms Nelson went into hospital in late July after several months of mild symptoms turned into a fever and vomiting.
Four days later, the teenager was fighting for her life.
“I had fat particles growing inside my lungs that were related to the glycerin in vape juice,” Maddie Nelson, 18, told Fox 13 Now.
“So then my lungs were full of fluid. They said that my chest X-rays were one of the worst they’ve ever seen.”
READ MORE AT YAHOO NEWS
The Puzzling Problem of Vaping
E-Cigarette Bans Undermine Decades of Anti-Smoking Efforts
What is vaping and is it safe?
She was admitted to the intensive care unit and placed in a medically induced coma for three days.
Her terrified family were even told that she may not live.
Maddie, from Utah, said: "My temperature was so high, my brain was just completely shut off.
"I thought I was in the hospital for one night, and I was actually there for four days."
The family wrote: "On Wednesday, July 31st she was transferred to another hospital where she was rushed to the ICU.
"At this point, Maddie could barely breathe, and after two hours of being in this state she was incredibly exhausted and didn't know how much longer she was going to last, the situation went from serious to potentially fatal."
Ms Nelson was given steroids to help combat the inflammation and still needs oxygen at night for tightness in her chest.
Health officials continue speaking out about the uncertainty of long-term effects of vaping.
"Maddie's generation and those after her are the guinea pigs of the popularizing of the 'vape life' and after only a few years we are seeing some pretty scary side effects," the family wrote.
