33-year-old Fraser Olender, who is seen on a reality TV show Below Deck, shares a rare health update after hospitalization in London. In an Instagram post shared on Friday, December 5, Olender revealed that he had 'Vape poisoning' for which he was taken to see specialists to identify the cause.
In his words, "To keep it simple - I had vape poisoning, (an E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI)) and I have never experienced fear or pain like it." He explained. "A few weeks ago I was rushed to hospital due to severe chest pains and difficulties breathing. Following this, I spent a week in London hospitals seeing specialists to identify the cause and possible damage of the incident."
Further, healthcare professionals identified Olender's cause of hospitalization as "coronary artery vasospasm" triggered by vaping, a constriction of the coronary arteries which can result to complete or near-complete occlusion of the vessel.
Talking about the spasm, Below Deck star added the condition "reduced blood flow enough to cause an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), better known as a heart attack - not because of a blockage, but because my heart wasn't getting enough oxygen during the spasm."
Despite his ill-fated experience, the 33-year-old is now "recovering". He said, "I'm grateful to still be recovering now, and I'm sharing this because I never realised something like this could happen. If this experience can help even one person rethink vaping, it's worth telling."
A vape is a small handheld device that contains nicotine, flavouring liquids and other addictive into an aerosol. It is similar to a cigarette, but the only difference is that vaping heats tiny particles rather than burning tobacco. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns, "No tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are safe" and vape poisoning means a reaction to a harmful "cancer-causing chemicals and tiny particles" in an e-cigarette.
According to the CDC, some of the short term side effects of vaping include feeling irritable, jumpy, restless, or anxious, feeling sad or down, having trouble sleeping, having a hard time concentrating, feeling hungry and craving nicotine. Whereas, long-term side effects include, lung damage, heart and circulation problems, among many others.
