S1E68: The ex-vaper who had to ‘wash’ his lungs multiple times: Here's his story

Oct 23, 2025

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Many people switch from smoking to vaping for different reasons.

Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place every Thursday as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests.

For Mr Muhammad Dandiar Rosli, he saw vaping as a cheaper alternative to smoking, so he decided to give it a try.

But it nearly cost him his life. Just a month after he started vaping in 2020, he ended up in hospital after feeling breathless and coughing up thick, yellow phlegm.

He thought he had contracted Covid-19, but a bronchoscopy revealed that he had pulmonary alveolar proteinosis – a rare lung disease where the air sacs are clogged with protein and fatty material, making breathing difficult.

That marked the start of a long recovery that included two hospital stays and four procedures to “wash out” his lungs. What he underwent is called a lung lavage, where sterile saline is used to wash away the abnormal build-up of protein from the lungs.

Five years on, the memory of the treatment – and the hefty medical bill – still affects him today. Mr Dandiar, a private-hire driver, drops by The Usual Place podcast to talk about undergoing the lung lavage procedures and the difficulty of quitting vaping.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:08 The failed attempt to save money by vaping

9:08 “It was too painful, I had to shutdown,” Dandiar on being hospitalised with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.

10:29 The process of lung washing

16:07 Restarting to vape after his first hospitalisation

25:54 Why quitting is so difficult

Read Natasha Ann Zachariah’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

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Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai and Chen Junyi

Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis