Welcome @Mike-318 and congratulations on deciding to quit nicotine.
Prior to quitting smoking, I attempted to switch over to vaping thinking that it was somehow not as bad for you. I believe I wound up vaping more than I smoked and got headaches and a weird feeling in my mouth. I would not be surprised if @QuittingGirl is right and that vaping may actually be worse. The best thing to do is putting smoking and vaping behind you.
I did not quit by using patches but many people here have so I would definitely suggest sticking with it and following the instructions. Quitting is worth the early struggles.