I was wondering of there are any smokers who have had the lap band done and if so, how was/has it been affected? I smoke about 3/4 a pack per day. that is the next demon to conquer. I am scheduled for this friday and i have a little anxiety about that. your input is suggested. please please please don't knock me for the smoking. i have heard it all before and am fully intending on quiting soon!

thanks!

K

I also smoke but tried to cut way down before surgery cause of the anistetic (spell check) but i was bad and about 6 hours after surgery i was out side in thesmoking tent ! I can tell you one thing it did bother me after wards th coughing part . i try to quit all the time one of these times ill do it! my dr never said it would effect my band but did say YOU SHOULD QUIT!:rolleyes

Hi Karen...

The bariatric surgeon here where I live won't even do the surgery if a patient is actively smoking due to the higher risks for developing respiratory complications after surgery... thankfully my surgeon advised me to quit but didn't require that I do so. I tried and cut down a lot prior to surgery but didn't quit.

I know the demon you are fighting... I have quit more times than I care to count and am currently on day 4 of quitting once again. I am using the patch and that really does help. I'm a closet smoker and hate admitting to anybody that I have such a terrible habit... nobody sees me smoke... shhhh...don't tell anybody...k? :confused:

No lectures... just keep up the good fight...

You and me, Darcy. I hate admitting it! But! Today my PCP called in my second Wellbutrin prescription. The first was the XR or SR or whatever one I can't crush or break. This new one is crushable, so I'll be starting it tomorrow, and in a few weeks, I'll give it the old college try. It's working wonders for my Dad. He's down to just a few (3?) in a day and a half, then goes at least 2 days with NONE! so he's getting there.

Anyhow, banded smoking. Any good doc will tell you to quit. I smoked up to the night before and didn't again until I got out of the hospital the day after. It's been fine, no ill effects that I know of, or that I can associate with smoking definitively. Good luck quitting. We are right here with ya!!!!! Hey, happy band day Friday! Let us know how it goes!

Hey Miss Kathy... You can do it girl! Wellbutrin really does help and it also can help with weight-loss sooo... Bonus! Unfortunately I feel like the room is jumping up and down when I take it... leaves me feeling terrible... so it's patchville for me. One nice thing... it seems to get easier everytime I quit so it's bound to stick at some point!

My surgeon made me quit and for some time before surgery. I used the patch and it worked great. I stayed quit for 8-1/2 months but now I am back at it again :rolleyes . Tough habit to break but I am about ready to give it another go.

I quit a little while before banding - part for the surgery and part because I had pneumonia. Then I got banded. Then I chewed nicotene gum for a month and a half with no smoking. Then I bought a pack of cigarettes, then another, then.... ok, so I'm back at it, but only am smoking 1/2 pk / day or so. I need to go back to the gum, but I hear it's bad for the band. I could try a patch but for some reason can't bring myself to put one on... I actually kind of like the gum, so it's too bad that's not good for the band.

I think the main reason for not smoking was because of the respiratory complications with surgery - not 100% sure though. I did have one of those breathing things after surgery to see how high you can make the little ball go to exercise your lungs. Mine was pathetic. Try and quit if you can before surgery.... even a few days without smoke may be a help??? Respiratory complications would suck.

At any rate, if at first you don't succeed....... :-)

Hey - good luck on Friday!

I quit 2 weeks before banding. Then started again around two weeks after banding. ((sigh)) every few months I give it another try. I still am doing well now over a year with only 5-10 cigarrettes a day so I am happy about that.

I smoke and it didn't affect me in any way for the surgery. I am going to try to quit again.

I smoke 30-40 cigs a day :confused: (what a loser I am)

anyhow, my surgeon told me that it has nothing to do with the band, its just bad for the lungs and I should quit etc...

To be honest with you, latley I had cut my smoking to almost 8 cigs a day only by using the patch..

IMO I find it stupid to keep smoking. I mean we got our bands to live healthier and longer, isn't smoking the complete opposite from that??

I wish you can quit, and we can all quit this evil

I'm a smoker..

thank you all so much for your input. it is such a nasty habit but it went perfect with all the beer! what can i say, i am weak!

k

Yes me. I'll probably get some heat for this but I continue to smoke. I personally can only deal with one DEVIL at a time. food. I know I should quit, I know it's not healthy and I know it's not good for the band. However, at this stage I believe working on my food consumption and exercise is where I have to concentrate my efforts right now. Now I did cut down before the surgery and after but got back to it as soon as I felt good enough.

BTW - where is my lighter??? I need a smoke after talking about it so much...

Yes me. I'll probably get some heat for this but I continue to smoke. I personally can only deal with one DEVIL at a time. food. I know I should quit, I know it's not healthy and I know it's not good for the band. However, at this stage I believe working on my food consumption and exercise is where I have to concentrate my efforts right now. Now I did cut down before the surgery and after but got back to it as soon as I felt good enough.

BTW - where is my lighter??? I need a smoke after talking about it so much...

DITTO!!!!!!!!

I smoked for almost 2 years after I had my band. Always said that I would quit.

Well I am on day 27 and no smokes. It really hasn't been that hard, but put an abscess on the lung and pnemonia, and then the scare of cancer. Well all of those things have really helped. This is really only about my second time that I have quit. The first time I lasted 2 months and I used the patches. This time was cold turkey, but I was pretty sick so that made it easier.

My new band doctor Dr. Neal is the one who really gave me the inspiration to quit this time. He said that I had done so much to improve my health by losing all this weight, and that I should really consider quiting smoking for my health also. I knew it was time!!!

Do I think about them? Yes but not to much, this time I mentally told myself that I was going to crave them and that I would probably be tempted to try them again, I think that has helped. In the past I thought when I quit after a certain amount of time the cravings would go away. Well I know now that they never will and if I can just make it thru each one, maybe I will succeed.

Best of luck to you!!!

It is a tough habit to break...........

Kathy, I'm so proud of you!!!!!!