As I get closer to surgery 12/3 my anxiety is ravenous and I have sneaking smokes..Anyone else in my shoes or has ever been there. I know its the wrong direction it is just helping with my anxiety..any info would be greatly appreciated..I dont plan on smoking on my way to surgery and want nicotine out of my system before 12/3..but i feel like im helping myself but also taking chances and making bad choices..although it is calming especially while on pre op diet..

A large part of the pre-op process is about making lasting behavior changes....because our post-op success is dependent upon those new, healthier behaviors bing ingrained by the time we start reintroducing foods to our diet. Wrapping your head, and our heart, around not smoking is the same deal. What you think is helping you to relax is actually undermining our ability to build sustained new, healthy behaviors. If you cave on one thing (smoking), for what seems like a good reason, you will be more likely to find "good reasons" for blowing off other new behaviors...even when doing the bad behavior is potentially very risky, post-op.

Focus on the prize, and make good choices....starting now...so that you can be as healthy and successful as possible, after your surgery!

All the best,

Laura

As I get closer to surgery 12/3 my anxiety is ravenous and I have sneaking smokes..Anyone else in my shoes or has ever been there. I know its the wrong direction it is just helping with my anxiety..any info would be greatly appreciated..I dont plan on smoking on my way to surgery and want nicotine out of my system before 12/3..but i feel like im helping myself but also taking chances and making bad choices..although it is calming especially while on pre op diet..

I msged you!

i had the same problem...was so hard to quit....i couldnt do it i cut down tremendously....the last few days b4 surgery i got an electronic cig and would take a puff here and there but the great news is since my surgery i havent even wanted a cigarette....i pray this sticks. Good luck you can do it i know its hard

A large part of the pre-op process is about making lasting behavior changes....because our post-op success is dependent upon those new' date=' healthier behaviors bing ingrained by the time we start reintroducing foods to our diet. Wrapping your head, and our heart, around not smoking is the same deal. What you think is helping you to relax is actually undermining our ability to build sustained new, healthy behaviors. If you cave on one thing (smoking), for what seems like a good reason, you will be more likely to find "good reasons" for blowing off other new behaviors...even when doing the bad behavior is potentially very risky, post-op.

Focus on the prize, and make good choices....starting now...so that you can be as healthy and successful as possible, after your surgery!

All the best,

Laura[/quote']

Lolly... I so very much appreciate your posts and hope you never quit being the calm voice of reason. You are always respectful in your posts yet you lay it on the line! Because of your various posts, I know you also walk the talk. I truly appreciate those who are 6 plus months down the road who continue to post .. You, butterbean, OTR, batman?, lil diva, etc. although some of them seem to have greatly reduced or stopped posting at all. I know there will be ebb and flow because of new members and others dropping off, but those of us yet to be sleeved and those with new sleeves truly need to hear what you have to say. Thanks and I wish you continued success.

MGT

Lolly... I so very much appreciate your posts and hope you never quit being the calm voice of reason. You are always respectful in your posts yet you lay it on the line! Because of your various posts, I know you also walk the talk. I truly appreciate those who are 6 plus months down the road who continue to post .. You, butterbean, OTR, batman?, lil diva, etc. although some of them seem to have greatly reduced or stopped posting at all. I know there will be ebb and flow because of new members and others dropping off, but those of us yet to be sleeved and those with new sleeves truly need to hear what you have to say. Thanks and I wish you continued success.

MGT

Thank you for your kind words, MGT...they are truly appreciated! I always worry that my posts may sound "preachy". I'm glad to know they're not...at least by you! LOL.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that the weekend is a good one!

Laura

I had my surgery 3 months ago and stopped smoking 2 weeks before surgery. 2 weeks ago I had one cigarette, then another, then another, then I threw them away after I had about 8 over the course of 5 days. I know I shouldn't be smoking but I am wanting more. I will try to resist but it is killing me.

I had my surgery 3 months ago and stopped smoking 2 weeks before surgery. 2 weeks ago I had one cigarette, then another, then another, then I threw them away after I had about 8 over the course of 5 days. I know I shouldn't be smoking but I am wanting more. I will try to resist but it is killing me.

As hard as it is, and as horrible as it feels, resisting the urge to smoke is NOT "killing" you......it is "living" you!! Smoking WAS killing you! Do me, you, your friends, and your family a huge favor....keep resisting that urge, and live with us for a long time! As with any addiction, those urges WILL diminish, over time....as long as you don't reintroduce the chemicals your brain is craving! I know it isn't easy, but surely you are stronger than your brain!!

All the best!

Laura

I am almost 2 weeks post op and I thank God I have not had a craving for a cig' I smoked for over 20 years and since the surgery I havent wanted one. Even yesterday when my friends kept sneaking out to have one...I felt nothing. Now I know if I do get a craving it is all in my head. I DO NOT EVER want to smoke again. I pray you can overcome the cravings...I know how hard it is sis otherwise I wouldnt had smoked as long as I did. Hang in there...I know you want healthy lungs to go with that new hot body!

I am preop and no longer a smoker, but my Dr does bw for nicotine the week before surgery and you get dropped from the schedule if you test positive for it.

I am sure you already know this, but it bears repeating, nicotine slows the healing process. You really want that staple line and incisions to heal up nice and fast...no leaks please! Now THAT would make you really anxious! Bet of luck, lots of herbal tea and exercise?

My date is end Feb..I was social smoker for 15 years...I could go days without smoking until around friends...my date was put on hold due to having large kidney stone and surgery while in process of sleeve surgery requirements and oh course my stones did not want to pass for 6 weeks aftet having blasted and using up 80 hrs sick leave....but I got all clear yesterday and can schedule gastric sleeve. My Dr tests two weeks prior and day of surgery for smoking. I screwed up and told him I smoked...but he said no more chances! For some reason today was rough...I took one puff of electronic cig today I bought in Dec not knowing filters contained nicotine when purchased in Dec and didn't use. I am so mad at myself for having one puff tonite ...so scared it will screw everything up and show up in test in 3 weeks...not sure how test and if one puff of e cig will show up...or hurt healing process...just wanted to vent disappointment w myself....the worse part is thinking..obviously my weight loss is not as important as I thought by doing that...grr...

I'm not a smoker but a very close friend of mine had gastric bypass surgery in April and quit about 3 weeks prior to her surgery. Once she got home she was okay for about a week but soon found herself craving a cigarette. So, she got herself a cheap e-cig and "cheated" that way.

Then a couple of months after her surgery she discovered "vaping" which is basically a more sophisticated version of the e-cig. She has a variable voltage device that she adds liquid to and she absolutely loves it. She started out using a juice on the higher nicotine level and then weaned herself down to zero nicotine over the course of a few weeks.

So, now she still gets the "pleasure" of smoking without any nicotine or any of the harmful effects of smoking. She was a pack and a half a day smoker for 30 years that NEVER thought she could quit....nor did she want to because, in her words, she "loves smoking".

As a non smoker, I don't really understand why it's so hard to quit....but I've watched her struggle and the struggles that other friends and family members have had with quitting. It's my understanding that nicotine addiction is more difficult to overcome than most drug addictions. For people that just can't seem to kick the habit "vaping" (even with nicotine) is a safer alternative (once healed from surgery).

I don't even think for me it is the nicotine...I go days without...so cliche but everyone jokes I don't inhale so why do it...I don't know why I do...I would be happy w non nicotine vapor thing that just felt like I was smoking when socializing or super stressed. I actually wrapped mint gum around e cig without nicotine filter on it tonite ...so all it did when puffed was light up end to look like smoking and taste like smoking a menthol due to gum it actually kinda worked worked..lol...but still worried that one puff of e cig w nicotine filter will show up in 3 weeks for test..

Lisa..I didn't know it came nicotine free....interesting..I appreciate imput.

As a non smoker I understand that you don't get why it would be hard..but unfortunately we all have our addictions. I work at job were I see addictions every day....most I can't understand how that person let their addictions take over and if it was me I would want to change just at seeing my deteriorating image in a mirror from using....BUT who am I to say that....for years I have look in the mirror at my body each day disgusted and continued to eat.....I hate confiding that I am having gastric sleeve only to hear from "non overweight" friends ...."really..you can't do it yourself ...go to the gym...it isn't hard...I don't understand why you can't quit"..Sadly in our world the NON meth addicts...heroin addicts...drinkers..over-eaters and oh course non smokers...don't "get" why it is a struggle for others. I am not being snotty since we all do it...but wished the non goers would stop judging and instead be thankful that they don't have to deal with quiting smoking along with the anxiety of the surgery...hopefully one day...all addictions will have a tool like gastric sleeve to help them.

Lisa..I didn't know it came nicotine free....interesting..I appreciate imput.

As a non smoker I understand that you don't get why it would be hard..but unfortunately we all have our addictions. I work at job were I see addictions every day....most I can't understand how that person let their addictions take over and if it was me I would want to change just at seeing my deteriorating image in a mirror from using....BUT who am I to say that....for years I have look in the mirror at my body each day disgusted and continued to eat.....I hate confiding that I am having gastric sleeve only to hear from "non overweight" friends ...."really..you can't do it yourself ...go to the gym...it isn't hard...I don't understand why you can't quit"..Sadly in our world the NON meth addicts...heroin addicts...drinkers..over-eaters and oh course non smokers...don't "get" why it is a struggle for others. I am not being snotty since we all do it...but wished the non goers would stop judging and instead be thankful that they don't have to deal with quiting smoking along with the anxiety of the surgery...hopefully one day...all addictions will have a tool like gastric sleeve to help them.

Well said!!!

For my friend, it was not really the nicotine either...it's the behavior and physical part of smoking that she loves. Vaping has allowed her to continue that without the harmful effects of smoke and nicotine.

And although I don't "get" smokers...I do get the food stuff (which is why I try not to judge!). Another close friend of mine has a 20 year son who is very overweight and she (as someone who's never dealt with food or weight issues) can't seem understand why he doesn't just stop eating. But I "get" him!!!

And you're so right....it's easy, when you don't have an issue, to give people advice!! I even told myself, for years, that I should be able to lose weight on my own. I knew what I NEEDED to do...I just never had success at maintaining because my relationship with food was so dysfunctional.

I'm greatful for my sleeve (my tool) everyday!!