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Starting the paper work ' date=' 1 question stupid I know. Smoking is not excepted?

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Yes, smoking is not acceptable for surgery. I have not seen a doctor yet - since starting on VST a year ago - that will perform surgery if you are actively smoking. It is too risky and dangerous. You are also encouraged to turn over a new leaf in terms of health related topics post surgery. Only you can make this decision following surgery. again, it is highly encouraged in terms of a successful and safe post op experience. I have never smoked so cannot really offer an emphatic response. However, I do know it is hard to quit. Good luck and know that it can be done. There are many products out there to help with cessation.

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Most surgeons--and if there's one thing you'll find out quickly here in the forums, it's that every surgeon is different, so there isn't always a clear "right answer"--MOST surgeons will strongly discourage smoking. (That includes both tobacco and marijuana, btw.)

My surgeon's policy is to test his patients' blood nicotine levels as part of pre-op lab work. On the day of my surgery, if my bloodwork shows any nicotine, surgery will be cancelled. Period.

I'm a nonsmoker, so this isn't a problem for me--but if I smoked, I'd have to quit before my surgeon would proceed. Check with your doctor to find out his/her policies; although there may be some variance, I think you'll find that most surgeon's consider smoking a no-no.

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It's a medical fact that smoking messes with your healing process - with such a major trauma to your stomach, doctors will either highly recommend or require that you quit smoking prior to your surgery (I've seen the statistic of a month out).

Regarding that, though, I was a pack a day smoker until a few months ago. I talked to my doctor about switching to vaping (e-cigarettes) and he was fully on board. He even enjoys seeing what new paraphernalia I've bought to go with my new habit! I completely gave up smoking the moment I picked up my first e-cig and am a happy vape-r ever since! In fact, I vaped IN my hospital recovery room! Essentially, my doctor feels that nicotine will ultimately be proven to be as safe as caffeine - it's the 4,000+ toxins/tar/tobacco in cigarettes that are the real barrier to healing.

Consult with your doctor - mine is now recommending vaping nicotine as an alternative to his smoking patients. Yours may do the same!

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I was also tested for nicotine before surgery and told if I tested positive my surgery would be cancelled as well, but I don't smoke so it wasn't a problem for me.

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I was told today that I need to have quit for 6 weeks before surgery and that they will test for it. And also not to smoke after because it hampers the healing process. This is actually a godsend I want this so bad and have wanted to quit for a long time. I don't smoke a ton so I'm hoping it's fairly easy. I like to smoke when I am stressed out so that will be the hardest. Today is day one and so far so good.

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I Did the vaping the ecig as well It is terrific.

My doctor wouldnt touch me if I smoked, and told me that upfront. So the ecig did it for me!

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I had been using an e-cig since the beginning of the year (helped me quit cigs Jan 1) and at my consultation my doctor said i had to stop all e-cigs two weeks before surgery because the nicotine contracts your blood vessels and that can inhibit healing.

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I had been using an e-cig since the beginning of the year (helped me quit cigs Jan 1) and at my consultation my doctor said i had to stop all e-cigs two weeks before surgery because the nicotine contracts your blood vessels and that can inhibit healing.

Just a thought- if you are still having a hard time & you already vap, get some liquid without any nicotine.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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