smoking b4 surgery

truluv2329 · January 11, 2007

anyone else smoke b4 surgery i have 5 days to go only cut back to 1-2 cigs..:help:

Jachut · January 11, 2007

The less you smoke the better, smoking dramatically increases the risk of infection and slows healing, not to mention the effect it has on your blood chemistry.

There's talk in Australia recently of surgeons refusing to perform many elective procedures on smokers. Things like hip replacements etc, the plan being that if the person smokes its no go on the surgery until they have quit. I'm not sure that's right but that's how many surgeons feel about what smoking does to the projected success of an operation.

Its a very hard call though, its the most addictive habit known to man. Good luck with it.

demsvmejm · January 11, 2007

I was really freaked out during the information seminar I attended. They said NO smoking at all for 2 months before surgery.

So I did it! My GP wrote me a RX for Chantix. It stops the nicotine in your blood stream from hitting that happy place in your brain that says "gotta have a cigarette because it feels good!)

Okay, that's my unscientific version of how it works.

You take the pills for 7 days before your quit date, quit, and then keep taking them for around 12 weeks. I just finishing my starter pack of pills and will be using the continuation pack for another 4 weeks.

I can truly and honestly say this has been a breeze. I have smoked for 20 years, stopped during my 2 pregnancies and kept starting up again.

This time I really and truly feel it's for good.

Just one person's story.

Good luck to you.