smoking?

[marthaeb 0]

i have done a little research about the wls and i am finding that you must be a non smoker to have the surgery. can anyone give some good advice? has anyone been here done that?

[SoccerMomma73 1,867]

I can give you a few: anesthetic risk of complications with a smoker is much higher than a non smoker. Healing time is delayed for a smoker vs non-smoker. Smokers have a higher incidence of ulcer and stomach cancers for which treatment would greatly be complicated by having bariatric surgery....post op pneumonia rates are higher. Plus I think my surgeon just looks at it as 'well if she can't change her life enough to stop smoking, she can't change her life enough to be healthy post op' but that's just how I think he views it

[niasia33 40]

Yes soccermom! So does mine. My doc gives nicotine tests to anyone who is a current or former smokers. I was one of those smokers but I quit smoking because I wanted to be completely healthy and to have my surgery. My doc flat out refuses to operate on smokers and will nicotine test the morning of surgery. His nurse told me he canceled surgeries when patients tested positive on the morning of and he makes them wait 3 months to reschedule. Cigarettes dont mean that much to me anymore and I smoked for 25 yrs. quit for you when your ready but quit before making this change.