:help: I have my surgery date set for June 20th-07 and am having a problem quiting smoking. The doc said if their is any nicotine in my system at the pre admin testing they will cancel the surgery. The question is how long does nicotine stay in you system ? can I stop now and be ok or should I postpone my date untill I officaily quite?

Givind up food and also smoking is going to be very hard for me. I am not looking for pitty. It is a problem that I have to deal with. I know smoking is not good for me but I would like to stop one thing at a time. So if anyone can give me some info on how long nicotine stays in my system I would gldly thank you

I would really like to know the answer to this one to..............anyone know?

Sorry guys, I don't know. But I have walked in your shoes...I just quit Feb. 14th w/ the patch. I had quit a few times before so it wasn't that bad. Smoking w/ the band can cause lots of trouble, although you'll read of many people who continue to smoke. I would really try to get my head around the smoking...why bother w/ the band (assuming your trying to lose weight for your health) if you are gonna keep smoking? I'd make up my mind to quit, pick a date in the very near future (2 weeks tops) and go buy the patch. Believe me, I know, I know. But maybe try to look at it this way...THIS IS THE BEST BEST BEST TIME TO QUIT! A new life w/ the band, new health, exercise, success.

I always wished that nicotine and chocolate were good for you...

good luck is all i can say, i started smoking after being banded for 6months. i needed that hand to mouth stress relief i guess. i had trouble with the smoking and quit. it bothered my esophogus. but i have relapsed a few times. the patch was the only way for me to quit. i hope you can do it.... keep trying , thats all you can do.

njwhitetail--

nicotine is in the system 8 weeks is what my doc told me.

Okay maybe I am just the nay sayer here but if you dont feel ready to quit yet find a Dr who doesnt have that as a requirement. I am a smoker and know that with all the stress I have gone through just leading up to my surgery date and getting all the last minute insurance stuff resolved I couldnt do it without my ciggs.

I do want to quit and plan on doing it soon. I just dont plan on doing so until after my surgery.

I quit last september due to what I thought was surgery coming up in Feb.

I agree w/ the other poster get the patches. I quit one other time w/ out patches and it was miserable. Something else that really helped me this time was I was already on Wellbutrin for Migraines and it REALLY helped cut the anxiety down ALOT. ( wellbutrin is the generic for Zyban the quit smoking drug) This go around w/ the patches and Wellbutrin was MUCH more tolerable than last time. I to be honest w/ you didnt want to quit. But I did not see the point in having surgery to help me become healthy and continue to smoke. It made no sense to me. I enjoyed smoking. BUT I decided i was going to quit . I walked into the store one day , bought the patches , thought " I'll quit next week" bought a pack of cigs , smoked half of them and thought " this is stupid why have the patches and the smokes' Threw the cigs away and I have not smoked since. It will be a yr this september. and I have NOT had surgery yet. A few things you might want to know .. I have NO WILL Power. People who know me had bets how long I would last before I Smoked. But I did it.

Also I have felt better now than i have in yrs just from quitting.

I can walk around the mall w/ out being out of breathe. I use to think my shortness of breathe was from being overweight... its not 90% of it was from smoking.

My doc wont do surgery unless I have quit either. Someone else said find another doc where that isnt a requirement... not a good idea to smoke and have surgery .. smoking thins your blood and slows the healing process. That's why alot of docs wont do this surgery or any other for that matter if you smoke. So quitting is the best thing to do . TRUST ME I feel your pain, If i can do it you can too. GOod luck im here if you need to talk .

Mindy

I am also trying to quit....let me tell you that Chantix....it is a new medication on the market....really works! It isn't like the patches...it works on the receptors in your brain that make you think cigarettes are pleasurable....get this prescription....you will do 100% better!!!

I have heard about the prescrpition . I wish I knew about it when I quit I would have gotten it. I knew about it I just didnt think about it.

My dad's friend used it and he said he was sicker than a dog if he smoked while taking that .

Mindy

Seeing as I am not a smoker so I don't really know for sure, but doesn't the patch have nicotine in it? Thus if you use it you will still have nicotine in your system.

My doctor said 8 weeks without smoking before surgery to get the nicotine out. You can do it. I know it is hard, I can only imagine it is just as bad as the food addiction we all suffer with. Chantix has worked wonders for many people I work with. It may a bit expensive (around $90 I believe) but in the long run is so much cheaper than paying for cigarettes.

Good luck!

****EDIT****

Okay my doc said that you need to go two months without smoking but I just found out that the nicotine is actually gone within 48-72 hours which is why after a few days you really start craving. And yes the patch will put nictine in your system. You really should consider quitting though.

Yes....you are right....the patches will still add nicotine to your system....try CHANTIX....it really works! I am doing great on it!

I dont think the patches contain as much nicotine in them as cigerretes though and I think ( just my opinion) if you were to go into a docs office and say " Look I have not smoked in 2 months But im on the patch" , he would be more willing to work w/ you than if you had no tried at all to quit.

I wish I had the option of chantix.

I'll have to tell my dad about it. Does anyone know if it works for just smoking ? For instance would it work for smokeless tobacoo? My husband dips and is having a heck of a time quitting.

Mindy

I'm a light smoker, maybe one or two a day and I had no problem.

If you can quit, that would be your best bet, but I think just cutting down as much as you can would be the next best thing. Don't try to make too many changes at once. Cut down to two or three cigarettes a day -- make them a treat and not a necessity. The real barrier to your surgery if you go off the diet program your doctor set for you. Talk to your doctor if you can, but if he's anything like mine (which I hope he's not!), he'll blow you off. :huytsao

I'm no doctor, but like I said, I smoke, my doctor knows I smoke and I had no problem. :cry

My doctor said nothing about smoking but shook his head when he saw me smoking the next day after surgery. I needed to quit because I was a heavy smoker. And yes, I am not as short winded as I was for sure.

I am using nicorette gum and my local doctor says he has no problem with that.

My doctor said nothing about smoking but shook his head when he saw me smoking the next day after surgery. I needed to quit because I was a heavy smoker. And yes, I am not as short winded as I was for sure.<br /> I am using nicorette gum and my local doctor says he has no problem with that.

<br /> <br /> I have a funny story about the nicorette gum. A friend of mine and I were in the car one day and she said " Can you hand me a piece of my gum in my purse" I told her sure . I got the gum out and looked at it and saw it was nicorette. I said " oh i didnt know you just quit smoking " She told me " OH i didnt i quit 2 yrs ago ! LMAO . Turns out she quit smoking and she got addicted to the GUM . LMAO I thought it was funny . But i guess that is better than actually smoking. <br /> So watch it out w/ the gum LOL <br /> Mindy

I also had to quit before my surgery. I used the patch and along with that I cut a straw the length of a cigarette and used it when I felt in need. But sad part of it is after my surgery I started again. But I 'm not giving up hope I want to quit for good I just need to find that secret on doing it.