I'm a smoker and, to be honest, I have no interest in quitting. Seriously, absolutely none. I know it's ridiculous but I like smoking and I have only food and cigarettes... soon I will not be able to tale comfort in food so I feel like I need it... My doctor told me they will test me to make sure I've not been smoking.

Can anyone tell me if they will test for just nicotine? Or is there some sort of test for smoking in general?

The test is for nicotine.

2 hours ago, GayGirlLivingForHer said:

I'm a smoker and, to be honest, I have no interest in quitting. Seriously, absolutely none. I know it's ridiculous but I like smoking and I have only food and cigarettes... soon I will not be able to tale comfort in food so I feel like I need it... My doctor told me they will test me to make sure I've not been smoking.

Can anyone tell me if they will test for just nicotine? Or is there some sort of test for smoking in general?

Hi there

Name is Joanna, former smoker

First off, I won't judge you for smoking.

Actually, I quit because of the reason you're facing. I had to. When I first learned I had to quit, I was like screw this, no wls for me. I can't quit. I enjoyed smoking like people enjoy christmas. I smoked about 2 packs a a day. 30 minutes without a cigg was too long.

After I pouted and ranted and raved over how ridiculous it was that i had to quit to get surgery, I came to realize, it was time for me to quit. The trouble was, I had to decide if I was okay to live in this body and continue to smoke and die young or alteast try to quit and change my life. I promise you, it sucks. But I made the choice to atleast try. I cried a week before to the Lord. I needed deliverance. Smoking was my "crack cocaine" I was not only addicted to it, I enjoyed it. I needed it. It was my friend for 23 years years. I started smoking when I was 14? I was 39, still am when I had the surgery. Which, btw, y es, I quit. The first week was pure hell. I am talking pure pure hell. Actually closer to a month. I did have a smoke aid, Chanitix. that stuff made me get through it. IT gives you thte same sensation of smoking. I can't explain it, but it helps. And the great thing with Chantix is you dont have to quit smoking before you start it. Chantix allows you the option to quit after you start, which is the optiion i chose.

I found out after i quit that i had stage 1 copd. So it was a God thing I quit when I did. I still struggle with wanting one sometimes but it DOES get easier. Tomorrow actually makes 7 months smoke free. Truth? You will always wish you could smoke. Always. but that desire does get easier and you honestly will feel so much better. I could hardly breathe and and I was constantly getting bronchitis and just getting sick. The cost was outrageous and the bottom line, it feels so good not to have to constantly worry about having a cigg on me for when i need it.

I am not judging you. I so get it, I get it

But if you do decide quitting is worth it for you, try using chantix

and a lot of gum

and.. i also bought straws and cut them into different lengths and for the first month or so i sucked on those to give me the sensation of smoking and something in my hands. Sounds so dumb, but it helps.

Hugs and you really can do this

When people find out Joanna no longer smokes, they're like. WHATTT??????

You will find happiess in other ways besides smoking. You don't believe me now but in time, you will.

If you choose to quit... xo

I've been trying cinnamon sticks. I've gone a week now and honestly most of the time I'm ok. It's just the habit of smoking that I'm having a hard time with. Like with my coffee or after meals or when I'm irritated. Smoking is (was?) my escape, my me-time, the thing that keeps my hands busy. It's not the nicotine. I've been a smoker for 17 years. That routine is now kind of embedded in my brain. I don't even know how to explain it... The difference between habit and addiction is only chemical. Giving up the chemical is easy for me, the habit it not. A simple habit would ne brushing your teeth with your right hand (or left). Seems like an easy thing you could change but in reality you have conditioned your brain to do it that way. I feel like I could easily switch to herbal cigarettes but does that really count as quitting? And is it really any better for a person?

Sent from my SM-J327P using BariatricPal mobile app

Keep doing the sticks. You will continue to feel like you just can't do it anymore. You are going to die if you don't have one. But that is part of the addition, that is what nicotine does. Nicotine takes about a week to get out of yoru system from what I recall, so yes, you're dealing with the mental head game, which is JUST as bad.

But man, I'm proud that you can even go that long. I couldnt go half a day without a cigg. The idea made me have a panic attack lol

I'd say about 3 months of non smoking, you start to feel like you actually can do this

The key, and the only key is just NOT to pick up the next cigg.

Each time you don't, that feeling of going crazy if you don't just have one smoke, WILL pass

I swear, it does

Just don't succumb to it and it will pass and before you know it, you will be a non smoker

( I enjoy smoking too)

For the record, if I found out I'd die in a month, I';d pick up a ciggarette and start again, immediately

I so get it.

But contrary to what you think, your body DOES love the nicotine

If it was just behaviorial, you could do another habit with your hands

But in answer to youre question, they will be checking your nicotine levels. So this means, you can't even chew nicotine gum to give you somewhat the same satisifcation as nicotine. This also means no vaping. Believe me, I tried every way for a soultion other than to quit completely

There is none

Now, I've had the surgery

I could start back smoking

YEs, I could

But quitting smoking was the hardest thing I've ever done my entire life, (other than restarting my life over from my late husband dying suddently at age 36) there is nothing harder

I am here to telll you, you CAN do it. It's crazy sounding I know

But you really can

<3

1 - switch to vaping. the thing about smoking that gives bariatric patients problems (ulcers) is not the nicotine. it's the other 2,000 chemicals in the things. i vape (albeit not regularly, at all) without problem. that doesn't solve your problem re: blood test for surgery, but it might help you after the surgery. for now you're going to have to give it up. google how long it stays in your system for drug tests and just grind it out...

2 - i know it seems like you're about to give up a lot of crutches. food AND cigarettes?!? but i promise you, you will change. you will look back and wonder how/why you ever took comfort in food. and you might very well do the same with cigarettes as you enjoy thriving in a new, healthy lifestyle. give yourself that room to change and grow.

2 - hot username.

Edited February 25, 20188 yr by JohnnyCakes

If you plan to continue smoking cigarettes after surgery .. it's something to talk through with your surgical team. I quit before surgery because I was worried about ulcers and the risks associated with causing slower recovery.

Sent from my Vivo 5R using Tapatalk