Has anyone been told to not smoke after you have the lap band, dont mean after as in just after operation but long term as not good for smomache? What affect does it have? Anything else not good for you to have as may affect the affects of lapband, or actually affect the lap band?

I have a friend who's been banded for a year and she smokes. I think she had reffered addiction though. Since she couldn't eat as much she switched to smoking. She doesn't have any problems other then the fact that she is damaging her lungs obviously and perhaps the surgery she got to prolong her life will be completely moot if she gets lung cancer.. other than that, she's all good.

Thank you for that info re your friend, thought may have some effect on stomache or band, but am trying rel hard to give up

My doctor told me that the nicotine can corrode the port and the band, because it sticks to it and eventually everything would need to be replaced, and insurance wouldn't cover replacement. My doctor scared the life out of me, I quit 1 month after banding and haven't smoked in 4 1/2 months. And I feel AMAZING.

I have never smoked, not even a puff in my life. However, when I went to get the band, my doc said he would not band anyone that smokes. I know when I read some information on the band, all the sites stated smokers should quit before being banded. But I don't recall why? I know its not good for you, but not sure if it causes specific damages to the band?

Lovekatz - congrats on overcoming the smoking addiction, I know many of my friends who battled it for years and trying to quit they say was the hardest thing they ever did.

Thank you. I wouldn't have been able to do it without Chantix. That stuff is a Godsend!

There are still times when I really want one, but it's so easy now to fight it off. I try to keep myself out of situations where the craving for one might occur, like talking to my exhusband.....

I'll preface this by saying that I am not a smoker, never have been.. but...

smoking is just NOT good for you body. Period. Not to state the obvious, but it seems to me, that EVERYTHING in your body can be affected by this habit. I work in the legal field evaluating potential medical malpractice cases and am beginning to see more and more that SMOKING affects how a person's case is viewed. "Did you take Vioxx? Did you have a heart attack? Do you smoke? Oh sorry - your settlment just dropped by 60%" We've had cases where back surgeries have not healed as they should have - the cause? Smoking. Same with neck injuries, knee replacements, etc. In general, I think that smoking slows the body's natural process to heal itself (keep in mind I'm a Paralegal not a doctor). Now, I sometimes wonder if doctors look at a patient and tend to attribute ALL of their ailments to smoking as a cop-out easy answer.. I don't know. But what I do know is that with any medical procedure where your body needs time to heal--smoking can hinder that. I'm not sure exactly WHY they say not to smoke with the band but I know enough to know that if something WERE to go wrong with the band, the surgery, etc. I would not want the medical profession to chalk it up to smoking....

I was told the same thing about the nicotine corroding the port and band by the shrink at my psych eval.

I've been taking Chantix too and it is a miracle! I did not even want to quit when I started taking it! Now I cannot imagine being a smoker again.

Hope I feel the same about WLS (scheduled for April 30).

I've been a smoker for about 7 years now and my surgeon told me to quit before the surgery. I didn't fully quit but I cut back enough to make a pack last a week. I started back up after the surgery and nobody has said anything about it. My surgeon hasn't even asked me about when I go for my fills or when I went for my post-op visit. I really do want to quit though since I won't be able to turn to food for comfort, now is the perfect time for me to quit. I just gotta do it!!!

Thank you everyone, knowing that the port /band may corrode, and all the other messages have made me decide got to quit, going to do it this time, am doing it with the weight now to the rest of my health - quitting, will keep you all informed. Thank you if it wasnt for you guys dont thing i would have made the move to say now yes now is the time.:smile:

I'm not a smoker but my surgeon stated at his seminar that he would NOT band smokers. He requires a blood test before surgery to verify that you have not been smoking and will cancel your surgery if it comes back positive. In addition to the above reasons he listed high incidence of stomach ulcers with the band. He said that you aren't ready for the surgery if you're not willing to make the sacrifice.

Well stomache ulcers serious stuff, more reason to give up for me.And sounds like that doctor is serious if he takes blood tests to verify.

I've never heard info about corrosion, and I have read that they thought smoking might cause erosion of the band into the stomach, then read that they don't know that.

You should quit, period!

I am a smoker, with the band.. Chantix works, I plan to quit when I get to goal.

My doctor recommended I quit for banding, simply because it makes the surgery safer. And the lung thing.

At the seminar I went to for the LB the surgeon said he wouldn't band anyone who smokes and said that they could never smoke again if they did. He didn't elaborate on why so I don't fully know his reason behind it except the obvious.

Smoking appears to make Lap Band surgery more risky, particularly with respect to development of strictures and surgical-margin ulcers. Obese smokers had a fourfold greater risk of stricture and three times the risk of marginal ulcer compared with nonsmokers undergoing weight-loss surgery. It would be good to quit smoking as soon as possible.

I am ashamed of myself.

I have not been told whether or not to quit - since I do not need to have a nicotine test - they just told me not to smoke 3 days before the surgery.

I have 5 days before my surgery and I am waiting till the last moment to quit. I know I won't be able to smoke after I get banded, but it is so hard to quit right now since I am so nervous about the surgery. And the fact that I smoke makes me even more nervous... so I smoke...

I hate this habit. I wish I have never started. It is so bad for me.