Question:
Smoking before and after Surgery
Smoking? Are there any smokers who have had RYN? If so what did you do before and after the surgery to prepare? Any tips or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to you all! Rochelle — starfish3376 (posted on April 14, 2006)
April 14, 2006
Well thanks Polly for the response, but I am looking for something a little
more helpful.
— starfish3376
April 14, 2006
Seriously UNHELPFUL answer Polly, geesh!! Some people!!
Anyhow Chell, my doc made me quit a few months before surgery, I went on
Zyban, but I unfortunately started back up as soon as I got home ......What
kind of info or tips were you looking for? Sorry I can't be of more help,
but at least I was more helpful than the poster before me HAHAHAHAHA
— cedsangel
April 14, 2006
If ya dont have anything nice to say, dont say it at all... I mean really
Polly. Rochelle, my neighbor was told to quit before she had surgery. She
was told not to smoke right before surgery, however she was so nervious she
smoked right before surgery. She says she didnt think it effected her any.
Then after surgery she didnt smoke for about two weeks then started right
back up. She seems fine. I hope that helps.
— Jennifer Nice
April 14, 2006
Hi Chelle,
Dont let non smokers get to you. It is a very hard thing to do (I speak
from experience) and unless they are going (or have gone thru the same
thing) the experience, it is very hard to understand. I quit cold turkey
because I wanted it very badly. I am very thankful and lucky I was able to.
Whatever you do, focus on the end result and remember you can do it. Take
care and best of luck to you!
Julie
— Julie M.
April 14, 2006
A smoker who has decided to not quit and has a surgeon willing to still
operate faces the following:( This all from my surgeon the new head of
ASBS. A greater chance of death not only on the table but afterwards, from
serious troubles like bloodclots and strokes, smoking makes the blood
sticky, more leaks where your not allowed ANYTHING by mouth not even water
for weeks or months and live hooked to a IV, smoking decrease bloodflow so
necessary for good healing. Smokers heal slower, and have more pain, after
surgery they are at much greater risk of hard to treat ulcers that can put
the patient back on clear liquids. Let alone the breathng troubles
excessive coughing causing hernias... the list goes on. Most surgeons today
refuse to operate on smokers and test the morning of surgery for cheaters.
Members here have had surgery cancelled for cheating. Truly WLS is about
getting healthy and making life altering lifestyle changes. Only YOU know
if your ready for this.
— bob-haller
April 14, 2006
I haven't had surgery yet but I know from people who have had it that it
was required before surgery. I will try zyban but also know how hard it
will be. It is all for your benefit. When my daughter had surgery I was
told not even to smoke around her! Gosh it's a tough habit to break but I
wish you all the luck..don't give up. Lori
— dancemum6
April 14, 2006
Hi Chelle, I smoke and my surgeon just told me to cut down before surgery.
That was back in Nov. 2005. So far no problems what so ever. Now if he had
told me I had to quit I would have done my best to quit at least until
after the surgery. Hope that helps you.
— HubbysBrat
April 14, 2006
~Hi, I think you first need to speak to your surgeon (as to what he
requires about quitting) My DR. required me to quit 10 weeks prior to
surgery and i was tested by bloodwork to check for nicotine bi-products in
my blood before surgery. I quit in sept. of 05' for about 4 weeks....then i
had a relaps at the end of oct. (OOPS) It is a very hard thing to do, but
if your decision leads you to quit it is a very accomplished feeling once
you kick the habit. I tried again mid december and have been smoke free
since. I used the nicoderm CQ patch and chewed tons of sugarless
gum.however i did gain 29 lbs and lost 14 in the 5-6 weeks before
surgery.(my surgeon is a stickler for weightloss before surgery, so i was
almost cancelled in that way) I was allowed to have my surgery 4/5 (and am
now 10 days post op) But i went in as a lap patient and came out as an open
one because my liver was enlarged from the weight gain. Seriously i know
first hand how tough it is...as a grown person of course it is totally your
decision, of course it is much healthier to quit for many reasons. But if
you must cheat try not to smoke 72 hours prior to your pre-op blood work
(it takes nicotine 3 days to remove itself from the blood stream) Hope this
helped in some small way. I wish you the best of luck in your journey !!!!
— tiffany E.
April 15, 2006
I am a smoker, on and off since i was 16, i am 37 now. I quit for over 5
years and quit every time i got pregnant. Fortuntatly for me, i had
already quit a few years before i had surgery. but my surgeon required
quitting for having surgery. I also had to walk two miles per day to
strengthen my lungs and heart. So its a case of discussing with your
surgeon and making your own decisions. I started smoking two years after i
had the surgery. It does not effect me much but i only smoke socially and
usually under a pack a week. hope this helps. Kim
— Kimberly Felan
April 15, 2006
Hi Chelle, They must have dropped the post from the person who was ugly to
you about the issue of smoking, because it isn't showing in the replies.
Anyone who wants to bash you about smoking shouldnt have to need this site.
I mean, smoking is an addiction just like overeating is an addiction.
Anyone who has done either thing knows that neither issue is easy. I used
to work for a non profit organization that dealt with individuals that were
paralyzed and guys with pressure sores caught alot of flak over smoking
because they did not heal very well. The surgery is a way to fix the
overweight issue, well there are also avenues that you can take to overcome
the smoking, but just like the weight control you also have to be a willing
participant in the smoking cessation. They only require it because of the
fact that your body needs all the plusses that it can get after such a
drastic change. Do what you can to help yourself to conquer the
cigarettes, but don't beat yourself up over it. We are all human and we
all have our vices, food being one of the hardest to beat. I will say a
prayer for you that you can get past this trial in your journey. I truly
wish you luck. I smoked for many years and ended up spending a week in the
hospital about 8 or 9 years ago due to a bad back. The hospital even at
that time was a non smoking hospital and you had to go outside to smoke and
I could barely make it to the bathroom, so I went cold turkey the hard way.
I and everyone else that has stopped smoking know that it is not easy and
anyone who wants to tell you that it is easy is not only lying to you, but
they are lying to themselves too. So basically what I am saying is to do
the best you can, use whatever diversions that you can come up with to help
you achieve the goalsthat you are after and keep your eye on the end
result. Best to you--Debbie
— imdebbie
April 15, 2006
Chelle,
I was told to quit before the surgery and I was able to quit for one
week. They still did my surgery but I started right up again after surgery
and smoked until 6 weeks ago. My surgery was on August 29, 2001. I lost 180
pounds and now I have 6 weeks of being smoke-free but it was by no means
easy.
I use the committ lozenges and they help me with the nicotine craving. When
I crave a cigarette which does happen although not often anymore. I stick a
lozenge in my mouth and the craving goes away.
I hope you can find a way to quit as it is definitely healthier. Some
people have had their surgery cancelled due to smoking but I was lucky as I
smoked the morning of my surgery and they still did mine. However that was
almost 5 years ago and a lot of rules have changed since then too.
Try the committ lozenges and see if they help with the craving. They are
oin the proce of a carton of cigarettes and they tell you to use 9 a day
but I have only been using 3-4 a day and a box lasts me 4 weeks. So it is
much cheaper for me anyway.
Good luck and I will keep you in my prayers sweetie. I know how tough it
is. I didn't want to quit at the time I had my surgery and really didn't
want to quit this time but I have done it.
You can too.
Bobbi Z
— bzerm01
April 15, 2006
I don't believe there are any bariatric surgeons worth their salt that will
do weight loss surgery on you unless you quit smoking.
— blm4602
April 15, 2006
Thank you all so much for answers and support. I really appreciate hearing
from you all. It really helped alot to hear real answers from real people.
Love You All
Chelle
— starfish3376
April 15, 2006
I went to one of the GORAYEB hipnosis sessions, to quit smoking, 6 years
ago in February. I have not smoked since. I know this doesn't work for
everyone, but I think I was really ready to quit. I also went to one of the
sessions for weightloss about 15 years ago and oh well.......I guess I
wasn't really ready to quit eating. Anyway, if you really want to quit, you
might give the hypnosis session a try. Good luck!
— Leisa
April 16, 2006
I feel your pain. I was a 3 pack/day girl many years ago. I have to agree
with Bob on the potential complications, since I've seen so many. Assuming
you figure it's not YOU whose number is up for blood clots, pneumonia or
any of the catastrophe things, let's just go for the lightest weight
complication of continuing to smoke after WLS. The blood supply to the
stoma is reduced. The stoma has to function like fish lips (go ahead, make
them with your lips in a mirror). It can become rigid and not flexible
enough to do correct peristalsis. So, now put a dime or a nickel in your
lips (so you can see the face) and make peristalsis (fish lips). Doesn't
work so well, huh? That would be pretty close to a marginal ulcer. The
rigidity (not blockage) and would mean nausea and/or vomiting, which would
impair eating/drinking. And that one IS a high likliehood. Not just one
ulcer, but heal it, repeat. Heal it, repeat. An unhealed marginal ulcer
eventually perforates (OK, now it sounds like scare tactics), so that means
another surgery. If I hadn't known so many ppl in real life, with real
faces and real families, I probably would not have bothered to add my 2
cents. And then the final scare: you have to quit sometime. This is the
ONLY time you get to quit AND lose wt at the same time. What better
inspiration can there be?
— vitalady
April 17, 2006
My surgeon won't even take you as a patient if you smoke...or if anyone in
your house smokes...and he checks before surgery. He does this for the
safety of the patients...and to also protect himself.
— mmcphee1
April 17, 2006
very bad I would throw them away ---- you need your strenght before and
after surgery. C
— barbie12
April 17, 2006
I had the lap-band, but I believe the pre-op directions are the same. I
was a bad girl. My surgeons nurse told me that he was going to tell me to
quit and that he is very strict about not smoking pre-op. Well, when he
came in, he did not mention it. So, I gave myself the green light to smoke
up until the morning of surgery. Like I said, I was a bad girl. But,
honestly, it did not affect me negatively at all as far as surgery and
recovery time. I was right along the same recovery aches and pains as
others in my same day group. Good luck to you.
— prinnie
April 18, 2006
Chelle,
I just had surgery 7 weeks ago. I was told to quit smoking two weeks before
I had surgery. Did I, NO. I went to the hospital the day before surgery to
do all the pre-op stuff and the nurse told me not to eat, drink, or smoke
anything after midnight. So I put my last cigarette out at 12:00 on the
nose. The bad thing is that my surgery wasn't scheduled until 3pm the next
day. I went all day without anything. After the surgery, the last thing I
thought about was smoking. I had some complications (not due to the
smoking) and was out of it for about a week. After I started feeling
better, the smell of smoke made me sick. (My husband also smokes.) I guess
I got lucky because when I put that one out at midnight, I haven't had
another one since. Do I still crave them, sometimes, but I feel so much
better now that I don't have them. I know how hard it is because I have
quit a thousand times, just like I have dieted a thousand times and started
the same ole habbits all over again. I know you can do it if you put your
mind to it. It is worth it. Hang in there, girl. I will pray for you. Good
luck with your journey.
Kelli Miller
— KelliM
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