I am so scared

I have a date of jan 22,2004 I am still smoking so the date will be put off I am so mad at myself no will power. my daughter is worried about me having this done I don't know alot of what to expect yet what I will and won't be able to have to eat down the line but guess that will be explained at the pre op I hope.

Hey, Susan...first off, quit scaring yourself so bad, gal! Help is on the way! I had to quit smoking, too: Dr. Lane said he REFUSED to operate until I was smoke-free for 6 weeks: my heart dropped. I told Dr. Lane that after 29 years of 2.5+ packs/day, "...THAT is going to be more challenging than the surgery itself..." and really didn't know how I was going to do it. First off, I PRAYED HARD (I'm a witness to what prayer can do) and had every praying person I know pray, too (I'll put your name on my monitor...where all my "prayer requests" go, and will pray for you!). Then I said "you ARE gonna do this...period." Then I sat down and made out a gameplan. I did some behavioral modifications for the next week: only allowed myself 1 cig to and from work (a normal 4-5 cig trip), didn't bring my cigs up to my bedroom at nite, gave away all my lighters (some VERY expensive...), left my cigs in my car at work so I'd have to walk to go get one, then took all ashtrays out of house and made myself smoke outside (I own my home and live alone and snickered every time I made myself go outside and smoke...just sorta hit me funny that I banished myself from my home...). I basically made it more difficult for me to smoke. I did this in stages through the 1st week. That brought me up to Labor Day. That day I had 1 pack left of the carton, and at 7:12 p.m. I smoked the last cig of my life...almost ate the filter I smoked it so long and hard and savored every "pull". (Let me add that I'd gone to my PCP and asked HIM what to do, and he gave me Nicotrol Inhalers...they're the best in smoking-cessation aids). That was the end of an era -- I haven't smoked since (altho about 2 months later I DID "hit" someone's cig once to see what it was like -- I almost HURLED it was so bad!! Eyes watered, nose ran, kept coughing and dry-heaving...what a "Kodak Moment"!). I used the inhalers for about 2 weeks after that (I have enough here to last 'til around the year 2051...hahaha!!), and can honestly say I haven't had a problem since! Yeah, I've had some cravings, but nothing like I thought I'd have. I've figured out where my vulnerable times are: when I'm in pain (I have fibromyalgia) and when I'm sick (just getting over a bad sinus infection). But whenever I get a craving, I refuse to dwell on it/think about it, and I make myself think of and do something else...and I grab a stick of Freedent gum or an inhaler. I have to give the "win" to God 'cuz I was a SERIOUS smoker - it was my only 'vice' and I LOVED smoking. Ask your Dr. for the inhalers...they really do work in a strange way (when you inhale, there's a vapor that's released that's absorbed thru your buccal membranes...pure nicotine, no smoke), and I've now found several people who had a MUCH worse time than me who used them with great results. I've been told that Zyban works great, too, but I'm so sick of taking pills that I opted against that. Ask your PCP for some help...you'll be glad you did. That I stopped smoking is one of the most astounding changes in my life in years! I'll pray hard for you...if I could do it, ANYONE can do it too!

Smoking? My doctor as well and my friend at work-you smoke they will cancel your surgery. It's very critical for anesthesia to have you clear as possible. I don't smoke and never have-but my daughter does-just chewed her butt for 20 minutes the other day-we just found out she has cancer-hasn't quit yet. Please think if you don't-you won't get your surgery, and you wouldn't want that. Have you tried to quit at all? Tried Zyban or the patch? Please let me know how you are doing with this. Are you having a lap or RNY? If RNY-it's difficult to take really deep breaths after the surgery.

I've never been a smoker, but I had trouble coming out of the anesthesia due to my sleep apnea. So whatever you can do to clear your breathing passages pre-surgery, including quitting smoking, is essential. After all, this is all about having a healthier body -- why waste it be continuing to damage your heart and lungs with cigarettes? Barbara, I had lap RNY January 2 and did not find it difficult to take really deep breaths after the surgery, other than from a little tenderness around my incisions. In fact, you have to do that so you can keep your lungs clear and avoid pneumonia. It may be harder with the open RNY. Good luck. Linda

I had to quit smoking and I quit for almost a year and just had the surgery......I just said no more and that was that.......I wanted this surgery more anything so I had to do what I had to do to have it done!! I know it seems hard to quit smoking I smoked for many years so I know.....It was time to change my life and smoking was one of the things I had to change with it and It is all up to you........but you can do anything you want to yes it is hard but just keep saying no to them nasty smokes and say I don't need ya no more!