Smoking

Hi everyone,

I just had an appointment today with my regular doctor and she referred me to the clinic in Guelph. I just noticed that you can't be a smoker to get surgery. Do you know if this is a question that is on the referral form? I am willing to quit tomorrow if I need to but I am worried they will reject me now. I didn't know that you had to be a non-smoker. Thanks!!

A friend of mine was a smoker and he had to have quit for 2 weeks before surgery and must continue not smoking. The bloodwork they do before surgery will also tell if there is nicotine in your blood. My doc (same group as my friend's) said surgery is a No-Go if nicotine is found as it interferes with the body's ability to heal. 

If you are willing to quit tomorrow then I would quit today.  I'm not sure about Canada but here is the US most, if not all surgeons won't consider surgery on a smoker.  The sooner you quit the better your chances will be.

If you go to a surgeon and tell them you will quit if they agree to do surgery they may have a hard time believing that since you didn't quit before hand.

And if you are committed to living a new, healthy lifestyle then smoking cannot be part of it.  Should you manage to quit to get the surgery and then start up again you open yourself up to even more risks.

I'm not talking out of my ass.  I have been a long time, on and off smoker since I was 13.  I was smoking when I had my revision, which they wouldn't have done had it not been pretty much an emergency.  I also promised I'd quit since I figured I couldn't smoke in the hospital and I would get a head start by the time I got home.

Except I had a lot of complications because of the smoking and they almost had to send me home with oxygen.

And I didn't last 2 days before I was smoking again at home.

I continued to struggle with it, quitting once for nearly a year and another time for over 6 months.

I finally got my act together and it's been nearly a year and a half since I've smoked.  My health is so much better that it really helps encourage me to stay stopped.

That and the rash of friends I've lost in the last several years, more than I can count and all smokers, all too young and all directly or indirectly due to smoking.  I cannot think of one person that has passed away that I knew who was did not smoke.  

If you are "willing to quit tomorrow", quit today! Irrespective of surgery! But then when asked, you can say, I have already given up. They might say you have to wait a certain length of time without smoking before surgery. But why wait?

P.S. I am an ex-smoker so I am not being naive - I know it is hard  

When I went to the orientation in Windsor, they told the smokers that they had to quit for three months before they could begin the process for surgery.

I couldn't get an appointment until I had been smoke for 3 months.  My appointment is December 4.  I struggle, everyday!

I've heard of docs doing bloodwork to test for it before surgery, so definitely plan to stop right away, for it takes time to get out of your bloodstream.

Almost all doctors will not do the surgery if you are a smoker.

Check with your doctor. My doctor did not exclude you for being a smoker. The requirement was that you must quit smoking one month prior to surgery to prevent blood clots and wanted you to be smoke free for a month after surgery for the healing process. Whatever you do after that is your perogative. 

I want your doctor, lol.  I don't think I've meet a doctor or dentist or any other health professional who would have given me permission to smoke for a second.

And no matter what your doctor says, and he is in the very smallest of minorities, smoking is never safe after WLS as it increases the risks for ulcers.

I got a hernia after surgery and my surgeon refused to operate until I quit smoking.  He told me that in his experience 100% of smokers have their hernia return after surgery.