Question:
Pre-Op SMOKING?
I went to the library and looked this up but did not find the answer: My Dr. requires you stop smoking 2 weeks prior to WLS.QUESTION: How can 2 weeks make that big of a change in the way your scar or insides heal also he didn't say anything about starting again after surgery, I already know that smoking is bad and everyone needs to stop for the rewards that come with doing but what i'am interested in is the medical facts about this and how it relates to this surgery. — latrishanickle (posted on March 10, 2003)
March 10, 2003
I have smoked for almost 30 yrs and on the way to the hospital for
surgery I smoked my last cigerette, and that has been 3 1/2 months ago. My
doctor gave me Zyban to help me after I got out.
— Dania B.
March 10, 2003
The big risk of being a smoker and undergoing surgery is the anesthesia.
Something could go wrong with your breathing suring the surgery while you
are under the anesthesia. That's why they want you off of cigarettes 2
weeks before surgery. Many surgeons want you smoke free for a longer
period of time. Obviously if you can stop smoking longer than that before
your surgery, your risks will decrease even more. This is all about making
sure you get through the surgery without serious complicaitons. I would do
as your Dr. asks. It's for your own benefit.
— Michele C.
March 10, 2003
Quitting smoking has nothing to do with how you will heal, like the last
poster said, it's for the anesthesia. If your doctor gives you breathing
exercises pre-op, DO THEM! Mine didn't and after surgery I had a heck of a
time with the spirometer. Thank God I never picked up the habit of smoking
(I put food instead of cigarettes in my mouth!) and I had trouble breathing
until 10 days post op. So smoking cessation pre-op is for lung purposes.
— Jean S.
March 10, 2003
There is another VERY big reason to stop smoking, both preop and post. The
nicotine causes your blood vessels to constrict, therefore reducing
bloodflow to tissue. This effects wound healing. Also, those who smoke
have been known to have a greater risk of leaks and ulcers. This is what
my doc said when he found out I smoked/smoke.
— Rebecca H.
March 10, 2003
hey, ok i know what i am about to say isn't good, so i don't want anybody
preaching to be because i am going to be honest.i LOVE to smoke even more
than i love food. smoking and eating too much are my drugs. which is very
bad for me i know. i want to stop smoking,but i love how it relaxes me(it
really does)but i hate depending on it and having withdraws.i am going to
quit this week and i never want to start again. it will be very hard
because i will be giving up 2 addictions at one time. and for the people
who don't smoke, taking the patch and pills ect..is just like having
someone who is MO and addicted to food trying to workout and eat right. it
is a mental thing too.quitting for good is the best thing, but also very
hard. also i have read that people who smoked were in ALOT of pain after
surgery because of trying to cough. if you ever quit smoking you know it
takes a while for the hacking to stop. i don't have a smokers cough. but
when i do quit smoking my lungs are trying to repair and i do cough then.
good luck to you!
— k K.
March 10, 2003
I was told that smoking impedes healing and post op they are concerned
about us breathing well. Also if you go for a day or 2 without smoking,
many people (I didnt) start coughing a lot (your lungs trying to clean
themselves out). I smoked (not proudly )2 packs a day, had wls (NO
problems of any kind), smoked on the way home. There is no connection
between leaks and smoking (called my surgeons just to see). I did what I
wanted, you do what is right for you. Im not proud that I smoke, its just
that I have had numerous surgeries (not wl related) and have never had a
problem. If you have breathing difficulites PRE-op then stopping would
prob be the best thing you could do. If you have had other surgeries and
havent had any probs then its more open to choice...DO WHAT IS BEST FOR
YOU!! Good luck
— cherokey55
March 10, 2003
I don't have any medical facts on what smoking does after surgery, but I do
know how hard it is to stop. I was a smoker for 16 years, smoking at least
a pack per day. I decided in January of this year that WLS was definately
for me. When I spoke with the surgeons office I asked about smoking and
she suggested that I try to stop. Keep in mind, I hadn't really thought
about quitting. I know it was bad for me but I hadn't considered quitting.
When I got off of the phone with her I decided that as soon as my
cigarettes were gone I'd never buy another pack. OMG....I had no IDEA how
hard it would be!!!! I was such a witch. My husband and kids avoided me
like the plague. It was like PMS times ten!! I went to the dr. and begged
for something to take the edge off. I cried through the whole appointment.
She prescribed Wellbutrin. It took about a week or so for me to feel any
better, but I'm happy to report that I've been smoke free for a bit over
two months. It's hard and I still want one from time to time, but I
decided that my life was going to change this year and this was the first
step. Good luck on whatever you decide to do. I do know that a friend of
a friend had the surgery and she was and is a smoker and went through it
just fine...maybe it's just the luck of the draw, yah know? Good Luck!!
— Rhonda Y.
March 10, 2003
Blood oxygen levels, lung capacity, size of blood vessels in all parts of
the body and healing of tissues and skin are affected by inhaling smoke
into your lungs. Your nervous system is also affected. Quiting smoking at
least a month preop will do nothing but good for you and your recovery. And
maybe you won't pick up another one, ever. Why would you go through this
surgery to find better health and still suck smoke into your lungs? Please
try to drop the habit before surgery, your outcome will be better. In case
you're wondering, yes I did quit on the day I found out I was pregnant 6.5
years ago. Surprisingly enough, I have never really missed it. Something
else in my life became more important.
— mary ann T.
March 10, 2003
While I don't have the medical facts, I can tell you personally it is best
to stop, even just for the 2 weeks, but longer if you can! I smoked for 10
years, (and I am only 23 now) and I hadn't quit before surgery, which was a
mistake. My recovery was the worst! Ofcourse, I didn't have any
complications, but it could've been better. As soon as I woke up, I was
coughing. Not to be too graphic, but I felt like I hacked up my lung. I've
never coughed up blood before, and everything just hurt. I had to be kept
on oxygen the whole time in the hospital b/c my breathing was very shallow.
There were other recent WLS patients near me and no one seemed to have the
trouble I did. I was 22, but felt like I was 80. I truly recommend
quitting, believe me I know how hard it is, but it will honestly make
things better. I can compare because, I had an ulcer surgery 3 months ago,
and things went pretty smoothly (well as smooth as can be for that type of
surgery) all b/c I didn't really smoke. I do have some post-op on
occassion, not as often as I did. It's still not good, and I'd like to quit
forever. Goodluck to you- wish you the best!
— Lezlie Y.
March 10, 2003
The requirement for you to stop smoking isn't just for health reasons,
though you said yourself that you do know that smoking is bad for you.
This requirement is also a COMPLIANCE ISSUE. Surgeons feel that if you can
not following a simple order to stop smoking for 2 weeks, then how well are
you going to be able to change your eating habits very strictly for 6 weeks
and thereafter for the rest of your life. It's a matter of your
health.....if there's the concern that you can't refrain from smoking for 2
short weeks, how are you going to following eating-for-healing protocol to
ensure proper healing....if there's any question that you can't, then you
are at great risk for injuring yourself by jumping ahead in the eating plan
and eating foods that your body is not ready to tolerate. Good luck to
you!
— Lynette B.
March 10, 2003
Thanks to everyone who answered my question! I think the answer is the
issue of the anesthesia. I do not think the reason we are told to quit
smoking is a "COMPLIANCE ISSUE" and I never said, I was or wasn't
planning on quitting. But if I do not quit I do not believe that would make
me mess up my WLS!!! Or make me make the wrong food choices. I didn't want
this to be a debate over to smoke or not to smoke. I just wanted the
MEDICAL facts about it.
— latrishanickle
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