Question:
Can you smoke post-op, and what are the problems associated with smoking?

   — Elizabeth P. (posted on July 30, 2002)

July 30, 2002
Chances are, your surgeon will require you not to smoke for several weeks before your surgery. So why restart??? We all know the dangerous effects of smoking, i.e. strokes, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, etc. Why not make several major changes at once all to benefit your good health?? Grab this opportunity to quit and run with it! Good luck.
   — Terissa R.

July 30, 2002
hi there i am a light smoker half a pack a day or less my surgeon required patients to stop atleast 2 weeks in advance i was getting my lungs prepared for surgery so i stopped and i also bought some baloons and blew them up alot for lung exercise it must have worked because i had absolutely no troubles at all i was able to stay quit for like 2 or 3 weeks post op but restarted again very lightly which i wish i would have stayed quit but i was emotional, i wasnt drinking any pop or hardly eating a thing so i guess i turned to the smokes again best of luck to you and do try the ballon thing its a great lung work out :)
   — carrie M.

July 30, 2002

   — Karen R.

July 30, 2002
Thanks. I am not the smoker but I am talking to a potential surgery candidate and she wants to know if she can still smoke after surgery. I have no reference point . Thanks for the info
   — Elizabeth P.

July 31, 2002
At my consult, the dr. said that smoking was really bad if you have wls - apparently you are more prone to have ulcers because of it. I quit a little over a month ago - weehaw!
   — Anne F.

July 31, 2002
This is going to sound preachy, so bear with me here...As a smoker who is planning to quit before surgery, the way I look at it is this: Eventual outcome of obesity: death. Eventual outcome of smoking: death. Now, if I'm going to go through the effort of having someone cut me open to help me get rid of one problem, it's stupid to keep hanging onto the other problem. Why go through the trouble of getting the surgery? Not to mention, I'm trying to rule out the possibility of any complications. That which I can do on my end that will make it easier for the surgeon to keep up on his end of the bargain, I'm willing to do. Just a couple of thoughts....
   — Jess S.