Question:
Pre-op testing on Thursday! HELP!!!
My surgery is on 7/2, my pre-op testing is on Thursday. The problem is I'm still smoking 3 cigs a day. Will this show up on the bloodtest? I've tried sooo hard, and tried every method to quit, I even tried hypnosis to no avail. — Shari O. (posted on June 19, 2007)
June 19, 2007
Yes, it probably will show up. If you truely want the surgery you HAVE to
stop. Most surgeons will reschedule or just flat out cancel the surgery if
you are not following there orders to stop before surgery. Some thoughts I
have heard from my surgeon is, if you can't follow directions before the
surgery, how well will you follow them after teh surgery. Talk with your
doctor and see if there is something they can recomend to help. Your
surgery may get pushed back but better pushed back then cancelled. Good
Luck!
— Lost4Ever
June 19, 2007
I am not a smoker, but I am pretty sure when they take your blood they will
be able to tell the nicotine in your stream. I know when insurance agencies
do their health screens for insurance, they run tests to verify
smoker/non-smoker. Don't quote me and maybe I am well off base, but ......
I think they will find out. Depending upon your surgeon and his/her rules
and guidelines you may or may not be able to go through with it. I believe
honesty is the best policy. I would rather be upfront with the doc and let
him know then be on the way to the hospital and they call you to postpone.
Good luck.
— jammerz
June 19, 2007
smoking is my battle also, my advice to you is get on chantix it's a
miricle drug for smoking.....it's the most effortless way to kick the
habit! Pam
— Pam S.
June 19, 2007
It will not show, unless they are testing specifically for nicotine, which
is very unlikely
— Susan M.
June 19, 2007
You NEED to quit and or notify your surgeon unless you want to die on the
table during surgery. Yes! That can and DOES happen! The smoking causes
so many unforseen problems. There are many reasons WHY surgeons want
people to stop smoking before ANY surgery. Your blood pressure could spike
during surgery and you could have a heart attack right on the table. They
don't tell you to stop just because they WANT you to stop. They tell you
to possibly PREVENT worse case --death. Good Luck.
— crystalsno
June 19, 2007
Your smoking WILL affect the intake if oxygen on the Surgery Table and your
body absorbing the drugs to help repair your body. Tell your Surgeon &
post-pone till you've stopped for at least 30 days.
— Michael Eak
June 19, 2007
As someone earlier said, unless they are specifically testing for nicotine
(highly unlikely) it will not show up directly. It will show up indirectly
as lower oxygen saturation in your blood and impaired wound healing, poorer
lung compliance and slower recovery. First of all, congratulations on
getting down to 3 cigarettes a day. You are not going to be able to smoke
post-op - so do yourself a favor, cut out the last 3 cigarettes now so that
you only have to deal with postop diet and pain issues, not craving
cigarettes too! This is the new healthy you! :) You can do it.
— Joyous
June 19, 2007
Shari, I am so sorry that you haven't been able to conquer something that
you have tried so hard on. I am not a smoker, but my mother has smoked her
entire life and our oldest son was addicted to nicotine for many years
before God set him free just a year ago. It is a tough battle. If your
surgeon stresses no smoking for surgery then I would think that they check
in your blood work for someone who smokes. It is much better for you to
talk with them and be honest then to be "caught". Please be
honest with your surgeon. Here is the thing. You might be able to get
away with having surgery and smoking, but are you willing to kill yourself
by doing it? Once you have the surgery smoking does more damage than
before, so the risk becomes even greater than it is now for damage from
smoking. It is like alcohol. Anyone drinking alcohol has a risk of liver
damage, it is not good, but we all have it. Once you have surgery, the
concentration of alcohol that goes to your liver is greater because of the
rny re-wiring, and your chances increase for liver damage just because you
have had the surgery. Smoke is the same way. The concentration of the
nicotine and the damaging drugs they use to make this awful product is more
damaging to you, and can cause all sorts of healing issues, hernias, and
make you very sorry you ever thought of having surgery. Please, please,
for your own healths sake, do what it takes to stop smoking and reschedule
your surgery. You can't have everything you want here and be successful.
As a matter of fact, you are heading for a train wreck on the path that you
are taking. I personally know of a woman, much younger than myself (46)
that insisted on drinking and smoking after surgery. I am not sure at all
at this point that she is still alive. She was in constant pain and it was
not a pretty thing to watch. I hate to see anyone else have these issues.
Consider seriously what you do. Take care. Patricia P.
— Patricia P
June 20, 2007
I just had my education class yesterday and my doctor said that they would
test specifically for nicotine as part of their routine blood tests done
pre-op, because of the danger of doing this type procedure on someone who
had not quit smoking. I know alot of people think it is just something all
doctors say and they have no real reason for saying it, but there are very
severe problems that can arise for a smoker that has this surgery. Please
do not hide this from the Dr. You'd surely rather do this a little later
and the healthy way, than have it now and be very sick or die. It is your
choice though, and if your doctor is anything like mine, they will check
the blood for nicotine. Good Luck!
— slynn33
June 20, 2007
I will have the same problem as you!!! I will also need to quit smoking.
I KNOW I have to, but it will be hard to do. Come on people, we all have
our little "addictions" in our lives, or we would not be on this
website!! A little support will probably make the post-er feel better!! 3
cigs a day is GREAT! that is a wonderful cut-down. I haven't seen a
surgeon yet for initial consultation, so I'm not sure how long you have to
be quit before surgery, but if it has to be rescheduled because of this,
you just need to TRY HARDER for the next month & conquer this,,,I will
fill you in on what will be going thru MY mind when it is MY time,,,,
I will repeat & repeat----"do I want to be fat forever, or do I
want this cigarette" & let me tell you, I DO NOT want to be fat
forever!! They are both, in essence, life threatening at some point, for
some people. But, I know me, and I will try my hardest to quit for
surgery, I can't say whether or not I will smoke after,,,we'll see.
Another post-er either said it themselves, or their surgeon said it, if you
can't follow directions before, you may not be able to follow them
later,,,,that is BULL! You can't even compare the 2 addictions, nicotine
is physically addicting, food is not, food is mental--I'm not physically
addicted to that twinkie like I am that cigarette. No comparison! So, I
wish you the best of luck & I know you can do it!!!!! Best of luck,
too, with your surgery on July 2nd!!! Keep me updated, please, let me know
what the surgeon said about the 3 smokes a day!!!
— [Deactivated Member]
June 20, 2007
Hi I agree that Chantix is the way to go I have family members who have
smoked for over 20 years and they have quit with the help of Chantix.
— Lisa_1965
June 20, 2007
Thanks everyone for your responce!!! Good, bad or indifferent it still
gives me some food for thought...Shari
— Shari O.
June 21, 2007
I think you *really* need to be honest with your surgeon about this for all
the reasons others have posted.
My suggestion for quitting is ask about Zyban/Wellbutrin (same med, Zyban
is marketed to smokers and wellbutrin towards mental health). I was able
to quit while on it... quitting smoking was not physically difficult, due
to the wellbutrin/zyban, but mentally it was very difficult as the majority
of my friends smoked, we'd all go out for smoke together or have smoke
breaks, etc. The social part was the most difficult for me.
Best wishes.
— mrsidknee
June 22, 2007
Think of it this way, if you don't quit smoking and get your lungs healthy
before surgery you have a higher risk of dying. During and after surgery.
That cigarette equals death now not far down the road. After surgery you
have so much gunk in your lungs that you are trying to clear out. If you
are unable to do it you end up with pneumonia and stay in the hospital
longer. What do you want more cigarettes or surgery? Life or Death?
This is a brutal truth, not the popular way people usually color the truth
pretty.
— Silkie
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