Nicotine test while still using aids...

So I had my 4 month appointment yesterday and they told me that I will need to have my urine tested for nicotine... I had put on my paperwork that I quit in October, which I did, but last month I fell off the wagon.  I started back to basics with patches and the e-cig trying to wean down to 0mg of nicotine, but Im not there yet.  Unfortunately, they said that I would have to be nicotine free completely (no patches, gum, electronic cigarette, etc) and although I'm working on it, I'm worried that I'm still going to test positive.

Does anyone have any info on how I can go about this?  Obviously, I want (and need) to be nicotine free, so I will step up my efforts, but I guess I'm unsure about what to do about the test, when I should get the test to be clear, etc.  I'd hate for surgery to be pushed back due to still using a low dose of nicotine aid...

Thanks for the advice (and support!!)

How long do you need to be nicotine free before surgery?

I know that at my bariatric centre, it needs to be 6 months.  So if someone was to test positive, then it would delay things until they were free and clear of nicotine.

Judy

I remember my surgeon's office said that using the nicotine aids would cause a false positive on the test. Seems to me you need to be free of it for 4 to 6 weeks. I've heard of people testing negative in as little as 10 days but I don't think there are any guarantees. good luck!

I just googled your question....active nicotine like from smoking stays in your bloodstream 3-4 days. Passive nicotine such as you describe, and sometimes lingers in trace amounts for up to 20 days. To help your body detoxify: 8-10 glasses of fluid intake, vitamin C supplement, and exercise all hel your body get rid of the nicotine (any other toxin for that matter) Good luck!

Thanks everyone!

Yeah, the only way to be Nic free is to stay completely OFF any nicotine or nic aids. My surgeon was the same way, and he actually has booted people out of the surgical line up (They were all IV'd and ready for surgey and he cancelled them because their test came back positive)

He told me even 2nd hand smoke can cause you to test positive (if you have a spouse or partner who smoke) and he's had some paitients who slept in a hotel the day before surgery to avoid any 2nd hand smoke from family members.

he told us 10 days minimum with NO exposure to any kind of Nicotine to have it out of your system.
As the other person said, A LOT of water, Vitamin C and maybe one of those "detox" systems (Liver detox) about 5 days before surgery.  

I had quit smoking in 1996, then got addicted to the Nicorette GUM gum for 12 years! Wellbutrin is awesome stuff and will make you NOT want the nicotine at all. See if you can get some Wellbutrin from a doctor.

good luck! You can do it.  I got Nic free, I know you can! (Cause this surgery was sooo important to me, more important than cigs or nic gum)  ;)
Warmly,
Jackie

 Thanks Jackie!  I am working on it for sure.  I haven't even completed month 5 of my pre-op stuff, so I was a little shocked to find out I can't even continue to use the aids at this point.

It is super important for me to be as healthy as possible though (I've been working on quitting smoking for over a year).  It's finally time to make a deadline though.  No excuses.  

:).