Niccotine Test

Hi All,

Does anyone remember at what point their nicotine testing was done?

I stopped smoking but slipped up and smoked 1 cigarette (didn't even buy a pack). Will this be enough to stop me from having surgery? My program wants us to be smoke-free for 2 months.

Nita

It might!  This is one area that many surgeon's do not take lightly.  When you are a smoker it can be unsafe to put you under anesthia so when it is an elective surgery, they want to make sure you have stopped.  In my office they check just before surgery when they do all of your other paperwork.

Thanks, Jackie. Do you know if they are able to tell if it was just one slip up? How long since the infraction would they be able to detect?

I had quit many years before surgery but I remember them saying that smoking decreased your ability for healing and increased your risk of infection... 2 things to keep in mind when the urge come again ;)

Best wishes on your surgery!!

~Michelle "Shelly"

Thanks, Shelly! I've been thinking about that too. I wish I had never started to begin with.

Also - second hand smoke can also show on a test as "smoker" - I know at lest one person who was denied because soemoen else smoked in the house. (at least that what she claimed)

Now that sucks! My husband smokes as do most of the adults in my family. Maybe I can get them to smoke outside. I did read online that second hand smoke can cause you to test positive.

Did your friend ever end up getting approved after that?

the lady : (she was not my friend) was in unfortunate situation, as far as she told me... she never passed the non-smoke test .. so she was never approved as far as I know. I lost contact with her long time ago. But at the same time - she was not a very nice person, and she blamed anyone and everyone on anything in her life.. 

The tests: As far as I know -  Some test can accommodate for that - some may show a person as "light smoker" and so on. 

only your doc can determine that. 

http://www.testcountry.com/products.html?product=1822

NicAlert™ is a simple, cost-effective test to determine smoking status of a person. It is an easy-to-read test strip that can be used with a a urine sample (saliva version is also available). 

NicAlert™ can help: 

• health care professionals to test for their patient's exposure to tobacco smoke
• teachers and high school coaches to test high school athletes for smoking or other tobacco product use;
• to verify smoking status for insurance applications;
• to test subjects in tobacco research studies.
  
  There are many new significant opportunities for the development and expansion of state-funded research and tobacco prevention and cessation programs. 
  
  INTENDED USE
  NicAlert™ is intended for in vitro diagnostic professional use for the semi-quantitative determination of cotinine in urine for the purpose of determining if an individual has been exposed to tobacco products such as cigarettes, pipes, or chewing tobacco within the past 48 hours. 
  
  The cutoff concentration for the NicAlert™ test is 100 ng/mL. Second hand smoke exposure (environmental tobacco smoke) may cause a positive result in a non-user of tobacco products. The NicAlert™ Positive and Negative Controls are intended for in vitro diagnostic use for the quality control of the NicAlert™ test.

Thanks for the info.

What a shame that she wasn't able to stop for her new life. I realize that I am about to make a LOT of LIFELONG changes and I got really disheartened when I had a slip up. What if I have a slip up with food? That's why I decided to get some counseling along with exercising willpower. Maybe I can get to the bottom of this issue. It's amazing how easy it is to get big and how hard it is to get healthy. SMH

I am glad you see that it is more mental journey. As for your DH and family - it would be great for you and them if the start smoking outsite.  

Specially for you - when you end up having surgery - second hand smoke may inhibit healing and recovery.  So it would be in your best interest to see if they will support you desire to get healthy by smoking outside. 

That also make make it easier on you long term to remain smoke free,,, Good luck. 

BTW: I would tell the doc that you live with smokers ... that way if the results come positive - but low positive - he may be more understanding... (not sure?)