Question:
smking???/
has anyone started back to smking after surgery and if so did u have any side effects??? I have quit for almsot a year before surgery and in a lot of stress lately and I have had a couple of smokes.... — pumpkin57 (posted on July 12, 2010)
July 12, 2010
I have recently started smoking again. My RNY was in Oct. 09. I was
really hoping they would make me sick, but unfortunately they didn't. I
had been so stressed and was eating everything I could get my hands on. To
the point of making myself sick. I thought if I started smoking again, I
wouldn't eat so much. It has helped but I don't want to keep smoking. So,
sometime in the near future, I'm going to quit again. I hope. Good luck.
— Kathy B.
July 12, 2010
I was so mad at myself for starting up after being off the butts for 7
months. When I got a killer ulcer at 8 months out, the doctor told me that
he knew I must have been smoking. His assistant told me I must take
pantoprazole every single day that I am going to even have one cigarette.
So I did that and the ulcer stayed quiet.. Then I quit again and then I
started again. Now I'm smoking electronic cigarettes with an occasional
real one thrown in for bad measure. I like smoking, but I don't like ulcers
and they are way too expensive in NY these days to keep up this habit.
anyway, if you find yourself smoking again, you will need to take something
for your stomach like pantoprazole or prilosec... ask the doctor.
— Elizabeth Smith
July 12, 2010
I have heard that smoking can cause ulcers, and that's why they want you to
quit before having the surgery. I quit almost 10 years ago, but had the
surgery only 2 yrs ago. I had awful heartburn when I smoked and had an
ulcer in my asophagus and 2 duodenal ones. Since I quit smoking I have had
very little problems in this area. I am two years out and do have heartburn
on occasion, but its nothing compared to what I had when I smoked. Best of
luck to you! There are other things you can do to de stress...breathing
exercises, meditate..they sound like fluff, but they really work with
practice. Develop an " I don't give a crap" attitude towards some
things...worked for me...lol take care and God Bless, Kim
— gpcmist
July 12, 2010
Living with a smoker made it difficult to stay smoke-free post op. Within
3 weeks I was smoking again and haven't stopped. I get an ocassional
heartburn for which I take 2 chewable Pepcids. No evidence of ulcers so
far.
— babs71958
July 13, 2010
Honestly, if you don't want the surgery bad enough to quit smoking forever,
you shouldn't consider it. It does no good to have a major surgery to save
your life, then commit slow suicide and undo all the positive steps you
have taken. Like any addict, a person who smokes can find as many reasons
(read: excuses) to smoke as is necessary to convince themselves to indulge
in their habit.
At one time I smoked 3 1/2 packs of cigarettes per day, and this after I
watched my mother deliberately turn off her oxygen tent in the hospital to
smoke a cigarette the doctors told her would kill her if she smoked
it...she managed 5 puffs and died. I smoked for 4 more years, watching my
father die from damaged valves and arterial damage due to a life time of
smoking. He died on the operating table. Both died before they were 55
years old.
The famous singer, Eddie Rabbitt died young, having never smoked a
cigarette, but developing lung cancer from the second-hand smoke from fans
in the clubs he played in.
I laid them down at a time when they were $0.35 per pack in the machines,
and almost everyone smoked. That was over 40 years ago, and I STILL crave
one when I smell a new pack being opened, drink coffee or other beverages,
etc. They are as addictive as crack cocaine, and I have seen parents make
their children go without food and clothing and babies do without milk in
order to buy cigarettes. I have seen people refuse to pay rent in order to
buy smoking materials and be evicted with their families.
It's not a harmless option for "nerves", not a hunger
deterrent...until it makes you too sick to be nervous or want to
eat...death cures both... and it's definitely not "cool". It is a
poison that slowly kills your future...if you are a normally healthy
person. If your body has been damaged from years of abuse by the
co-morbidities of weight, and smoking...there will never, ever be a valid
reason to smoke another cigarette, and after you have permanently altered
your body with a major surgery, in a drastic effort to regain your life,
it's not a bad idea, it's a tragedy of epic proportions, and a mistake that
hurts someone who genuinely cares about others, as I do, to tears. Please
don't do it.
You might not think it's all that after one or two cigarettes, but later,
when your life is cut in half, and you realize exactly what smoking has
cost you, not just in big dollars, not just in quality of your life, but
when you know what it has done to those who love you and who have seen you
leaving them years too early...it's too late for regrets...too late for the
grandchildren that might never know who their grandparent was...too late
for the spouse who must now face their most difficult years alone and bury
their dreams, along with their life-mate...because it was so important to
puff a cigarette.
I love my wife and family a lot more than I ever could love the cigarettes
that used to be the first thing I thought about when I woke up, and the
last thing I thought about when I went to bed...and I love my God enough to
believe what the Bible says about those who destroy their body (the temple
of God), which is one of the biggest reasons why I had the surgery. I'm not
anti-SMOKER, just care enough to try and encourage anyone to avoid that
trap. Cigarettes are not an enhancement to life, they take lives. After all
the ads and the hype is gone, there's only you and what you have done with
your life. You've started on a beautiful journey...hope to see you in the
loser's circle.
— Dusty Ray Vaughn
July 14, 2010
Over the past five years, many U.S. plastic surgeons refused to operate on
smokers, especially those seeking a face-lift, tummy tuck, or breast-lift,
procedures where the skin is moved.
"Besides causing addiction, the substance has a vasoconstrictor effect
on blood microcirculation. That is, reducing the diameter of the small
vessels, hindering the supply of oxygen and nutrients that the cells get
through the blood. As a result, the skin loses its freshness and begins to
age prematurely".
The vasoconstriction caused by nicotine affects the healing process after
surgery. During a surgery that involves the displacement of skin tissue,
there is a natural decrease in vascularization. That is, the combination of
two factors: cigarette + surgery enhances the negative effects on the skin.
— Dr. Elias Kuster
July 16, 2010
I am not going to blast anyone that smokes post op, as I smoked 15 yrs ago,
but I am 4.5 yrs post op and most people that have the surgery turn to
either alcohol or smoking to gain that feeling for lose of food. I know
stress plays a lot in that role. Perhaps speaking to a Psychologist will
help with the stress instead of turning one bad habit in for another. I
know I have days when I think can the stress get any worse? I hope that
one smoke after surgery helps you realize that you had the surgery to get
healthy but now the smoking is going to cause a lot of bad things in your
body. Please try Wellbutrin and the Nicorette Patches. They work well
together. My husband was a smoker for years, and tried what I just
recommended and he has been smoke free for 3 yrs. We just have so much
stress in our lives as imperfect humans, that we turn to food or smoking or
drinking when there are other avenues to try like group therapy or one on
one with your PHD, to handle the stress. I am ready to make my appointment
now for my Psych. My daughter hasn't spoken to me for months and I am so
sad about it, so the only thing I can think of is to talk to my doctor. I
don't want to be a hypocrite, so I wish all of you best recovery from
smoking. Remember, this website is good for venting stressful problems and
to get love filled support. So vent on us..........before you light up.
:-)
— Kristy
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