Smokers?

Hi everyone have my first consultation on Tuesday just read on a forum that smokers have to quit 2 weeks before op and 2 weeks after? Is this true? Or can u just cut down? I really don’t know if I can just stop altogether like that so quite worried as going to aim to get mine done asap as waited along time… smokers feedback would be much appreciated ladies ???? Thankyou

I stopped for 9 days 2 weeks before my op i went cold Turkey but then a friend gave me a vape pen and it made me want to smoke more and i ended up buying some! So for the remaining 5 days before my op i had 2 a day one on a morning and one on a night but i didn’t have one on tbe morning of the op my last one was 9pm as my admission was 8am, the thing is if you are a smoker they can randomly check your carbon monoxide levels and if they are above 6 they can refuse to proceed with surgery and if they really wanted to they could keep £1500 of your payment to cover for wasted theatre time and supplys, i have a carbon monoxide machine and was tezting myself regularly in the days leading up and on 2 cigs a day my levels never went high but they did rise to 8 and 10 after a ciggarette, they did not test me on the morning of the op but others have been tested and op’s have been cancelled so please cut down as far as you can and deffo no ciggarettes 24 hours before, after my op i did not smoke at all for 48 hours and for the first week i stuck to 2 a day, im post op day 11 today and healing well, i think people think it’s a falacy but it’s not smoking really does impair your bodys healing process xxx

Wow. I never knew this!! … thankyou for the advice chick!! I can’t go 3 hours without a fag so I’m worried… but it’s obviously worth it isn’t it just have to have the will power to do it!!! Quite scary to think they can take some money off you if they find your levels are too high but there obviously just looking out for our health and safety with the op …. xxxxxx

Well they are to an extent but also theatre staff still have to be paid and at that late stage the slot can’t be re-filled and Anethatists dont come cheap, when the cost is broken down it’s actualy quite suprising how little of the cost goes to the surgeon, im the same im usualy 10-15 a day and if i cant have one i just want one more! But seriously it’s worth it, good luck with it and maybe try a vape pen? I made the mistake of buying one that was nicotine free and it did not reduce my cravings at all but ive since got a 6mg refill and using the pen does take the edge off, the amount of nicotine in the pen does not affect your carbon monoxide levels so if you were to use one and found it helps you could use it up untill the night before xxx

Oh thankyou claudine, I’m the same 10-15 a day and like u say if I can’t have 1 I want 1 more so I should defo be able to do it if u have able too! Oh I can’t wait ???? Gonna try and cut down from today and get a vape pen this weekend adleast if I start now it won’t be as hard when it comes to the op I’m going to struggle with not have 1 for day of surgery as going to be so nervous but it will all be worth it in the end…. xxxx

Everyone is different with healing! I tried to give up 3 weeks before but wasn’t able – was still smoking 20 a day! I stopped the day before op & started again 5 days PO. No healing issues and a year on my scars are unnoticeable however friends have seen issues! Hope this helps x

Are you sure it’s a carbon monoxide test and not urine test as that test actually measure the amount of nicotine in your body which is different, I have been vaping since last year with 6mg of nicotine but been on zero for almost two weeks as my surgery is on Monday. My nurse advised was ok to vape but without any nicotine which hasn’t been too difficult as I was already vaping but I still crave the nicotine. Suppose we would have to ask those who were tested how they were tested to be absolutely certain xx

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Those that are tested are tested for carbon monoxide levels, a non smokers level is between 2 and 6, if you were in the house all day it would be at 1 to 3 but just being out in the open air amongst traffic or out in the car with your window open can take you up to 5 or 6, my friend smokes about 15 a day, she used the machine after she just had a ciggarette in my garden and obviously had allready been smoking all day and she was 31!
On the day i genuinely didn’t want one anyway with not being able to eat or drink i just felt like it would have made me feel total kak to have one and not have a drink or a mint afterwards xxx

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Yeah true! All surgeons recommend no smoking it obviously can make someone healing process longer or make you at higher risk of infection, some people are ok some aren’t, I know someone who is waiting for reconstruction surgery and the doc won’t operate until she is absolutely nicotine free…anyway good luck if you decide to quit, I just didn’t dare take the risk, I must admit I may return to my nicotine vape xx

Im desperately trying to stick to my cut down because i really want to stop! (Im finding my recovery quite stressful it’s frustrating not being able to do much and hubby works away) but my main desire to stop is honestly for my skin, i will try and keep it short i don’t want to bore you all but im pressuming most of you girls are allot younger than me, we know smoking can cause premature ageing but im 43 ive allways looked younger but ive really looked after my skin, i had my second child coming up 4 years ago he was premature and has allsorts of health complications (possible autism, PDA, a sleep disorder, bowel disorder, behavioural difficulties etc….) so life is tough and sleepwise he wakes every 20 mins during the night screaming and has done since birth, boy i have aged so bad in tbe last 4 years and obviously blamed the lack of sleep and stress, we also just spent 2 years living in spain so thought the sun wont have helped, ive spent literaly hundreds of pounds on creams and supplements trying to get rid of these wrinkles to no avail, i got a clinique sonic brush for christmas and thats brightened my complexion up, started using chanel skincare range (£150 for the anti wrinkle eye cream and lift face cream) still no improvement on lines then i stopped the smoking and the difference in my skin within a week was unbelievable all my lines started to soften and my skin is definately firmer! As soon as i started again i could see it going back to dull and aged, theres no way i would have thought it could impact your skin so much!! I stopped for over a year in pregnancy and saw little difference but my ageing process hadn’t set in then, anyway i know it’s one of the hardest things to give up at any age but if health or money is not working for you as a motivation to give then please think about your beautiful faces getting old far too quickly as a motivation for giving up, good luck to all of you for your BAs and hope its a speedy recovery for all of you xxxxxxxx

Oh gosh Claudine, sounds as though you had a tough time, thank you for sharing your story – I did manage to quit in time, I weren’t given a nicotine test but I’m glad I did it anyway!! Thank you xxx

Does anyone no how they test for nicotine is it a urine test or a carbon monoxide test

Thanks Claudine for your post.
Has made me determined to start my quitting journey!! My skin has deff suffered because of smoking.
Also just wanna say I think your truly amazing! Must be so tough waking up all through the night. One day that same little one will put you on a pedestal and be so grateful.
Xxx

My surgeon told me I had to quit 6 weeks before my surgery which I did tho it was not easy I’m booked in for revision surgery and have to quit again I’d rather be stressed for a few weeks than take the risk something goes wrong i would go with whatever your surgeon has suggested

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