Smoking After Surgery

[jessicas37]

I have MY SRS In thialand in 11 Days. I know i need to quit smoking a minimum of 5 days before surgery. MY question is how long after surgery do i have to wait until i may start again. I know most if not all of you will say DONT START but i LIKE to smoke and i work at a place where everyone smokes so quitting is out of the question. I figured i would start when i got back to the States Which means i will stop on the 25th and Start again on July 18th?

[Elizabeth K]

I don't smoke, not since the 1980s - so I won't comment on the obvious danger of taking estrogen and smoking.  You already know all that.  Just be careful.

My SRS is in 8 days but in Miami - grin!  See ya on the other side of the fence!

Lizzy

[MiaOhMya!]

I know for my scheduled surgery (ffs) the doc recos 2 weeks. Now supposedly that is for healing, as it has been proven that smoking can slow healing and increase scarring (though really healing is dependant on heaps more factors than just smoking), but this is after all big stuff we're doing!

I am/was a smoker as well (quit 99%....have a puff now and again) and I very much understand your desire to grab a ciggy. We are gonna do what we're gonna do...so if you MUST smoke then asoire to take just  a few puffs. Be sure to count the puffs  (say "I allow myself FIVE PUFFS ONLY!") to minimise the amount of smoke you take in. Do some damage control...

oh ya and  "DONT START!!!" 

[jessicas37]

as dumb as this sounds i started smoking for the first time in oct of 2011 i was 38 and divorce and world were closing in so i used smoking as a crutch i honestly enjoy it and will quit sooner or latter just dont want to now.

[Elizabeth K]

Well it's a personal choice and I think almost everyone will respect that.  Divorce has cause people to more that simply starting smoking!  Gawd help me I know that part of transitioning!  It's one of those things I wish never existed - smoking I mean (although 'divorce' is another - grin!)   

I do wish you the very best on that surgery!  I was so very very close to having my surgery in Thailand - they have some first rate surgeons there and the cost is so reasonable.  My partner and I investigated all over the world and found a great surgeon in Miami which is only a 15 hour drive from New Orleans.  We were concerned about what would happen if we had complications - plus the trip back from Thailand is a (female dog)  - grin!  So we hear.  11 days - I know you aren't even the slightest bit anxious... umm?

[jessicas37]

i feel like a kid waiting for christmas for 38 years! i goto bed early every night so when i wake up i am one day closer. Only 10 days to go OMG this is amazing it is really gonna happen!! People ask me all the time if i am scared or nervous i just reply i have been waiting my entire life for this moment what could possibly scare me

[Elizabeth K]

This is such a thrilling time!  They start surgery at 7:30  AM on the 27th of June (I have been told)  It lasts about 5 hours.  So EXACTLY a week from now (Its 12:30 in Florida right now)  I WILL BE COMPLETE!

OH MY GAWD!

I am like you - in a never-never land of excitement!

Lizzy

[strawberry]

Dont worry..

I''m 25 and I do smoke since I was 14.

I quit 3 weeks before my srs and after a week (just when I was back in the hotel in Chonburi) I stared smoking again.

[Nicolette]

Hi strawberry. How did your SRS go? Who did you go to? I'm currently looking for a surgeon where travel is not too much of an aggravation to get to from the UK. I don't feel confident about the UK surgeons.

Sorry, smoking is   

[strawberry]

Hi strawberry. How did your SRS go? Who did you go to? I'm currently looking for a surgeon where travel is not too much of an aggravation to get to from the UK. I don't feel confident about the UK surgeons.

Sorry, smoking is   

I had my srs in Thailand (Suporn). My srs is now 5 months ago, and it is still swollen, but I'm doing fine.

[Seyranna]

Smoking annihilates 80% of the work of hormones... Not to mention making it take forever for you to heal afterward...

Find out about this thing called willpower and use it.

[UCBerkeleyPostop]

Smoking annihilates 80% of the work of hormones... Not to mention making it take forever for you to heal afterward...

Find out about this thing called willpower and use it.

What she said.

[Catherine Sarah]

Smoking annihilates 80% of the work of hormones... Not to mention making it take forever for you to heal afterward...

Find out about this thing called willpower and use it.

I don't think anythoong else needs to be said.

Huggs
Catherine

[Adrasteia]

Lots of former smokers here and everywhere.

You can do it.

[jessicas37]

well i did quit the "real" cigs and have stayed on the E-Cig 2mg one. Very low dose of nicotine though their still is some. this seems to do real well for me as i cannot tell the difference and at least im not getting all the other 10k+ chemicals.

may not be a complete quit but alot closer.

[Adrasteia]

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions about e-cigs; I've done way way to much research on different devices/liquids/prices.

2mg is almost nothing and you should be proud!  I've currently got mostly 0mg mixed with a little 6mg for the times where I really, really want to smoke. Coming off of regular cigarettes had me at 12mg or more (and I was only a 3-10/day smoker), so you've already made great progress.

[henrytwob]

As a nurse - let me say the worse thing you can do is smoke, esp. after surgery!!!!!

Smoking delays healing!!!

If you can go through everything you went through, and you are starting the life you've always wanted - for goodness sakes lady  - give up the cigs!!!

it is not worth it, esp. as delayed healing makes you more likely to have infections!!!!

[Catherine Sarah]

As a nurse - let me say the worse thing you can do is smoke, esp. after surgery!!!!!

Smoking delays healing!!!

If you can go through everything you went through, and you are starting the life you've always wanted - for goodness sakes lady  - give up the cigs!!!

it is not worth it, esp. as delayed healing makes you more likely to have infections!!!!

What more can be said??

Please for your own sake.

[Jayne]

I understand how hard being a smoker can be, I gave up for 2 years but started last year after some very unkind words from my mother as she tried to wrap her head around my news about transitioning.
At no point in those 2 years did I judge or lecture adults about the dangers of smoking (any kids who asked for a light would get a lecture to give up before the addiction really sets in)
Many ex smokers would admit that the reason they hated being around smokers is because the smell of someone smoking was realy nice & would make them want to join in, ex smokers are reluctant to admit that to smokers.
Sorry about going off track but the slightest whiff of a sanctimonius ex smoker makes my blood boil.


Anyway, the reason for me posting was just to wish you the best, try to go as long as possible without to give your body time to heal, I find a nicotine inhalator works well & have heard the electronic cigarettes are really good.


Best wishes wrapped up in a big hug

[Adrasteia]

I can't speak from personal experience, but I hear good things about Alan Carr's "Easy Way to Quit Smoking"

YMMV and all that, but it's helped friends.