3 week post op and I'm really craving a cigarette

[steel86man]

How old are you?

Of course it's not great, but it might not have done any harm. I had major neck surgery (non smoking related) a few years ago, and while I wasn't one of the ones who took their drip outside to the shelters in the rain - I was too busy enjoying the morphine and the oxygen mask - I smoked the day I was discharged. And it did nothing in the way of hampered healing. My scar is barely noticeable. I was not advised to stop for a designated time period beforehand, and frankly if I had been, I'd have been even less relaxed.

Having smoked right up to 8am on the morning of, op scheduled for 9am - it didn't make me bleed more profusely or any of that - on the ward, other people's drainage bags were filling up and being changed constantly - I had the same one for two days before it was removed because there simply wasn't anything more coming out. I guess it could've resulted in respiratory distress under GA but, it didn't.

Now with electrolysis - I heal within the day and don't find it sore having it done. I thought I'd give up smoking again about a month ago - my next electro appointment hurt like hell and has left the first scar I've ever had on my face, and only the third on my entire body - the surgery scar, and a knee scar from childhood.

I spoke to the doctor and while his advice was definitely not 'keep smoking' he said honestly, your body is evidently used to nicotine and has factored it in, so it doesn't impact on your healing, you're young, you have good lung capacity, healthy blood pressure - so if it's helping for now, go ahead - moderately - because that scar etc, your body is now free from any other influences and with no other work to do, so it's over-responding to a trauma that it has been ignoring up to now.

That's not to say it won't impact on health generally if I don't stop, I understand that fully. I do intend to give up - all of my family are long lived (into the 90's and 100's) - even years ago - it was one of the most striking family tree characteristics I came across. All except the smokers - that's a litany of lung cancer and stroke, generally between 65 and 80. So I definitely do have a genetic weakness to nicotine, and a genetic lucky break if I give it up.

My grandfather helped nurse his own father through terminal lung cancer, and it made him give up. He lived to a healthy 94 - and just occasionally, he'd enjoy an expensive cigar on holiday, because let's be honest, smoking simply is pleasurable sometimes and can really set the mood. He said watching his father die of that involved sitting night after night, with a bucket, watching bits of disintegrating lung and lining retched up and splattering into the bucket, while the ability to even breathe slowly evaporated into nothing.

I'm not advocating smoking, but I think you should relax. Stress is the worst thing for any recovery. Be kind to yourself. If that includes a vape when you feel the urge just now, at this very stressful juncture, well so what? Denying yourself and getting your adrenaline going because of fear and worry is worse.

That's what my acupuncturist has said in the past, that the more I stress about it the more harm I'm doing to my body. I have been vaping but I don't know what is considered "a lot". I don't think it's too much really. In fact I think it's occasional each day but idk. I do think I have more of this physical addiction more than anything so I'll probably go down to zero nic when I'm out especially since I feel no different after I vape other than, hmm I just vaped and I'm slightly less on edge. I don't think that's the nicotine though. I could be wrong but idk.