I have SRS with Dr. Brassard in a month and a half and I'm starting to get really anxious. My main concern right now is the fact that my roommate smokes around the house and I'm worried it might have an impact on my surgery and healing. I quit smoking both cigarettes and pot, myself, in preparation for surgery but I unfortunately live in a house full of smokers. I convinced two of my roommates, fellow transwomen who understand what I'm going through, to move their smoking outside. My third roommate says he'll limit his smoking and start smoking outside when the whether gets warmer. The fourth hates my guts (long story short: He's basically a sociopathic tr*nny ->-bleeped-<-/con artist who lured us all to live with him on a 1 year lease, thinking he could use us for sex and cheap rent, then made our life a living hell when he didn't get his way with the sex.) and won't compromise. I try to avoid him but I keep reading that secondhand smoke lingers and drifts through vents and cracks in doors and that ventilation and air purifiers won't help... and also that secondhand smoke can cause surgery complications. Needless to say I'm freaking out. I've been waiting for this my whole life and I don't want it to get screwed up by a lousy self centered roommate. Am I just overreacting or am I actually at a risk here and has anyone else been in this situation and did it effect the outcome of their surgery at all? I understand that health info on the internet can be misleading, and I have an anxiety disorder so I'm known to run the worst case scenario in my head, so I'm trying to arm myself with information so that I can go into my surgery anxiety free.

Rachel,

I would limit my exposure to the second hand smoke to a minimum for the first few months. It truly is not the best case to have 2nd hand smoke around. If anything it might slow down the healing a little. Now if you smoked then the combo i think would effect things a lot.

I am also a Montreal girl and when i was there girls just after surgery where back outside smoking..If you do have your own room a good air filter will help a a lot.

I wish you the best and it is sad someone has to be such a ass. Hmm sometime in April? Mine was April 2 of 2013.

If you have any questions or when you are here in Montreal give me a shout and could help any or stop by for a visit.

You will enjoy your stay here, Dr Brassard and staff will take good care of you. Try to relax.

Isabell

In my final "departure instructions" session with Brassard's nurses, they quite firmly told everyone NO SMOKING for at least 2 months post-op.

...and then 3 women in the room whined about how they couldn't quit for that long. (One woman was already outside smoking at the residence! At least they made sure *no one* smoked inside, ever.) At which point the nurses said basically, fine, try to cut down as much as you can, and keep an eye out for slowed healing because of it. Since secondhand smoke is - while not great - not equivalent to direct smoke, I'd assume that being exposed is not ideal but shouldn't do any harm. No matter how much your psycho roomie smokes, you probably aren't even going to be exposed to the equivalent of the 6-10 cigarettes a day these women were planning on. Worst case is that you might have a bit of delayed healing, as they warned, but that's just frustrating and requires patience; everything still heals up correctly *eventually.*

I never quit smoking and I was smoking during the recovery after ffs and ba and srs and i didn't have any issues because of it. You will be fine don't worry

I was also told no smoking for 2 months.. I am a light smoker.. I am now 3 weeks post op.. 5 weeks to go...

When I get cravings... and I do.. I chew light nicotine gum.. and they go away..

I know I will smoke after the two months are up.. as I am not mentally ready to quit..

My roommate smokes.. I do miss sitting with her having a smoke.. during our smoking sessions.. we bond.. and all my close friends smoke...

I'm fairly sure its the nicotine in the bloodstream that delays healing, but I'm sure the inhaled plant matter makes things worse.

The best possible way I could think of to keep nicotine out of the bloodstream would be a 0mg nicotine vape pen

Also, can't freaking wait for SRS! I'm almost done saving up!

My dad used to smoke some 40 a day. It's not pretty. He's proof. Well, it's your f.... Smoking, drugs et all make me Just the whiff of smoke now makes me fly into a rage. Sorry, it's pathological, I can't help it.

I'm sorry about about the situation with your room mates. "Cell mates" would be more appropriate. Apart form wearing a gas mask, getting positive air pressure into your room or moving elsewhere, I can't really suggest anything useful. Just keep the second-hand smoke to a minimum.

Jenny speaks sense.