struggling with smoking and surgery is Monday

[youngmom]

I am struggling with smoking. I don't smoke at home or on the weekend now but at work I am having a hard time. I go in for preop Friday so I will be with my family all weekend so no smoking. I feel like i'm gonna have a panic attack any minute.

 

[escargome]

well youngmom, as I understand it, even one day without a ciggie is one day that your lungs start to clear, so do the best you can do. I would suppose that feeling like you are gonna have a panic attack is normal for what is in front of you. Can you call your doctor and get a script for something to settle your nerves? Try not to smoke starting now. Try not to hang out with any smoking buddies at work. I am sending positive vibes your way. Hang in there my friend..

 

[Cooker]

I understand completely ... I smoked one as I walked to the hospital door and after surgery I struggled for some time ... nicotine gum for a LONG time then a few smokes back on the gum and finally quit ... the main thing is not to give up ... my wife quit years ago, put them down and never turned back ....

Do not let anyone make you feel guilty ... non-smokers do not have a clue what this addiction is like .... do your best ... be honest with the anesthesiologist when the ask you when the last time you smoked and about how much you smoke ... good luck ... you will do great...

 

[Jkm7]

It's good advice from Cooker to be absolutely honest with your anesthesiologist. (S)He needs to know how much you smoke.

Sending you the very best wishes for a successful surgery and as easy quit from smoking as possible. Hopefully, by the time you leave the hospital, you will be able to stay away from smoking.

Godspeed......

 

[njean]

Just keep trying. Like Cooker said, non-smokers don't have a clue as to how hard it is to kick this addiction. My husband smoked one after another for over 30 years and then one day (about 12 years ago), threw the pack in the garbage and never looked back. I don't know who was happier, him or me because for all those years, I enhaled all that 2nd hand smoke!

Wishing you the best of luck with everything!

 

[AZ Don]

I think it was Mark Twain that said something like: "Quitting smoking is easy, I've done it dozens of times". This is how it was for me, quitting dozens of times, until I visited my Dad after his surgery for lung cancer. Then I gave it up for good. He wasn't even a smoker, so I decided not to increase my odds of going through that. The difference was that the earlier times I wanted to give up smoking, the last time I decided that I had. It's got to be tough dealing with this at the same time as surgery, but maybe this will give you the incentive you need to quit for good.