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tips on quitting smoking before surgery? ?

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Posted 7/25/2014 2:59 PM (GMT 0)
I feel like im smoking more since i found out im having acdf c4-7.i need to quit. I have been a smoker for 20 years. HELP! rolleyes
Posted 7/25/2014 3:15 PM (GMT 0)
Go and talk with your primary doctor for help, you'll need a local support group, help from family and friends as this will be very hard to do. First and foremost is your need/want to quit.
I know you need to quit because of surgery, but do you want to quit?
Counselling might also be of help.
We'll be here to support you of course and I hope and wish you success in quitting smoking. It's a very hard road your facing....
Many well wishes to you.
Posted 7/25/2014 4:04 PM (GMT 0)
I see my pcp Wednesday and will discuss it with him. I have wanted to quit for about a year now.every time i start to something in my life happens andi need to learn new ways of handling the stress.thanks for your help !
Posted 7/25/2014 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know if this works the same way, but how about the gum, like Nicorette?

I used to be a smoker and that's what worked for me when I quit. I know you're still getting nicotine into your system, but at least you're not getting all that other stuff from smoking.

I found it far better than pills or patches because I could chew the gum of my own free will, in different doses, when and how I wanted/needed,....it gave me a sense of control.

Now it's a done deal, haven't looked back.

Just a thought....










M.
Posted 7/27/2014 12:05 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Scared and Welcome!

I was in the same situation that you are in before my lumbar fusion surgery. In fact my surgeon said he would not do the surgery until I quit. That never happened and he did the surgery anyways….and all was good for 8 to 10 weeks, and then I went out with several buddies of mine to a steak feed, and quickly gave in to temptation again. So….I'm not going to preach to you knowing that I too am guilty of the same offense.

The only thing I will advise, is that spine surgeries are more successful in non smokers. The information is here on the web, so make sure you look it up.

Good luck with your surgery, and hopefully you can slow down the smoking as well.

SE
Posted 7/27/2014 9:33 PM (GMT 0)
SE.....its a struggle for sure. Im trying to "cut" back. Only time will tell.just want to do whats best ans do all the right things to heal correctly .

M....doesnt the gum still have nicotine in it ? Im sure iys not as much as the cigarettes.

What about vapor cigs ? And info on them ?

Char....thanks for the info and encouraging words .

I appreciate all the support and ideas.
Posted 7/28/2014 1:31 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, the gum still has nicotine in it, but not all that other stuff you're inhaling from cigarette smoke.

I am wondering if it's all that other stuff being inhaled (more so than the nicotine?) that impedes healing?

Worked like a charm.









M.
Posted 7/29/2014 2:55 PM (GMT 0)
hi there scared 24. welcome aboard to healing well. feel like i'm in the same boat as you are. i've been smoking some 35 years and this thursday i'm having surgery also. i'm getting a pain pump repacement.
i've been in and out of the hospital more times then i care to mention and sometimes as many as 3-5 days at a time. anyway the reason i mention this is i found that i didn't do to bad as far as not being able to smoke while i was in. sometimes i would ask for a patch and sometimes not. ethier way i think i did pretty good.
ofcourse we all know thhat quiting smoking is easier said then done.
well this time i beileve i'm ready to throw in the towel on the cigarettes.
after lots of research on the smoking topic i understand that the phyiscal aspect of smoking last for a short while compared to the mental part of smoking. but as mentioned before support is a big part of quitting. my wife also smokes and she plans on quitting the same time as myself. so well have each others support for starters,.
sorry so long of a reply. i wish you the best of luck in your quitting and a speedy recovery on your surgery.
mark twain once mentioned this and i keep it in mind "it's easy to quit, i've done it a thousand times"
Posted 7/29/2014 11:30 PM (GMT 0)
I know that different things have worked for different people. Maybe this will help.

I was smoking a pack a day when I had ACDF at C5/6. I smoked the morning of surgery, and the day after and continued until 3 months later when x rays showed that my bone graft was gone. They put me in a C-collar and bone stimulator for 6 months. Aside from the constant worry of possibly needing another surgery, the apparatus attracted a lot of attention in public. As an introvert I felt constantly humiliated by people trying to get behind me to see what the flashing lights were. Combined with the PTSD from the car accident, all of that was enough to push me into a psychotic depression.

After the news of the dissolved bone graft, I quit cold turkey. It was the hardest thing I ever did but I'm so glad I did it, especially since I watched my dad die of lung cancer a year ago.

The physical side effects of quitting cold turkey disappeared after about a week. I didn't sleep for almost 3 days, was irritable and restless, and ate 250 sour apple blow pops (really). The psychological withdrawals continued for a while so a therapist helped me deal with that. Because smoking punctuates your life; for a while there is a very uncomfortable feeling at times when you would have been smoking (after a meal, in the morning, etc). Eventually that goes away.

I will be smoke-free for 13 years as of November and I don't miss it. I really hope you are able to quit. It's hard...but there IS light at the end of the tunnel.

ETA: There are many, many medications that help depression and anxiety that might help with quitting.

Post Edited (dreamsong_29) : 7/29/2014 5:35:07 PM (GMT-6)

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