Kinda curious --> Do you smoke?

[MsJacquiiC]

So - on the About The Journey page, I mention briefly that I smoked:

My consultation was on April 20, 2008 - at which time Dr. Boyce told me verbatim that at 400 pounds I was a perfect candidate for weightloss surgery and that in no uncertain terms would he operate on me as a smoker. (I was a 2-pack a day smoker the day of my initial consultation. Apparently Dr. Boyce could smell the cigarette smoke ) It is with no chagrin and a lot of awe that I call April 20, 2008 the anniversary of my last-smoked cigarette. Thus far I have not lit up again.

And yes - It seems almost incredible to me that I would quit smoking that very day and still have yet to light up again... I'd smoked since 1991 - mostly for me it was always a mental type of habit rather than a physical addiction. I jokingly say that I smoked because I didn't know what to do with my hands LOL

Anyway - do you smoke? Have you ever smoked in the past and gave it up? Have you never ever smoked? Vote in the poll

Jacquii.

[SunyInFla]

hi Jacquii

You need a pat on the back for undertaking to major lifestyle changes at once!

I was concerned going into this because I had read numerous times that some surgeons required a person to have stopped before they have the surgery. I am fully aware of all the medical reasons for doing that but I just mentally wasn't ready for that much change in my life! Stress is my achilles heel and I didn't need to add to my stress levels.

Needless to say, my surgeon didn't require me to stop but she was appropriately insistent that I do so at some point. I recently agreed that I would start that journey after I drop another 25 pounds...and she is counting the pounds.

Smoking did interfere with my surgery. I had come down with a bad case of sinusitis that lead to bronchitis about 3 weeks before my original surgery date. Dr. Jessee did postpone the surgery until I was breathing better. However, I did have trouble with my oxygen levels during the surgery and had to remain on a ventilator (that nasty tube down your throat) for close to 24 hrs. I stayed in ICU on oxygen for a couple of more days because my levels just didn't want to come back up to a safe zone. On the other hand....I stayed in the hospital a few days, had plenty of pain meds and rest. As a result, I had absolutely no pain once I went home. I was tired but no gas pains or surgical site pains at all. I had to keep looking at my little incisions to remind myself I even had surgery.

Would I have done it had I known I would have ended up on the vent? I don't know, but I do know I want to avoid the vent if any other surgery is needed on down the line. I know smoking didn't cause the bronchitis but I know it certainly made the situation worse than it should have been.

Here's to a smoke free future.

Robin

[Lizerd]

I was told to quit at my first surgical consultation, and I began Chantix one year ago today! I smoked the first week on the medication, then gave it up and have not smoked since! (not that I dont think about it mind you!) I was a 2 pack a day smoked for 30 plus years! I too ended up with low oxygen after my surgery and spent a night in the ICU which was miserable.
I am not asthma free, brochitis free, sleep apnea free and almost 100 pound lighter!
I cant say I never miss smoking, because I do, but I feel soooo much better! I wont start again.

Sleep Apnea A sleep disorder (a comorbidity often seen in obese patients) characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each episode, called an apnea, lasts long enough so that one or more breaths are missed, and such episodes occur repeatedly throughout sleep. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram, or a "Sleep Study" which is often conducted by a pulmonologist. A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is used mainly by patients for the treatment of sleep apnea at home.

[MsJacquiiC]

Good for you Liz! Thus far I haven't started up again - I quit cold turkey that very day - well after I finished my last pack of cigarettes LOL - I must have lit, smoked a bit, put it out about 3 damn times - I kinda cherished that last but tehehee - But like you said - I feel soooooo much better physically now than when I smoked. Cigarettes do take a toll for sure. Anyway...

3 Cheers to a smoke free future indeed Robin and again Welcome to the forum. It's not easy to give up smoking. It wasn't for me by any stretch of the imagination and I do sometimes still crave a cigarette, but sometimes I'm around people that smoke and I can just barely stand the smell EW. But for me - it was a mental habit - I think I felt kewl when smoking I suppose. And oh yeah - I liked the stress relief factor too. I won't even begin to talk on the stint in my late teens-early 20s when I discovered weed -- That's a different story entirely - but amazingly enough - I let go of the weed 7-8 years before the cigarettes.

At anryate - I say thanks ladies for sharing!

Jacquii.

[cdngal]

Hi All!

I'm in my 21 year of being smoke free. I did it cold turkey. It was not exactly easy, but I managed to do it. I agree, smokers smell horible, and there will not be any smoking boyfriend. I also find the native cigarettes stink even more so than the regular brands (I don't know if they're any different down south).

It's not an easy thing for someone to do, but if you truly do not want to smoke anymore, you will quit. Good luck to anyone trying (or trying again).

[MsJacquiiC]

Hiya Cathy - welcome to the forum - feel free to introduce yourself to the community over at the Howdy Hi Introductions section

21 years smokefree?!?!? Wow! Congratulations to you! I think cigarette smoke stinks too - doens't matter down south or up north, wherever... LOL - When I was smoking - I even thought I stank - It's funny though - sometimes I still do crave a cigarette - for me it's always been a mental addiction though - so thus far - it's been easy for me to deny the craving. Well - not easy really - but you know what I mean...

Do you ever crave a smoke after having quit so long ago?

Jacquii.

[cdngal]

Hi Jacquii!

I do not miss smoking. I understand a few people have quit for a few years, and then one day they had one with a friend, and they're hooked again. I suspect the eating aspect of dieting is kinda the same, however in the diet case, you cannot fully go off food.

My worst times were on the thrid day, third week, and the third month. I stuck with it, and made it. There were a few things I attribute to my sucess. First, and most importantly, I did not enjoy smoking anymore (it tasted awful, and it stinks). I tell anyone that if they do not truly want to quit, they will have a difficult time (I also add, before that statement, that I'm not trying to discourage them, but I'm speaking from my own personal experience). The other thing that I did was replace my urge with caffine. I don't drink coffee, so I drank regular Coke. I got to a point where I was sick of Coke and totally went off it. I drank Sprite for almost 10 years before I could drink Coke again.

The funniest thing that happened (and I can laugh at it now) in the beginning was a reoccuring dream/nightmare of me smoking and me having an outer-body experience where I'm running around myself freeking out. I no longer have these dreams. I wonder what my body will try and tell me when I do the diet thing again.

Good luck to anyone trying to quit. It's not easy, but if you want it, and are having difficulties, there's no shame in asking for help.

[MsJacquiiC]

Absolutely no shame. And I had a very crucial incentive that made me quit: when my surgeon told me that I was a perfect candidate for gastric bypass surgery... He said, "In no uncertain terms will I operate on you if you are still smoking." --- The day of my first consultation with Dr. Boyce is now the anniversary of my last smoked cigarette LOL

Anyway - it's kinda funny that you mention that recurring dream. I've had a dream as well - were I actually smoke in my dream and wake up feeling guilty, as if I've cheated... It's a weird feeling - but interestingly enough - I haven't started back thus far. And I quit cold turkey as well - I just wanted to have gastric bypass so badly. And I feel better for it.

It was a horrid habit for me especially, as I'm asthmatic. So I'd have a cigarette in one hand and asthma inhaler in the other. Didn't make for a cute picture

Jacquii.

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass A type of gastric bypass procedure which combines restrictive and malabsorption techniques - meaning, it reduces the amount of food a patient can comfortably eat (restriction), and also reduces the amount of calories that can be digested in the small intestine (malabsorption). This combination of bariatric methods leads to greater weight loss and the roux-en-y procedure is seen as one of the best ways to treat clinically severe obesity. See WLS Videos for animated surgery technique.

[LaurynBeth]

I am smoking but will be quitting soon, its so hard to do!

[MsJacquiiC]

Yup. It surely wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done Lauryn. And I still have urges every once-in-a-while. But all things considered - I seriously feel so much better physically as a non-smoker than when I was a smoker. So far so good.

You can do it too - but you first have to WANT to. If you set your mind and convince yourself that you want to quit smoking, you'll do it

Jacquii.