Smoking

[steelhead]

What do you doctors request prior to surgery for quitting smoking ?
I've quit on and off but some stressful stuff has happened recently so had to light a few.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Smoking is obviously bad for your lungs.  But for surgery, it is the nicotine in cigarettes which is the main concern.  Nicotine is a vaso-constrictor drug -- it makes the blood vessels tighten up and in doing so, it diminished the blood flow through the smallest blood vessels.  As you know, one needs adequate and profuse blood supply to promote healing in a wound.  Thus nicotine will diminish blood supply and slow the healing process.

If you are having elective surgery, don't you want all the best factors on your side in order to get the best result?  Well giving up smoking is one factor that you can affect!

Dr Jacobs

[steelhead]

I know but its so hard to quit for good I did it before for short periods and before I do this I know that I will have to quit but can you doctors advise for how long 2 weeks a month before ?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

I generally recommend quitting for at least two weeks before and two weeks after the operation.

And BTW, if you can give it up for that one month, you can probably do so forever.  It will be one of the best things you have ever done for yourself -- aside, that is, from freeing yourself from gyne.

Dr Jacobs

[steelhead]

I know but its so hard but I need to get rid of these.