Why quit smoking before surgery? -
I have scheduled plastic surgery. Doctor has asked i quit smoking 1 month prior. All articles on internet concerning my specific surgery (tummy tuck) have said 2 weeks including doctor web sites. I want to know if it is safe to smoke until that 2 weeks prior or is the one month a new time frame. I know i need to quit for good but right now please focus on the question at hand.
The most likely reason they want you to quit smoking before surgery is because smoking causes constriction of the blood vessels. This will cause problems with healing and may even cause the procedure to fail if a decent blood supply is required. If I were in your situation, I would certainly heed your actual doctor-s request.
The one-month recommendation is to give you a little fudge factor in your quitting. The first day, then the next two days of quitting are toughest. The next toughest time is at about two weeks--so you-d be due to cheat at the worst possible time--right before surgery.
If you quit a month early, have weak moment and smoke a couple cigarettes at two weeks and quit again, you-ll be better off than if you quit and had that moment of weakness two or three days before surgery.
Smoking can cause blood clots. If you are smoking around your surgery, you have a VERY HIGH RISK of blood clots (which can kill you quickly).
I know you may not want to quit, but check this out...
I know this may sound weird, but Bananas can help people trying to give up smoking. The B-6 and B-12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Potassium is a vital mineral which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body-s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be re-balanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
So try eating some bananas :)
Some of the addiction is oral and normalacy... when you normally have cigarettes, that-s when you crave them... one of my friends would always have a ballpoint pen with her ... she would hold it in her hand like she would when she was a smoker... and if she had the oral craving, she would chew on the pen... sounds weird, but worked for her :)
You are safe to smoke up till the day of surgery. The reason that they ask you to stop smoking is to help lower your blood pressure and help you to heal faster. Smoking will make your recovery time longer.
quit because smoking kills