Smoking Post-Op

[mousecat88 2,280]

I stopped smoking regularly in 2016 before my breast reduction. Over the last two years (prior to WLS) I would smoke on OCCASION while driving or if out socially. I haven't smoked at all since last August (I had WLS in November). But the last two weeks I've started having a few cigarettes again. I know it's bad, especially because I already had a post-op ulcer. I am struggling since I was pulled off one of my anxiety medications due to changes from WLS and my anxiety is much worse. I am working with my psych doc now to find new medicines to help me, but in the meantime I see myself turning back to cigarettes! Any advice on something else I can do to help distract me from my anxiety instead of turning to another harmful coping mechanism?? I have Tourette's and my motor tics get really bad when I am anxious... and the more tics I have, the more anxious I get. It's a vicious cycle. I don't want to start smoking regularly again, but it helps me in the moment. =/

[elcee 3,341]

You have stopped before you can do it again, YOU know how to do it. Maybe when you are tempted focus on how you would feel if you developed another ulcer.

[pmreardon 9]

Hi there... I'm new to the forum and am in pre-surgery stage (submitted already to insurance, just waiting to hear back and get scheduled). Your topic interested me because I had to quit smoking in order to have this surgery. I quit by switching to a vape pen and Non-nicotine vape juice. It really helped me. A couple weeks later I gave up the vape pen too. I had been a smoker for over 20 years. I knew when I bought the vape pen I would only be using it temporarily, so the cost didn't bother me, since I had been buying cigarettes for so long. I just racked it up to the cost of quitting, and for me it was more sensible than nicotine Patches or gum.

I wish you the very best in this endeavor.

Take care of you...

[nevermore71 63]

I recommend Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking book. It helps you understand that cigarettes don't help relieve stress they cause it. Truly it's not helping your anxiety it's increasing it. It has conditioned your mind to believe that because it relieves the stressed feeling the nicotine withdrawal causes it helps with other stress but it doesn't. It's way more harmful then the weight ever was.

[mousecat88 2,280]

I am still really struggling with this. I have NEVER EVER had an addiction issue with cigs. Ever. But now I am even freaking out during the work day because I want to go out to smoke. Or if I run out of cigs I HAVE to hop in my car to get some. And I think it is starting to cause problems because every time I smoke my stomach BURNS like it did when I had an ulcer. But when I eat/drink, it's fine. But I still haven't been able to let it go.

Has anyone tried Chantix? I am scared because I take SSRIs and anxiety meds and I have heard the stories about Chantix making people depressed/suicidal.

[Frustr8 7,886]

Can it be worse than jumping in your car searching for a gas station or 24-hour supermarket just to replenish your cigarette supply? You Already are becoming anxiety- ridden with this problem, maybe there will be some SSRI juggling needed, but you have come through and conquered so much already , don't let Nancy-Jo Nicotine enslave you too! Be brave like the Cat half, not meek like a Mouse!

[november11 970]

hi im a newbie having surgery in November (thus my name) I have to quit smoking for the surgery too and I have not seen any posts about this till now...Thank You...……. every pack I say its my last and I have little over 2 months for my surgery..

Help...……… any advice? will they cancel my surgery...…….?

[mousecat88 2,280]

3 minutes ago, november11 said:

hi im a newbie having surgery in November (thus my name) I have to quit smoking for the surgery too and I have not seen any posts about this till now...Thank You...……. every pack I say its my last and I have little over 2 months for my surgery..

Help...……… any advice? will they cancel my surgery...…….?

If they nicotine test you, they may. My doctor didn't nicotine test me. I quit before surgery, but started up again. Struggling to quit still.... and I am in a similar boat because now I have upcoming skin removal surgery and if I don't quit, it can affect blood circulation and cause my incisions not to heal.

[november11 970]

Best of luck to you . How long before surgery did you quit ? My thinking is if you did it before you can do it again. Who knows this time may be for good. How did you do it before?