Smoking and reconstruction

It was put to me like this (I don't smoke) but if you cut your finger off and are a regular smoker, the chances of the finger taking are slim.... So putting that in terms of a huge surgery...ugh. Does your PS know that you smoke? I was told smokers are not a candidate for these surgeries if they smoke. Please just stop, it's stinky and hurting you every puff you take inside your precious lungs. Is that your baby girl in the pic? They say third hand smoke on your clothes affects them, do it for her too Good luck, I know it's as hard as dieting sometimes. Best of Luck ((hugs))

Like everyone else, I have heard that healing is much harder if you are smoking.  My DH was a hard core smoker.  He finally quit using a combination of will power and meds.  Many states now have free programs to give you prescriptions for drugs to help with stopping smoking.  Maybe your doctor can help you?

good luck!!!!

I know a woman in my women's group who was a smoker and she had 11 surgeries and countless problems with her bimx due to smoking--it's not worth it.  Quit cold turkey, I did after 10 years of 2-3 packs a day, and replace it with excercise and carrots or whatever else satisfies your oral urge.  You are worth it to not have any problems going into major surgery.

Best of luck to you!

hi!!!  I was terrified after diagnoses.  And fell in a black hole of sorts... I was smoking because i thought " why not????  "   .....  My doctor put me on Lexapro i just took a half a pill day!!!!  And for some odd reason the lexapro took away my desire to smoke....   When cigarettes cross your mind.  Consiously think about something else.  It will pass...  Also with a genuine heart tell Jesus how much you hate smoking and he will remove them from you.  Saint Katherine of siena said you cannot have jesus in your heart and hate at the same time.

worst day since my diagnosis of dcis triple neg multifocal, high grade w inflammatory markers😢Supposed to schedule my surgery tomorrow. Finally got in to the referred plastic surgeon today. Took two weeks to get in to see her. She had all of my records, left work to go to the appointment. Sat through the recon video, surrounded by all things reconstruction. Then took off clothing and put on the pink waistcoat and sat vulnerably waiting for doc.

When she came in, she just about immediately told me i am not a candidate for recon in her practice bc i use a minimal amount of tobacco. She said i have to be nicotine free for six months WITH URINE confirmation, before she'd do the recon. My nicotine use is clear in all of my records... very slight use. Why did i lose 1 hr of work, two weeks of important time, sit humiliated in her perfect office? It was almost the most shaming experience i have had.

Now i have no plastic surgeon( she did refer me to a 76 yr old surgeon who was stellar but he is now 76....i am not having my mastectomy without immediate reconstruction. Our insurance covers care anywhere at 100%. I dont know how to work up the energy to go to a teaching hospital or Mayo. Wow. O M G. She can establish her protocols. She had my referral and info for two precious weeks. Sadist or psychopath? It is a tossup

I quit smoking November 10th of this year and over the holiday weekends I've been drinking which I normally don't do much but when I drink I smoke and past few weekends I've been smoking then not smoking after the weekend and my surgery is next Tuesday and this is the third day I've smoked in a roll and I'm worried because I'm not suppose to be smoking and said I had to quit 6 weeks prior to my surgery so. What should I do? Go through with surgery on Tuesday or try and quit again and reschedule? Help!

Tiffanie, I would be honest with your doctor and see what he advises. I had a free flap and my doctor ideally wanted 6 weeks which I got but he also said that if I was unable to quit that it was more important to remove the cancer and reconstruct, and any complications would be managed. He also said he had many patients who were unable to quit and smoked right up to 12 hours before surgery and had no issues. Talk with your doctor and see how he wants to proceed. GL.

Indiana46, we are sorry to hear what you are going through. These are very good questions for your doctor, and perhaps even a second opinion, as you want the most positive experience possible, and good healing. Hopefully others chime in. Please keep us posted.

Warmly,

The Mods

I have vaped for five years. I gradually cut down on nicotine use, until I was vaping 0 nicotine juice. A few weeks before diagnosis, I switched to CBD juice. It has a calming effect, like nicotine, but without interfering with blood circulation. I don't know if this will help, because my timeline on this was years, rather than days, but it is worth a try.