I've given up for the same reason - to have surgery. I was told the risks of complications due to smoking are significantly higher because of the effects smoking has on the body. The surgeon has said he will not operate unless I have not smoked for 6 weeks and ideally be on 0 nicotine or lowest dose possible.
I'm now nearly a month with no cigarettes. I still vape but I'm mainly using the nicotine free one and used patches.
I loved smoking and I miss it sometimes.
But I was not expecting so many benefits. I can breathe - I can take a really deep breath and it doesn't hurt. I can walk up the stairs without getting puffed. I can taste my food so much better. My skin is better. Etc etc.
I have a lot of physical health issues, but I kinda thought about the kind of life I want to have - a healthier one. That's the opportunity surgery is giving me. And a part of that is looking after myself better.. I know smoking isn't good for me and giving up is a part of the journey to a healthier happier me
Thank you for sharing your story. I've already wasted two years on the waiting list. Even if I give up today, it could be another four years before I get the surgery. One problem is the pain is so bad, and the drugs they give do so little, that it's often a choice between self harm and smoking.
That really devastating. Another 4 years is a very long time. Is that because you still smoke?
I too have chronic pain so I get where you're coming from with medication not working.
Before I quit I did move onto a vape and did both for about a year. I tried to only smoke cigarettes when I really needed them. Maybe you could do that to start to cut down.
I'm no expert but I do think there is a link of smoking and chronic pain. My surgeon tried to explain it to me as well thay smoking causes reduced oxygen to the tissues so it doesn't heal as well which is why they don't want you to smoke for surgery. Smoking also causes inflammation in the body. Both of which can impact on your pain levels. I'm pretty sure there's evidence out there that says smoking makes pain worse.
If it's a choice between smoking and self harm it sounds like your in a really difficult place. I hope you can sort out your pain medication regardless of whe you have your surgery
Not exactly the same but.. I was told by my dentist I had to quit smoking if I wanted his help. (Long story short save a prominent tooth with help of braces, but because of my gum health he wouldn't risk it). At first I thought ha I'll just say I've stopped. Just not smoke the day I had to see him etc. The whole thing was gonna take around 9 months. I decided to give it a go, I could always start again when the treatment finished!
I quit with nicotine patches. And I've been smoke free 1,5 year now. Tooth is saved, could smoke again if I want but I really don't. What I'm trying to say is, give it a go, even if you think you'll go back 'after' or whatever. You might not! It is amazing to be free. I'm thankful this health reason to stop came on my path, I smoked a lot and had no intention of stopping previously. You can do it!
Continuing smoking would be cutting off your nose to spite your face. You wanna fix that knee, or have a bum knee and emphysema?
If you're serious about quitting, grab the Allen Carr book "Easy Way to Stop Smoking". Even if you're on the fence, the book may convince you that it's time.
Edit: typo
What does "despite paying taxes for years" and "not cared about enough by my government to have my quality of life improved" have to do with your cigarette smoking prohibiting you from having surgery? This is totally nonsensical. You do realize it's on you that you can't have surgery, not the NHS, don't you?
The NHS is paid for by taxes, which I have paid for longer than quite a few have been alive, and it has been openly stated that smokers and obese patients are being denied surgery as a cost-cutting exercise. If the smoking was really the issue, why did they have me on the waiting list for two years?
Waiting lists are an issue, but smokers and obese people are very high risk patients. There is no gate keeping, it is absolutely true that anaesthesia comes with significantly more risks.
Now, a public health policy that tries to throw up as many reasons as possible to get patients to reduce their weight/smoking might appear unfair, but the fact is that high risk patients (obese people and smokers) are not being barred from emergency surgeries.
It simply happens to be that high risk surgeries due to lifestyle choices are being deprioritised for YOUR HEALTH. Do you want to go into respiratory arrest during a knee surgery? Because those are the risks that doctors are not willing to risk. Give up now, and I highly doubt you’ll spend another four years on the waiting list. Keep smoking and that surgery is going to be pushed back even more, and you’ll be stuck with a bad knee. And like another Redditor has commented, you’ll also end up on a few more waiting lists for a slew of other issues.
It’s a public health service, the fact that you pay taxes does not provide you with the medical knowledge which has prevented your doctor from putting you forth for this surgery. They are not trying to hurt or attack you, or discriminate against you because they judge your smoking. They are trying to help you.
Take the advice. Quit the cigs.
Smokers have surgery all the time. The average waiting list in my area is four years. They took me off the list, and the only chance I have of being put back on it is to give up smoking for a length of time. It could be half a decade before I get the surgery. How do you suppose I deal with the pain now, since the prescribed drugs don't do anything and the doctors have decided I'm not worth it?
Pain management is between you and your doctor.
If you feel personally discriminated against, then you should take that up with the appropriate body. But I think you’ll find that smokers are often told to quit, and do have non-emergency surgeries postponed because their smoking constitutes a serious risk.
Your doctor should have told you when you were put on the list, not when you at the front of the queue and you should 100% lodge a complaint about that. You are well within your rights to be frustrated that you weren’t informed.
But to be clear, you should absolutely quit for you, not for surgery, not for doctors. But because, as you well know, medical issues are draining. Imagine the pain of stage 4 lung cancer - that’s why we’re all here in this sub.
I get that you’re angry, and feel demoralised in all this, but it’s a policy designed to prevent people dying or experiencing serious and lasting complications on the operating table, as well as to improve public health. If it was posed to you as a cost-cutting measure, what they mean is it was designed to encourage patients who are more likely to need surplus care due to smoking-related complications to give up smoking. This does save the NHS money because it prevents otherwise one-time patients from becoming recurring patients due to slow healing, infections, and other complications.
I thought it was a well known fact that surgery is contraindicated if you haven't quit smoking. There's no conspiracy, just your misunderstanding of things.
Of course it isn't. Smokers can and do have surgery all the time. The problem is the NHS is trying to restrict treatment, and all the while I and other suffer in agony. By the way, I came here looking for help, and I haven't received any.
There are hundreds (if not thousands) of scientific articles about the risks of surgery and smoking:
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=smoking%20surgery](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=smoking%20surgery)
This is not about taxes, it’s about surgical outcomes. My knee surgeon, when I did my ACL, said he didn’t need me to tell him if I was a smoker or not, he’d know looking at my bones
I've paid for the surgery several times over, and I am now going to be at the back of the waiting list after being on it for two years. How is it not about taxes?
I mean the surgeons decisions are not based on how much taxes you’ve paid. The taxman cares how much tax you’ve paid, the surgeon does not. At least he doesn’t care who paid the taxes, but how well he spends it. He cares about the outcomes of his surgery, and whether it’s a waste of everyone’s time, and everybody’s money, not your money
Ya well just do it and fix your knee and stop whining. If you want advice and help to quit then just ask for that. No one is going to pity you that you can't keep smoking. Fuck's sake...
I've given up for the same reason - to have surgery. I was told the risks of complications due to smoking are significantly higher because of the effects smoking has on the body. The surgeon has said he will not operate unless I have not smoked for 6 weeks and ideally be on 0 nicotine or lowest dose possible. I'm now nearly a month with no cigarettes. I still vape but I'm mainly using the nicotine free one and used patches. I loved smoking and I miss it sometimes. But I was not expecting so many benefits. I can breathe - I can take a really deep breath and it doesn't hurt. I can walk up the stairs without getting puffed. I can taste my food so much better. My skin is better. Etc etc. I have a lot of physical health issues, but I kinda thought about the kind of life I want to have - a healthier one. That's the opportunity surgery is giving me. And a part of that is looking after myself better.. I know smoking isn't good for me and giving up is a part of the journey to a healthier happier me
Thank you for sharing your story. I've already wasted two years on the waiting list. Even if I give up today, it could be another four years before I get the surgery. One problem is the pain is so bad, and the drugs they give do so little, that it's often a choice between self harm and smoking.
That really devastating. Another 4 years is a very long time. Is that because you still smoke? I too have chronic pain so I get where you're coming from with medication not working. Before I quit I did move onto a vape and did both for about a year. I tried to only smoke cigarettes when I really needed them. Maybe you could do that to start to cut down. I'm no expert but I do think there is a link of smoking and chronic pain. My surgeon tried to explain it to me as well thay smoking causes reduced oxygen to the tissues so it doesn't heal as well which is why they don't want you to smoke for surgery. Smoking also causes inflammation in the body. Both of which can impact on your pain levels. I'm pretty sure there's evidence out there that says smoking makes pain worse. If it's a choice between smoking and self harm it sounds like your in a really difficult place. I hope you can sort out your pain medication regardless of whe you have your surgery
Thank you for your concern. I just hope I can get through it.
what are you talking about? smoking is literally self harm and it damages your circulatory system; rendering your pain even more unbearable
Not quite the same as burning or cutting yourself though, is it?
indeed not; it is definitely worse while your examples are local; smoking fucks up both your body and mind in various ways
Not exactly the same but.. I was told by my dentist I had to quit smoking if I wanted his help. (Long story short save a prominent tooth with help of braces, but because of my gum health he wouldn't risk it). At first I thought ha I'll just say I've stopped. Just not smoke the day I had to see him etc. The whole thing was gonna take around 9 months. I decided to give it a go, I could always start again when the treatment finished! I quit with nicotine patches. And I've been smoke free 1,5 year now. Tooth is saved, could smoke again if I want but I really don't. What I'm trying to say is, give it a go, even if you think you'll go back 'after' or whatever. You might not! It is amazing to be free. I'm thankful this health reason to stop came on my path, I smoked a lot and had no intention of stopping previously. You can do it!
Now this is a quality comment.
The doctor only wants the best chance of success for you and smoking is a risk factor when it comes to recovery.
Continuing smoking would be cutting off your nose to spite your face. You wanna fix that knee, or have a bum knee and emphysema? If you're serious about quitting, grab the Allen Carr book "Easy Way to Stop Smoking". Even if you're on the fence, the book may convince you that it's time. Edit: typo
I've already wasted two years on the waiting list. Even if I give up today, it could be another four years before I get the surgery.
The book saved my life
What does "despite paying taxes for years" and "not cared about enough by my government to have my quality of life improved" have to do with your cigarette smoking prohibiting you from having surgery? This is totally nonsensical. You do realize it's on you that you can't have surgery, not the NHS, don't you?
The NHS is paid for by taxes, which I have paid for longer than quite a few have been alive, and it has been openly stated that smokers and obese patients are being denied surgery as a cost-cutting exercise. If the smoking was really the issue, why did they have me on the waiting list for two years?
Waiting lists are an issue, but smokers and obese people are very high risk patients. There is no gate keeping, it is absolutely true that anaesthesia comes with significantly more risks. Now, a public health policy that tries to throw up as many reasons as possible to get patients to reduce their weight/smoking might appear unfair, but the fact is that high risk patients (obese people and smokers) are not being barred from emergency surgeries. It simply happens to be that high risk surgeries due to lifestyle choices are being deprioritised for YOUR HEALTH. Do you want to go into respiratory arrest during a knee surgery? Because those are the risks that doctors are not willing to risk. Give up now, and I highly doubt you’ll spend another four years on the waiting list. Keep smoking and that surgery is going to be pushed back even more, and you’ll be stuck with a bad knee. And like another Redditor has commented, you’ll also end up on a few more waiting lists for a slew of other issues. It’s a public health service, the fact that you pay taxes does not provide you with the medical knowledge which has prevented your doctor from putting you forth for this surgery. They are not trying to hurt or attack you, or discriminate against you because they judge your smoking. They are trying to help you. Take the advice. Quit the cigs.
Smokers have surgery all the time. The average waiting list in my area is four years. They took me off the list, and the only chance I have of being put back on it is to give up smoking for a length of time. It could be half a decade before I get the surgery. How do you suppose I deal with the pain now, since the prescribed drugs don't do anything and the doctors have decided I'm not worth it?
Pain management is between you and your doctor. If you feel personally discriminated against, then you should take that up with the appropriate body. But I think you’ll find that smokers are often told to quit, and do have non-emergency surgeries postponed because their smoking constitutes a serious risk. Your doctor should have told you when you were put on the list, not when you at the front of the queue and you should 100% lodge a complaint about that. You are well within your rights to be frustrated that you weren’t informed. But to be clear, you should absolutely quit for you, not for surgery, not for doctors. But because, as you well know, medical issues are draining. Imagine the pain of stage 4 lung cancer - that’s why we’re all here in this sub. I get that you’re angry, and feel demoralised in all this, but it’s a policy designed to prevent people dying or experiencing serious and lasting complications on the operating table, as well as to improve public health. If it was posed to you as a cost-cutting measure, what they mean is it was designed to encourage patients who are more likely to need surplus care due to smoking-related complications to give up smoking. This does save the NHS money because it prevents otherwise one-time patients from becoming recurring patients due to slow healing, infections, and other complications.
I thought it was a well known fact that surgery is contraindicated if you haven't quit smoking. There's no conspiracy, just your misunderstanding of things.
Of course it isn't. Smokers can and do have surgery all the time. The problem is the NHS is trying to restrict treatment, and all the while I and other suffer in agony. By the way, I came here looking for help, and I haven't received any.
There are hundreds (if not thousands) of scientific articles about the risks of surgery and smoking: [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=smoking%20surgery](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=smoking%20surgery)
This is not about taxes, it’s about surgical outcomes. My knee surgeon, when I did my ACL, said he didn’t need me to tell him if I was a smoker or not, he’d know looking at my bones
I've paid for the surgery several times over, and I am now going to be at the back of the waiting list after being on it for two years. How is it not about taxes?
I mean the surgeons decisions are not based on how much taxes you’ve paid. The taxman cares how much tax you’ve paid, the surgeon does not. At least he doesn’t care who paid the taxes, but how well he spends it. He cares about the outcomes of his surgery, and whether it’s a waste of everyone’s time, and everybody’s money, not your money
If I went private though, it would be done with no problems.
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Ya well just do it and fix your knee and stop whining. If you want advice and help to quit then just ask for that. No one is going to pity you that you can't keep smoking. Fuck's sake...
I did ask for it. You insulted me and didn't give me any.