Set yourself up for success – give yourself enough time to prepare and a date that isn’t already likely to be a stressful one. We encourage you to set a quit date at least four weeks prior to your surgery. A quit plan helps you stay motivated, set expectations, identify triggers, prepare for cravings, and learn new coping skills and strategies. Creating a quit plan improves your chances of staying nicotine and tobacco free. You know you should quit, you are ready to quit, but you just aren’t sure how to do it. If you are a smoker, HSS staff will ask whether you would like counseling and/or treatment. Please discuss smoking cessation with your surgeon and care team, as we encourage you to stop smoking before surgery and during your recovery. Hospital for Special Surgery offers resources and services to help you quit smoking before surgery and stay nicotine-free during your recovery. In fact, accessing support and medications can double your chances of becoming nicotine-free. Reaching out for support and guidance can make a big difference. Unfortunately, nicotine is highly addictive and quitting can be hard. Your risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half.Your risk of getting cancer of the mouth, throat or esophagus is half that of a smoker.Your risk of having a stroke is reduced to that of a nonsmoker.Your risk of developing heart disease is cut in half.This increases your lung’s ability to clean itself and reduce the risks of infection. Cilia (important tissues which are destroyed by smoking) begin to regrow in the lungs.Sinus congestion decreases, and coughing, fatigue and shortness of breath all decrease further.Your body is better able to fight infection.Coughing, congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease.Your bronchial tubes relax, making it easier for you to breathe.Your ability to smell and taste is enhanced (restored to more normal levels).Carbon monoxide levels in your blood drops to normal and oxygen levels in the blood increase.Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.For starters, you save the money you would have spent on tobacco! It only gets better from there. The benefits of quitting are noticeable within 20 minutes of not smoking. It can also increase the risk of blood clot formation and, because it directly affects bone mineral density, increase the risk of fractures. Nicotine can interfere with bone and wound healing by decreasing important blood flow to the surgical site. The use of nicotine products (whether from cigarettes, vapes, cigars, gums, e-cigs or patches) has been shown to increase risk of complications following surgery and slow down the process of surgical healing. Deciding to quit smoking is one of the best choices you can make to improve your health and optimize your recovery.
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