BASICS: BE SMOKE-FREE FOR SURGERY

We recommend that you stop smoking before surgery and stay off cigarettes until at least one week after. Here’s why:

Reason 1: Heart and lung function starts improving within 12 hours of quitting as levels of toxins such as carbon monoxide in your body decrease, improving blood flow and reducing your chances of problems such as a heart attack.

Reason 2: Quitting smoking helps the healing process and reduces the chances that your wound will become infected after surgery. Quitting also helps bones heal faster.

Just like you should not eat the morning of surgery, you also should not smoke the morning of surgery.

Surgery is also a great time to quit for good. Here’s why:

Reason 1: You may be more motivated to make some changes as you think about your surgery. For many it is a time to reflect and think about ways to improve their health — and quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your health.

Reason 2: Most people find that they have little craving for cigarettes in the days after surgery.

Reason 3: Depending on the type of surgery you will have, you may be in the hospital for a few days, and you can’t smoke while in the hospital. This gives you a great start on quitting for good!

Reason 4: Quitting for good can give you more years of life and reduces your risk for lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease and many other diseases associated with smoking. It also eliminates secondhand smoke exposure to your loved ones.

Reason 5: Free help is available, including free medication to help you quit! Through a Tobacco Quitline, trained specialists provide individualized advice and a plan to help you quit smoking. Their help is available conveniently by telephone through Tobacco Quitlines.

Tobacco Quitlines (1-800-QUIT-NOW) — A New, Free Service to Help You Quit!

Tobacco Quitlines use trained specialists (real people, not recordings) to help you quit smoking. If you have quit already, they can help you stay off cigarettes. Some Tobacco Quitlines also provide free medications (no prescription needed) to help you quit.

You talk with a specialist trained to help you quit smoking in a caring, respectful, non-judgmental and supportive way. They will take the time to understand your situation, and work with you to devise a plan that is right for you. For example, they will talk with you about what have you tried in the past. If you have quit already, they can help you plan how to stay off cigarettes. If you are having difficulty quitting, your tobacco specialist still will continue to work with you to get back on track in a caring and supportive way no matter what happens. They will be there for you when you need them.

The first call to the quitline number is just a brief call to schedule a time that works for you for the specialist to call back and talk with you. They will call only at times that are convenient for you. The first session with the specialist lasts about 45 minutes. Subsequent sessions last 10 to 15 minutes. The number of call sessions, all scheduled at times that work for you, is determined with the specialist. Most people find a total of four to five calls are most helpful. The same specialist works with you for all sessions. If at any time you decide that you don’t want to use the Quitline any more, just tell them and they will not call you again.

Calls to Tobacco Quitlines can be made anytime. The best time to talk to the specialist is up to you and depends on your situation. It may be before surgery, while hospitalized after surgery or after you get back home. Remember that the first call is to schedule a time that works for you for that initial session with the specialist. The specialist will then call you at the number you provide.

Many Tobacco Quitlines can arrange to have medications that can help you quit or stay quit delivered to you completely free of charge. Examples are nicotine patches, nicotine gum and nicotine lozenges. Even if they do not provide free medications, they can tell you about a variety of available medications to help you quit, many available without a prescription.

A toll-free number is used to call the Tobacco Quitlines. There is no charge for any help the specialists provide. Bottom line is that there is no cost to you for the calls or the specialist’s help.

Your privacy is protected. No one else will have access to any information you share with the Tobacco Quitline specialist. For example insurance companies will not have access to your information. In addition, the specialists will not have access to information in your medical record. Lastly, your healthcare providers will not have access to information you share with the Tobacco Quitline specialists.