Quit smoking before planned surgery

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Hello, my name is Nyree and I'm a QUIT nurse. I'm going to share with you today why it is so important to stop smoking, not only for your overall health but also if you are planning to have surgery.
 
Today, we will offer you strategies and advice that will support you in quitting smoking. Stopping smoking before your surgery has many benefits. It improves oxygen supply to your body, decreases the risk of wound infections, and improves healing, decreases lung complications, decreases the risk of blood clots and improves response to medications.
 
So, how do you quit smoking? The best way to stop smoking is to use a combined approach of medications to reduce withdrawal and practical strategies that work for you. Common nicotine withdrawal symptoms are cravings, moodiness, headaches, coughing, and sleep problems. These symptoms are much less when using quitting medications but may still last for more than four weeks after quitting.
 
Nicotine replacement therapy, or NRT, replaces some of the nicotine and significantly reduces your cravings. They can double your chances of quitting smoking for good. NRT release nicotine at a much slower rate compared to smoking retraining your brain not to expect a fast dose of nicotine from cigarettes making it less addictive than smoking.
 
One NRT are nicotine patches. You might still have severe cravings even using the highest dose patch, especially if you smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day. Using an oral NRT product alongside the patch can help. There are different types of oral NRT such as nicotine gum, lozenges, sprays, and inhalers. You can have 10 or more pieces of nicotine gum per day. Nicotine lozenges dissolve slowly and begin to relieve cravings after about 5 minutes.
 
Nicotine spray delivers nicotine into your mouth and relieves cravings within 5 minutes. Nicotine inhalers are a mouthpiece that holds a nicotine cartridge, and people who miss the hand to mouth action of smoking find the inhalers helpful. Oral NRT products work better when used frequently and regularly. And even before you get the craving to smoke such as times when you would normally have a cigarette. Try and avoid eating or drinking 15 minutes before and after use.
 
There are also quitting smoking medications that do not contain nicotine but reduce withdrawal symptoms. It is important to take the full course of medications prescribed to help you quit. You can choose to quit smoking abruptly or cutting down over time. Both strategies are equally effective if a quit date is set and kept. 
 
Knowing what triggers a craving is important when stopping smoking. Triggers can be places where you smoke or people you smoke with. It can be habits and routines such as drinking coffee or alcohol. Emotions like boredom or stress can also be triggers. Identifying your triggers enables you to change things so you can quit. 
 
Let's explore some strategies. You can change your environment. Make your home and car smoke- free. Keep your cigarettes out of sight and reach. Talk to your family and friends about your desire to quit and ask that they don't smoke around you or offer you a cigarette. You can change your routines. Is your routine to wake up, make a cuppa and have your first cigarette? Consider using NRT before you get out of bed. Then go for a walk and avoid the pattern of behaviour that triggers you to smoke. 
 
When you get a craving, we also suggest the four Ds. Delay your response and use an oral NRT before you get a craving. Practice deep breathing and relaxation, drink water, and distract yourself with a pre-planned activity. You can also exercise, have something sweet, brush your teeth, reduce caffeinated drinks if you have feelings of anxiety, and reduce or eliminate alcohol completely, if you can. Speak to your medical team if you need help with this.
 
We do get asked if vaping is a solution for quitting smoking. We do not recommend e-cigarettes or vapes as a solution for quitting. You can also get additional support to help you quit. Speak to your GP, your hospital health provider, or call the QUIT line for ongoing support. Finally, it's not unusual for smokers to try to quit a number of times before they are successful. So don't give up.