Expert: Dr Ian Jackson - please note UK based - 5/16/2011

Question
i am having surgery to fix deviated septum i am a heavy smoker also have cracked ribs due to always coughing im very scared of general anaesthetic any any words of reassurance you could offer.

kind regards

kenny

Answer
Hi Kenny
You need to talk to your anaesthetist about this. Bottom line is that it is best to stop smoking a few weeks before surgery, however the reality is that few people manage to pull this off. This is mostly due to leaving it till too late so they haven't time to go through the stop smoking support groups and get nicotine patches etc.  However modern anaesthesia is extremely good and coughing due to the anaesthetic used is now rare. If you cough due to your smoking then you will still tend to cough afterwards and there is not much we can do about this.
Sorry can't help further.
Dr Ian Jackson