How should I handle this doctor?

StarSong said:
You need to divulge that info for your own safety. The anesthesiologist needs to be aware, for sure.
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Pepper said:
I'm so sorry (((@Murrmurr))). I would go crazy trying to make such a decision. 8 hours is a long time. Doesn't he know you're a smoker?
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If I tell him I smoke, he won't do surgery unless I quit, probly for 6 months or so. I'm not afraid to die during surgery, but I have to think about the surgeon. I've known this guy for years, and losing a patient that way would really do a number on him, seriously. He'd be emotionally wrecked for months.
 

Murrmurr said:
If I tell him I smoke, he won't do surgery unless I quit, probly for 6 months or so. I'm not afraid to die during surgery, but I have to think about the surgeon. I've known this guy for years, and losing a patient that way would really do a number on him, seriously. He'd be emotionally wrecked for months.
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Please don't say that! I am afraid for you. Can't lose you Frank! Can't.
 
@Nathan seriously? You rather risk your chances by not telling your doctor you smoke? I find it hard to believe he does not suspect it already.

People lie all the time, but you do not lie to your doctor, lawyer, spouse or yourself. Sorry if I am fusing at you, but I would not take this thing lightly .
 

RedAlert76 said:
@Nathan seriously? You rather risk your chances by not telling your doctor you smoke? I find it hard to believe he does not suspect it already.

People lie all the time, but you do not lie to your doctor, lawyer, spouse or yourself. Sorry if I am fusing at you, but I would not take this thing lightly .
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??? I quit smoking 14 years ago...
 
RedAlert76 said:
@Nathan seriously? You rather risk your chances by not telling your doctor you smoke? I find it hard to believe he does not suspect it already.

People lie all the time, but you do not lie to your doctor, lawyer, spouse or yourself. Sorry if I am fusing at you, but I would not take this thing lightly .
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I think you're talking to me. I'm the smoker who's doctor wants to do surgery.

When I see a doctor, I'm freshly showered, shampooed, my teeth are brushed, I wear clean clothes and I don't smoke on my way to their office; in fact, I usually chew a stick of minty gum; so, I assume I don't smell like an ashtray.

This same doctor did major back surgery on me in 2017, and I was a long-time smoker then, but I told him I'd quit. I took the risk, and that's my prerogative. I knew I'd get through that surgery just fine.

The surgery ran more than an hour longer than he'd planned because he spotted an issue that hadn't shown up on the images, and he took the time to work on it. Now, everything went well, I didn't require any kind of extra support and there were no close-calls, but the surgery he wants to do next will take at least twice as long as the 2017 one. Probly more like 3X longer. I'm willing to risk it, but he is responsible for my life, and he takes that very seriously. I don't want to ruin his day, so, prerogative or not, I'll base my decision on how a worst outcome would effect him.
 
I had several surgeries while I was still a two pack a day smoker. I never knew it was such a big deal for long surgeries. I always told my anesthesiologist I was a smoker, he didn't blink. I would tell your doc the truth and also tell him, no way will I quit for for 6 months, and then see what he says. Maybe he can do the surgery in two parts.

Oddly I was reading a novel just this afternoon wherein a character said, "I know I'm at high risk for depression because of my back trouble." I had never heard that, but instantly thought of you because I know how bad your pain is. I would think anyone with chronic pain would be depressed to some extent.

@Victor I don't know why this matters. Your medical records are going to vary from doctor to doctor and most won't read them at all. The Air Force completely lost mine over and over -- no one knew how to make a "Z" so that it didn't look like a B or an F. Any six year-old can make a fine Z like Zorro, but the military people like to put dashes across the Z to prove they've been to Germany. :rolleyes:

Anyway we'd start again with a new folder. This isn't like your permanent high-school records that might keep you from getting into Harvard. Forget it. All old people are at higher risk for depression than young people. Maybe it's those bus trips Murrmurr mentioned. I blame mirrors.
 
Della said:
I had several surgeries while I was still a two pack a day smoker. I never knew it was such a big deal for long surgeries. I always told my anesthesiologist I was a smoker, he didn't blink. I would tell your doc the truth and also tell him, no way will I quit for for 6 months, and then see what he says. Maybe he can do the surgery in two parts.

Oddly I was reading a novel just this afternoon wherein a character said, "I know I'm at high risk for depression because of my back trouble." I had never heard that, but instantly thought of you because I know how bad your pain is. I would think anyone with chronic pain would be depressed to some extent.
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I did some research on the risks of general anesthesia and lengthy surgeries for smokers.

Apparently, anesthesia has advanced, and the risks are relatively minimal compared to 5 or 10 years ago. And, surprisingly, most of the complications that can arise will arise post-op. Researchers were able to isolate the specific chemicals in cigarettes that interact badly with the chemicals in general anesthesia, and adjustments were made. They also found that surgical risks are far greater for young smokers and obese smokers. I'm a far cry from both those categories.

I could actually survive this thing.
 
That Lady in PA said:
What was the reason they entered depression into your records in the first place?
You must have said something for them to do that. And mentioning it is not being diagnosed with it.

I think that having it in past concerns is the best you can do. One cannot ask that medical information be removed from records.
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For me, this evaluation is the most valuable reference. It makes a lot of sense.
 
Pepper said:
Please don't say that! I am afraid for you. Can't lose you Frank! Can't.
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My spine doc is saying that the surgery he wants to do will prevent my legs from becoming permanently paralyzed. Right now, I can move my legs but they don't support my weight. They're partially numb most of the time, not quite as numb sometimes, and I experience a severe burning sensation in one or both of them at least twice every day. And that burning sensation lasts for as long as 20 minutes...the longest 20 minutes ever. It's horrible. It feels like molten lava is coursing through my leg veins, from the hip to the ankle.

So, the surgery will end that, too. It won't totally end my pain, but it could reduce it by 50% to 75%, he said. Medication can help manage my pain; the surgery is to get a slipped vertebrae (L-1) back into alignment. He said if it slips any further it could sever the spinal cord, and it could slip if I just lift something I shouldn't, sleep in a bad position, twist wrong, or fall a certain way.

Correcting that is about a 3hr surgery, but there's also a collapsed vertebrae in my thoracic spine that he wants to fix. It's not causing any major problems, but he wants to fix it before it does, and that's another 2 or 3 hours under anesthesia. He's fast, so the duration times he's giving me are maximums. And that's good, because if he sees other issues while he has my back splayed open, he won't ignore them; he'll correct them if he can.

Last time he did back surgery on me, he decided to carve away some arthritis and a couple bone spurs, and carved away part of a foramen to make room for a second nerve root that didn't belong there, a defect that wasn't picked up by the pre-op images. None of that was planned, and it added a couple hours to the surgery.

But the more studies I'm reading about smokers and anesthesia, the more confident I am that neither me nor my surgeon will be ruined by another surgery. In fact, he could go buy more Gucci shoes...and a Gucci bag to go with each pair.
 
Murrmurr said:
My doctor's been pushing the depression thing, too. And I talked to her about it. I simply told her I'm bummed-out, but I'm not depressed. I told her that getting old and losing some of your abilities is a bummer, that's all. No one likes it, but we don't necessarily want to take a bunch of pills for it. They don't cure aging.

Neither will counseling or basket-weaving or joining some senior group that gets bused to the art museum once a month...that's shyte's just depressing.
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I agree 100% that pills can't stop aging - On Point!!. I always say, age is just a number; it's how we handle aging. We can accept or step out of the norm and make it the heck whatever we want it to be. If someone tells me, You don't act 65; my response is, How the heck does a 65-year-old act? I didn't get that memo. šŸ¤£:love:
 
Murrmurr said:
My doctor's been pushing the depression thing, too. And I talked to her about it. I simply told her I'm bummed-out, but I'm not depressed. I told her that getting old and losing some of your abilities is a bummer, that's all. No one likes it, but we don't necessarily want to take a bunch of pills for it. They don't cure aging.

Neither will counseling or basket-weaving or joining some senior group that gets bused to the art museum once a month...that's shyte's just depressing.
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Your sense of humor is anything but depressing!
 
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