thrnCelt" data-source="post: 14740095" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">
I had my neck fused a few years ago. The surgeon told me he wouldn't even do the surgery unless I quit for 2 months beforehand, although he might have just been trying to scare me straight. That was my first shot with cigalikes, which is all there was back then. I didn't smoke for 2 months before and around 3 months afterwards. And then I managed to keep it down to around 4 a day for another 2 or 3 months with cigalikes. And patches. There's nothing like the thought of paralysis to concentrate your mind
He said smoking decreases the amount of oxygen reaching the spine in particular, more so than other parts of the body for some reason, and that degrades the bone rebuilding process. He said the first couple of months is critical. It doesn't just slow it down, it has an effect on the final outcome.
Right before the surgery I was explaining that I hadn't smoked and I pulled out my cigalike to show him. He laughed and pulled one out of his own pocket. Seems like he felt that was OK in terms of the surgery. Or at least acceptable.
Whether he was right about the smoking I guess I'll never know for sure, but I took his word for it. I could barely use my right arm by then and starting to get tingling in my feet. Good as new afterwards.
I did ask him if the reduction in oxygen to the spine could have caused my vertebrae to go bad. He said there was no evidence of that and as far as he was aware smokers weren't more likely to have that particular problem.
