Re: Steve's story

[Guest guest]

I've posted Steve's story, too, in the stories section. Here is his again, in case you can't find it.

Just a plea of help from a fellow silicone survivor.In July of 1992 I was a 28 year old actor and model living in Hollywood,California. I had stumbled into the world of modeling while I was incollegesome 9 years earlier while I was attending New York University. I hadsincethen been on a number of different magazines and commercials. I sort ofwandered into the very competitive world of acting as a result of thedifferent print work that I had done while a model. I soon became a Unionactor and was pursuing the world of films and television.So on that sunny July day I found my way into the offices of Dr. Fuller MD,F.A.C.S. as a referral from a fellow actor friend of mine. I hadinquired about some skin problems that I thought needed to be checked. Iasked the Dr. what types of plastic surgery were popular with his clients.He mentioned several different procedures and said that lip augmentationwaspopular. He elaborated by saying that there were currently 2 types ofprocedures that were popular, collagen and silicone. He explained thatsilicone was the more permanent of the two. I asked "isn't the siliconecausing health problems like I have seen with the women with the breastimplants?". The Dr. responded a "small amount isn't a problem" After theconsultation I made the decision to have liquid silicone injections into mylips for the purpose of enhancing my appearance as many actors and modelsdo.After the procedure I recall feeling exhausted. The next day my entirefacewas red and puffy there were deep nette lines which I never hadbefore.I called the Dr. who said that was "sometimes normal" and not to"worry" about it. The symptoms waxed and waned and as the days and monthsahead progressed I continually felt exhausted. I was not able to get outofthe bed on some days and I was having extreme difficulty making any kind ofbowel movement. In fact two months after the injections I was taken toCedars Sinai after two weeks of not making a bowel movement. I was vomitingprofusely and nauseous in the following months to come. I went to severalMedical Dr.s including several Specialists which included neurologists,psychiatrists, gastrointronologists, and naturopaths. The following year Imade my way into the offices of Acupuncturists, Massage Therapists, ColonHydrotherapists, Certified Nutritional Counselors, iridologists, and otherdoctors therapists and counselors. My symptoms remained constant: Severeconstipation, chronic fatigue, allergies to foods, pollens, chemicals,severedepression, memory problems and joint pain.Two years passed and by the summer of 1994 I was seeing a Dr. A LeonardKleppin Los Angeles. Dr. Klepp tested and found that I was having an allergicreaction to nearly everything that I consumed. He asked me if I hadexposure to chemicals of any kind. After several negative responses Irevealed that I had undergone injections of silicone some two yearsprevious. I then began to attempt to address my health issues from another angle.On August 31st 1994 I underwent surgery to remove the remaining silicone inmy lips. The scars that followed were ghastly but worse yet my symptomsdidn't lessen. Instead I was just a person sick and with newfound scars onthe face. My acting and modeling career had ended.One of the things that the silicone has robbed from my besides my physicalwell being is my psychological well being. The ambitions that I once hadwere gone. Replaced was my struggle just to feel halfway well. Thephysicalscars left my career in shambles but worse yet my ability to just get outofbed was the focus of the days to come.I left three jobs due to my health and am currently not working. The mostprecious thing in my life is my daughter. Sometimes she comes to me andasksfor my involvement in something that she is doing and sometimes I am justtoosick to even get out of bed. This hurts me more than anything else thatthesilicone has taken away from my life. My daughter is almost 12 and nearly7of the 12 years that she has known me she has dealt with a sick "Daddy".Every day I live with the hope that one day again I will have my healthback,before my daughter is all grown up. The hellish nightmare I face everyday. The one thing that I hold on to is the hope that a solution to thisnightmare will come. I know that the Weston Project is working on the"antidote" and my hope is that it will be available soon.If there is anything that I can do to help expedite the availability of theantidote please let me know.Sincerely,Steve