Need Explantation Info. Please

[Guest guest]

Hello. I currently have saline implants (under muscle) with a cc on

the left side. The cc is minor but has caused pain from the

beginning. I started out with silicone in 1990 but had them removed

in 1991 due to the silicone scare. I had them replaced with the

saline

which were fine until 2000 when the left one ruptured. I had both

replaced again with saline and that is where I am today. I have

constant muscle spasms in my neck, back and chest wall and have

GERD. I am short of breath and have pressure in my chest all the

time. I am always fatiqued and also experience allergies and

chemical sensitivity. I am going to have the implants removed for

sure. I am so tired of all of this. I need to know, do I have to

have the capsules removed? The surgeon I recently met with felt it

would be best for the implants to be removed but said he would leave

the capsules alone. The appearance of my breasts looks very nice and

the elasticity of my skin is also nice. I am so afraid of how I will

look after the surgery. But, that is not going to keep me from

having them out. I just need some advice. Some reassurance that

everything will be ok.

Thanks.

[Guest guest]

I have copied an article that was posted on saline support about a month ago written by Dr. Blais about capsules. Its important to have them removed also. I hope this helps you.

Barbara

Residual Capsule and Intercapsular Debris As Long Term Risk Factors

Contamination of the space between the capsule and the implants by

micro- organisms, silicone oils, degradation products and gel

impurities constitutes a major problem which potentiates the risk of

implants. Such problems include inflammation, infection, deposition

of mineral debris, as well as certain auto-immune phenomena. These

problems can be present when implants are in situ (in the body) and

are often attributable to the implant. The logical expectation is

that, upon removal of the implants, adverse effects will cease. This

is an unjustifiably optimistic view. It is well documented from case

histories that removal and or replacement of implants without

exhaustive debridement of the prosthetic site leads to failure and

post surgical complications.

Plastic surgery procedures tend to favor speed and immediate

cosmetic results. For these reasons, leaving or "reusing" tissue

from an existing capsule may seem more "gratifying" However, adverse

effects resulting from the practice are widespread but have not been

well documented. Typically, patients who require removal of faulty

implants and undergo immediate re-implantation in the same

prosthetic site habitually relapse with the same problem which

motivated the previous surgery; the most common example is exchange

of implants and/or sectorizing or bisecting the capsule without

removing it completely.

Such patients rarely achieve a significant capsular correction and

habitually return for more similar surgery. A more illustrative

situation is that where patients do not receive replacement

implants. They form the basis of knowledge for evaluating the risks

that arise from remaining capsules. An example is described in a

paper published in 1993 (Copeland, M., Kessel, A., Spiera, H.,

Hermann, G., Bleiweiss, I. J.; Systemic Inflammatory Disorder

Related To Fibrous Breast Capsules After Silicone Implant Removal;

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: 92 (6), 1179-1181, 1993):

reported problems derived primarily from immune phenomena and

inflammatory syndromes with pain, swelling, serologic abnormaladies

and alarming radiologic presentation.

Numerous similar cases have been noted amongst implant patients but

have not been theobject of publications. Some are cited in FDA

Reaction Reports. Others appear in theU.S. Pharmacopoeia Reporting

Programs.

A residual capsule is not a stable entity. It may collapse upon

completion of surgery and remain asymptomatic for some time,

however, it will fill with extracellular fluid and remain as a fluid-

filled space with added blood and prosthetic debris. As the wall

matures and the breast remodels to accommodate the loss of the

prostheses, the capsular tissue shrinks. Water as well as

electrolytes are expelled gradually from the pocket or else the

mixture is concentrated from leakage of water from the semi-

permeable capsular membrane wall.

In most cases, calcium salts precipitate during that stage and may

render the capsule visible as a radiodense and speckled zone in

radiographic projections. Prosthetic debris is also radiodense and

may be imaged to further complicate the presentation. The average

size of the residual capsules after 6-12 months is in the 2-7 cm

range: most are compact, comparatively small and dense. Surgical

removal should present no difficulty for most patients if adequate

radiographic information is available.

Later stages of maturation include the thickening of the capsule

wall, sometimes reaching 0.5-1cm. Compression of the debris into a

cluster of nodules which actually become calcified follows for some

patients. A few mimic malignancies. Others appear as

small "prostheses" during mammographic studies. They are alarming to

onocologists and are habitually signalled for further studies or

biopsies by oncologic radiologists.

In light of the present knowledge and considering the probable

content of the residual closed capsules, an open or needle biopsy is

not advisable. The risks of releasing significant amounts of

hazardous contamination and possibly spreading infective entities

outweighs the advantage of the diagnostic. At any rate, such a

capsule requires removal for mitigation of symptoms and a more

direct surgical approach appears more economical and less risky.

In summary, a capsule with a dense fibro-collagenous wall behaves as

a bioreactor. Worse yet, it is fitted with a semi-permeable wall

that may periodically open to release its content to the breast. The

probability of finding the space colonized with atypical micro-

organisms is elevated and the control of infective processes by

classic pharmacologic approaches is difficult if not impossible.

Such closed capsular spaces may be comparable to "artificial organs"

of unpredictable functions. Their behavior will depend on the

content and the age of the structure, its maturity and the history

of the patient. There is a high probability that these capsules will

continue to evolve for many years, adding more layers of fibro-

collagenous tissue and possibly granulomatous material. If bacterial

entities are present within the capsule space, they can culminate in

large breast abscesses with will resist conservative treatments.

Even with less active capsules containing mostly oily and calcitic

debris, the thickening of the wall leads eventually to solid "tumor-

like structures" and are, by themselves, alarming on auscultation

and self examination. At best, such structures are unique

environments for protein denaturation and aberrant biochemical

reactions with unknown long term consequences.

Pierre Blais, Ph.D.

Innoval 496 Westminster Ave.

Ottawa, Ontario

Canada KeA 2V1

Phone: (613) 728-8688

Fax: (613) 728-0687

Pierre Blais, PhD received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in

physical-organic polymer chemistry from McGill University in

Montreal, Canada, and a Post-doctorate Fellowship in biomaterials

engineering at Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1976

he became one of the first scientists to join the medical devices

and radiological health program of the Department of Health and

Welfare in Canada. He left the department in 1989 as Senior

Scientific Advisor and formed Innoval Consultants, a firm engaged in

the design, testing and failure analysis of high risk medical

systems. He has authored over 250 publications on medical materials

and their interactions with living tissues.

[Guest guest]

, No question about this at all....always, always, always get the scar tissue removed. With the symptoms you are describing, you really don't want to be taking any risks with leaving the scar tissue in, and I have to strongly disagree with your plastic surgeon's assessment. (Of course, who am I? I am not a doctor, but I think it is just an unwise path he travels!) We have articles posted in the links and files sections on the importance of getting the scar capsule removed. It will just continue to harbor bacteria and your body will continue to respond to it, either by walling it off, just like the implant, or it will become calcified, hard and painful. Capsules do not just sit there all nice like, pretending to not be noticed. Sooner or later, they make themselves known, and sometimes in quiet, but ugly ways.

Let us know what you decide.

Patty

----- Original Message -----

From: emrboyz2

Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2003 8:37 PM

Subject: Need Explantation Info. Please

Hello. I currently have saline implants (under muscle) with a cc on the left side. The cc is minor but has caused pain from the beginning. I started out with silicone in 1990 but had them removed in 1991 due to the silicone scare. I had them replaced with the salinewhich were fine until 2000 when the left one ruptured. I had both replaced again with saline and that is where I am today. I have constant muscle spasms in my neck, back and chest wall and have GERD. I am short of breath and have pressure in my chest all the time. I am always fatiqued and also experience allergies and chemical sensitivity. I am going to have the implants removed for sure. I am so tired of all of this. I need to know, do I have to have the capsules removed? The surgeon I recently met with felt it would be best for the implants to be removed but said he would leave the capsules alone. The appearance of my breasts looks very nice and the elasticity of my skin is also nice. I am so afraid of how I will look after the surgery. But, that is not going to keep me from having them out. I just need some advice. Some reassurance that everything will be ok.Thanks.

[Guest guest]

, My name is as well, and I have been on this site for over a year now. And the one thing I have learned, that is the most important thing for full recovery is: You must get those capsules out! They are full of silicone debris, oils, other toxins and infections, Mine were badly infected, and I had many infectious problems from my smooth saline breast implants. They took over 6 hours to remove properly, and if left in I could have had terrible infections, even gangrene, or died with them in.

Please go to a proper explanting doc, listed on our site, it is essential for your recovery. If they don’t get every bit out, you will remain sick, or could get more ill. I couldn’t imagine where I would be with them still in me. To let you know the seriousness of it all, two years ago when implanted, I was 26 and had paralysis of the face( bells palsy) and tested positive for Rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimtos thyroid disease. I mean give me a break ,that’s ridiculous. I have gotten considerably better since explant. Please do yourself a favor and be sure to get them out. Look into the info Patty spoke about. I wouldn’t go to any doctor for removal unless they are very knowledgeable in the disease itself, and have done this type of surgery many, many times. Take Care,

----- Original Message -----

From: *~Patty~*

Sent: Saturday, September 13, 2003 9:39 PM

Subject: Re: Need Explantation Info. Please

, No question about this at all....always, always, always get the scar tissue removed. With the symptoms you are describing, you really don't want to be taking any risks with leaving the scar tissue in, and I have to strongly disagree with your plastic surgeon's assessment. (Of course, who am I? I am not a doctor, but I think it is just an unwise path he travels!) We have articles posted in the links and files sections on the importance of getting the scar capsule removed. It will just continue to harbor bacteria and your body will continue to respond to it, either by walling it off, just like the implant, or it will become calcified, hard and painful. Capsules do not just sit there all nice like, pretending to not be noticed. Sooner or later, they make themselves known, and sometimes in quiet, but ugly ways.

Let us know what you decide.

Patty

----- Original Message -----

From: emrboyz2

Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2003 8:37 PM

Subject: Need Explantation Info. Please

Hello. I currently have saline implants (under muscle) with a cc on the left side. The cc is minor but has caused pain from the beginning. I started out with silicone in 1990 but had them removed in 1991 due to the silicone scare. I had them replaced with the salinewhich were fine until 2000 when the left one ruptured. I had both replaced again with saline and that is where I am today. I have constant muscle spasms in my neck, back and chest wall and have GERD. I am short of breath and have pressure in my chest all the time. I am always fatiqued and also experience allergies and chemical sensitivity. I am going to have the implants removed for sure. I am so tired of all of this. I need to know, do I have to have the capsules removed? The surgeon I recently met with felt it would be best for the implants to be removed but said he would leave the capsules alone. The appearance of my breasts looks very nice and the elasticity of my skin is also nice. I am so afraid of how I will look after the surgery. But, that is not going to keep me from having them out. I just need some advice. Some reassurance that everything will be ok.Thanks.