Fw: Bravo Becky ... outstanding article in Detroit Free Press

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Ilena's got it handled! Here is that outstanding article...

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

From: " ilena rose " <ilena2000@...>

<ilena@...>

Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2004 6:40 AM

Subject: Bravo Becky ... outstanding article in Detroit Free Press

> Becky has long been a beloved member of our support group. This is an

> excellent and powerful article. Many, many thanks to Dr. Zuckerman's and

> her Foundation for all their help getting these important stories into

the

> press.

>

> You can do it too!

>

> Love, Ilena

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

>

> LOCAL COMMENT: Breast-implant crisis isn't over

>

> FDA must help thousands dodge merry-go-round of problems

>

> January 28, 2004

>

>

> http://www.freep.com/voices/columnists/esmith28_20040128.htm

>

>

>

> BY R.J. SMITH-MILES

>

>

>

> Are silicone gel breast implants safe? The Food and Drug Administration

says

> it doesn't know.

>

> The agency recently told all breast implant manufacturers that they would

> need better long-term safety data if they want their implants to be

approved

> for sale.

>

> I think the FDA's choice was the right one. I got silicone gel implants

when

> I was 33 to look more appealing after having a child.

>

> After two years of getting the implants, it was obvious that it was a

> mistake -- my breasts were painful and looked horribly ugly. After 13

years

> of coping with the pain and my horrible appearance, a mammogram indicated

> that my implant had ruptured on my right side.

>

> I was also aware that something else was wrong. I was achy and tired, and

I

> began stumbling while trying to jog. I was also having intense pain around

> both my breasts and under my arms, which I assumed wasn't really

serious --

> just the common complication of having scar tissue that tightens around

the

> implants.

>

> But after a visit to my gynecologist, and my telling him about my aches,

> pains, numbness and my unrelenting headache, an MRI was ordered. It came

> back positive for multiple plaques in my brain.

>

> After learning that one implant was broken, I had them both removed. I was

> actually relieved to be able to get them out. I was ready to go without

> anything until the plastic surgeon acted like it was an unspoken agreement

> that I would have saline implants put in during the explantation surgery.

>

> Like a dummy, I didn't stop him. I thought that he must know how ugly I

> would look if I didn't have replacements put in. I respected this doctor

and

> looked upon him as a friend. I had no reason not to believe him, and I so

> wanted to be able to have implants. I didn't like the saline implants, but

I

> was finally without pain, and that was a relief.

>

> I thought after removing the silicone implants my days of surgery would

> finally be over. Instead, I discovered that my first set of implants --

the

> silicone gel ones -- spilled silicone throughout my chest area and under

my

> arms. I still have silicone lumps that I must have repeatedly biopsied to

> make sure they are silicone and not breast cancer.

>

> I began to read up on the problems that other women had with their

implants

> and they sounded very familiar. My doctor had scoffed at my queries about

> autoimmune diseases. He said that " some women are looking to make money "

and

> said there was no evidence that silicone implants were a cause of

autoimmune

> diseases. I hadn't realized that there was no evidence because there was

no

> long-term research.

>

> I used to be a registered nurse before these problems took away my

mobility

> and my ability to think clearly under pressure. I used to have a life.

Now,

> there is a long list of activities I can no longer do.

>

> I used to be an outgoing and attractive woman, mother, nurse. Now I have

> stopped hugging people for fear they would feel the hard balls on my

chest.

> Now, I have two saline implants that require yet another surgery to be

> removed as soon as possible, but I don't have the money to get them taken

> out.

>

> I am on what I call the merry-go-round of implantation -- because once you

> get on, it is very difficult to get off.

>

> If good data regarding the long-term safety of silicone gel breast

implants

> had existed when I was implanted, I could have known what this ride was

> going to be like. Trust me, I would have never bought a ticket.

>

> Thankfully, the FDA's decision not to approve silicone gel implants will

> discourage many women from getting on that merry-go-round. But it won't

> prevent it.

>

> The FDA estimates that at least 40,000 women have received silicone gel

> breast implants since the FDA first restricted their sale in 1992. Almost

> any breast cancer patient or woman with broken silicone implants that they

> want to replace were able to buy silicone gel breast implants if their

> doctors agreed to have them participate in a study.

>

> A few thousand women seeking breast augmentation for the first time also

> have had silicone implants since 1992 as part of these studies.

> Unfortunately, the implant maker and the FDA lost track of almost all

those

> 40,000 women, so the " study " really isn't gathering safety information the

> way it should.

>

> The FDA plans to continue to let these pseudo-studies continue. And so,

> unless the Congress keeps pushing the FDA to require real studies, the

> implant merry-go-round will keep going round and round.

>

>

>

>

> R.J. SMITH-MILES of Manistique testified in October before the FDA about

her

> breast implant experiences. Write to her in care of the Free Press

Editorial

> Page, 600 W. Fort St., Detroit, MI 48226.

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

> www.BreastImplantAwareness.org

>

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