Fwd: Re: saline support group

[Guest guest]

I wanted to share Piper's greatly encouraging letter about her explant with Dr. Melmed on Tuesday. Congratulations on your happy outcome Piper!

PattyNote: forwarded message attached.

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So i worried so much i nearly made myself ill for nothing! I am small

again... a tiny perky 32A... but i love it! I can't believe how good i look

already. I was so worried that i would be deformed and i would be forced to

re-implant or seek out reconstruction. I am nearly flat... but it feels

better than having implants any day! I felt such relief as soon as i woke

up... before i even saw myself! This morning when Dr. M took off the ace

bandage i felt the life rush back into my body. Thank you so much for your

support through this! I feel like i look as i should now. I am 21... but i

look 15... which is fine because looking young isn't a bad thing :]. I'm

only 5'2 " and weigh 100 lbs ... so little A cup breasts fit me much better

than my previous 32D! I still can't believe i did that, but i am learning

to forgive myself. And you know... Dr. M shaped my breasts into the cute

round perky breasts i always wanted... i'm no longer tubular!!! They aren't

even wrinkly! They look pretty good for only one day! I couln't be happier.

I am so glad that it is over for me... and i would not have gotten through

it without the women of the forum. Now i want to help other girls and young

women who are going through similar situations the way i have been helped.

It was a short 10 month nightmare... but i have learned so much. I have

learned to love my body... that is the greatest gift i could ever ask for.

Thanks again for everything!

Piper

>HI Piper,

>Yes, I was afraid of how my breasts were going to look after explant, but

>only because I did NOT want to go back to what I had before, which were

>saggy breasts. I absolutely had hated them and it was a desperate feeling

>to think I had suffered so much, only to go back to what I had before I

>even got implants. So, I definitely wanted a lift to make me more perky

>and I am happy I did that.

>

>My breasts were all flattened and compressed right after explant. They

>looked so flat to me. From what I understand, the tissue is a bit

>compressed after having the weight of the implants on it, and also from

>wearing a tight sports bra and compression bandage. So over time, the

>breasts seem to " fluff out " after explant, probably taking about several

>months to fill out. Mine definitely did. They are bigger now than right

>after explant.

>

>As I told you, I know women who have absolutely beautiful looking breasts

>after explant. I don't think you have much to worry about at all. I don't

>think they will be squishy--I wish I could share with you the pictures of

>the club dancer I know in CT--she had implants removed and looked just like

>she did before implant--she continued to dance! They remained perky....so

>I think you have a great chance at having them go back to the way they were

>before because you are so young.

>Try to relax and trust that Dr. Melmed is going to take good care of you.

>Patty

>

>Piper Heart <antibarbiedoll@...> wrote:

>Where you afriad of how your breasts were going to look after explant? Did

>you expect defomity? The thought of that really freaks me out. Did your

>breasts take awhile to look good after explant. i mean, where they all

>squishy and weird looking at first? How long did the squishy feeling last?

>I

>am going to see Dr. Melmed this tuesday for the explant. I really want them

>out... they are so painful and unhealthy. They are the most expensive

>plastic bags in the whole wor.d. my i don't want my breasts to look yucky.

> >

> >Hi Piper,

> >Before implants, an A cup. With implants a D cup. I had them in from May

> >1997 to Feb 1998, a total of 9 months. It hit me very quickly after small

> >symptoms starting showing little by little. By January 1998 I was

>suddenly

> >very sick, and got them out the next month. I went to Dr. Karl Hiatt in

> >Mesa, AZ, and he did a proper explant (en bloc), but didn't use drains,

> >which I wish he would have. He agreed that the implants could be making

>me

> >sick, but he still implants women, from what I understand. I would have

> >preferred to go to Dr. Feng in Ohio, as she is just the best.

> >Patty

> >

> >Piper Heart wrote:

> >Hi there,

> >

> >What size cup were you out of curiousity? How large where your implants?

> >How long tid yu have them? Who did you go to for explant?

> >

> >Thanks so much

> >

> >Piper

> >

> >

> >

> > >From: Tricia Trish

> > >Piper Heart

> > >Subject: Re: saline support group

> > >Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2004 17:18:44 -0800 (PST)

> > >

> > >Hi Piper,

> > >My explant was actually much less painful than implant, and I healed

> >faster

> > >too. I had saggy breasts from breast feeding, so I did require a lift,

> > >which you probably won't if you haven't had children. My implants were

> > >removed en bloc, so I have larger scars at the bottom crease in my

> >breasts.

> > > You can see the pictures on the group under the folder called " anchor

> > >scars " . I had an anchor lift, which is called that because the scars

>look

> > >like an anchor, with the vertical one from the nipple to the crease,

>and

> > >then from side to side. Now they use a better technique called the

> > >lollipop, and it leaves only the vertical scar. I wish I had been able

>to

> > >have that.

> > >

> > >Otherwise, my explant was quite simple...I used twilight sedation, in

>the

> > >hospital, under 4 hours, with an en bloc explant. I had capsular

> > >contracture, and all scar tissue was removed. I was able to go home the

> > >same day, and just rested in bed for a few days and then was able to be

> >up

> > >and about. I did not have drains, which I would recommend, as I was

>left

> > >all black and blue for quite awhile. That stuff really needs to drain

>out

> > >of you, rather than be left in your body, so you might want to ask for

> > >drains.

> > >

> > >My breasts look fine to me now, and my husband loves them. They are

>soft

> > >again and have filled out, and in fact my husband recently told me they

> > >felt bigger!

> > >

> > >Let me know if you see the pictures on the group, and if this helps.

> > >Patty

> > >

> > >Piper Heart wrote:

> > >Hi there, this is piper from the saline support group. I was hopeful

>that

> > >you could share more about your explantation with me. Also, do you have

> >any

> > >photos that you would be willing to share with me? I'm the girl who has

> >had

> > >implants for 10 months 32A before hand. Let me know. Hope to hear from

> >you

> > >soon.

> > >

> > >Piper

> > >

> > >_________________________________________________________________

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>to

> > >get there! http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=Retirement

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >---------------------------------

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> >

[Guest guest]

I just wanted to comment on your statement that women who don't get

better after explanting may have to accept the fact that they

wouldve gotten sick anyway. I don't agree at all. Just because you

dont' get well when you get the implants out doesn't mean the

implants didn't cause the illness. That is illogical. That is like

saying that someone who is exposed to a carcinogen who gets cancer

and then doesn't get well after treatment, must not have gotten the

cancer from the carcinogenic exposure. Getting better after explant

is obviously an excellent indication that the implants were causing

sickness. But it doesn't then follow that not getting well after

explant means that the implants had nothing to do with the illness.

It just means that the person is not able to recover from the damage

done. Each persons body is so complex and unique. The same

exposure --i.e. implants--will cause a variety of symptoms and

diagnosable or nondiagnoseable conditions. For example, implants

are associated with lupus, sclerodema, RA, fms, MS, and others. My

body may develop one disease from the implants, your body another.

The thing all of these diseases have in common is that they are

AUTOIMMUNE diseases---the body is attacking itself. But once an

autoimmune disease is initiated it can be very difficult to stop.

For instance, systemic scleroderma is a particularly nasty and

formidable disease. It is much harder to stop the course of that

illness than perhaps another. Plus it is often fatal which, say for

example, fms is not. Plus how long you have been sick, how much

further damage has been done to the body as complications from the

original damage, a person's genetic weaknesses, and other factors

may all play a part in determining who gets well and who doesn't.

Again, I go to the cancer example. I may have gotten cancer from a

known toxin, but my body may be strong and with the proper

treatment, I may be able to overcome it. Someone else may get

cancer from the same exposure, but their body may not be as strong,

and they may not get well. Does that mean then that the exposure

caused my cancer, but not the other person's? ABsolutely not. In

fact, I would think that all this points out is that there is no way

we can actually determine the risk of implants to ourselves.

Someone else may not be getting sick because they have a good

genetic background and we don't. You are playing roulette. That is

exactly why some people don't get ill. The silicone has the

potential to provoke the immune system in everyone, but not all will

have an immune system that will falter. Can you tell how your body

will react? I don't think so. That is where the risk comes in.

All we have been saying is this:

1. Implants can and do make some women sick.

2. We can't predict which women will get sick and which won't.

3. If you get sick, you may get very very sick.

4. We don't think that what you stand to gain, is worth what you

stand to lose with implants.

5. Every member on this site, has lost that gamble.

6. just because you get explanted, doesn't mean you will get

well.

7. Most women will get better, few will get completely well. Some

will not experience any improvement. Kind of like that old bell

curve for statistics.

No, not everyone gets sick. But no one at this stage of the game

can identify the true numbers, yet there are a significant amount of

complaints currently logged against implants. How many more women

are not sick YET or more likely, think that whatever is wrong with

them has nothing to do with their implants? How many women are not

severely ill, but whose quality of life is not what it would have

been. There is no way to know most of this. From my perspective,

had I found a site like this prior to implanting, I would have never

gotten them. Now I find that I am very committed to making sure

other women know what CAN happen and how much they stand to lose

because of it.

Hugs, kathy

groups.com, DelGato <stacydel34@y...> wrote:

> I belong to a site other than this one, actually 2 and both of

them are very honest in their views about implants. They state that

they have been harmed by implants but that they dont believe

everyone will get ill and that in the end it is the woman's decision

to implant again if they so choose after educating themselves. I

agree with that and think it is a wise stance because frankly not

many women are going to believe everyone gets sick from implants,

Particularly when we all know women that have them and are fine. So

I think the sites like explantation.com and the other one implant

facts , are being cautious so they don't scare women away with the

all or nothing attitude. I am not sure about taking such a hardline

about implants if you want to reach all women and at least educate

them/

> Banning implants is impossible at this point, so educating women

seems the best thing to do and that is why I am so happy I found a

few sites that educated me to see what my opions were.

> in her posts states basically the same thing, that since

women will get them if they really want them they might as well go

to Dr's like Kolb instead of PS's like mine in New Mexico who does

not inform them of the risks to health. HOwever small the risks are

the need to be discussed.

> Why do i get the feeling that groups that take this stance are not

liked by this group? That makes me wonder and I have to say some of

the attitudes over here do see a bit one sides.

> I like to look at all the angles and then decide.

> It is my opinin that implants are not going to kill or hurt

everyone. I am sorry for the ladies that have been harmed but it

seems clear to me that women are gettting well all over the net I

read about them, so once the implants come out and time passes if

your not getting well I think I would seriously have to look at the

fact that maybe you were just one of the unlucky that may have got

sick anyway.

> I am sorry if that is upsetting, I will leave the group if that is

what you feel would be best.

> I don't want to offend or argue and that is what I feel is

happening here.

> On explantation and breast facts no one argues with me they just

say what makes the most sense to me, some get sick most don't and

that if you get sick you can get 100% better and move on with your

life.

>

>

>

>