Christy: Article on explantation for the LA Times

[Guest guest]

Hi Christy,

Let me know how you continue to heal. I stilll have the muscle

twitches, numbness/coldness across left side of face, throat. What

a horrible feeling!!!! It does make you think you may not make it.

I was explanted by Dr Kolb in March this year and am making

progress. These are two symptoms that flare about every three

months. I am taking Fish Oil for that and have noticed a huge

improvement. I think you have to give it a few weeks after surgery

before starting the Fish Oil. By the way, I only had mine for 11

months!

hugs,

Beth L.

> My surgery was a little over six hours. I had explant and a

lift...even

> though there was not much left. I had my implants for just

under seven years.

> I only started having severe breast and chest pain in the last

year.

> Then...about four months ago I was hit with many symptoms...loss

of balance,

> transient low-grade fevers, muscle twitching (all over and very

scary), muscle

> weakness, extreme fatigue, thinning hair, nail/hair/skin changes,

sharp nerve pains

> all over, blurred vision, difficulty concentrating, and numbness.

One day my

> face started gradually going numb. It started on the left side of

my neck and

> travelled across my face. I thought I had a mini-stroke, but at

age 27,

> non-smoker, light drinker, that was absurd. Doctors did

everything to rule out

> diseases...MRI, CT, blood tests, neurology exams, etc. Every

doctor I saw at the

> great Mass General in Boston said my implants had nothing to do

with it. I

> kept asking them hoping one would at least take the time to

entertain the

> thought and look into it...but no.

>

> In fact...my second time in the ER...the neurologist didn't put

any of my

> physical symptoms in his report. He only mentioned signs of

depression. He

> wrote that I was teary and frustrated. He asked me questions

about school and my

> boyfriend and my family. Then he told me to see a psychologist.

I was so

> mad. I'm filing a complaint on him. I do not expect every doctor

to know about

> this disease right now, but if they will not even believe a

patient who is

> really physically sick then they will never see the light. I

spent the entire

> exam trying to convince him that my life was wonderful until I

became very ill,

> that I know what stress feels like and this was not it, and that I

was " teary

> and frustrated " because I was getting sicker everyday and they

would not help

> me. They made me an appointment for a month later. I felt like

it was the

> 1920's and I was being labeled an " hysterical woman " . I thought

they were going

> to give me a lobotomy next.

>

> That's when I went looking elsewhere and found Dr. Kolb. Thank

God for the

> Internet. The stories of other women helped me make the

connection and be

> proactive about saving myself. I was so convinced that the pain

and everything

> was not my implants for so long. I kept looking at the FDA

website and

> government pages (the most reliable...ha ha). Then...all of the

arguments I had

> rationalizing how it was not the implants were disproved the more

I read stories

> and the more I used some common sense to make the connections.

Foreign body for

> seven years=Sickness. It does not take a rocket scientist. Now

all we need

> are more doctors to listen to the " crazy " idea that saline and

silicone shells

> make people sick.

>

> Thank you to all of you for having this support group so that

women can help

> themselves when nobody else will. God Bless.

>

> Christy