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[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I have just started to research the dangers of saline implants and

came across your wonderful group.

I am seeing my rheumatologist on the 19th and I would like him to test

me for silicone poisoning...if possible at all. Has anyone of you done

this test?

My husband's been begging me for two years to go to the Mayo Clinic -

my gastroenterologist wants me to go there too; my pulmonary and

rheumatologist are not so strongly opinioned on this one - but now

I've read in some of your posts that Mayo does not acknowledge

silicone related diseases there! Any recommendations for good doctors

in Illinois (live in Chicago) or neighboring states?

I am a 34,5 year old Dutch female. I came to Chicago four years ago

and in the beginning of 2002 I decided to get a breast augmentation

and became so sick a couple of months later, that I had to leave the

study program I emigrated for! I took a leave of absence;

unfortunately, even though I had a full fellowship for 6 years

(scholarship) I could not return to the program due to my physical

condition.

I have had countless examinations, MRI's, pulmonary function tests, a

Cat-scan every 3 month, endoscopies (upper/lower), sleep study, etc. I

have been on so many different kinds of medication, I cannot even

start to list it on the top of my head. I just recently came of

prednisone (30 mg/daily) which I took for almost 10 months and now I

feel so bad again that I can hardly move because of the fatigue and

pain I am in.

I am currently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and sarcoidosis. I have

many nodules/some scar tissue in my lungs, but nobody can really

explain the terrible pain I have in my muscles (big lumps/nodules -

especially in neck/shoulder area, upper back and breast area and

arms), I have nodules in my lymph nodes, which hurt continuously

pretty bad, my abdomen swells as if I am 8 months pregnant (but I

don't have IBS/IBD/allergies etc. the gastroenterologists (seen 2)

don't know what is wrong with me and tried every kind of medicine they

could think of (couple for the before mentioned illnesses) on me -

nothing worked). I have terrible 'sweat attacks', dry eyes, episodes

of dizziness, heart palpitations, ringing ear episodes, stabbing pains

in head, extreme fatigue, pain in ALL my muscles, many ligaments and

bones, severe morning stiffness in my neck, back, hands; I have had so

much stomach aching I could not eat anything accept porridge for over

a year - still my stomach was fine (although I do have H.pylori), etc.

Could not participate in any kind of sport - I would be very tired and

in pain, and when I tried, I would be in a lot of trouble up to two

(!!) weeks after very moderate beginner level yoga etc! I, who'd

always been a very athletic person and wanted to go to ballet school

and danced for hours and hours every day until my late teens!!

I would have so many troubles, I was unable to do anything for about a

year and a half; even go out and talk to friends or talking to friends

in the Netherlands on the phone would be too much of an effort. Could

not lie down for a long time; unable to work; unable to type for a

longer period of time; too tired and in too much pain to walk, cook

etc. Cooking was (still is) my biggest hobby! I worked as a assistant

chef while getting my Masters and have cooked for parties of 600

people! Now I was unable to cook for my husband and myself, even

though I would have loved it.

I was - and now that I am off the 30mg Prednisone am again - extremely

tired, as if the energy is sucked out of me. Wake up as if I have a

terrible hangover, buzzing head and everything, while I hardly ever

drink at all (only a couple of times a year, e.g., on a party I have

to attend for my husband's work - depending on the medications I am on

at that moment, because there have been periods over the last 4 years

that I did not drink anything at all). While in college, I worked many

hours a week, every weekend, went out with friends on Saturdays,

finished my Master's on time AND had energy to spare! Now my life has

turned into this Twilight Zone episode turned really ugly!!

My team of doctors - gastro, rheumatologist, and pulmonary doc - don't

know what to do with me: None of the medication seems to help. Every

single one knows I have saline implants. I have an appointment on the

19th, I am going to request a blood test to determine if I have a

silicone poisoning. I am afraid I will have it but I am not sure what

my rheumatologist's opinion is on the much debated safety/health

issues of silicone in human beings. It's sad, because I really hated

the fact that I hardly had any breasts at all, but this life is like a

living hell so I probably have to get them out! My augmented breast

look great and feel soft. But I still suspect that my physical

illnesses will be related to the implants.

Thanks for your time and for the fact that you create a wonderful

opportunity to vent and get advice.

Cheers,