Thanks to All and 1st MRI Result

[Guest guest]

I want to say thank you to all that have written me. Your words,

support, hugs, etc. Have me emtionally. I did get my first results

back from the first MRI and I do not understand what it means and my

one doctor said the MRI was normal. It says Mild capsular thicking

bilaterally, compatible with mild calsular contraction. Does anyone

know what this means?

Thanks,

Donna

[Guest guest]

Yes, Donna, I know what this means...it means that the scar tissue

surrounding your implants is hardening, or contracting, around your

implant. Bilaterally means both sides. Basically, your body is

mounting a defense against the foreign object, and trying to squeeze

it out of your body by forming a wall around it, and then tightening

it. (In the case of a sliver, it would push it out of your body). At

this point, the contracture is considered mild.

Capsular contracture is very common with implants, and in fact, was

the reason for many alterations to breast implants, such as the foam

covering on some, and for the textured shells on more recent ones.

However, I believe it has been determined that texturing doesn't

prevent capsular contracture.

Capsular contracture is also a possible indication of infection,

possibly at a subclinical level, instigated from the implants.

has talked in the past about her terrible capsular

contracture problems, in which her breasts became as hard as baseballs

and she lost all feeling.

I had capsular contracture right away, and they looked like

grapefruits stuck on my chest by the time I was photographed for

removal. My insurance covered it based on the recomnmendation of my

plastic surgeon's evaluation of a Baker IV contracture. (The Baker

scale was developed to help show to what extent the capsular

contracture had gone, with I (1) being mild and V (5) being the worst.

At this point in your journey to recover health, the contracture issue

may not help you in getting insurance coverage. It is mild, so it is

not considered an excuse to remove. At most, they might suggest

things like massage to soften them up.

If you are determined to get them out of you, your best bet is to just

make that appointment and get it done. I don't think that there are

any tests out there that will help convince anyone that implants are

making you sick. I sure wish there were....it would make all of this

alot easier to deal with!

Hope that helps you.

Patty

>

> I want to say thank you to all that have written me. Your words,

> support, hugs, etc. Have me emtionally. I did get my first results

> back from the first MRI and I do not understand what it means and my

> one doctor said the MRI was normal. It says Mild capsular thicking

> bilaterally, compatible with mild calsular contraction. Does anyone

> know what this means?

>

> Thanks,

> Donna

>

[Guest guest]

Donna,

Assuming you have gel implants, even MRI's (including

the most sophisticated coil MRI's) are not fail-safe

in detecting ruptures. The advantage of an MRI in

showing rupture/silicone migration so the surgeon is

prepared to do what it takes to removed extra capsular

silicone.

That said, rupture is only one aspect of implant

problems. Bacteria, staff organisms may have been

introduced on implantation, or the the semi-permeable

envelope of the implant may be allowing body organisms

to enter the implant, grow and travel back into the

body. As the envelope ages, it degrades and become

more likely to allow organisms to pass back and forth.

Saline solution, in a bottle, has a shelf life of two

years! . . . At body temperatures, it's an ideal

medium for growing all kinds of organisms.

Added to that is how your body reacts to the materials

used to manufacture the implants. . . You may become

sensitized to them over time - if you're not allergic

to them at the outset . . . and, as the implant

degrades, chemicals used in their manufacture are

released into the body . . . One of the most dangerous

chemicals is platinum . . . Depending on its state, it

can be extremely dangerous. Ionized platinum is one of

the most potent neurotoxins there is! Ionized platinum

is found in implant women at much higher levels that

the population. What's appalling is that ionized

platinum is found at even higher levels in the

children born to women with implants.

I started a group for the families of children

affected by silicone. I've learned that the problems

are far more severe than what the parents are willing

to discuss online. SiliconeKids.

To top it off, the body has a natural tendency to

reject anything that is non-self . . . It will mount

it's defenses to expel the object (like the splinter),

wall it away from the rest of the body (capsule), or

tear it apart to get rid of it (envelope degradation).

So Donna, it's not so simple. We don't know exactly

what makes women so sick after implants. Nobody has

been willing to study women AFTER they get sick from

implants. They are routinely dropped from manufacturer

studies when they have their implants removed.

Surgeons routinely tell women their implants aren't

making them sick and do not report their problems.

What we can tell you is that, after years of seeing

thousands of women with similar problems get well

after being explanted, is that the likelihood of

implants causing your problems is very, very high.

You're not alone . . . Women like us are legion! Most

of them don't have a clue yet. Only when the FDA

admits breast implants are not safe and the AMA tells

the doctors the same thing, will women begin to

connect the dots and get help.

Hugs and prayers,

Rogene