More about implants, health problems....

[Guest guest]

Shirl, I wanted to take the time to get back to you about our emails last night. I'm sorry I didn't get back to you last night, but I just had to get some sleep and it was after MN at that time..... Anyway, I looked at my records from Pierre, and my implants were McGhan textured saline, style 468. I have talked to many women who have had the 168's, though, and the ones who had theirs analyzed were all found to be defective. The difference between the 2 styles is the 168's are textured round implants; the 468's are textured shaped implants. In looking at my report from Pierre, he states that, "for McGhan/Inamed implant users with insertions post-dating 1993, individual claims for defective products are possible." He goes on to say (about my implants), "the implants are confirmed as McGhan/Inamed saline inflatables of Style 468. The devices are of a kind not comprised in existing user compensation programs. The probability of having such a class action in the future is elevated in view of widespread reports of problems with this type of implant." In a personal conversation with him after he analyzed my implants, I jotted down several notes and he said that McGhan style 168 and 468 have defects which are not subtle and that the valve is made to the wrong dimension. This faulty valve can allow deflation to occur within hrs. Most disappointing is that these styles are still being used and that 4/5 implants used (in general) are defective. He also told me that Dr. Huang has removed 50-60 style 468's in the previous yr, and they were ALL defective. Pretty scary, huh?? Getting on to my health problems. What we had/have in common as far as our health problems and symptoms are this: fatigue, hair loss, nightsweats, forgetfulness, cold extremities, dental problems, FMS, dry eyes, and arthralgia. I no longer experience nightsweats, fatigue, or hair loss. But all the others I still have. And add to that list my heart problems, which are now resolved. My hair used to fall out in clumps and it was all over the shower, on the floor, on my clothes, etc. It was horrible. It still falls out now, but nowhere near as bad as it used to be. In fact, I don't really notice it except occassionally. My forgetfulness is still awful. I don't forget big things, but I used to have a photographic memory. Now I forget names of things, I lose my train of thought easily, and sometimes just have a hard time "thinking." I guess you could describe it as having a goal and a purpose, and then suddenly forgetting what it was. I've had to pull off the road a few times because I will have left my apt with a goal and purpose in mind, and then suddenly, I can't remember what I need to do or where I need to go. It always comes back to me, but it may take several minutes. I also forget sometimes where I'm parked at work. I park in a large parking garage, and everyday when I go into work, I make it a habit to check the level I'm on and remember it somehow, either with a pneumonic or something else. Yet every night when I leave work, I can't find my car and wander from level to level. I have been dx'd with Raynauds, and that dx came about in 1999. Never had a problem with cold extremities or purple extremities before, and I grew up in NY/NJ area, where the winters are cold and wet. Then suddenly I started developing such cold extremities and it would even be apparent in the summer, esp in A/C. I love to ski and skiied all that I could (and still do---I just pack my mittens with those warmers) but my hands and feet would be purple all the time. And of course I have FMS and severe dry eyes. The dry eyes was initially dx'd as Sjorgrens, but I don't think I have it because my mouth isn't dry and neither are any other mucous membranes--just my eyes. I wear contacts and over the last 3 yrs, my eyes just don't "accept" the contacts. I had punctal plugs put in my tear ducts, which helped initially, but then they need to be replaced. I also panicked because I had heard that they are made out of silicone, so the last ones I had in I pulled out myself with tweezers. As it turns out, I had an eye doctor appt in early Jan and my punctal plugs were not made of silicone, but I opted not to get more. Instead, my eye doctor cauterized them which will last for about 5-6 months, then I can opt to go in for more cauterization, or leave them alone. My eye doctor treats lots of lupus pts and he said that he has never seen anyone with eyes as dry as mine. He recommended that I use glasses instead of contacts, but my glasses give me severe migraines. It's a lose-lose situation. And then the dental problems. I have NEVER had any dental problems at all except for 2 small cavities when I was in my late teens. Then, all of a sudden, in 1998 and 1999, I had 3 cavities. Thank god I've always taken care of my teeth and I have nice white straight teeth. But then last yr, I had to have 2 root canals done and now I'm having more problems and I'm afraid that I will need another root canal because the symptoms are same--sensitivity to cold and air, and pain, esp with brushing. It's absolutely ridiculous. And my 2 root canals I wasn't able to pay for right away, so I was turned over to a collection agency. The root canals are paid for now, but if I have to have another one, I don't think I will because I simply cannot afford it. So, basically, I still have a lot of problems I was having with my implants. I just feel that my body was so injured and suffered such an insult from them, that it will either take a looooong time to repair itself, or it simply will never repair itself and all these problems are with me for the rest of my life. But I definately relate my implants to all of the above because there just is no other way to explain it. How does one go from being completely healthy, and never sees the doctor, to so unhealthy, with multiple major health problems requiring major intervention? And all of this happened after my implants were placed. I think, without a doubt, that there is a causal relationship between implants and health problems. e