Re: Questions regarding Breast Implants

[Guest guest]

,

Welcome to the group. You definately have a home here, as all of us have

been harmed in some way, shape, or form by implants.

First of all, I want to say that your symptoms are similar to what many of

us have experienced. Your symptoms are very similar to what I experienced.

I also saw several neurologists, who worked me up for MS, but everything

came back okay, except for my spinal tap, which came back with some abnormal

results. However, this alone was not enough to support a dx of MS. So, the

docs told me that I had to just wait and see if somewhere down the road the

tests came back more indicative of MS. Frustrated, and not willing or

wanting to give up, I pursued the issue. I was finally told by a MS

specialist here in Denver that my symptoms were more indicative of lupus and

to see a rheumatologist. I did, and of the 11 or so criteria to meet the dx

of lupus, I met 9, so it was official---I had lupus, plus was dx'd with

fibromyalgia, chronic pain and fatigue, Raynaud's, and Sjogren's. I was

still not associating anything with my implants, but me and the docs were

confused.

It was only after my heart surgery that I began to relate the two. And

thank god I was able to get those things out last yr.

As for getting insurance to pay for explantation, they should, especially if

you have other docs stating it is medically necessary. But remember, if

they deny it, you can and should appeal it, and if that is denied, appeal

that. Most people don't realize that what the insurance company approves

and disapproves is not the be all end all. You have legal rights, esp if

the surgery is medically necessary and supported by docs other than your ps.

As for having more children, I am not an expert, but I would wait until you

detox your body before even attempting to try. Silicone and contaminated

saline can wreak havoc with your body and can take time to remove it all.

Give your body a chance to repair itself and heal, as you know that having a

child is very stressful to the body and mind and you should be in top

physical and mental shape before getting pregnant. Detoxing can take yrs,

as so many of us know. So, it is impt to detox your body and wait at

minimum of a yr to get pregnant again. This is just my professional opinion

based on what other women have said about their detox programs. It is an

ongoing process and one you have to be very devoted to.

There is always risk involved in any surgery, no matter how minor it is. So

having a simple mastopexy done does not exclude you from possible

complications. And there are always potential complications related to

anesthesia. However, a mastopexy is a fairly easy, simple procedure, and if

done in the right hands, is usually very successful and aesthetically

pleasing. I did not have a mastopexy done after my explantation, as my

explanting ps (Dr. Huang) did not feel it would be necessary.

However, she did have to detach my left nipple, as once the implants were

out, my nipples were asymmetrical. She just had to move it up slightly.

The result is as if I never had anything done to my nipple. I have full

sensation, no numbness, and you can't even see the scar. And I thought for

sure I would lose some sensation as this is the second time my nipple has

been detached--I had a breast REDUCTION in 1989 (I was a DD) and then this

time. But again, I think because I was in good hands and a well skilled,

knowledgeable ps did the explant, that I was able to have good results

without any numbness or loss of sensation. So, if you trust your ps and he

has a good track record, then you will probably be okay. That said, every

woman is different and heals differently. Your anatomy is completely

different from another womans' anatomy, which can make a big difference in

the final outcome.

The healing time for an explantation and mastopexy again, varies from person

to person. I was in quite a bit of pain for 24 hrs, then it was gone and

just a dull ache. I was driving in 72 hrs and back to work in 1 wk, with

some lifting restrictions. I have spoken to other women who have been off

their feet for 2 wks. Dr. Huang infiltrated my tissue with marcaine and

lidocaine so that the pain would be less. She also irrigated the drain

tubing with marcaine and lidocaine so that there would be less pain. I have

not spoken to other women who have had this done, and some have even told me

that they wish their ps would have done that. But maybe they have had it

done and just aren't aware of it. But the stinging that can sometimes occur

from the JP drains was significantly delayed and diminished by irrigating

the tubing with these local numbing agents.

Hope this answers some of your questions, and I'm sure some of the other

women on here can help you out more with the detox and pregnancy questions.

Sincerely,

e, RN, BSN

>From: JULIEJJPALANCA@...

>Reply-

>

>Subject: Questions regarding Breast Implants

>Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 14:45:51 EST

>

>I recently joined your group over two months ago, and have been reading

>about

>all your personal stories. I am a 27 year old mother, I had saline implants

>placed about nine years ago, as I lost weight, and wanted to look " normal

>and

>healthy " . Surgery went fine, I healed well, and went on with my achieved

>look. However, about a year and half ago, about 6 months after having my

>son

>c-section, I had an attack of Bells palsy, and then 2 months after I had

>strange things happening. First, I was sore in the morning, stiff like I

>had

>arthritis in my hands and feet. I run 3 miles a day on the treadmill, and

>thought maybe, I was overdoing it. I would stop working out, to find I was

>only more stiff. People told me that motherhood, all the lifting and so on,

>could be the culprit. Being a mother is hard work on your body, they'd tell

>me. Then I started losing hair, lots of it. Then the strange yeast and

>viral

>infections came. Then in December, I went in to see a neurologist, as my

>whole body had these strange MS-like muscle twitching. My legs, arms, back,

>chest-all had these little twitches. I stopped telling people, they treated

>me like I was crazy. My neurologist ran some tests, an EMG, no muscle

>connective tissue disorder, probably stress. I am NOT STRESSED, I'd tell

>them. So, the symptoms went on. My neck so stiff in the morning, and

>tension

>headaches. One night, a thought occurs to me. Could my implants be doing

>this? (I know it was God) No way, they were safe, they were saline. But, I

>decided to check it out on the web. What the hell, I thought. And after 4

>hours of continuous stories, I was in shock. I went back into my doctor,

>and

>had to drop off numerous stories, studies, and facts. She ran some blood

>work, My ANA count was borderline high, my reflexes were hyper. But all my

>symptoms wouldn't " fit in a category. " Finally, she backed me that this

>could be the cause.

>Since meeting your group, I have seen Dr. Feng, and am waiting on my other

>two doctors letter of medical necessity to have my insurance company cover

>the removal of them. I know it's a far stretch to get them covered, but

>I'll

>try that first, otherwise, my husband & I will plan to pay for them for an

>April, or May surgery. I am outraged about all the lies we were told! I am

>angry about having these contaminated silicone (not just saline) implants

>placed in my body! I wanted to tell you, how thankful I am To have found

>you

>and appreciate all your info. I do however, have some questions.

>

>First, I only breast fed my son for three days, (thank God) as another lie

>was that it would not interfere with the ability to nurse. Well, it did.

>Big

>time! When my milk came in, it painfully would not come out. I am thankful

>for this now, but I am wondering, my son has always had these weird yeast

>infections. Jock itch (never a diaper rash) that is so hard to treat. His

>feet even get athletes foot. I treat him forever, it finally goes away, and

>then boom, it comes back. Could this be because of my implants? Does

>anybody

>have info on the illnesses and symptoms this caused to " implantees

>offsring? "

>(As they would call us)

>Also, I am having my explant as well as a mastectomy (breastlift) at the

>same

>time. Are there dangers on the breast lift? I am nervous about my nipples

>being moved. Are there dangers in having that done? Loss of sensation,

>infection, what is the pain involved? And finally, I would like to have

>another baby after this is all done. I know I will detox after the surgery.

>Should I wait a few years to get fully better, will it harm my already

>suppressed immune system, or worse the baby? What I really need to know, is

>will I push my body over the edge and possibly get a full blown auto immune

>disease by not waiting? I was thinking, on waiting a year after surgery,

>before I try to get pregnant, what do you guys think? Too soon?

>Thank you so much for finding a place for me where I feel understood, and I

>don't feel so crazy.

>Sincerely,

_________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

, choose a PS carefully for explantation and mastopexy. es doc is

good and so to is Feng. Make sure you ask foe a vertical mastopexy not the

traditional anchor cut. It's important to choose a good PS or you'll end up

botched like me with railroad tracks.

-Marie

[Guest guest]

Welcome .

-Marie

[Guest guest]

Welcome . I am glad you are here. I know how you feel and many

of your symptoms are really allot like mine. I don't want to

dissappoint you but I suggest that you take more time after explant

before you have any children, till your symptoms and body are normal

again. The reason I can tell you this is very personal, but important

to know, I was pregnant and I could not carry the pregnancy because

it made me so extremely ill. This is another thing that implants cost

me, it was a freak thing that I got pregnant to begin with, as my

hubby had just had a vasectomy and we only had sex one time, but

apparently we didn't wait long enough after the procedure or

something, anyhow I know that there is no way my body could have

handled that pregnancy at that time. Now maybe today I could, but

this was only about 5 months after explant and I was still way too

sick.

I do think that you can get well enough within a year or 2 but I

wouldn't push this if I were you, why risk it?

As for your other questions, it can take time to get back to normal,

and even after 15 months I am not completely healed by any means, but

I am much improved for sure.

I had the lift and my nipples still have sensitivity and look good. I

think that you will look fine if you chose a good surgeon.

I sympathize allot with you, as I know how hard this is, but you can

overcome this if you do the right things. Take care of yourselve and

don't stress on having a baby right away, when you feel better you

will know when it is the right time, that is for sure.

Love

@y..., JULIEJJPALANCA@a... wrote:

> I recently joined your group over two months ago, and have been

reading about

> all your personal stories. I am a 27 year old mother, I had saline

implants

> placed about nine years ago, as I lost weight, and wanted to

look " normal and

> healthy " . Surgery went fine, I healed well, and went on with my

achieved

> look. However, about a year and half ago, about 6 months after

having my son

> c-section, I had an attack of Bells palsy, and then 2 months after

I had

> strange things happening. First, I was sore in the morning, stiff

like I had

> arthritis in my hands and feet. I run 3 miles a day on the

treadmill, and

> thought maybe, I was overdoing it. I would stop working out, to

find I was

> only more stiff. People told me that motherhood, all the lifting

and so on,

> could be the culprit. Being a mother is hard work on your body,

they'd tell

> me. Then I started losing hair, lots of it. Then the strange yeast

and viral

> infections came. Then in December, I went in to see a neurologist,

as my

> whole body had these strange MS-like muscle twitching. My legs,

arms, back,

> chest-all had these little twitches. I stopped telling people, they

treated

> me like I was crazy. My neurologist ran some tests, an EMG, no

muscle

> connective tissue disorder, probably stress. I am NOT STRESSED, I'd

tell

> them. So, the symptoms went on. My neck so stiff in the morning,

and tension

> headaches. One night, a thought occurs to me. Could my implants be

doing

> this? (I know it was God) No way, they were safe, they were saline.

But, I

> decided to check it out on the web. What the hell, I thought. And

after 4

> hours of continuous stories, I was in shock. I went back into my

doctor, and

> had to drop off numerous stories, studies, and facts. She ran some

blood

> work, My ANA count was borderline high, my reflexes were hyper. But

all my

> symptoms wouldn't " fit in a category. " Finally, she backed me that

this

> could be the cause.

> Since meeting your group, I have seen Dr. Feng, and am waiting on

my other

> two doctors letter of medical necessity to have my insurance

company cover

> the removal of them. I know it's a far stretch to get them covered,

but I'll

> try that first, otherwise, my husband & I will plan to pay for them

for an

> April, or May surgery. I am outraged about all the lies we were

told! I am

> angry about having these contaminated silicone (not just saline)

implants

> placed in my body! I wanted to tell you, how thankful I am To have

found you

> and appreciate all your info. I do however, have some questions.

>

> First, I only breast fed my son for three days, (thank God) as

another lie

> was that it would not interfere with the ability to nurse. Well, it

did. Big

> time! When my milk came in, it painfully would not come out. I am

thankful

> for this now, but I am wondering, my son has always had these weird

yeast

> infections. Jock itch (never a diaper rash) that is so hard to

treat. His

> feet even get athletes foot. I treat him forever, it finally goes

away, and

> then boom, it comes back. Could this be because of my implants?

Does anybody

> have info on the illnesses and symptoms this caused to " implantees

offsring? "

> (As they would call us)

> Also, I am having my explant as well as a mastectomy (breastlift)

at the same

> time. Are there dangers on the breast lift? I am nervous about my

nipples

> being moved. Are there dangers in having that done? Loss of

sensation,

> infection, what is the pain involved? And finally, I would like to

have

> another baby after this is all done. I know I will detox after the

surgery.

> Should I wait a few years to get fully better, will it harm my

already

> suppressed immune system, or worse the baby? What I really need to

know, is

> will I push my body over the edge and possibly get a full blown

auto immune

> disease by not waiting? I was thinking, on waiting a year after

surgery,

> before I try to get pregnant, what do you guys think? Too soon?

> Thank you so much for finding a place for me where I feel

understood, and I

> don't feel so crazy.

> Sincerely,