Re: - I wouldn't if I were you - Here's my story!

[Guest guest]

Hi all - - maybe my story will help.

I've been reading for quite awhile, but have not taken the time to share my story and feel compelled to finally do so. I first communicated with Mindy by calling the hotline back in September of 2008. I had saline implants put in in 2003 and had been experiencing strange symptoms ever since that nobody could explain and which seemed to "rotate" but never really go away - and continually came back even worse and with new symptoms. I had thought I was going crazy and had perhaps developed some type of hypochondriosis late in life until I started reading about the implants. Wow - what an eye opener.

Let me start by stating that, shortly after the implants, which I received at 35 years old (I didn't want my husband getting the motorcycle he wanted and we had a joke that, if he bought a motorcycle, I would get implants. Needless to say, he bought the motorcycle and I was ecstatic as I always wanted larger, perkier breasts) I started experiencing strange digestional symptoms - pain in my stomach, gas, feeling of being full after only eating a few bites, constipation, etc. At the same time, I began having what I will call my "left side" pain. I had rotating pain in my left chest and left abdomen/kidney area, that seemed to travel sometimes to my left shoulder/arm/neck. I went to several specialists and was told that I had IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and reflux & a small hiatal hernia. My heart checked out OK and no one could really explain the left abdominal/kidney pain, but I was told that I, perhaps,

had adhesions from prior abdominal surgery causing discomfort.

The pains continued and I started experiencing a radiating of my left side pain up my neck, in my ear, head and an intense pain/pressure behind the left eye. I began experiencing extreme nausea all the time, particularly when I ate sweets or was in a moving vehicle. I knew something was really wrong and tried to explain how all these symptoms seemed "connected", as they would radiate from one to another, but all seemed worse when I was not feeling well. My kidney pain continued and I had several kidney "infections", but also times when my kidney ached that I had blood cells and protein in my urine without infection that no one could explain. I had every "test" known to man and began to realize that the doctors were beginning to think it was "all in my head". This was so humbling. I am a Master's degreed business professional that worked hard to reach an influential Vice President position in a male dominated

industry and I was reaching a point where I felt my only solution was to stop complaining and bear the pain, because I felt no one believed me. It went on this way for several years, where I would reach points where I would just "go to bed" awhile, because it was the only thing that helped. I skipped periods occassionally and felt toxic all the time. I thought I was maybe going into early menopause (yet was only in my late 30s).

In 2007, the abdominal pains became worse and my monthly cycle stopped completely. When I went to the OB/Gyn, the bloodwork they did indicated that my estrogen level was "off the charts" (scored at almost 600 something - which I believe was the equivalent of a mother well into pregnancy). Due to a certain "ratio" of hormones and several ovarian cysts, I was told that I had something called PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). Despite the fact that I did not have the other symptoms (extreme weight gain around the middle, male-type hair growing on the face/chest - thank the Lord I did not have that!!) they put me on Metformin, which is what they typically give diabetics to control the blood sugar. I did this awhile, but eventually stopped taking it because it made me feel completely awful and made all of my symptoms seem worse. I started some nutritional supplements through a site called "Women to Women" which helped,

and started researching all natural/hemeopathic ways to treat illnesses - as all else seemed to be failing me. This seemed to help the severity of my symptoms, but did not make them go away or stop others from developing. Around this time I began to experience some fuzzines/memory issues. I also would have points where I would trip on my left foot several times within a brief (like 15 minute) period. I laughed about clumsiness and "blond" moments, but it happened frequently enough to where I knew it was not coincidence.

The doctors told me that they thought the neural symptoms were due to the stress in my life (due to a demanding job and teenage boys at home). I began to wonder if they were right and decided to "downsize" my position. I was extremely blessed to find a consulting job that allowed me to set my own hours and work from home as often as I liked and they were even willing to even match my salary to have me come "onboard". It was a no-brainer and the job change, combined with the anti anxiety medicine, made me feel stress-free. Unfortunately, my symptoms still continued to get worse. In 2007 and 2008, I began experiencing strange, neurological symptoms. My hands and feet would buzz/tingle and, at times, go completely numb. I would also experience numbness/tingling in my left thigh and on the left side of my face and top of my head. My fuzzy brain got worse and I remember certain things - like standing

in the hallway at work and not remembering which office door was mine - and trying to draw a map for a friend only to tear it up several times and realize that I could no longer conceptualize my house in relation to North, South, East and West. I would wake up with my teeth tightly clenched together every morning and tooth marks on both sides of my tongue from it pressing so hard against my clenched teeth at night. They gave me muscle relaxers to take in the evening and a mouth gaurd, as my dentist said I had fissures/cracks in most of my back teeth from this pressure. The pain in my left shoulder/arm/neck, etc. became so intense, I could barely move - and the headaches sometimes brought me to my knees. I developed a swollen lymph node under my left jaw line/ear in 2007 that never went away. It was painful to the touch and was not large enough to register on a CT, though we could feel it manually. The Ear/Nose/Throat

Doc said I must have something called "carotidenia" and that it would go away eventually. The pain behind my eye became almost unbearable at times. It began to be accompanied by flashes of light, blurriness and double vision, which greatly concerned me. Sometimes it felt like I was "struggling" to control my left eye and there began to be a noticeable change in the size/shape of my eye on that side. The eye doctor could find nothing wrong and said I must have "dry eye". I finally broke down crying at my family physician's office telling her that I knew something was very wrong and wanted to see any and every specialist until we figured it out. She agreed to refer me to a Neurologist for a full work-up. This was summer of 2008. Three days later - before seeing the Neurologist - I was back in her office because I was unable to hold my head up on my neck without extreme pain. I remember crying and

asking if I needed to be checked into the hospital - but she gave me a referral that day for a cervical/neck CT and referred me to a Physical Therapist 3 times per week for 5 weeks.

Everything was a bit of a whirlwind past that. The Physical Therapist did many tests on my first visit and told me that I had Thoracic Outlet syndrome on both sides (this is where the circulation was being completely cut off in both arms when my arms were held at certain angles). He also diagnosed 9 "trigger points", where the muscles had developed fibrous tissue that was causing the shoulder/arm pain. I had a significant popping noise in my left shoulder every time I moved (and sometimes just when I breathed) that he felt was due to this fibrous tissue. I also had severe decreased mobility of the left arm and both shoulders/neck. He seemed stumped by this and I remember asking him if my implants could cause thoracic outlet (blocking the blood flow in some way) but he did not think so. During my five week treatment, the same issues and popping noise began to appear on my right side.

The CT of the neck region of my spine indicated that 3 vertebrae were dysfunctional and had differing degrees of bulging/herniation/bone spurs/compression. I was sent to a spinal specialist who found 5 more such disc in the lumbar and thoracic spine. I was quizzed about prior "accidents" or damage to the spine - of which there was none - and told it may be simply "wear and tear". They felt it may or may not be contributing to the neural symptoms (hands/feet/ legs/ head/ face) but offered no solutions..

My Neurologist did a full work up.. I was sent to a cognitive specialist and 8 hours of intense IQ/neuro tests showed impairment both short term memory and abstract reasoning tests (the abnormal low readings were even stranger compared with an extremely high IQ in all other areas. I had been frequently tested and placed in "gifted" classes as a child and had never had any indication of impairments on any tests before this time). The Neurologist did some nerve testing and discovered some arm/hand issues that they decided was carpal tunnel (though it did not explain the same issues in my legs/feet!). She began discussing possible autoimmune disorders - possibly Sjogrens to explain my eye issues (can cause dry eye and Sjogren's would also explain my dry mouth, and possibly kidney issues from "dry" kidneys??) I was still tripping over my feet and had "confused" thoughts. I had also begun

having some deep and horrendous bone and joint pain that caused me limp some days that we could not explain. In light of my spinal issues, neural symptoms, and the fact that I was still "tripping" over my left foot often (and had an incident during treatment when my left arm had stayed completely numb for 1-1/2 days), we began discussing MS (Multiple Sclerosis) as a possibility. This can be confirmed by a spinal tap, which we thought would be the next step.

It was at this point, that I started researching my symptoms and MS on the computer and, during this research, I saw a couple lines on my "google" search that discussed the relation of breast implants to autoimmune disorder and mis-diagnosis of MS specifically. Horrified, I clicked on this link and spent the next 5 hours glued to my computer as I read story after story about women describing my EXACT same symptoms, frustrations, etc. - that had received SALINE (not just silicone!) implants. The more I read, the more I understood - through other's stories - how this could be the answer I had been looking for for years. Yes, it was a much better answer than MS, but I can tell you that the last thing you want to hear when you really enjoy your implants is that they are causing you to be horribly ill. I can tell you that I absolutely knew, that night, that I was one of the small percentage of people that

experienced intense, and increasingly dangerous, autoimmune reactions to the implants themselves. There is a medical cover-up on this, and the sad truth is that - so few women have this reaction - that it is easier to call them "crazy" and discount their stories than it is for the industry to simply admit that it is very, very real. I can tell you that, if you had told me the day before, that I would sacrifice any amount of time/money/energy to remove the implants I loved as quickly as possible - I would have thought you were nuts.

I put off my spinal tap and called the hotline and spoke with Mindy.. I started additional all-natural and dietary treatment and made an appointment to fly to Atlanta to see Dr. Kolb about getting those suckers out ASAP. I went to see the plastic surgeon that put them in (nice guy whom I genuinely like) and he "regrettably" admitted that he felt I should get them out right away and never get them again. He offered to do it at a significantly discounted rate - but I wanted an "expert" at removing the full capsule and also wanted holistic treatment right away for my other symptoms more than I wanted to save money. I was not the first that had come back to him with such issues, though he admitted it was "rare". I remember reading all the stories of women that had issues but were unable to get their implants removed - or had them in for much longer - and seeing a predominant cancer theme (breast, bone, and

brain seemed common among these women) and thinking - thank God I'm getting them out now. A week after getting a breast exam from both Dr. Kolb and the original plastic surgeon that put them in - a mysterious hard lump appeared at 12:00 o-clock on my left breast. The specialists wanted to biopsy it, but since I already an explant scheduled with Dr. Kolb, we decided to bump it up a week and remove the lump at the same time. Dr. Kolb said that there are some studies that show cells can "break away" when biopsying a cancerous tumor and actually cause the cancer to metastatize at that time - and I simply could not get the implants out quick enough at that point and did not want to delay another moment.

Long story short, it did end up being a very aggressive, atypical form of breast cancer. Aggressive can be a good thing in cancer language because it responds well to chemo. I do not have the "genetic" marker for breast cancer, and my cancer was not the typical, hormone receptive type. Some studies have indicated that having the body in a constant, chronic state of auto-immune battle can greatly increase your susceptibility to many illnesses, including cancer. In addition - the chemical soup that comprises the silicone shell of a saline implant has MANY known toxins in it, such as benzene. When you are having an autoimmune reaction for years, the body is working harder to fight the "invader" in your body, essentially breaking down this shell and circulating it through your blood stream. I was not found to have tumors anywhere else in the body, though I continue to have some "disturbing" abnormalities in

my blood/marrow that they hope will go away once the cancer/chemo is done. I, personally, think that the chemicals were starting to attack my bones also - as I can feel the chemo "eating" at the cancer cells in the exact same places I had the bone/joint pain before the cancer diagnosis several days after each cancer treatment. This comforts me in some odd way, as I feel that the chemo is doing it's job killing all the bad stuff.

Otherwise, about six to seven weeks after the implants were out - ALL of the neurological symptoms that I had been experiencing were gone! You know, I knew that Dr. Kolb really understood the first time I went to see when she came in the room, looked at me and said "oh, you must be feeling terrible after that plane ride - that always makes things worse". I had actually had several conversations with my husband during and after business trips indicating that, I did not know why, but each time I was on a plane - my symptoms became excrutiatingly worse and nothing helped. To have someone know that implicitly when they walked in gave me such hope. The morning after seeing her and taking the supplements - I called my husband crying to say that, when I got out of bed that morning, I felt better than I had in years. If I had any doubts before then that the implants were the cause, they were completely gone as

the way I felt was nothing short of miraculous. The cancer and chemo has not been fun, but I am not scared. I consider myself lucky to have figured this out and gotten them out so quickly. In a way - I am less scared by the "cancer" element because I feel I have really gotten rid of the underlying issue causing everything and I, therefore, do not feel that the cancer is going to return. People that don't know of the implant issue see me as such a "brave soul" with the optimistic outlook - but little do they know that I am feeling better than I have in years!

I know many, many women who have breast implants and have never experienced any issues. I am happy they do not have to deal with this - but for anyone considering implants - please consider that you may be one of the 6-8% of women that have a very real, very dangerous, reaction to the implants, or a fungal issue if bacteria gets inside the implant - or combination of both issues. I am a person who spent 35 years of life NEVER getting ill - and was transformed into the sickest person I have ever met through this process. After a partial masectomy and removal of my implants - my medical, plastic surgeon tried twice to get me to consider another set of implants as free "reconstruction" from breast cancer. Here I was, offered a free lift, tummy tuck and new implants as part of my "healing" - and I had to simply laugh and say that I would rather spend my life with two gaping holes on my chest than to ever, ever put

anything synthetic inside my body again. Happy to say, that I actually had reconstruction, a lift, and transfer of right breast tissue to make two, size "small B" breasts that are perky and that I am oh -so happy with. Please keep in mind also that it is not just breast implants that cause these issues. I have a dear friend that suffered the same reaction with lip/cheek implants, and have heard of similar reactions with other, medically necessary silicone implanted devices. If you are one that is going to react - it will happen with any similar foreign object.

I finished my last chemo treatment last Tuesday and am ready to gear up to healand detoxifying my body totally over the next year. I have a few symptoms related to the chemo - but the never-ending stream of symptoms related to the implants have completely disappeared! Even the knots of "fibrous" tissue in my back that I was told we could try to keep from getting worse, but would never go away are completely gone. Haven't done a spinal CT, but can't help but wonder if we will amaze the docs there as well - as I was told this would "never" get better but only worse with the spinal issues. Bottom line is, even with chemo, I feel so much better than I did before and have so much left to look forward to. I hope for healing and wellness for all of you.. In reading your stories I've grown to love each of you and think this site is so wonderful for every woman that feels she is "crazy" until she realizes she is

not alone.

Best to all of you -

From: Ilena Rose <ilena.rose@...>swissmiss@...Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 9:42:50 AMSubject: wants saline implants ... interested in hearing from women who've had them recently

Hi ... We are so glad you've written. I am forwarding your very important request to women in our international support group. Let us know what you decide. One thing I can assure you ... this PS is giving you an unethical (and inaccurate) sales pitch to claim these are lifetime devices.Best from Ilenawww.BreastimplantAw areness.org/

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: <swissmiss@ aol.com>Date: Sat, Feb 28, 2009 at 7:14 AMSubject: BLOGilena@humanticsfoun dation.com

Wow. I'm in shock. I just had an appt with a Plastic surgeon to get my boobs done. I'm interested if anyone can tell me of these so called newer saline implants & would like to read stories of women who have had them done in the past 6-7 years. Not 20 years ago. I still need to tell myself this is not a good idea so help me with this would you????????? ??????The stories I've read of the silicone ones scare the hell out of me & the surgeon I saw made it sound like once these saline ones are in you are set for life. Any help would be appreciated

Thankyou

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Thank you so very much for taking the time to write out such a heartfelt

and compelling story of your journey with implants.

Your experience is yet another tragic story of the ignorance that exists

in the medical world--you mentioned the cover up going on--regarding the

extent of our illnesses and how desperate we become to get help from

professionals, but are unable to when they are blinded by the " political

correctness " of saying that implants do not make women ill. It leads to

horrendous amounts of unnecessary suffering, financial loss, career

disruption, relational difficulties and oh so much more...

I'm so sorry to read of all you have been through! Thank God you are

healing!

I know that I speak for many women when I say that I am so grateful that

you have shared with us just a glimpse of the struggles you've been

through in the past 5 years or so, and all that you experienced

regarding the various tests and avenues that the doctors tried to

pursue, all to no avail. Your story is a vital one in revealing that

this health crisis and negligence in the medical world can happen to

anyone of any means, and that all the money spent getting the very best

care our " experts " have to give is pointless and futile if they cannot

answer the one question correctly-- " Could it be my implants making me

ill? "

Thank you for revealing so poignantly the correct answer to that

question....YES, implants can make you very ill. And how vital it is to

get care from someone who understands this simple fact. It saddens me

to think of all you could have been spared had that question been

answered correctly early on in your illness. But the journey has taught

you things you would not have learned otherwise.

I am so sorry to hear of your cancer on top of everything else...Cancer

is a concern, but I believe you are the first woman in almost 9 years on

this group that I have seen who has had confirmed breast cancer with

implants. I am so glad you found it, and even happier to know that Dr.

Kolb has taken care of you. She is one of the best!

I wish you blessed healing in the months ahead, and may your joy be

overpowering in your life! Thank you so much for your valuable

contribution to the women who will come and read your important message!

May many lives be changed for your efforts!

God bless,

Patty

>

> Hi all - - maybe my story will help.

>

> I've been reading for quite awhile, but have not taken the time to

share my story and feel compelled to finally do so. I first

communicated with Mindy by calling the hotline back in September of

2008. I had saline implants put in in 2003 and had been experiencing

strange symptoms ever since that nobody could explain and which seemed

to " rotate " but never really go away - and continually came back even

worse and with new symptoms. I had thought I was going crazy and had

perhaps developed some type of hypochondriosis late in life until I

started reading about the implants. Wow - what an eye opener.

>

> Let me start by stating that, shortly after the implants, which I

received at 35 years old (I didn't want my husband getting the

motorcycle he wanted and we had a joke that, if he bought a motorcycle,

I would get implants. Needless to say, he bought the motorcycle and I

was ecstatic as I always wanted larger, perkier breasts) I started

experiencing strange digestional symptoms - pain in my stomach, gas,

feeling of being full after only eating a few bites, constipation, etc.

At the same time, I began having what I will call my " left side " pain.

I had rotating pain in my left chest and left abdomen/kidney area, that

seemed to travel sometimes to my left shoulder/arm/neck. I went to

several specialists and was told that I had IBS (irritable bowel

syndrome) and reflux & a small hiatal hernia. My heart checked out OK

and no one could really explain the left abdominal/kidney pain, but I

was told that I, perhaps, had adhesions from prior abdominal

> surgery causing discomfort.

>

> The pains continued and I started experiencing a radiating of my left

side pain up my neck, in my ear, head and an intense pain/pressure

behind the left eye. I began experiencing extreme nausea all the time,

particularly when I ate sweets or was in a moving vehicle. I knew

something was really wrong and tried to explain how all these symptoms

seemed " connected " , as they would radiate from one to another, but all

seemed worse when I was not feeling well. My kidney pain continued and

I had several kidney " infections " , but also times when my kidney ached

that I had blood cells and protein in my urine without infection that no

one could explain. I had every " test " known to man and began to realize

that the doctors were beginning to think it was " all in my head " . This

was so humbling. I am a Master's degreed business professional that

worked hard to reach an influential Vice President position in a male

dominated industry and I was reaching a

> point where I felt my only solution was to stop complaining and bear

the pain, because I felt no one believed me. It went on this way for

several years, where I would reach points where I would just " go to bed "

awhile, because it was the only thing that helped. I skipped periods

occassionally and felt toxic all the time. I thought I was maybe going

into early menopause (yet was only in my late 30s).

>

> In 2007, the abdominal pains became worse and my monthly cycle stopped

completely. When I went to the OB/Gyn, the bloodwork they did indicated

that my estrogen level was " off the charts " (scored at almost 600

something - which I believe was the equivalent of a mother well into

pregnancy). Due to a certain " ratio " of hormones and several ovarian

cysts, I was told that I had something called PCOS (polycystic ovary

syndrome). Despite the fact that I did not have the other symptoms

(extreme weight gain around the middle, male-type hair growing on the

face/chest - thank the Lord I did not have that!!) they put me on

Metformin, which is what they typically give diabetics to control the

blood sugar. I did this awhile, but eventually stopped taking it

because it made me feel completely awful and made all of my symptoms

seem worse. I started some nutritional supplements through a site

called " Women to Women " which helped, and started researching all

> natural/hemeopathic ways to treat illnesses - as all else seemed to

be failing me. This seemed to help the severity of my symptoms, but did

not make them go away or stop others from developing. Around this time

I began to experience some fuzzines/memory issues. I also would have

points where I would trip on my left foot several times within a brief

(like 15 minute) period. I laughed about clumsiness and " blond "

moments, but it happened frequently enough to where I knew it was not

coincidence.

>

> The doctors told me that they thought the neural symptoms were due to

the stress in my life (due to a demanding job and teenage boys at home).

I began to wonder if they were right and decided to " downsize " my

position. I was extremely blessed to find a consulting job that allowed

me to set my own hours and work from home as often as I liked and they

were even willing to even match my salary to have me come " onboard " . It

was a no-brainer and the job change, combined with the anti anxiety

medicine, made me feel stress-free. Unfortunately, my symptoms still

continued to get worse. In 2007 and 2008, I began experiencing strange,

neurological symptoms. My hands and feet would buzz/tingle and, at

times, go completely numb. I would also experience numbness/tingling in

my left thigh and on the left side of my face and top of my head. My

fuzzy brain got worse and I remember certain things - like standing in

the hallway at work and not remembering

> which office door was mine - and trying to draw a map for a friend

only to tear it up several times and realize that I could no longer

conceptualize my house in relation to North, South, East and West. I

would wake up with my teeth tightly clenched together every morning and

tooth marks on both sides of my tongue from it pressing so hard against

my clenched teeth at night. They gave me muscle relaxers to take in the

evening and a mouth gaurd, as my dentist said I had fissures/cracks in

most of my back teeth from this pressure. The pain in my left

shoulder/arm/neck, etc. became so intense, I could barely move - and the

headaches sometimes brought me to my knees. I developed a swollen lymph

node under my left jaw line/ear in 2007 that never went away. It was

painful to the touch and was not large enough to register on a CT,

though we could feel it manually. The Ear/Nose/Throat Doc said I must

have something called " carotidenia " and that it

> would go away eventually. The pain behind my eye became almost

unbearable at times. It began to be accompanied by flashes of light,

blurriness and double vision, which greatly concerned me. Sometimes it

felt like I was " struggling " to control my left eye and there began to

be a noticeable change in the size/shape of my eye on that side. The

eye doctor could find nothing wrong and said I must have " dry eye " . I

finally broke down crying at my family physician's office telling her

that I knew something was very wrong and wanted to see any and every

specialist until we figured it out. She agreed to refer me to a

Neurologist for a full work-up. This was summer of 2008. Three days

later - before seeing the Neurologist - I was back in her office because

I was unable to hold my head up on my neck without extreme pain. I

remember crying and asking if I needed to be checked into the hospital -

but she gave me a referral that day for a

> cervical/neck CT and referred me to a Physical Therapist 3 times per

week for 5 weeks.

>

> Everything was a bit of a whirlwind past that. The Physical Therapist

did many tests on my first visit and told me that I had Thoracic Outlet

syndrome on both sides (this is where the circulation was being

completely cut off in both arms when my arms were held at certain

angles).. He also diagnosed 9 " trigger points " , where the muscles had

developed fibrous tissue that was causing the shoulder/arm pain. I had

a significant popping noise in my left shoulder every time I moved (and

sometimes just when I breathed) that he felt was due to this fibrous

tissue. I also had severe decreased mobility of the left arm and both

shoulders/neck. He seemed stumped by this and I remember asking him if

my implants could cause thoracic outlet (blocking the blood flow in some

way) but he did not think so. During my five week treatment, the same

issues and popping noise began to appear on my right side.

>

> The CT of the neck region of my spine indicated that 3 vertebrae were

dysfunctional and had differing degrees of bulging/herniation/bone

spurs/compression. I was sent to a spinal specialist who found 5 more

such disc in the lumbar and thoracic spine. I was quizzed about prior

" accidents " or damage to the spine - of which there was none - and told

it may be simply " wear and tear " . They felt it may or may not be

contributing to the neural symptoms (hands/feet/ legs/ head/ face) but

offered no solutions.

>

> My Neurologist did a full work up. I was sent to a cognitive

specialist and 8 hours of intense IQ/neuro tests showed impairment both

short term memory and abstract reasoning tests (the abnormal low

readings were even stranger compared with an extremely high IQ in all

other areas. I had been frequently tested and placed in " gifted "

classes as a child and had never had any indication of impairments on

any tests before this time). The Neurologist did some nerve testing and

discovered some arm/hand issues that they decided was carpal tunnel

(though it did not explain the same issues in my legs/feet!). She began

discussing possible autoimmune disorders - possibly Sjogrens to explain

my eye issues (can cause dry eye and Sjogren's would also explain my dry

mouth, and possibly kidney issues from " dry " kidneys??) I was still

tripping over my feet and had " confused " thoughts. I had also begun

having some deep and horrendous bone and joint pain

> that caused me limp some days that we could not explain. In light of

my spinal issues, neural symptoms, and the fact that I was still

" tripping " over my left foot often (and had an incident during treatment

when my left arm had stayed completely numb for 1-1/2 days), we began

discussing MS (Multiple Sclerosis) as a possibility. This can be

confirmed by a spinal tap, which we thought would be the next step.

>

> It was at this point, that I started researching my symptoms and MS on

the computer and, during this research, I saw a couple lines on my

" google " search that discussed the relation of breast implants to

autoimmune disorder and mis-diagnosis of MS specifically. Horrified, I

clicked on this link and spent the next 5 hours glued to my computer as

I read story after story about women describing my EXACT same symptoms,

frustrations, etc. - that had received SALINE (not just silicone!)

implants. The more I read, the more I understood - through other's

stories - how this could be the answer I had been looking for for years.

Yes, it was a much better answer than MS, but I can tell you that the

last thing you want to hear when you really enjoy your implants is that

they are causing you to be horribly ill. I can tell you that I

absolutely knew, that night, that I was one of the small percentage of

people that experienced intense, and increasingly

> dangerous, autoimmune reactions to the implants themselves. There is

a medical cover-up on this, and the sad truth is that - so few women

have this reaction - that it is easier to call them " crazy " and discount

their stories than it is for the industry to simply admit that it is

very, very real. I can tell you that, if you had told me the day

before, that I would sacrifice any amount of time/money/energy to remove

the implants I loved as quickly as possible - I would have thought you

were nuts.

>

> I put off my spinal tap and called the hotline and spoke with Mindy.

I started additional all-natural and dietary treatment and made an

appointment to fly to Atlanta to see Dr. Kolb about getting those

suckers out ASAP. I went to see the plastic surgeon that put them in

(nice guy whom I genuinely like) and he " regrettably " admitted that he

felt I should get them out right away and never get them again. He

offered to do it at a significantly discounted rate - but I wanted an

" expert " at removing the full capsule and also wanted holistic treatment

right away for my other symptoms more than I wanted to save money. I

was not the first that had come back to him with such issues, though he

admitted it was " rare " . I remember reading all the stories of women

that had issues but were unable to get their implants removed - or had

them in for much longer - and seeing a predominant cancer theme (breast,

bone, and brain seemed common among these women)

> and thinking - thank God I'm getting them out now. A week after

getting a breast exam from both Dr. Kolb and the original plastic

surgeon that put them in - a mysterious hard lump appeared at 12:00

o-clock on my left breast. The specialists wanted to biopsy it, but

since I already an explant scheduled with Dr. Kolb, we decided to bump

it up a week and remove the lump at the same time. Dr. Kolb said that

there are some studies that show cells can " break away " when biopsying a

cancerous tumor and actually cause the cancer to metastatize at that

time - and I simply could not get the implants out quick enough at that

point and did not want to delay another moment.

>

> Long story short, it did end up being a very aggressive, atypical form

of breast cancer. Aggressive can be a good thing in cancer language

because it responds well to chemo. I do not have the " genetic " marker

for breast cancer, and my cancer was not the typical, hormone receptive

type. Some studies have indicated that having the body in a constant,

chronic state of auto-immune battle can greatly increase your

susceptibility to many illnesses, including cancer. In addition - the

chemical soup that comprises the silicone shell of a saline implant has

MANY known toxins in it, such as benzene. When you are having an

autoimmune reaction for years, the body is working harder to fight the

" invader " in your body, essentially breaking down this shell and

circulating it through your blood stream. I was not found to have

tumors anywhere else in the body, though I continue to have some

" disturbing " abnormalities in my blood/marrow that they hope will

> go away once the cancer/chemo is done. I, personally, think that the

chemicals were starting to attack my bones also - as I can feel the

chemo " eating " at the cancer cells in the exact same places I had the

bone/joint pain before the cancer diagnosis several days after each

cancer treatment. This comforts me in some odd way, as I feel that the

chemo is doing it's job killing all the bad stuff.

>

> Otherwise, about six to seven weeks after the implants were out - ALL

of the neurological symptoms that I had been experiencing were gone!

You know, I knew that Dr. Kolb really understood the first time I went

to see when she came in the room, looked at me and said " oh, you must be

feeling terrible after that plane ride - that always makes things

worse " . I had actually had several conversations with my husband during

and after business trips indicating that, I did not know why, but each

time I was on a plane - my symptoms became excrutiatingly worse and

nothing helped. To have someone know that implicitly when they walked

in gave me such hope. The morning after seeing her and taking the

supplements - I called my husband crying to say that, when I got out of

bed that morning, I felt better than I had in years. If I had any

doubts before then that the implants were the cause, they were

completely gone as the way I felt was nothing short of

> miraculous. The cancer and chemo has not been fun, but I am not

scared. I consider myself lucky to have figured this out and gotten

them out so quickly. In a way - I am less scared by the " cancer "

element because I feel I have really gotten rid of the underlying issue

causing everything and I, therefore, do not feel that the cancer is

going to return. People that don't know of the implant issue see me as

such a " brave soul " with the optimistic outlook - but little do they

know that I am feeling better than I have in years!

>

> I know many, many women who have breast implants and have never

experienced any issues. I am happy they do not have to deal with this -

but for anyone considering implants - please consider that you may be

one of the 6-8% of women that have a very real, very dangerous, reaction

to the implants, or a fungal issue if bacteria gets inside the implant -

or combination of both issues. I am a person who spent 35 years of life

NEVER getting ill - and was transformed into the sickest person I have

ever met through this process. After a partial masectomy and removal

of my implants - my medical, plastic surgeon tried twice to get me to

consider another set of implants as free " reconstruction " from breast

cancer. Here I was, offered a free lift, tummy tuck and new implants as

part of my " healing " - and I had to simply laugh and say that I would

rather spend my life with two gaping holes on my chest than to ever,

ever put anything synthetic inside my

> body again. Happy to say, that I actually had reconstruction, a

lift, and transfer of right breast tissue to make two, size " small B "

breasts that are perky and that I am oh -so happy with. Please keep in

mind also that it is not just breast implants that cause these issues.

I have a dear friend that suffered the same reaction with lip/cheek

implants, and have heard of similar reactions with other, medically

necessary silicone implanted devices. If you are one that is going to

react - it will happen with any similar foreign object.

>

> I finished my last chemo treatment last Tuesday and am ready to gear

up to healand detoxifying my body totally over the next year. I have a

few symptoms related to the chemo - but the never-ending stream of

symptoms related to the implants have completely disappeared! Even the

knots of " fibrous " tissue in my back that I was told we could try to

keep from getting worse, but would never go away are completely gone.

Haven't done a spinal CT, but can't help but wonder if we will amaze the

docs there as well - as I was told this would " never " get better but

only worse with the spinal issues. Bottom line is, even with chemo, I

feel so much better than I did before and have so much left to look

forward to. I hope for healing and wellness for all of you. In reading

your stories I've grown to love each of you and think this site is so

wonderful for every woman that feels she is " crazy " until she realizes

she is not alone.

>

> Best to all of you -

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ________________________________

> From: Ilena Rose ilena.rose@...

> swissmiss@...

> Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 9:42:50 AM

> Subject: wants saline implants ... interested in

hearing from women who've had them recently

>

>

> Hi ... We are so glad you've written. I am forwarding your very

important request to women in our international support group. Let us

know what you decide.

>

> One thing I can assure you ... this PS is giving you an unethical (and

inaccurate) sales pitch to claim these are lifetime devices.

>

> Best from Ilena

> www.BreastimplantAw areness.org/

>

>

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------

> From: <swissmiss@ aol.com>

> Date: Sat, Feb 28, 2009 at 7:14 AM

> Subject: BLOG

> ilena@humanticsfoun dation.com

>

>

>

> Wow. I'm in shock. I just had an appt with a Plastic surgeon to get my

boobs done. I'm interested if anyone can tell me of these so called

newer saline implants & would like to read stories of women who have had

them done in the past 6-7 years. Not 20 years ago. I still need to tell

myself this is not a good idea so help me with this would you?????????

??????The stories I've read of the silicone ones scare the hell out of

me & the surgeon I saw made it sound like once these saline ones are in

you are set for life. Any help would be appreciated

> Thankyou

>

> ________________________________

>