Re: Re: breasts after explant

[Guest guest]

Hi Patty:

You seem very informed and knowledgable with this group. I am new to the group and would like any feedback or insight I can get. I've been suffering 13+ years with severe pain. I originally had silicone implants done in the 80's. When all the bad publicity came out I decided to have them removed. My Dr., head of plastic surgery at the UofM said I would not like how I looked and talked me into putting saline in. He said both implants with silicone were leaking, even though I had no pain or inkling anything was wrong. The pain started immediately after surgery when the saline were put in. The silicone were placed in front of the chest muscle and the saline in back of muscle. Because it took 10 yrs. for all the numbness to go away, I thought I was healing. When the numbness was all gone was when I felt the full impact ot the pain. I went on narcotics several times because my quality of life was at 0. Narcotics took a terrible toll and 2 yrs. ago I had the saline taken out. I felt there was some change in the pain level but not enough to live normally. Here I am 13yrs later with terrible pain on both breasts, the pancake part, like an electric current you can't turn off. The only relief I get is to lay down. Then the pain goes after about 5 min. Has anyone out there had an experience similar to mine?? Pls. contact me. My surgeon said she took the scar tissue out and put drains in. Help, if anyone knows this level of pain or why? Thanks.

KIA

From: glory2glory1401@...Date: Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:12:53 +0000Subject: Re: breasts after explant

Hi Alina,It's nice to hear from you, and while I am really happy to hear that you are feeling much better since removing the implants, it's sad to hear that the implants have ruined your life at such a young age! Hopefully you won't be a broke college student much longer! What are you studying? When will you graduate?I want to address the issue regarding how you feel about your looks. I certainly have been there....before implants my breast sagged so bad from breastfeeding my 4 babies. Breastfeeding was the most wonderful bonding experience I ever could have had with my babies and I will never regret doing it for as long as I did, but in general, those pregnancies really did a number on my breasts. So, I know the heartache and despair over this.I did not use my original surgeon to remove my implants, as I had been forewarned about doing that. I did consult with him, but he basically blew my needs for a proper explant off, and would have done exactly as you said....just rip the implants out and leave all that junk inside and not try to help me look my best. That is why I went to a different plastic surgeon, who took the time to discuss with me my desires to come out of explant looking as good as possible.My only suggestion for you would be to look into getting a breast lift, if you think the sagging warrants it. I had that done at the time of explant, and it has made a huge difference in how I feel about my breasts.I think, however, that sagging over time is just a natural part of the experience we have with our breasts as we age. The tissue becomes less dense, we have hormonal changes, we gain or lose weight, things of that nature that change our breasts in ways that we don't always like.Healing for me from my breast implant experience included healing from the inside--and recognizing that while I had always considered my breasts a vital part of my feminine identity, that focusing on them as part of the "beauty" package was wasted energy. I had to replace the lies I had been conditioned to believe about my looks--all those lies that we still hear today over and over ad nauseum from Hollywood and the media--with the truth of who I was in God's eyes, and what my value to Him is. I had to consider at the end of my life, when all was said and done, how important would the way my breasts looked be? Truth: Not one bit. At the end of my life, I will be hopefully remembered for the love I shared with my friends and family, and for the way I valued my relationships, and the efforts I expended on others behalf. When I keep this truth in mind, the whole idea of focusing on my breasts seemed foolish.It is a journey of truth we all have to make at some point in time if we are going to live well. I believe we must learn to make peace with our bodies and accept them for how they were made...and it's not always easy, but it sure makes life less stressful!I wish you well...and am so thankful that you wrote. We're here to support you.God bless you, Patty>> Hi everybody, hope you all are doing well ! I am writing today because I am wondering with others if you went with your original surgeon to remove your implants or did you see a specialist? I had my saline implants removed Feb 2008, and while I feel SO much better now, I really do not like they way my breasts look. My doctor who put them in also took them out, and I feel like he just ripped them out and didnt reconstruct the breast at all.. it seems like the muscle is pulled up high and my breast tissue just hangs under. When I flex my pecs the tissue just hangs there (no muscle over the tissue) Although I feel much better and am very happy I had them removed, I still don't like how I look and feel very insecure... is there a way to have them reconstructed without putting some sort of implant back in??(no way that is going to happen!) Anyone have any recommended doctors or know how much something like this will cost?? I am only 24... a broke college student... my implants literally ruined my life! I am trying to get over it there is nothing I can do about it now but I still can't stop thinking about it every day... and it's reallly hard for me to talk to others about it, that's why I turned to this group.. it is really hard for me to bring it up to people.> > I thank everyone in this group who makes a constant effort to help other women who have all had similar bad experiences.. it is nice to be able to read stories about other people that feel the same way and get support.> > I hope you all are having a great day > > Alina>

[Guest guest]

Patty, I never responded to your nice message but thank you for your kind words. Going through posts and reading other women's stories has really helped me throughout this ordeal. I'm currently studying Business Administration with a concentration in International Busiess and will graduate next Dec 2010. I can't wait! After that I plan to be a backpacker for a few years My sister just had a baby and she has said the same thing about breastfeeding and the bonding it brings with the baby. It makes me sad to think that I do not even know if I would be able to breastfeed if I had a baby.... when I got my surgery I asked and my doctor said he didn't know and couldn't make any promies... and at the time it wasn't that important to me. I really am thinking

about getting a breast lift but am scared and cannot afford it right now.... but I do think it is something I need to do to finalize this whole thing.... at the time of explant I did go to another doctor for a second opinion but since my original doctor said he would do the surgery free while I only had to pay the anesthetic it seemed like the right financial decision since the second doctor would cost way more.... unfortuneatly I think that was the wrong decision since like I said I think he just ripped them out and didn't try to reconstruct or anything. I am extremely self concious now and do not even want to be intimate with a man because of it... but if I were to meet the right person I'm sure they wouldn't care..... thanks again for the nice message and everything you said. I really would like to get a lift or do something to try and fix what what my doctor did. I do not know if I'm ready right now to go through it again

though, although at the same time it may provide some closure to the whole thing. Thanks again Patty and I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Alina

From: glory2glory1401 <glory2glory1401@...> Sent: Wed, September 23, 2009 9:12:53 AMSubject: Re: breasts after explant

Hi Alina,It's nice to hear from you, and while I am really happy to hear that you are feeling much better since removing the implants, it's sad to hear that the implants have ruined your life at such a young age! Hopefully you won't be a broke college student much longer! What are you studying? When will you graduate?I want to address the issue regarding how you feel about your looks. I certainly have been there....before implants my breast sagged so bad from breastfeeding my 4 babies. Breastfeeding was the most wonderful bonding experience I ever could have had with my babies and I will never regret doing it for as long as I did, but in general, those pregnancies really did a number on my breasts. So, I know the heartache and despair over this.I did not use my original surgeon to remove my implants, as I had been forewarned about doing that. I did consult with him, but he basically blew my needs for a proper explant off, and would

have done exactly as you said....just rip the implants out and leave all that junk inside and not try to help me look my best. That is why I went to a different plastic surgeon, who took the time to discuss with me my desires to come out of explant looking as good as possible.My only suggestion for you would be to look into getting a breast lift, if you think the sagging warrants it. I had that done at the time of explant, and it has made a huge difference in how I feel about my breasts.I think, however, that sagging over time is just a natural part of the experience we have with our breasts as we age. The tissue becomes less dense, we have hormonal changes, we gain or lose weight, things of that nature that change our breasts in ways that we don't always like.Healing for me from my breast implant experience included healing from the inside--and recognizing that while I had always considered my breasts a vital part of my feminine

identity, that focusing on them as part of the "beauty" package was wasted energy. I had to replace the lies I had been conditioned to believe about my looks--all those lies that we still hear today over and over ad nauseum from Hollywood and the media--with the truth of who I was in God's eyes, and what my value to Him is. I had to consider at the end of my life, when all was said and done, how important would the way my breasts looked be? Truth: Not one bit. At the end of my life, I will be hopefully remembered for the love I shared with my friends and family, and for the way I valued my relationships, and the efforts I expended on others behalf. When I keep this truth in mind, the whole idea of focusing on my breasts seemed foolish.It is a journey of truth we all have to make at some point in time if we are going to live well. I believe we must learn to make peace with our bodies and accept them for how they were made...and it's not always

easy, but it sure makes life less stressful!I wish you well...and am so thankful that you wrote. We're here to support you.God bless you, Patty>> Hi everybody, hope you all are doing well ! I am writing today because I am wondering with others if you went with your original surgeon to remove your implants or did you see a specialist? I had my saline implants removed Feb 2008, and while I feel SO much better now, I really do not like they way my breasts look. My doctor who put them in also took them out, and I feel like he just ripped them out and didnt reconstruct the breast at all.. it seems like the muscle is pulled up high and my breast tissue just hangs under. When I flex my pecs the tissue just hangs

there (no muscle over the tissue) Although I feel much better and am very happy I had them removed, I still don't like how I look and feel very insecure... is there a way to have them reconstructed without putting some sort of implant back in??(no way that is going to happen!) Anyone have any recommended doctors or know how much something like this will cost?? I am only 24... a broke college student... my implants literally ruined my life! I am trying to get over it there is nothing I can do about it now but I still can't stop thinking about it every day... and it's reallly hard for me to talk to others about it, that's why I turned to this group.. it is really hard for me to bring it up to people.> > I thank everyone in this group who makes a constant effort to help other women who have all had similar bad experiences. . it is nice to be able to read stories about other people that feel the same way and get support.> > I

hope you all are having a great day > > Alina>