Re: need tips on questions to ask PS

[Guest guest]

Wow, God bless you girl!

YOu are a dynamo!

Good job on your research and pushing for your rheumy to listen to your

concerns! And kudos to your rheumy for being open minded. If I needed

a good reason to have hope in the world, your letter gave it to me

today...you're on the right track!

Now, hopefully you will have a plastic surgeon who will listen to you

and do the proper removal, which means a total capsulectomy with drains.

Here is where my hope falters, because of so many experiences of a bad

initial consult that have been reported by the women on this group over

the years. Most doctors will downplay our concerns and try to make us

feel foolish for wanting our implants out, even in the presence of

significant health concerns. It's incredible how much they remain in

denial about the health risks associated with breast implants even after

all these years and various studies that have implicated and NEVER FULLY

cleared implants regarding their role in contribution of disease.

We have knowledge of a number of qualified and expert surgeons in

various parts of the country if you would like a referral to a plastic

surgeon we trust to do a correct explant each and every time. Many

women travel to have this important surgery done correctly.

The questions you need to ask your surgeon can be found in our files

section under the Explant info folder. I will list them for you in case

you don't find the file.

2nd question: You should not be out as long post-explant as you were

post-implant. The explant surgery is a much easier surgery on the body,

and depending how sore your muscles are, you should be resting and not

overworking your chest muscles for a couple of weeks. But be sure to

follow your doctor's directions.

Appearance post explant: You should have every expectation of looking

as good as the plastic surgeon is able to make you look! That is what

plastic surgeons do, isn't it? So, if you were saggy before implant,

you would expect to be saggy at explant unless you get a breast lift.

The doctor should tell you of that option if it is warranted. Many

women look even better after explant than before implant, with the

proper care. Discuss this with your doctor. As for the scar, yes you

would probably have a scar below the breast, if they cannot do explant

through the same incision as they were placed.

Ask if you have more questions, and please review our files for really

helpful info and the explant process and what to expect.

Patty

>

> I'm new to the group. BA in 2005, diagnosed with Sjogren's in 2007 -

ANA level was quite elevated, along with other auto-immune markers.

Asked my Rheumatologist if there was any way my saline implants could

have caused this and he said " no - only silicone. " I dropped it.

Symptoms seemed to get better, so I attributed it to stress with work,

ailing parents, and building a home all at once. Had another flare-up a

few months ago (brain fog, constant low-grade fever, knots in my neck

and shoulder area, pain in hips and knees), so went back to my

Rheumatologist. My ANA level was triple what it had been back then. He

then diagnosed me with " Mixed Connective Tissue Disease " which is a

mixture of symptoms from lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and poly Did some

research on CTD and the Mayo Clinic's website indicated that exposure to

vinyl chloride and silica were known causes of CTD. The first thing I

thought of was my implants, so got busy on the

> internet. This time I was able to have a more educated discussion

with my Rheumatologist. (All of his text books indicated silicone

implants cause this, but not saline, so I had to find literature to

support that the outer lining was made of.) Aha! I found Mentor's

Physician Product insert (or " packing slip " ) on the internet and it

states it is made of " room temperature vulcanized silicone elastomer,

made of polydimethylisiloxane. " I looked that long word up, and of

course it's a form of silicone. I was particularly worried with the

care they took to say it was made of " room temperature " ingredients.

WHY? Is it dangerous when greater than room temperature - as in a human

body that is 98.6 degrees or higher??

>

> Other interesting things in that Physician Product insert mentions

some reports of " Connective Tissue Disease " reported by breast aug

patients but that " without a comparison group of women with similar

characteristics (age, race, etc.) and without breast implants, no

conclusions can be made about the relationship between breast implants

and these CTD events. " What a crock of bull!

>

> I gave my physician that information, along with reference to THIS

SUPPORT GROUP, and I've earned a believer! My Rheumatologist now does

believe my implants are the cause - due to the time of my onset of

symptoms and the fact that I have no family history of CTD. (I had

already determined that, and was going to remove them without his

advice, but it was SO important to me for him to connect the two so he

might consider this for his other patients.) My Rheumatologist did more

than just read my info - he did more research on his own and shared with

me an article published in 2004, " Decision and Management Algorithms to

Address Patient and FDA Concerns Regarding Breast Augmentation and

Implants. " It states that if a board-certified Rheumatologist and/or

Immunologist thinks the CTD symptoms may be associated with the

implants, they should be removed and that the capsules should also be

removed to afford the best opportunity to improve or eliminate

> symptoms if they are due to silicone.

>

> I have appointments scheduled with my original plastic surgeon in a

few days, and then my Rheumatologist 2 days later. My plastic surgeon

is well-respected, so I am hoping my visit with him goes smoothly and

that he will respect my wishes and do the explant himself. I will not

lay blame - I just want them OUT. It is important to me that HE do the

explant, because he is the only plastic surgeon who practices at the

hospital where I work. I implanted at a surgery center in a nearby town

for privacy, but now I am adamant I want to do the explant at my

facility, because I want people I trust in the operating room during my

procedure - to make SURE I am getting a proper capsulectomy with drains.

This is very important to me. I am humiliated knowing what I looked

like before the implants and that people I see every day at work will

see what my chest will look like - even worse than before, but I feel

it is important to swallow my pride to

> re-claim my health.

>

> Sorry so lengthy - I hope to help new-comers, as you all have been

such a help to me in making my decision and my support in knowing I was

not crazy. You gave me strength to challenge my physician into looking

into this further. I suspected this 2 years ago, and had I done more

research on the internet back then, I would have explanted 2 years ago.

>

> Now, for my questions:

>

> What questions do I need to ask my plastic surgeon? (I will see him

on 9/30/09).

>

> For those of you who had explants: How long should I expect to be out

of work?

>

> And: If anyone was a flat-chested " A " cup - how bad is it going to

look afterwards? I have no scars now (my implants were inserted via the

areola). I picture myself with a scar below my breast - only now a scar

below a sagging piece of skin. Is that accurate?

>