Re: Re: Hepatitis C and silicone implants?

August 28, 2002

Oh, I think you are correct in that there is a link--but not primary--

not direct. . .i.e., the sillicone doesn't cause Hepatitis.

Yes, when the immune system is down, or even dysregulated

there is no telling what you may be receptive to, that normally

you would pass up.

Bonnie

August 29, 2002

I want to clear up some discrepancies on 's post regarding hepatitis and it's transmission routes. None of the viral hepatitis types is easier to get than another. The transmission modes are slightly different, and that may make one type more or less difficult to get than another type. However, the fact remains that all of the hepatitis viruses are hardy, and can survive on any surface for days, and even wks. All forms of hepatitis are much easier to contract than HIV. Contrary to popular beliefs, tattooing and body piercing is in the high risk category for contracting hepatitis. Many times, if you go to donate blood, and state that you have a tattoo or some body piercings, you will not be accepted as a blood donor. My sister has her belly button pierced, and when she went to donate blood several wks ago, they turned her away, stating that the body piercing (as well as her 2 tattoos) put her in a high risk category. I hear this time and time again from pts at the hospital that they are unable to donate blood for these same reasons. Furthermore, while most tattoo and body piercing parlors are sanitary and practice aseptic techniques, and do sterilize their instruments, there are many out there that do not. While many parlors use disposable instruments, most do not. It simply becomes too expensive to toss out an instrument after one use. It is cheaper to sterilize it. When you see the packages being opened in front of you, this fools many people into believing that the instrument has been sterilized, or is brand new. Not true. What happens is that the instrument is sealed in the package, and is then sterilized to a certain temp to kill bacteria and viruses. There is nothing wrong with this, and this is actually how surgical instruments are sterilized. However, the only way to know if that instrument has been properly sterilized at the correct temp is to see if there is a small piece of paper in the package, which, when sterilized at the correct temperature, will change color. If there is no piece of paper in the package indicating that the instrument is sterile, then you have no way of knowing whether that instrument has been steam or "flash" sterilized correctly. Different instruments and different conditions require sterilization temps ranging from 212-250 degrees F. If you don't have some indicator telling you that your autoclave/oven has reached that temp and stayed there continuosly w/ no variation in temp, then you do not have any way of knowing that that instrument is truly sterilized of all microorganisms. It may have been sterilized at a temp to kill certain bacteria, but not at a high enough temp to kill other bacteria and the more hardy viruses. I have been in many tattoo parlors w/ friends (I don't have any body piercings or tattoos). The tattoo parlors were ones that have an excellent reputation and came highly recommended. As nurses, when my friends and I were in the parlor, we asked to see proof that they sterilized their instruments correctly. The man immediately whipped out his sterile package. Me and the 2 girls I was with asked where the piece of paper was indicating that the temp needed to completely sterilize the instrument was. He looked at us funny and said that "they didn't need any piece of paper to tell them that the proper temp had been reached. They went off the temp on the autoclave." We went to 2 other places, and they told us the same thing. Chances are that the correct temp is being achieved, but the temp on the autoclave may read incorrectly and no one would ever know if that instrument had been sterilized to kill all microorganisms. So, next time you're in a tattoo parlor, ask to see the piece of paper in their package. But since they show you the closed, unopened package, we all assume that it's okay. Chances are it is, but don't be too assurred. The only exception to this would be if they are using disposable instruments and open a brand new one for each and every client. states that Hep B is transmitted through food. This is not correct. Hep B is one of the easiest viruses of the 5 to get, and is especially dangerous to health care workers. It is not contracted by food---that is Hep A. Listed below are the types of hepatitis viruses and how they are contracted. Hep A-highly contagious and is usually transmitted by the fecal-oral route. However, it can also be transmitted parentally (IV). It usually results from ingestion of contaminated food, milk, or water. Outbreaks are often traced to seafood from polluted water. This is the type that is often written up in newspapers as an "outbreak." Hep B-transmitted by infected blood, and contact with human secretions and feces. Transmission also occurs during sexual contact and through perinatal transmission. Hep C-only a small percentage of pts test + for this virus. This could be due to poor test availability, or poor specificity of the test. This type is usually transmitted through transfused blood from asymptomatic donors. Hep D-found in pts with acute or chronic episode of Hep B. Requires the presence of the hep B surface antigen. Hep E-transmitted enterically, much like Hep A. However, it is inconsistently shed in feces, so is difficult to detect. As for Pamela , she obviously got hepatitis through some blood/body fluid contact. Whether it was via tattoos, sex, or a transfusion; we will never know, because obviously, her publicists are not going to broadcast this to the world. And who the hell cares!!!! e ----- Original Message ----- From: Heer Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2002 8:13 PM Subject: Re: Re: Hepatitis C and silicone implants? Also the hep c is the most hartdest one to get, I mean compared with others that are food borne. Realistically you can get it from a cut on a finger that has come into contac with infected persoons blood. I suspect that Pam is not being honest about where she got it, as her ex is remarryine and has not entioned anything about haaving it. Tattoing can be a great way to get it if you are getting tattos from home made sources, ie: jailhouse tattos etc. Most likely that is not the case. I went to several tatoo and peircing places and I felt that they had pretyy clean methods, sterile and up to date laws too. I felt very safe there as I saw the needle come out of the plastic fresh and new and clean and they were carrful to point this out to me. The girl who did my navel piercing was extremely knowledgable and completely informative and told me step by step. I would feel 100% safe going to a tattoo parlor that is reputable and despite the stigma there reallly are good ones. Now I don't personally like tattoos but I do like my navel piercing and have always felt that it was safe and sterile. It is no worse than getting blood drawn ya know, if the needle comes out of a pre sealed pack it is safe. So back to toomy lee and pam, If Pam has it, from sharing tatto needles with her ex, why doesn't he have it and why would his new sexy dancer actress girl Matye be involved with him? I suspect that two things are possible. One that Pam did infact use intravenous needles that she shared with someone infected or that two, she probably had unsafe sex. THe fact is that despite misconceptions Hep C is still jut not that easy to come down with immune system good or bad does not mean that much once the virus enters the blood stream you are going to get it. There are alwasy other ways to get it too, rough sex that could cause bleeding, using someones shaver that has it, those type of things, blood to blood and blood to cuts etc. While Hep C is one of the strongest living organisms and is capable of living on surfaces for long period of time, again this is panicking to worry about it, unless it is contaminated with HEP b in food(these are the kind that you hear about hitting restaurants etc. Those are much easier to contract. If women with implants are at more risk I would say the reasons would be unsafe and uprotected sex with out condoms, and those can always break. I also feel the other ways to get the C straimn would be to use infected needles to share injectable ilegal narcotics, to possible snort them could be another way, but less common. I think that unusual sex practices can be fun with some one you trust but with strangers you must be careful and avoid thinks like anal and even oral sex, esp if the woman is on her period. These could be very risky thing to do. I hope this clears things up as one thing I have lots of knowledge in is hep C from all our training at thehospitals. It is not anything to pancik over, the hep B and A strains are easier to spread, a sneeze into your food, ingesting something that is infected, etc etc, but these are also not as deadly either. If Pam is lucky her condition can and will be kept under control, my ex brother in law was a full on heroin addict and for him it was sad even though he did it to himself, being addicted is like a disease itself and while it does not get allot of sympathy, coming from a past where at many times I shot up ilegal substances in my drug addiction days I know the risks I took. My advantage was that I had clean sterile syringes. I am not proud of that part of my life, and yes I do wonder if it helped me to end up with the sickness from implants. Most likely we will never know. remember if someone you know has hep C you can still hug them, kiss then qand love them, they are not going to give it to you buy holding your hands or kissing your lips, so try to alwasy treat them with respect. hugs ----- Original Message ----- From: e Rene Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2002 8:23 PM Subject: Re: Re: Hepatitis C and silicone implants? You are absolutely right about the easy communicability of Hep C. Any of the hepatitis viruses are much easier to contract than HIV, and while it does require contact with body fluids, it is a much hardier virus than most other things. The reason it is so easy to contract is because it is very difficult to kill the bacteria. It can survive on surfaces for days, and all it takes is someone to touch a contaminated surface with a minor cut or scratch on their finger, rub their eyes or nose, touch their mouth, and they can get it. And if your immune system is up to snuff, then you can fight it off successfully. Others cannot. People can also contract Hep B and C after ear piercing/body piercing and tattoos. As much as we think that those instruments are cleaned, they often are not sterilized at the proper temperature required to kill any bacteria present. Pamela has several tattoos, which could be a source of her infection. Chances are, we will never know just how she got it, unless she can pinpoint one particular episode. I doubt that implants caused her to get the hep C; however, I'm sure that her immune system is not 100%, and therefore, when she came into contact with the virus, her body was not able to fight it off. e ----- Original Message ----- From: spank65 Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2002 8:42 AM Subject: Re: Hepatitis C and silicone implants? Thanks for your reponses to my original posting. Here's my thinking though. Silicone suppresses the immune system - and although others have posted the notion that Hep. C is not easy to contract, I believe otherwise. From my understanding Hepatitis is very communicable (FAR more communicable than AIDS). So, if your immune system is suppressed its easy to end up with icky things you might not otherwise contract - so is their a direct link between Hep. C and silicone implants? Maybe not directly, but I have a suspicion there is an indirect link. > Patty> > Hepatitis C is blood borne so it is unlikely she got it that way. Hep B and A however can be contracted by food and yes, Naomi Judd does indeed have it!> ----- Original Message ----- > From: ~*Patty*~ > @y... > Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2002 9:09 AM> Subject: Re: Hepatitis C and silicone implants?> > > A silicone sister that recently stayed with me said she had contracted Hepatitis somehow, and she thinks it was from something she ate at a salad bar. She was severely affected by it. > > Didn't Naomi Judd also have Hepatitis and that is what caused her to stop touring? I am quite certain she has implants too.> > I don't know what connection there is, if any, but there is no doubt that it affects silicone sisters in a terrible way.> Patty> ----- Original Message ----- > From: Bos@a... > @y... > Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2002 8:00 AM> Subject: Re: Hepatitis C and silicone implants?> > > I'm guessing that Hep C must show a lot of the same > symptoms as silicone-induced disease or that > it makes one more vulvernable to silicone-induced disease, > but I don't believe they are directly related. . .I think is > absolutely correct about the sharing of needles, but maybe > sex plays a bigger part, as I was never questioned about > needles or drugs. > > I say this because Hepatitis (all forms of it) was eliminated > by testing, as a cause of my problems when presented. > When I questioned the physician--as I thought silicone caused > it--I was told that it was part of the differential diagnosis. > > There is probably a lot of implant info among celebrities that > would be beneficial to us (publicly and personally) but unless > something is visually obvious to the public, most celebrity > agents do not advise revelation as they are afraid it will > hurt careers. If you follow some of the older celebrities you > can pretty well guess who is having or has had a bout with > a level of siliconosis. > > Bonnie > > > >

August 30, 2002

Hi e,

I want to thank you, once again, for always being there and providing all the women with such excellent information in such a professional manner and using 'lay terminology we can all understand. You are indeed a great asset for all of us, in this BI issue!

We are most greatful for your knowledge and your willingness to always take the time to help others!

Blessings,

MM

Martha Murdock, DirectorNational Silicone Implant Foundation | Dallas Headquarters"Supporting Survivors of Medical Implant Devices"4416 Willow LaneDallas, TX 75244-7537