Re: Blood work and wondering if anyone had a faulty valve

[Guest guest]

Patty or anyone else, what type of doctor are people going to for all of your

blood work? I went to an infectious disease doc who knows nothing about all

this, and I don't expect to find someone in my area who does. This means

they don't know what to test for, and I don't either. I was just curious

what type of a doc people are going to for this b/c the problem could be an

infection, a rhumatological pblm, an auto-immune problem, medal poisoning,

ect.

I also wonder if anyone out here had a faulty valve implant that never

closed- this can happen with saline, although the literature wrongly states

it would totally deflate. This seems to bring about a whole new set of

problems, and I haven't heard this mentioned.

Thanks for any info you might be able to offer.

[Guest guest]

There is a rheumatologist on the East Side--71st and Shadeland, by

the name of Neucks. He has seen a numer of silicone-afftected

women. He can run standard chemistries and any rheumatological

tests he feels you need.

Bonnie

[Guest guest]

Thank you Bonnie. Much appreciated. It seems so wierd to have someone who

lives in your area write back, wierd but great, I mean. Very nice to have

you out there.

Thanks.

[Guest guest]

He's the only rheumatologist I know of in Indianapolis

who has seen a lot of silicone-affected women and is

also sympathetic to that situation.

I have a wonderful ENT at Community North who knows

at least my case and is sympathetic also; I was already

involved with a lot of docs when I realized the silicone was

my problem (this was back in 92) He is the only one that

believed me--and found all manner of things. He's the one who referred me to Neucks.

And I have an eye surgeon if that ever comes around--had him

then and have him again now--now he believes me. He's with

that Midwest group at Methodist/96th and Penn. While you may

not need his services, he's highly regarded and has a lot of

clout.

Best wishes,

Bonnie

[Guest guest]

What is your name or nickname? Who should we respond to--duh?

[Guest guest]

Hi Indysurvivor,

This issue of the faulty valve was addressed around the time that our group got started in summer 2000. I posted parts of my letter that I got from Dr. Pierre Blais, who is a failed medical devices expert in Canada, and who has examined probably hundreds if not thousands of explanted silicone gel and saline implants.

Here is what he said about mine:

(1st letter)

" I refer to your letter of July 12, 2000 and our telephone conversation of the same day. Your implants were received on August 9th and have been examined. No destructive tests were performed.

Your implants are confirmed as McGhan/Inamed saline inflatable prostheses of Style 168. Both items are defectively manufactured and incorporate a serious valve defect. The defect causes the implant to become infested with micro-organisms which grow within the saline filling solution. Such problems are widely encountered within such prostheses and can have some serious consequences to users.

Nearly all implants of this kind, that I have examined, are contaminated. More than 60% incorporate the valve defect. Products from the McGhan/Inamed Corporation, inserted after 1984 but before 1993, are eligible for compensation under several breast implant Class Actions. However, in your case, there is as yet no Class Action and the devices are not comprised in MDL 926 (Global Settlement). Given the number of defective implants and the population of injured users, it is most probable that many individual and/or class actions will be launched against Inamed and related firms. In some quarters, such devices are believed to have been misrepresented to users.

(The rest of the letter goes on to state the various reports that can be ordered, their uses and range of costs, and how to go about ordering them. )"

(2nd letter)

The implants you received originated from a large defective batch of McGhan/Inamed saline inflatable prostheses of Style 168. Both items incorporate a serious valve defect. Both implants were grossly contaminated with at least one class of micro-organisms (mycobacteria). Having such implants in that condition would be approximately equivalent to bearing two large abscesses for more than a year.

The manufacturer of your implants (Inamed and precursor corporations) has been continuously embroiled in litigation surrounding faulty injurious imlplants and sharp business practices since its foundation in 1975.

A report can be prepared regarding injurious aspects of your implants. There would be no need to perform further analysis. The costs would be in the range of a "Modified ID Report".

Yours truly, P Blais, PhD, FCIC

Indy, I hope this helps give you some idea of what we are dealing with when it comes to the faulty valve. It appears to be very widespread and contributes to the risk of infection. It is hard to say if this valve defect has ever been addressed, as it appears to have been a part of the design flaw to begin with, according to Dr. Blais's testimony at the FDA hearings in March 2000.

(You can do a search in our message archives on "Blais" and you will see any and all letters in which he has been mentioned. Just make sure you keep hitting "next" to get the next batch of letters.)

Patty

----- Original Message -----

From: indysurvivor@...

Sent: Friday, August 30, 2002 7:43 PM

Subject: Re: Blood work and wondering if anyone had a faulty valve

Patty or anyone else, what type of doctor are people going to for all of your blood work? I went to an infectious disease doc who knows nothing about all this, and I don't expect to find someone in my area who does. This means they don't know what to test for, and I don't either. I was just curious what type of a doc people are going to for this b/c the problem could be an infection, a rhumatological pblm, an auto-immune problem, medal poisoning, ect. I also wonder if anyone out here had a faulty valve implant that never closed- this can happen with saline, although the literature wrongly states it would totally deflate. This seems to bring about a whole new set of problems, and I haven't heard this mentioned. Thanks for any info you might be able to offer.

[Guest guest]

Indy,

I saw a rheumatologist first after explant, and he was the one who tested for autoimmune conditions. Generally, rheumatologists are the experts on the immune system. But, you can feasibly go to several different kinds of docs, depending on your symptoms. If you are having neurological symptoms, of course you'd see a neurologist. But a toxicologist would also be a good choice, because toxins can cause neurological problems. It is hard to know where to start, but basically, I learned to go with the naturapathic docs over all the others, and then start looking for specialists by word of mouth, who understand the damaging effects of silicone implants. It is a difficult task, but with diligence you may be able to find someone in your area who is responsive to your needs as a patient. If not, the only other answer is to travel to those docs who are knowledgeable about silicone.

Patty

----- Original Message -----

From: indysurvivor@...

Sent: Friday, August 30, 2002 7:43 PM

Subject: Re: Blood work and wondering if anyone had a faulty valve

Patty or anyone else, what type of doctor are people going to for all of your blood work? I went to an infectious disease doc who knows nothing about all this, and I don't expect to find someone in my area who does. This means they don't know what to test for, and I don't either. I was just curious what type of a doc people are going to for this b/c the problem could be an infection, a rhumatological pblm, an auto-immune problem, medal poisoning, ect. I also wonder if anyone out here had a faulty valve implant that never closed- this can happen with saline, although the literature wrongly states it would totally deflate. This seems to bring about a whole new set of problems, and I haven't heard this mentioned. Thanks for any info you might be able to offer.

[Guest guest]

Our reports from Blais are very similar. Unbelievable, this whole thing.

Just unbelievable. Thank you very much for the time you took to respond.

Very much appreciated Patty.