Why Women Get Implants: Our Stories

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Why Women Get Implants: Our Stories

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Lisa G., Lansing, Michigan
I am 35-years old and have three children, all of whom I nursed. My
breasts went from a C-cup to an A-cup, and I looked to recover them by
getting saline implants after nursing my last child. For me, it was
about restoring the sense of sensuality I thought I had lost.

I felt educated and assured by my surgeon and by the information
posted by the FDA. I got my implants more than two years ago. Over
time, and then more rapidly last year, I became very ill. I felt as
though I had the flu everyday and keeping up with my family and daily
responsibilities was, with my exhaustion and joint pain, like fighting
a wind tunnel. I visited five doctors, all of whom leaned toward
auto-immune disorders, but did not like to label it as such. They put
me through very toxic treatments, including a form of chemotherapy.
They told me that my immune system was overactive, but as I don’t get
many viral infections, my immune system must have been attacking the
good areas of my body, which I began to believe was a sign of
rejection of something foreign in my body. I can honestly say I never
felt so sick in my life. I was going crazy because of the
misinterpretation of so many doctors. And not being able to keep up
with the daily demands of my family and my life, which was slipping
out from underneath me, left me psychologically depressed.

Each doctor I consulted dismissed my implants as a possible reason for
my sickness because I had no breast pain and, at least externally, I
had great surgical results. They told me there is not medical evidence
of problems with saline implants. Finally, I started researching on my
own and came across so much testimony - unfortunately not from
doctors, but from women who had symptoms that matched mine
identically. It was then I decided to have my implants removed, as my
health is worth more than any level of vanity. I desperately wanted my
life back.

I went back to the plastic surgeon who had originally put them in and
she was very emotionally supportive of my decision. Today, I am still
somewhat symptomatic, but have to say I see improvement on many of the
symptoms that once overtook me on a daily basis. I am smiling again. I
am laughing again. I am enjoying my family, and most of all, I love my
body and I have no regrets. I have made it a priority to educate women
about this product I thought could make me feel so good but ended up
making me so sick. If I had known the risks, I would have never have
had the implants.

[ No Comments ] Posted on 07.26.07 under Why Women Get Implants: Our
Stories


Brenda B., Alberta, Canada
I got my silicone gel breast implants in 1991. After nursing my
children, I was left with nothing. The smallest bra didn’t fit. The
smallest padded bra didn’t fit.

I went to a plastic surgeon to find out about getting breast implants.
Never heard of silicone before, wanted saline. He talked me into
silicone. Said they were safer than saline and would last a lifetime,
only if I was in a car accident would they rupture. So, of course I
would believe him, he is the professional.

One year later I started to experience joint pain in my upper
mid-back. I’d always kept fit and led a very healthy life style. Went
to several doctors and specialists. Could never find out what was
causing this pain. I went for years in pain. Told it was all in my
head. Stopped going to doctors for a while, tried to deal with the
pain. The pain started to spread, causing terrible chronic headaches.
Had a hard time breathing sometimes. My body wouldn’t tolerate
medication. Back to the doctors and specialists, asking if maybe it
could be my implants causing all of this. Every single one said no. I
went for an ultra sound. It didn’t show any leaking. So, of course
then I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain. I was even
sent to retrain my brain to tell me there is no pain. I did every
alternative medicine you can think of. I spent so much money on trying
to get well.

Finally I went to get yet another ultra sound done. This time it
showed a lot of leakage in one breast and some in the other. Then I
was told I had to get the implants removed right away and that Alberta
Health Care would pay for the removal. Now you tell me: If Alberta
Health Care was paying and I had to get them removed right away,
shouldn’t implants be considered a HEALTH RISK?

So back to a plastic surgeon, who still tried to talk me into
silicone, that he didn’t think that the silicone was causing my pain.
I just wanted them out. My operation was Jan 25. They had to scrape
the silicone from the chest wall and breast. It turned out that the
other one wasn’t leaking.

Through a lot of thought and more research and pictures of the
deformities after implant removal and what I would look like after, I
decided to replace the silicone with saline, hoping that saline was a
healthy choice. A very hard decision on my part — I was so afraid of
being deformed. My husband has been very supportive. It was up to me,
he would love me no matter what.

I am not huge, 34B. The reason I had wanted them in the first place
was self-esteem, to fit clothes and most of all fit a bra, a padded
one even, but in the early 90’s, the smallest padded bra didn’t fit. I
felt deformed then. I am a very petite woman — 5 ft. 2 ins. and weigh
114 lbs. My rib cage is 26 inches. So you see, when I lost every thing
after breastfeeding, I was very discouraged. Finding a bra was
impossible at that time, but now I look at all the bras out there for
so many different sizes, and it makes me sick that I had this
procedure done in the first place. For I would rather be flat than
deformed. So being 46-years old, I felt that my choice was to replace
them.

How am I feeling? Well, not as sick as I was, but still suffer chronic
headaches. Which, I am still told has nothing to do with the implants.
Maybe when I’m in my 60’s, I will be ready to be deformed and make the
decision to have them removed, period.

What I would like to say to anyone who is deciding to get implants….
don’t do it! If only I had been told they are not safe and that they
don’t last, honestly, I would have never had them done in the first
place. Also wouldn’t have had to make the decision whether to look
concave or not, after the fact. I would have just stayed flat and
healthy and wearing all the new bras they have on the market now. If I
only I could have gone back to the way I was, I would have not
replaced them.

But to be concave like what I saw, it was so scary.

[ No Comments ] Posted on 07.26.07 under Why Women Get Implants: Our
Stories


Terri Lenee Peake, New York, New York
I am a former Penthouse centerfold. I got implants because Penthouse
paid for them, and it seemed to be a requirement for the job. I
already had naturally large breasts, so being told that I should get
implants was a little strange, but my large Double D breasts had
sagged at 25 and when you test shoot for a centerfold they want those
breasts perkier. When Penthouse advanced me the money for the surgery
before I even shot the centerfold, I knew I was going to get in the
magazine.

I knew a surgeon in Beverly Hills with the reputation of being one of
the best. He told me saline implants were just saline and salt water,
so if they ever leaked it would just be like salt water in my body and
perfectly safe, because only the silicone was harmful. I didn’t find
out until 20 years later from the pathologist report after I had them
removed that I was positive for silicone in the breast tissue.

I was shocked. I had expressly never wanted silicone, but found out I
had been given double bilumen, which is part silicone and part saline.
And all implants have silicone shells that expire and need to be
replaced after 10 years. Mine were 20-years old, and one had hardly
any fluid still left in it. The other had hardened 18 years ago, which
turned out to be capsular contrapture. When I had gone back to the
surgeon after the hardening first appeared, he literally got on top of
me on the table in his office and used his hands to try to pop it.
When that didn’t work he said that it was just scar tissue and not to
worry about it.

I had been told breast implants were safe, but I got sick. Going to
all those consultations, finally discovering that I had to have the
implants taken out, and being told I would be deformed – I heard the
word “gutted” – was frightening. I finally found a surgeon who
reassured me that I wouldn’t be disfigured. The implants came out in
2004. I then had the residual capsule removed in 2005 on the left
side, so I have additional scar on the left on top of my left areola.
Luckily, maybe because my breasts have always been large, the breast
tissue has filled back out. As a matter of fact, when I went for a
breast ultra sound recently because my breasts were very tender which
I thought could be additional problems, the doctor told me that, while
there might be duct issues, it was also like going through puberty all
over again because the breast tissue is so new.

[ 1 Comment ] Posted on 07.26.07 under Why Women Get Implants: Our
Stories


Julie B., Louisiana
My name is Julie. I am 53-years old. I was in my early thirties when
told about my breast condition. Actually, at that time, I was employed
as a nurse by an outpatient ambulatory hospital. We performed all
kinds of surgeries every day, including plastic surgery.

One Friday afternoon, the director decided all the nurses needed to go
to the Breast Center in our building for a mammogram. Afterwards, one
of the surgeons and the anesthesiologist came to me with tears in
their eyes, saying, “Julie, you have a very large mass in your right
breast. Looks just like cancer.” I was horrified and shocked. “You
need surgery immediately, like right now,” they said.

They explained to me the mass was so large that it consumed almost my
entire breast. I could not talk, think or move. No other options were
given to me. I worked with these doctors and trusted them. Breast
cancer is very prominent in my family. I had lost my aunt, two cousins
and grandmother. So, the following Monday, the surgery was performed
and silicone implants were inserted on both sides. I did not want the
surgery, but thought no other choices were available. This was in the
eighties, and quite honestly, I had never heard anything negative
about silicone. I worked around it all day.

For one year after that surgery, I experienced horrible pain and was
sick all the time. So, my doctor and a second-opinion doctor did more
tests, after which they said I needed a subcutaneous mastectomy, the
cancer lesions were on the other side. No other options were given.
So, I had the surgery, which was major because of my weakened
condition due to the cancer and my previous surgery the year before. I
never returned to work as a nurse because of the pain, weakness and
all kinds of other illnesses.

In 1994, I moved to Seattle where I was diagnosed with silicone
poisoning. The silicone implants came out, replaced with saline
implants. I contracted a staph infection post op, but my doc refused
to take the implants out to treat it, because he did not want me to
know he had neglected to remove a growth behind the implant, which
ended up being full of silicone and staphylococcus. I found out about
it a week later from another plastic surgeon who saved my life. He
dissected this capsule for 10 hours, but could only remove 75 percent
of it, leaving the other 25 percent to just filter through my body. He
removed my breasts and informed me of his findings. The debilitation
of my body increased.

I have had at least six breast surgeries, thoracic outlet surgery, and
eight other major surgeries. My husband left me. I could not work,
sold everything to make ends meet and engaged in unending battles with
the Social Security Office. I am in the process of detoxifying my body
of bio toxins, including silicone, mold, mildew, fungus, candida, etc.
My last operation was in May, by a plastic surgeon who had had
silicone implants and almost died. Along with the silicone and other
toxic waste, she removed my lymph nodes, another capsule, and part of
a silicone implant from my chest wall. Detoxing my body will take a
long time.

My point is, breast cancer in itself is terrifying and horrible. But,
silicone and biotoxins ripping through my body, wreaking havoc on my
immune system, is much more traumatic because the diseases continue
and the surgery ongoing. Thanks to all of the research and alternative
ways of treatment today, women have choices. I was not informed of
other choices. My surgeries were based on fear, which caused the
inability to think clearly. Please research and study the detrimental
effects of silicone.