Subject:  research has revealed what went wrong with my implants



I was explanted on Jan 19 of this year.  I sent the implants to Dr.
Blais.  The pocket surrounding them was sent to a local lab.  The lab
took a long time forwarding the capsules.  I phoned the lab and found
out that a test had been ordered on the capsules which required a
60-day culture.  I was surprised because my explanting doctor never
told me any results from the lab.  When they finally forwarded them to
Dr. Blais, he discovered that while my implants had not broken and
probably had not leaked, the capsules showed evidence of an
extraordinary organism, which would cause infection.  His
explanation---when I had my mastectomy in 1995,  I was given immediate
reconstruction using "expanders".  Those expanders have a port in
which saline is introduced by a needle, until expansion of the implant
is complete.  The process was very painful, and at the end, I had 2
huge hard balls on my chest...actually closer to under my neck!  Dr.
Blais thinks that the organism may have been introduced when I was
injected with saline 5 times before getting to be the size that I
wanted to be.  But the catch---when these temporary implants were
replaced by permanent ones, the surgeon never removed that original
capsule that had grown for almost 6 months!

It is now accepted as "standard of care" to have these capsules
removed before new implants are put in place...then it was pretty much
up to the surgeon!  So, for the past 3 years I have been in increasing
pain in my lower joints, have difficulty walking, have a brace on my
leg, walk with a cane...had brain fog, such dry, cracked skin that
peeled and flaked, etc, etc, and all because I had hoped implants
would restore what I had lost to cancer.  Another issue was the
simultaneous expansion process with chemotherapy.  Since my immune
system was already compromised by cancer, it was probably very hard
for me to ward off other infections.  Now, the question is...what do I
do with all this information?  In many ways life will never be the
same...cancer tried to destroy me and the implants took away what was
left.  WHAT PRICE VANITY?

Jeanne