getting ready for explant

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

Just want to check in with you. I want to

thank everyone for your kindness in replying to me. There’s so many

emails and I sometimes get confused about whose who, who said what, etc.

Hopefully my brain will function to a fuller capacity after explant.

Well, it’s just over three weeks

until the surgery. I look forward to getting this done once and for all. I am

terrified of this whole surgery experience though. I am confident that I will

come out okay.. but my

daughter scared the heck out of me the other day.. she

said she had a dream that I died and that Daddy couldn’t handle it. Uggghhhh.

If she only knew what was about to happen in three weeks… sheeesh.

Hopefully the dream was just some fear

thing in her because she probably senses that something is gravely wrong.

I wish I could be knocked out before they

start the IV… I can’t even handle that part. I already know what’s

going to happen. I’ll be this sobbing mess as I lay there on the table. I’ll

probably shake involuntarily from the fear. If I can just get through that.. I ‘ll

be okay.

I never thought this would be happening.

Believe it or not though, I asked for

this. I asked God, I prayed to God, Please, please

show me. Show me what is wrong with me, show me why I

am so sick so that I can do something. And, then, I had my prayer answered. And

here I am, I found you all.

Dawn

Dawn

[Guest guest]

Dawn, I would like to make a few suggestions. First of all, keep in mind that if you asked God to show you than you are doing the right thing. Secondly, ask your doctor if he can give you something like xanax for instance to help you stay calm before the surgery. And thirdly, I can tell you that compared to the implants surgery the explant was a breeze and I know this has been the experience of many of the women on this group. And best of all, with the implants out you can begin your journey to health. It won't happen as long as you have your implants. (I know you know this already) Love, Anita getting ready for explant Hi Everyone, Just want to check in with you. I want to thank everyone for your kindness in replying to me. There’s so many emails and I sometimes get confused about whose who, who said what, etc. Hopefully my brain will function to a fuller capacity after explant. Well, it’s just over three weeks until the surgery. I look forward to getting this done once and for all. I am terrified of this whole surgery experience though. I am confident that I will come out okay.. but my daughter scared the heck out of me the other day.. she said she had a dream that I died and that Daddy couldn’t handle it. Uggghhhh. If she only knew what was about to happen in three weeks… sheeesh. Hopefully the dream was just some fear thing in her because she probably senses that something is gravely wrong. I wish I could be knocked out before they start the IV… I can’t even handle that part. I already know what’s going to happen. I’ll be this sobbing mess as I lay there on the table. I’ll probably shake involuntarily from the fear. If I can just get through that.. I ‘ll be okay. I never thought this would be happening. Believe it or not though, I asked for this. I asked God, I prayed to God, Please, please show me. Show me what is wrong with me, show me why I am so sick so that I can do something. And, then, I had my prayer answered. And here I am, I found you all. Dawn Dawn Opinions expressed are NOT meant to take the place of advice given by licensed health care professionals. Consult your physician or licensed health care professional before commencing any medical treatment. "Do not let either the medical authorities or the politicians mislead you. Find out what the facts are, and make your own decisions about how to live a happy life and how to work for a better world." - Linus ing, two-time Nobel Prize Winner (1954, Chemistry; 1963, Peace)

[Guest guest]

Dawn,

Please share your fears with your doctor. I'm sure he

can give you something to help you relax before going

to surgery.

This will soon be behind you and you'll be on your way

to getting better!

Love,

Rogene

[Guest guest]

MissesDay ~

Congrats on your nearing surgery ! !

As far as your daughter is concerned, you are having

a reduction. The large breasts are heavy causing

stress on your neck and shoulders and back......

Below is explanation on the scar cap removal........

http://www.info-implants.com/pierre.html

Dr Pierre Blias on Residual Capsule

Residual Capsule and Intercapsular Debris As Long Term Risk Factors.

Contamination of the space between the capsule and the implants by micro- organisms, silicone oils, degradation products and gel impurities constitutes a major problem which potentiates the risk of implants. Such problems include inflammation, infection, deposition of mineral debris, as well as certain auto-immune phenomena. These problems can be present when implants are in situ (in the body) and are often attributable to the implant. The logical expectation is that, upon removal of the implants, adverse effects will cease. This is an unjustifiably optimistic view. It is well documented from case histories that removal and or replacement of implants without exhaustive debridement of the prosthetic site leads to failure and post surgical complications.

Plastic surgery procedures tend to favor speed and immediate cosmetic results. For these reasons, leaving or "reusing" tissue from an existing capsule may seem more "gratifying" However, adverse effects resulting from the practice are widespread but have not been well documented. Typically, patients who require removal of faulty implants and undergo immediate re-implantation in the same prosthetic site habitually relapse with the same problem which motivated the previous surgery; the most common example is exchange of implants and/or sectorizing or bisecting the capsule without removing it completely.

Such patients rarely achieve a significant capsular correction and habitually return for more similar surgery. A more illustrative situation is that where patients do not receive replacement implants. They form the basis of knowledge for evaluating the risks that arise from remaining capsules. An example is described in a paper published in 1993 (Copeland, M., Kessel, A., Spiera, H., Hermann, G., Bleiweiss, I. J.; Systemic Inflammatory Disorder Related To Fibrous Breast Capsules After Silicone Implant Removal; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: 92 (6), 1179-1181, 1993): reported problems derived primarily from immune phenomena and inflammatory syndromes with pain, swelling, serologic abnormaladies and alarming radiologic presentation.

Numerous similar cases have been noted amongst implant patients but have not been theobject of publications. Some are cited in FDA Reaction Reports. Others appear in theU.S. Pharmacopoeia Reporting Programs.

A residual capsule is not a stable entity. It may collapse upon completion of surgery and remain asymptomatic for some time, however, it will fill with extracellular fluid and remain as a fluid-filled space with added blood and prosthetic debris. As the wall matures and the breast remodels to accommodate the loss of the prostheses, the capsular tissue shrinks. Water as well as electrolytes are expelled gradually from the pocket or else the mixture is concentrated from leakage of water from the semi-permeable capsular membrane wall.

In most cases, calcium salts precipitate during that stage and may render the capsule visible as a radiodense and speckled zone in radiographic projections. Prosthetic debris is also radiodense and may be imaged to further complicate the presentation. The average size of the residual capsules after 6-12 months is in the 2-7 cm range: most are compact, comparatively small and dense. Surgical removal should present no difficulty for most patients if adequate radiographic information is available.

Later stages of maturation include the thickening of the capsule wall, sometimes reaching 0.5-1cm. Compression of the debris into a cluster of nodules which actually become calcified follows for some patients. A few mimic malignancies. Others appear as small "prostheses" during mammographic studies. They are alarming to onocologists and are habitually signalled for further studies or biopsies by oncologic radiologists.

In light of the present knowledge and considering the probable content of the residual closed capsules, an open or needle biopsy is not advisable. The risks of releasing significant amounts of hazardous contamination and possibly spreading infective entities outweighs the advantage of the diagnostic. At any rate, such a capsule requires removal for mitigation of symptoms and a more direct surgical approach appears more economical and less risky.

In summary, a capsule with a dense fibro-collagenous wall behaves as a bioreactor. Worse yet, it is fitted with a semi-permeable wall that may periodically open to release its content to the breast. The probability of finding the space colonized with atypical micro-organisms is elevated and the control of infective processes by classic pharmacologic approaches is difficult if not impossible.

Such closed capsular spaces may be comparable to "artificial organs" of unpredictable functions. Their behavior will depend on the content and the age of the structure, its maturity and the history of the patient. There is a high probability that these capsules will continue to evolve for many years, adding more layers of fibro-collagenous tissue and possibly granulomatous material. If bacterial entities are present within the capsule space, they can culminate in large breast abscesses with will resist conservative treatments.

Even with less active capsules containing mostly oily and calcitic debris, the thickening of the wall leads eventually to solid "tumor-like structures" and are, by themselves, alarming on auscultation and self examination. At best, such structures are unique environments for protein denaturation and aberrant biochemical reactions with unknown long term consequences.

Pierre Blais, Ph.D.

Innoval 496 Westminster Ave.

Ottawa, Ontario

Canada KeA 2V1

Phone: (613) 728-8688

Fax: (613) 728-0687

Pierre Blais, PhD received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in physical-organic polymer chemistry from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and a Post-doctorate Fellowship in biomaterials engineering at Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1976 he became one of the first scientists to join the medical devices and radiological health program of the Department of Health and Welfare in Canada. He left the department in 1989 as Senior Scientific Advisor and formed Innoval Consultants, a firm engaged in the design, testing and failure analysis of high risk medical systems. He has authored over 250 publications on medical materials and their interactions with living tissues.

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[Guest guest]

Hi, and congratulations on your upcoming surgery!

I know you can't wait to start feeling better...it will be all over

soon!

Here's why you need the capsule removed:

Your immune system is more than likely reacting to something associated

with your implants. It could be the silicone, the chemicals, a

bacterial situation inside the capsules, a fungal situation inside the

capsules or something else...exactly what, we don't know. The scar

tissue is in contact with the implant, and as the implant has existed

inside you, it has slowly broken down into silicone degradation

products, oils, and more......in essence, the scar tissue will contain

remnants of that implant presence...a remnant of what is making you

sick.

The goal of removing the implants is to allow you to get better. The

best chance you will have to get better is to ensure that ALL

associations from the implant are gone, so that the immune system does

not continue to respond. The relative you have may be correct in saying

that removing the scar tissue makes for a more difficult surgery and

that is why most PS's don't like to do it. But when it comes to taking

chances with your health--your two chances are " getting better " or " not

getting better " -- do you really want to risk not getting better by

leaving the scar tissue in? This is serious enough that you don't want

to take any chances...you get the implants and scar tissue out so that

you have peace of mind in knowing that everything is GONE and that your

body can have its best chance to get better.

Dr. Pierre Blais has written an excellent article that addresses the

issues of residual scar capsules and the long term risks. I would

suggest you read it...Dede has sent it....and then make sure that your

PS follows your request to remove all scar tissue. Don't compromise on

this issue. We have known women who have had to go back and have

additional surgeries because their PS lied to them and did not remove

all the scar tissue like they said they would. This has happened so

often that we urge extra caution in making sure your PS listens to you.

And that is why we have our list of recommended surgeons as well. We

are confident that our top 3 (Feng, Kolb, and Huang) will do exactly

what is needed.

I think Dede gave you some very good advice for your daughter. I think

it is okay to suggest that breasts can make women sick though, as breast

cancer is a very real illness for so many, and in her lifetime, she is

going to understand eventually that women's breasts can be a source of

illness. I wouldn't make a big deal of it though...in time, you will be

able to explain it to her. My youngest kids were 3 and 7 when I had my

implants removed, and they didn't really notice, even though they were

both breast fed until about 2 1/2.

I wish you healing, and a successful surgery. You will be relieved when

it is over...then just let your body have the time it needs to find

balance again. It will take some time, but you will get there.

Patty

>

> I'm scheduled to have my saline implants removed on Feb. 17th, yeah!

> I've been sick for over a year and I can't wait to start feeling

> better. I need some advice about a couple issues:

> 1. Why is it important to have the scar tissue removed? I have no

> hardening or pain around my implants. My PS is willing to remove the

> scar tissue but she said it isn't necessary. I have a relative who

> was a RN for a PS and she said it makes it a much more difficult

> surgery with more painful recovery.

>

> 2. Any advice on what to say to my 5 year old daughter? She is a

> little infatuated with mommies big boobs and she is going to be

> confused and upset when they are much smaller. I don't want to give

> her the message that her breasts could make her sick if I tell her I'm

> making them smaller so I won't be sick anymore. Also, I don't want

> her to have false hope that I'll get better right away. This illness

> has been very difficult for both of my kids. I wonder if she's too

> young if I explain implants to her?

>