Kate's Breast Implant Story

Growing Up

“I feel so sorry for Kate.  She’s cute but soooo flat.  I’d want to die if I was that flat!”  Those were words uttered from my best friend on her 13th birthday party sleepover.  Curled up in my sleeping bag, I was almost asleep when I heard my friend gossiping to the other girls.  Laughter and giggles echoed throughout the room as I lay with my eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.  Little did I know the impact that conversation would play on my self-image for years to come.  Listening to their every word about me, their perceptions of their own breasts and their feelings of inadequacy, for the first time I realized that breasts were a BIG deal!  Up until that point, at age 12, I don’t think I even realized I was flat-chested. 
Of course, while growing up there were other comments about my body.  I’ve always been very petite and thin, which in and of itself lent me a lot of attention.  Throughout high school and college, and even to this day I still hear comments of “Wow, you are soooo tiny!”   I think somehow in my mind, the emphasis others placed on my body caused me to suddenly and overly scrutinize it as well.  When I would look in the mirror, I was happy with myself except for one thing…I wanted big breasts!

Entering Adulthood

In college I dated quite a bit, worked hard in school and rarely thought about my breasts until the relationship of the moment would become intimate.  For some reason I would always think that because I was small-breasted, I was somehow disappointing the guy.  I never voiced this worry and none of my boyfriends ever complained about my “inadequacies”, yet in my mind I would wish for bigger breasts.  Shortly after my freshmen year of college I met the man of my dreams.  He seemed to adore me just the way I was, yet inside I still wanted a different body.

Adulthood With Implants

Marriage to this wonderful man followed along with two beautiful babies.  As my body changed with pregnancy, my breasts grew full making me feel more feminine and womanly than I had ever known.  Unfortunately, the womanly curves were fleeting.  After nursing two children, I was left with flat, saggy, asymmetrical breasts.  To some extent, it didn’t bother me because I was so wrapped up in my young children.  As they grew older and I began working out regularly, I noticed how deformed they appeared.  I worked out 4-5 days a week and was toned and sculpted everywhere except for my poor wrinkled chest.  More and more I thought about breast augmentation.  So in 2001 I researched the risks associated with surgery itself, the risks associated with saline implants and looked for the "right" plastic surgeon. Time and again I was told or read that saline implants are perfectly safe. My plastic surgeon told me repeatedly that there was no proof regarding a connection between autoimmune disease and implants and I wouldn't have to worry at all, especially with saline implants. I was told that in the unlikely event that they would rupture, pure harmless
saline would be absorbed into my body.  Little did I know that I hadn’t been told the truth.

The Problems Begin

Unfortunately, the surgery did not go as well as hoped. I developed a hematoma within hours after surgery and so they wheeled me back in
and put me under again. The weeks to follow involved some of the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced, even with pills and a
pain pump! I seriously thought I might die.  Two months later I was back to my normal routine and feeling great. Less than six months after surgery, I had my first symptom.  After each meal I began experiencing bloating.  I thought it was odd because I had never had this problem before and it was really becoming a nuisance.  I went to my gastroenterologist, asked him if it could be related to the implants and he said “No, absolutely not.”  He diagnosed me with irritable bowel syndrome and sent me on my way.  At my 6 month follow-up with my plastic surgeon, I mentioned the bloating, asking if it might have anything to do with the implants.  Again, he said no.  For 5 years I struggled with irritable bowel, yet felt very healthy.  It was only after eating that I would feel uncomfortable for a short period of time.  Over the years, however, the bloating became more severe, to the point I was bloating from foods I used to be able to tolerate. 

Getting Worse

In January of 2007, five years after implant, my body was rejecting everything I put in my mouth, including water.  No matter how healthy I ate, I couldn’t feel better.  I was beginning to feel vague flu-like symptoms with extreme exhaustion.  I was diagnosed with anemia and from there my health spiraled.  I began feeling dizzy, spacey and confused.  Six months earlier I ran the bleachers at a football field as part of my daily workout.  Now, I could barely climb the stairs in my home without my heart racing.  Even to walk across the room felt like I had run a marathon when I was used to running 3-5 miles a day.  I didn’t understand it.  I was a woman who prided herself in taking care of her health, eating nutritiously and working out.  How could I be so horribly ill?
My symptoms seemed so much greater than just anemia yet no one could pinpoint it.  I knew something was wrong but I didn’t realize the severity until I suddenly lost my vision!  While in the grocery store, out of nowhere I felt a strange sensation in my head, and suddenly lost all peripheral vision.  I can’t explain the fear I experienced in that moment.  It was as if I was looking through tiny binoculars and the world had changed.  I called my husband, hysterical.  Over the next few months, I saw numerous optic neurologists, none of them able to understand for sure what may have happened.  I had every excruciating vision test imaginable and all came back normal except for high intraocular pressure.  A few ophthalmologists suggested toxicity of some sort but they ruled it out based on the area of vision I lost and the fact that my gait was steady.  They told me my eyes were normal, yet I couldn’t see!  My vision was declining so rapidly that I began making arrangements through a home for blind women.
As my vision deteriorated, so did my brain.  I had recently graduated at the top of my class with a Master’s degree, yet I was having trouble remembering words, people’s names or where I was.  Sometimes I would forget that I had to pick up my children from school or I would have to remind myself step-by-step how to wash my hands or iron a shirt.  The fear was like nothing I have ever experienced.  At age 38 I knew first-hand what it was like to feel disabled.
My neurologist suspected multiple sclerosis due to my vision loss and brain symptoms.  However, my blood work and MRI all came back normal.  Doctor after doctor couldn’t tell me what was wrong.  When I would mention the implants they would all dismiss it saying implants are safe. Within four months I went from an energetic woman with a master's degree and wonderful job, to a woman who could barely dress herself or care for her kids.

The Light Went On

Because the medical community couldn’t help me, I realized it was up to me to find out what was wrong.  My gut told me the root source of my illness was implants because my first symptom occurred after implant.  When I came across the website http://www.humanticsfoundation.com/Patty.html I broke down in tears.  I knew without a doubt my illness was directly related to my implants, as I had the same symptoms as the woman on the site.  Sobbing, I was relieved to know what was wrong, relieved to know that someone understood, and scared out of my mind that I was going to require surgery. 
As I continued my search for information, I learned many things.  My intestinal problems were indeed due to the implants.  Based on what I learned from other women with implant illness and my explanting plastic surgeon, we all have fungus and yeast in our bodies.  Because my valves were defective (a common occurrence), the yeast migrates up into the implant where it has the perfect environment to breed. It then flows back through the defective valve, invading the body. Fungus was causing my bloating and the implants were the factories that were mass producing it!  I have learned as well, that even if you don’t have defective valves, an implanted woman is still at risk for systemic fungal infections.  Implants contain heavy metals and neurotoxins which in turn cause an overgrowth of harmful bacteria and yeast, leading to illness in several bodily systems.  Besides losing my vision, my cognition, my soul and my energy, I also became postmenopausal at the age of 38. Implants wreak havoc on the endocrine system and are responsible for increasing the cancerous form of estrogen.  You can't imagine the feeling of knowing these carcinogenic pathogens are circulating inside your body.  I needed my implants out!!

My Symptoms

-Bloating
-Numbness and tingling in my extremities
-Pain radiating from my chest down my left arm
-Extreme hypersensitivity to sounds and smells
-Debilitating fatigue
-Swollen lymph nodes
-Flu-like symptoms
-Nerve pain through my entire body
-Brain Fog/spaciness/zoning out/confusion
-Extreme Malaise
-Unable to concentrate and learn new things
-Hair loss
-Dry eyes and mouth
-Visual disturbances/loss of peripheral and central vision/high intraocular pressure/blurry vision/erratic vision/slowed eye movement/eye pain
-Muscle pain
-Heart palpitations
-Muscle Twitching
-Cold hands and feet
-Low blood pressure
-Low body temperature
-Irritable bowel syndrome
-Ovary pain and fibroid cysts
-Dizziness and feelings of room spinning
-Headaches
-Excessive urination
-High level of toluene and benzene in urine
-Heavy metals in hair and urine

Finding Help

I took the information I found to my implanting plastic surgeon, telling him I wanted removal. He said my symptoms couldn’t be related and refused to explant without replacement.  This was actually a blessing in disguise, because proper removal is critical to regaining health.  Most surgeons do not know what a proper removal entails.  I continued researching and found www.plastikos.com where I was connected with Dr. Susan Kolb, a holistic plastic surgeon.  I called her office, described my symptoms and was told I had classic symptoms of implant illness.  In April of 2007 I went to Dr. Kolb 9 hours away.  She removed my implants, scraped enormous amounts of fungus from my chest wall and sent the implants for testing. The lab report came back saying my valves were defective and my left implant had degraded, as all implants do over time.

The Aftermath

I have been explanted for 9 months and have literally cried every
day for the first 7 months.  It has been a living hell minute by minute feeling the pain, the malaise, the brain fog and loss of vision. My life has changed from being full of family, friends, work and fun to a life where I am lucky if I have enough energy to get to the grocery store. I don’t even recognize myself when I look in the mirror.  My poor husband and children have suffered immeasurably in their own ways due to something so ridiculous as fake breasts!  My husband has lost his wife and partner and has had to make up for what I can’t do in the house.  My kids no longer have the mother who’s always smiling and involved in all of their activities.  I have spent over $70,000 in diagnostic tests, treatments, detoxing, supplements and organic food.  Don't think for a minute that your surgery won't affect others.  It has caused extreme worry and sadness for all my relatives as well.
While my vision is slowly improving due to my vigilance in regaining my health, it is work like I have never known.  My day to day life consists of waking without feeling refreshed and spending the day preparing organic juices, taking 50 pills a day and detoxing in ways that I never ever imagined.  It may sound like no big deal, but when you have such fatigue that it hurts to get out of bed, everything takes four times as long.  I have lost pleasure on all levels as I am very limited as to what I can eat, where I can go, what I can drink and what I can do.  Implants took away my pleasure and freedom in every facet of my life.  It has affected me physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, occupationally and financially. 

The List of Supplements that I have taken in an effort to return to health

My Treatments

My Testing

Multiple total blood counts, tissue tranglutaminase IGA/IGG, endomysial Antibody, anti-nuclear antibody, rheumatoid factor, renal, WBC counts, human chorionic gonadotropin, food allergies, environmental pollutants, heavy metals, adrenals, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, c-reactive protein, basic metabolic panels, helicobacter pylori, liver function panels,  creatinine, potassium, glucose, serum, lipid panels, .cortisol, Infectious Disease Panel, Food Allergy Blood Panel, Organic Acid Urine Analysis, Endocrine Blood Panel including thyroid, Thyroid Antibodies Test, DMSA Urine Challenge.

Intestinal biopsy, endoscopy, X-rays of stomach, Comprehensive Stool Analysis, Lactose Intolerance test, Fructose Intolerance test, Bacterial Overgrowth Breath test, Multiple Sonograms of ovaries, Saliva Adrenal/Cortisol Test, Toxic Elements Hair Analysis
ERG and VEP eye exams, Eye ultrasound, Retina angiogram, MRI of brain.

Acceptance

It is so incredibly heartbreaking and painful that it takes an experience like this to make me realize what a great body I had.  I had a strong, healthy body that had a well-functioning brain, eyes that worked the way they were meant to, blood that was pure and clean, strong muscles that allowed me to do everything I desired, and a spirit and energy that others described as contagious.  I had eyes that sparkled and a smile than shined.  I took for granted all that had been given to me freely and tried to change it to what I perceived as “better”.  I was so naïve to think fake breasts would somehow make me more “attractive”!  Physically it has made me far worse than I ever imagined.  Spiritually and emotionally though, I am seeing the light. 
Over these last several months, I have engaged in soul-searching like never before.  I am determined to turn this nightmare into a gift.  I have learned that instead of accepting myself fully, I got caught up in the drive for perfection, allowing others’ comments and the media to influence my view of myself.  What I needed was not fake breasts…I needed my OWN approval and love for ME.  I thought I was a very confident woman as I indeed gave off that appearance.  Deep down however, I now realize it was somewhat of a façade.  I believe any woman who would actually allow someone to take a knife, rip them open and sew plastic bags into them, is lacking self-kindness and love.  Had I loved myself, I would have never contemplated such risks for even a second.  My breasts were not exactly what I wanted, but so what!  They provided nourishment to two healthy babies. That, in and of itself, is far more beautiful and serving than round, plastic, deadly breasts. 

My Words of Advice

My motive for sharing my story is that I don’t want anyone to make the same treacherous mistake as I.  I was your average upper-middle class woman who had a very full and wonderful life.  My recommendations come from the bottom of my heart.

For those of you contemplating breast augmentation, I encourage you to examine the real reasons you are considering such a dangerous procedure.  I urge you to check out http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SalineSupport/ and talk with women who have become ill from implants.  They are your average girl/woman next door who was researching breast augmentation like you.  Unfortunately they didn’t realize that many pro-implant sites are managed by plastic surgery centers and implant manufacturers.  They thought the risks were low and that it could never happen to them, as that is what the doctors want you to believe.    

For those of you who currently have implants, don’t make the same mistake as I, living under the illusion of good health.  I felt healthy for 5 years and then suddenly and quite rapidly, the toll of the carcinogenic and neurotoxic chemicals from implants caught up with me.  You never know when the illness strikes, for some it’s immediate and for others it’s 5 years or more.  From the moment those “safe” implants were placed in you, 35 poisonous chemicals were also along for the ride.  Do your body a favor before it’s too late. 

Blog      Contact Us      References

www.truthaboutbreastimplants.com © 2008