“An Individual Decision”

I had silicone breast implants when I was 29, in 1984.

For years I had been self-conscious, because of extremely uneven, tubular breasts. The surgery went well and I had no cpomplications. I loved the way I could feel comfortable in clothes, and was no longer self-conscious.

Fifteen years later, I had a mammogram. After that, I developed rashes that itched and never went away. Within another five years I had become completely disabled, and after many trips to specialists and dozens of lab tests, I was definitively diagnosed with SLE and MS. In 2004, I had the badly ruptured implants removed. Within a year, I was working again. My lab tests are now normal, but I still take medication for SLE, although I have stopped Avonex for MS.

Those are the facts. Is there a correlation between these medical problems and the implants? It is my considered opinion that there is. I can't prove it.
And I dont know for sure.

I am aware of the IOM reports, but am also aware of the charges of bias in pharmaceutical-funded research, for example. We all know now how well "market works" without regulation or where the regulators financially benefit from the industries regulated.

Has this also colored the research with breast implants ? And if so, to what degree?

In 1984, I was far younger and far more naive than I am now. Knowing what I know now, I probably would not have the surgery.

Any surgery carries with it certain risks. Obviously, one should consider the benefits v. the known risks- and also the "anecdotal" risks, especially when the considered surgery is cosmetic.

How much have I spent on the surgery? Depends on whether or not you count explant (removal). With removal, probably $20,000. Even without complications, implants have to be removed and replaced every 10 years, on average. They do not last forever.

I did not have mine replaced. The risks just did not seem worth it to me now.