Breast Implants: Stories

Wow, Share PHX AZ. I had saline explanted Monday after 22 years. I had a faulty valve and I had all the same symptoms as you that popped up suddenly in the last two years. ..All my labs came back normal and my endo thought that perhaps it was borderline hypothyroidism since my labs were in normal range but i had all the symptoms. scary stuff. i just wish someone told me when i put them in so i could make my own informed decision but because of women like you i made and informed decision to take out and not replace them. I stopped having muscle twitches already and no more breast pain already a plus in a week.. thanks for sharing.. smoking was considered safe by the public for a long time. I just think its only fair to share the negative outcomes and possibilities too and then let women make the choice they feel is right for them. BTW, I never had a problem until i could visibly see it deflating about 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your story and the further details. I actually had implants about 14 yrs ago. Saline. I had thought about replacing them during my tummy tuck but had decided against it since they were not giving me any trouble (that I know of) and decided to leave well enough alone. I think if one ever deflates and I have to do something I will replace with saline again and avoid silicone. I know your problem was with saline but silicone presents it's own problems so saline seems like the lesser of the two evils.

I do kind of wish I had never done it in the fist place. I was 25 and really didn't think much about it. But now I have kids and don't really want to have to under go additional surgeries. I am sure you have read about this new, possible cancer scare with implants (although rare)..ALCS or something like that. Read about it while researching the mold issue and it scared the shit out of me. Although rare, still, just another potential problem that could be out there. :(

I do hope you get better.

It was sent off to Canada because the pathologist here do not test for fungus and mold inside implants... they just want to test for cancer....And I went to Atlanta because there are very few doctors who can actually have the implants removed properly...if they are not removed properly you can get sicker if they cut into the scar tissue around the implant or drain the implant why it is still inside your body..yes I live in Arizona and spent over $36,000 grand to try and get better because allopathic doctors do not belive nor ar ethey taught that implants can make women sick... And yes I can most definitely prove fungus and mold was growing in my implant....have the $400 report to prove it but going to court to fight this takes alot more than proof...it takes money...And in regards to posting on here so the docs can give their repsonses? How can a PS give a response to something they no nothing about? They are trained by the Pharmaceutical companies so they only know what they are taught by the very people who do sell the implants...so quite honestly...I don't care what they have to say. I have spoken to my doctors who are not influenced by the likes of Allerghan. If you want unbiased information from doctors who are not influenced by 'Big Pharma" Look it up...Dr. Melmed out of Dallas, Tx who no longer implants, Dr. Kolb out of Atlanta, of whom the medical community definitely does not like,and Dr. Huang out of Cleveland Ohio, who just took out the implants of an Arizona State Attorney who had a masectomy, replaced her implants with silicone gel and 1.5 years later,after implantation, her feet turned black form fungus, and she is losing her eyesight......so regardless of what the doctors have to say...I would actually ask the women who have been implanted...they have lived an aboslute nightmare....quite honestly, you are entitled to your opinions, and your thoughts and feel and believe what you want.....bottom line is, alot more women get sick from their implants than the medical community lets on to...and it is much easier to tell my story to make women aware that there are dangers than there is to sue........this isn't about the money...it's about the moral issues here. And I seriously doubt if your PS would admit he knew of mold or fungus growing in implants.....you have to understand...Billions of dollars are made from breast implants....trust me the pharmaceutical companies are very much aware these things can happen...they don't admit it because there are billions of dollars at stake and feel there are very few people who get sick and those of us who do are just collateral damage. Seriously? when have you ever heard of a bad study on any product or drug? You only here of it after manymany people get sick or die from it...bottom line is? I just want to focus on getting better and help those women who are sick, and give all the facts....the hidden facts. So don't just take my word for it....research it yourself...if you google it, lots will pop up on the web....Goodluck wiht your tummy tuck...if you want to do breast augmentation...Fat grafting/stemcelll and a lift is really good alternative.

Have you posted your story and evidence here in the Q&A section to the doctors on this site to see what they have to say? If your implants were tested and positive for mold..please post a question to the docs here and get there responses.

Oh ya, one more question since you asked if I wanted to know anything else. Do you still live in AZ? If so, why did you go to Atlanta to have them removed. Are there not plenty of qualified PS here in AZ who could have removed your implants. I am just curious and not trying to grill you..hard to detect tone in emails so wanted to clarify that. :)

I am sorry to hear that. I don't hear every bit of news in the world so no, I did not know that you testified regarding your mold? Why was testing sent off to Canada and not done here? Are you in any kind of litigation? I would think if you could prove mold grew that you would have a case either against the PS who put them in or against the maker of your implants? Best wishes to you. And I do mean that. I am having a tummy tuck in Feb and I plan to ask my PS if she has ever seen mold in any of the implants she has replaced.

Btw, fungus and aspergellious Niger showed up in my implant and yes it was sent off to a lab in Canada, not the US....You see, there needs to be long term studies done on women with implants. All "they" tell you is that silicone is inert....well so is Mercury and of course it can't hurt you either? Correct? And yes ladies, Saline implants are made-up of Silicone the outer shell....and yes ladies...think about this? Saline bags in the hospital has an expiration date of 2 years...why isn't there an expiration date on implants? So when they tell you mold and fungus can't grow inside your implant because it is part of an enclosed sterile infiltration system..."life always finds away"...Think about everything our immune system fights off everyday...Does everyone get sick? No...but alot more get sick than what the medical community lets on and they certainly don't want to admit it...think about it? why would they? They make billions of dollars a year...why would they? I am 80% better than I was thank God since explantation..but would have never done it if I had known the full disclosure of what could happen.

Ok...so what was your result on the mold? The only way to know for sure is to have them removed and examined. You posted plenty before the June date of removal and then never posted again to say that you were correct and they were moldy so I can only assume that your implants were not moldy, hence no follow up post? Please share what you learned.

I am going to Dr. kolb in Atlanta middle of June. had to delve into my 401K to pay for most of it, but she did get my insurance to cover. I have a $4,000 deductible so I am having to come out of pocket. don't know if this helps but you can also go to breast implant support and they have a long list of great surgeons as well.

thanks share and angie, i am searching for a doctor now for removal. i can't wait to get these out of me! i am considering dr. melmed in texas, dr. hiatt or dr. tsujimura in az all for different reasons. the big problem is money. i was in a car accident this year so it will pay for it (eventually) but can't find a surgeon i trust who is willing to work on the lien. i understand that my medical insurance may reimburse but i don't have the money upfront. i will check out the breast implant removal community.

Ardi, I am so sorry! Have you thought about taking them out? There are many women who have had them taken out and feel much better after doing so.

Oh, and as for how long I was told they would last? I remember my young, dumb 23 year old self having the forethought to ask the doctor if they would age with me. I told him I didn't want to be an 85 year old woman with perky 25 year old looking boobs. He assured me they would age nicely look totally natural when I got older. First off, how would he know? They hadn't been around long enough in 1980. Secondly, he never said "BTW you should replace them every 5-10 years". I would have opted out only knowing that much.

I have had my saline implants since May 1980. I had perfect health until 2006. Since then I have been (wrongly) diagnosed with MS, ALS, chronic fatigue syndrome, ME, rheumatoid arthritis, early on-set alzhiemer's and depression, and correctly diagnosed with Lyme, mold illness, multiple chemical senitivity and hashimotos. I don't think I would ever have been symptomatic even with Lyme disease if not for the implants weakening my immune system and setting me up for it. It took 26 years but now I am practically non-functional.

The only reason I posted on here, is because we only hear of the "good" when it comes to implants. We do not hear of the "bad and ugly". It would have been nice to have known the extreme cons as well before I implanted.

Happygirl30,

I was perfeectly healthy before implants. Unfortunately, there is no guessing. If either of your friends have a small leak in their implants they too will get sick.Implants are only made to last 10 years, and my radiologisr for mamograms says they are taught 5 to 6 years. Even with Saline....think about what happens to water when it sits for along time? Well, now put that water inside your body in an enclosed area...and that enclosed area has a faulty vaulve or leak. Our bodies in itself harbour bacteria and fungus...our good bacteria keeps it in check....well if the bad bacteria overwhelm the good because they have a space to grow in...you get sick. And all Saline implants outer shell in comprised of Silicone. There are thousands of women having bad experiences with their "Safe FDA Approved" Implants...THOUSANDS of Women.....SICK from their implants. I have a friend to who has not had any issues...she has had hers for 5 years.

My best friend has had her saline breast implants for 11years and she hasn't had any problems at all. I also work with a woman whose had her saline implants for over 8 years and she hasn't experienced any leakage or no problems. However, my cousin had silicone implants in 2004 and she experienced the many of the symptoms you just mentioned. She had them removed in 06' and now she has saline. I guess it's all a matter of the individual and how their body responds. Sorry you had a bad experience with them :(

sorry you are going thru this and also wondering how you can test to find out if mold is growing in implants. i am looking to have mine removed also because mri showed they are leaking. have you found someone you trust to remove them? i've read they sometimes deflate them before removing them to make them eaiser to remove. HELLO! i don't want that yucky saline in my body. that is why i'm having them removed in the first place. i am also in the phoenix area. i am very sick with all symptoms mentioned and lyme disease. i am going to order dr. kolb's book right now. can't wait to read it. thanks for sharing.

Thank you Angie. Anon, right after implants I would wake up in night sweats but never associated it wihtmy implants. then i started getting yeast infections, which was a first for me. In October 2009, my food would not go down, and i was becoming sceptic....went to 4 different docs...ended up a NMD who actually helped me by doing some detoxing....then I started getting achy joints, having a hard time breathing...my heart would race, and gas, bloating, intestinal swelling, hair coming out...it was just horrible...rashes on my face, but yet...all my bloodwork came back normal. i started researching everything....got a doc to do a blood test for Candida and sure enought it came back positive. I also spit up black stuff which was tested and is mold.....i started getting yeast infecitons under my breast..googled it and came across breastiplant forum with over 4200 women with the same symptoms sick from their breast implants...didn't want to believe it, but sure enough....my left implant has a faulty vaulve and mold and fungus is growing in it.
When i originally asked my PS if this couldhappen in 2005...he said no way...it is a sterile environment and the water is sterille. well...don't believe that for 1 minute!