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Silicone Gel Breast Implants Removed After Only A Year. With A Lift & Aerola Reduction. Im Devastated. Columbus, OH

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After getting 575cc silicone gel implants. 6...

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MissLovely23
$16,000
After getting 575cc silicone gel implants. 6 months later my left breast was swelling and getting hard I was on AMOX-CLAV 875 -125mg antibiotics for serveral months till the removal because the pain, fever, swelling would all come back if I didnt take them the infection would come back fast.. it also looked misshaped or misplaced. It started sitting higher up than my right implant. So it was all lopsided and I had to wear a bra and stuff it. I couldnt believe I paid so much money for this to happen! The swelling would spread up into my neck and lymph nodes and into my shoulder. I felt like I would die without the antibiotics. And noone would tell me anything. It never got rid of whatever was wrong it just let me survive till I could get the money for the removal, lift and aerola reduction. I had saggy breasts before implants from breast feeding and kids. He also said I might have tissue damage or something but they never explained anything most of the time. So I was sure I would need extra work after the removal because my implants were also pretty big. And when I went in for surgery the nurses getting me ready for the removal and lift were looking at my paperwork and saw that I was on that type of antibiotics for that long was shocked. Then I was never told what was wrong with my left breast implant. I wanted to take my implants home after the removal but the lady told me no..when I woke up after the surgery and asked for the implants even though I bought and paid for them they would not give them to me. I couldnt believe it! I walked out with them inside my chest the the first surgery I had!? So now after the removal my boobs feel like a freaking B cup. My original natural size was a C/D cup. Also when I look down at them they just look so werid they have like ripples and dents in different angles its gross. I was happy with my implants till it all went downhill. I loved having big boobs till I had infection or whatever the hell was wrong since no one really specified. How unprofessional is that? I was just a big shitty unwanted problem. I look like I have little girl boobs now. Biggest mistake of my life! It has taken my life away. Ive lost almost everything because of this. I also could have just removed the left implant and get it replaced but I would have had to walk around with just one implant in for 6 months to a year. And I would have the risk of it just happening all over again. So I said just [RS bleep] it. Take them out Im done. Now I feel so flat chested.. I just want to die. Sorry Im an emotional wreck and I know Im a stupid person for saying all this Im just so low right now. There was times I wouldnt take my antibiotics before the removal so the infection would spread I wanted it to get into my bloodstream so I would die so maybe they would understand and see what kind of pain I was in. That I wasnt lying or making it all up. I felt like it was so unfair. I worked so hard to achieve the perfect chest I always wanted & now just a year later they had to come out. Just to look even worse than before. Also I had to prove that I had a fever before he would even prescribe me the antibiotics. I went to ER twice to get antibiotics and got documented proof of having a fever. I was treated like it was all in my head. Im devastated. You might being reading this and thinking oh my shes just over reacting but if u had went thru what I went thru you would be feeling the same way.. I always had low self esteem and now I have zero!! Im so ashamed. Im so upset. I CANT STAND LOOKING IN THE MIRROR. Ive been crying non stop ????????????

MissLovely23's provider

Jeffrey Donaldson, MD

Jeffrey Donaldson, MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

MissLovely23

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Replies (42)

April 4, 2016
Hey, it is normal to feel down, but you are far from being flat chested ! I would love to have your results after my implant removal ! Unfortunately, I ended up with AA cup, asymmetrical, sad and oblong nipples, and my tuberous deformity is still here. Nobody's perfect. It takes time to get used to your new body. Once the scars will be healed, you will be better. Give you time, and try to focus on positive things in your life !
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April 4, 2016
I will keep trying to stay positive. My family thinks they look better already but Im expecting the worst or the worst since Ive had so much go downhill already. Thank you for sharing your story with me Im sorry you didnt get the results you wanted. I felt really alone thru it all. Thank you for sharing your story with me and being supportive.
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April 4, 2016

Thanks for sharing your story. I hope you'll find support within the community.

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April 4, 2016
Thank you.
April 4, 2016
Okay you are breaking my heart! I'm no doctor but I am an old experienced ER nurse & I wonder if the problem with the fever & inadequate eradication of infection despite long term antibiotic use is due to an abscess? Or perhaps the organism developed resistance to the antibiotic Most often abscesses require excision & drainage because antibiotic laden blood circulation doesn't get "into" the bacteria in an abscess If that is the case it should be documented in your chart- Did you have any diagnostic stuff done to determine the cause of the abnormalities in the affected breast? ( ultrasound CT MRI -plain x-rays don't clearly show soft tissues but a mass may be evident ) I totally understand why you're upset! Loss of body image - regrets- expense- pain & suffering- Some surgeons have huge egos & like to victim blame dissatisfied clients & their staff is super adept at reinforcing the feeling that it's YOUR fault! But it's NOT! It won't help much to tell you that you will feel better in time- Swelling bruising- anesthetic-pain - financial loss etc will fuel your dissatisfaction causing depression! Give your body a few weeks to heal & then pull yourself together & find out what went wrong & why this happened ( it is certainly nothing that you did ) Get a copy of your chart & read the notes -You can contact the governing medical authority in your state to lodge a request for an inquiry in regards to a formal complaint with the licensing body- Research the history of the guy that did your surgery to see if others have had similar issues! The bottom line is that it sure doesn't appear that you gave an INFORMED CONSENT to have the removal - clearly since you don't even know what caused the need for explantation - It is ultimately the responsibility of the surgeon to ensure the client ( patient ) understands what's going on! You are so young- this is NOT the end of the road for you- What seems to be the end of the world right now will look very different in a year from now! If there is culpability on the part of the surgeon then you may have the right to compensation or repair or additional procedures to bring you to where you want to be Keep in mind your breasts will look better in days to come- Think about how long it takes for a pregnant belly or lactating breasts to get back into shape! This may heal just fine or you made think about fillers or implants or whatever to fix things up but you may not need to- In the meantime keep your mind distracted with happy thoughts ( yeah right ! ) I dunno watch silly animal videos or horror movies or something ( or you could Google pics of plastic surgery disasters worse than yours! ( this is my attempt at comedic relief ) Don't get me wrong I don't think this is funny & I feel for you so much but I can't get past your comments about your suicide wish ( I know all about that too ) I've had silicone implants since 1983 & am currently unable to work for medical reasons: ( chronic pain & bizarre neurological symptoms MRI after MRI & from one specialist to another ) but I don't have income replacement & many a time I found myself wishing that the Zombie Apocalypse would come true because I'm a single mom & thus cannot kill myself because I have dependants LOL - i'm joking but totally serious too ) So sweetheart please keep in mind this will get better in time !!!
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April 4, 2016
Nothing was done to find out the cause of infection. He just gave me antibiotics because I had a fever and he was hoping it would kill it off. Mind you I had to prove I had fever by going to the ER to get my fever documented by the hospital. The hospital was going to do an ultrasound but they ended up sending me home with just the antibiotics and the paperwork instead. Even the treatment I got from the hospital was ridiculous they said they didn't know what to do because they were implants. I said well jeezh its not rocket science so I think that it pissed them off so they didnt give me the ultrasound even though I begged for it. But I think the infection grew immune to the antibiotics cause I would end up taking more and more. He said it was Capsular Contraction. Of course Im young and Im no doctor & I expect him to know it all cause yeah know hes the surgeon. But I never really got any answers. Could capsular contraction cause infection to the point of it trying to take over my body and spreading into my neck shoulder and lymph nodes. And then they wouldn't give me my implants after the removal of surgery and tell me exactly what had gone wrong with my left breast implant. Arent they are suppose too? But you know I remember waking up after surgery and I was crying and my nurse asked if I need more pain medicine I said no she said why are you crying then, I mumbled out RELIEF. Because it was painful walking around with an implant that felt out of placed infected or whatever it was. Yeah the only reason I didnt kill myself was because of my two kids and my family was there by me they were upset to see how much of downward spiral I was in. I think Im slowly getting use to the size. Im still unsure of how much I like them right now. I know there are other people that ended up worse than me and Im greatful. Its just so shitty because you go in thinking yeah I know Im gonna be great Im in the hands of professionals. That want me to love the way I look and then it just backfires. I couldn't work for a year and was totally relying on a friends and family. I didnt want to leave my place because I was so ashamed. I want to know for sure what was wrong with my implant I think at the very least they would do that but it felt like they didnt want me to know. Im sorry for what happen to you I totally understand the way you feel.
April 5, 2016
Capsular contraction is when a capsule of fibrous tissue encircles the implant- It makes them hard round & immobile- It is NOT a source of infection! I totally understand why the ER blew you off- The expectation for ER patients is to rule out & treat life threatening stuff - It is expected that the most responsible physician will follow up with ongoing treatment - No one would want to take the responsibility for interfering with another physician's "work" - It becomes a liability issue -Kind of like products warranties in a way - sort of like having an appliance repaired by a non authorized shop & thus invalidating the warranty- I also know ER staff can be quite shitty to "self inflicted " misery which just adds to the depression & low self esteem- It's so crazy how we are so insecure about our appearances! I'm not wanting to go out of the house because my "fillers" have worn off & I look so old & don't have the money for a touch up! It's total breech of trust! You put your faith in someone & paid a lot of money to enhance your appearance & it didn't work out for reasons beyond your control - Right now it's about keeping your head straight & realizing that you've been gravely wronged by someone who should have better ethics & it stinks!
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April 5, 2016
Yeah and when I took the antibiotics the hardness pain swelling and fever would go away. My breast would become soft again and I could function just as long as I had those antibiotics. Ive also been kind of worried for being on those antibiotics for so long. Could they do damage to my immune system since I took them for so long?
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April 5, 2016
I always thought, Why was my body responding so well to antibiotics if it wasnt an infection?
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April 5, 2016
Do you think he didn't order me an ultrasound So he couldn't be placed at fault. It could have been the Operating Rooms fault or his who knows . Isnt that still wrong to do regardless. He should have still ordered me an ultrasound I mean if the infection would have got into my bloodstream I would have died.
April 5, 2016
An abscess is a sealed off capsule of micro-organisms - it is not vascular so the antibiotic doesn't get near the microbes growing inside ( think of a giant pus filled pimple ) At times the microorganism make into surrounding tissues or your circulation so as your immune system fights off the infection you get redness pain & swelling - Taking antibiotics treats the infection outside of the abscess so your fever & swelling settles down - I don't know that you had an abscess but I'm willing to bet you did! It is highly possible that the location of the abscess was displacing the implant which is why it moved around - The only way to prevent recurrence is to drain the abscess - Antibiotics will typically be ineffective - If the infection gets into the blood it will overwhelm & can lead to septic shock which is lethal! Long term use of antibiotics is not recommended because it can kill off your normal bacterial floral leading to super infections with opportunistic organisms like VRE or MRSA or life threatening C Diff colitis- Only because you are young & healthy this didn't happen - In my career have have seen elderly patients die from the same kind of [RS bleep] poor care that you got - ( this was also a plastic surgeon ) Keeping you on antibiotics long term won't hurt your immune system per se once you stop taking them your normal good bacteria will return - The antibiotics were not fixing your problem but only keeping it under restraint - You could have died from this! Few people know that this is what killed Anna Nicole Smith - Her pathology report is available on line - You can read the post mortem findings
April 5, 2016
He may have simply been too inexperienced to realize what was going on in your body - Of course it may not have been an abscess but regardless the way he managed your fever was negligent IMO -
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April 5, 2016
Wow. I can not believe thats how much they valued my life. Shame on them. After I trusted them. Thank you so much for informing me you should be my doctor. So get my chart file a complaint. Do you think they will really do anything,. Could the infection still be in my body since I got the removal
April 5, 2016
It doesn't make sense to think he would exclude a diagnostic workup to avoid culpability because if it was an abscess it could have easily been treated in his office under local ( unless really deep or inaccessible under the implant which would require a general anesthetic ) I think he may be one of those guys that dismisses complaints as unimportant but I think this time he screwed up _ However whatever was the cause would have been apparent when he took out the implants- If he did things correctly he would have sent the implants to pathology & ordered cultures! If it was a pocket of infection he would have found pus -His observations should be documented in your charts along with a description of the implant -
April 5, 2016
Oh & if indeed there was an abscess or pus he should step up & offer to "fix it "
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April 5, 2016
Okay Im gonna get those charts. They have to give them to me. Cause I have a feeling they will tell me no.
April 5, 2016
If you're still having fever & chills - increased swelling- pain - increased redness you need to be seen - even if you are currently taking antibiotics as it may be resistant - btw some of my computer keys don't work so hence the weird punctuation
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April 5, 2016
Also they didnt tell me anything after the removal of my implants. They wouldnt give them to me either.
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April 5, 2016
Yeah I just had them removed on the 31st so Im taking Keflex right now.
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April 5, 2016
Thank you so much for all this. You are an angel
April 5, 2016
I agree they're going to be difficult - Research the privacy at / laws in your state before you contact them to find out your rights ( I'm in Canada so the laws are stricter here ) Be knowledgable & empowered when you contact them - know your rights
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April 5, 2016
I will let you know what goes on. I have a check up this Friday.
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April 5, 2016
Okay thank you so much do you have Facebook. I would like to add you if you dont mind.
April 5, 2016
I actually don't use Facebook if that makes sense but you can email me - I'll PM my email address - if I can help in any way please let me know - When you go to see him ask him specifically for the cause of your fever - is the implants were sent for culture - ask him straight up if there was an abscess or hematoma - ask if the implant was displaced by an abscess or hematoma - Ask these specific questions - If I think of anything else I'll let you know - BTW mention that you know that he switched to Keflex post op for a reason! see what he has to say about that! ( this sort of affirms my suspicion of an abscess but remember I may be wrong! I'm just making assumptions! Another idea is to make an appointment with your GP because your OR summary report should have been sent there Call the office to check & if not ask that it be requested then your family doc can go through & explain what went on!
April 5, 2016
Most Drs don't have good bedside manner. You get healthy and then get the information diadoodle said. The complaint with the medical board is straight and simple. You need to know the answers to those 3 questions. Just the facts! Also breast implants are medical waste and they can not give them to you in Texas but they document everything in the OR and I'm sure they have pictures. Also they examined them and weighed them etc. Also get a copy of CBC (lab work) to see what your blood count was. Infection from the mouth can easily be drawn down to the breast. Maybe it is your dentist's fault for the infection. Rest, re-group and be thankful for the internet. What did women do without it. You have 2 years to file a complaint so give yourself time to heal. Go get a kitten to cuddle, sit in the sun and be kind to yourself.
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April 5, 2016
Definitely not my dentist fault for the infection. Never had problems in my mouth. But of course it could be the dentist fault before it could be Donaldson or the operating rooms fault
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April 5, 2016
Before I had surgery I had my blood count done everything came back good.
April 6, 2016
I haven't heard of dental infections migrating to breasts but I'm not saying that's inaccurate I just don't know - ( I'm aware that dental infections can lead to horrible things like brain abscess or meningitis ) One thing I do know is that the implants should have been cultured after removal in order to determine the type of bacteria & the origin ( In other words the bacteria that caused the infection would be identified & thereby the likely place it started from! The other question is if the implant was done under sterile conditions you have to ask who transferred the bacteria from the teeth into the incision site? Would that not be the OR staff? She would have had satellite signs of a serious dental infection with local symptoms - However if indeed that is the case her surgeon would have been negligent for doing elective surgery on a person with an active pre-existing condition right? Gosh I hope I don't sound rude Yetti Monster! I'm editing trying to remove any indication that I'm trying to challenge you or sound bitchy so if I come off that way I'm really sorry cause it's not my intention I'm just stating my thoughts on your comment
April 6, 2016
Yetti Monster her WBC would have indicated if she had a pre-existing infection
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April 12, 2016
So I went to my check up and I asked him what was found when he removed my implant since no one told me after the removal. He said it was just capsular contraction and he didn't know why I had been responding to the antibiotics so well. It remains a mystery! And I asked for medical chart my postoperative diagnosis was Iatrogenic mascromastia with pseudepuiss and left capsular contracture. Was told to put everything behide me and move on. All odds are against me and Im not getting any honest answers. I know thats not what I had/ I know my body. My breast would soften back up anytime I took antibiotics capsular contraction doesn't soften back up it remains hard. And I read the description of procedure and it doesn't say anything about having torn tissue which is what he partly diagnonised me with. I feel like I was misdiagnosed I dont know what to do. No matter what I try to say to them I just get we dont know. They didnt seem to thrilled that I asked for my medical charts which was only 4 pieces of paper. I told them I wanted all of it and they only gave me my papers for the first surgery I had and then the second surgery I had. I wanted all even my check up papers.
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April 5, 2016
Yes Im gonna write everything down and make a list of questions. Yeah thats fine please send me ur email if you can. I will keep you posted on here tho as well. I just really want crystal clear answers.
April 6, 2016
It looks like I'm not very good at following threads lol I missed this & some other replies that I wasn't aware you'd posted - so please don't think I'm ignoring you or not answering - I did sent you a private message with my email address - If it didn't make it to you ( I may have done it incorrectly 'cause I'm a moron when it comes to Internet etiquette ( not intentionally I'm just a little bit stupid when technology comes into play!
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April 6, 2016
I had this problem . My breast went hard . It was called capsular contracture . Surgeon kept fixing it but it went hard again caused by too much scar tissue . I then had an accident and from fixing a broken nose via a different surgeon l got a staph infection which traveled to my breast wound which was fixed one week prior to accident . I was on tablets so many different ones but refused to have my implant taken out . Until l walked into my surgeons clinic n collapsed . I thought l looked pale but after being shown a mirror l realised l was turning green . So in his office he cut them out . I dont think u had staph as the breast goes really hot . But l do think u had a scar tissue problem hun . I now wear a padded bra .with my implants in the bra . Strange they wouldnt give you your implants . I got mine so l look as though l have breasts but underneath they small . Hope you are ok . Im from australia
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April 6, 2016
Im glad your okay now. Thats really scary. I guess its different in the US . I should have just asked if I could at least look at them. But I was in a lot pain and had brain fog waking up in the recovery room. The only thing is if it wasn't an infection why was my body responding to the antibiotics so well. Oh well I guess. Im just glad its over with and they are gone. And Im getting use to my breasts now. They are looking better as the days go by. Im actually surprised how much Im starting to like them. I think I was just in shock at how small they seemed cause I was carrying around double FFs. I love big boobs as well lol, but my back doesn't hurt like it did. Im just an emotional person. But thank you for your support and sharing your story with me. Im glad you are okay. Im okay just resting and recovering. Take care :)