Help! Getting Implants Removed and Have Blood Clotting Disorder -Houston, Texas

I had a mild stroke and pulmonary embolisms and so they tested me for blood clotting disorders and found that I have factor five Leiden.

Was that caused by the implants?

I have had the same problem but diagnosed with essential thrombocytosis..platelets very high...it is a bone marrow disorder I got after implants were put in..in addition to a bladder disease ..interstitial cystitis... I also want them out ...

No, I have a blood clotting disorder (it is genetic),. I also have an auto immune disease called lupus, and from what I am seeing, it is very connected to implants. I am not sure exactly how everything fits together right now, but with my health condition, I want to get my body clear of anything that can be compromising my health.

Well, keep up with me, maybe you can get them out and my journey can help you understand what it might be like. Is your bladder disease auto immune? I am finding that lots of auto immune is associated with the implants. I am on a blood thinner that I can't be off of long enough to support my getting the capsules out. Are you on a blood thinner too?

normal platelets are between 150, 000 - 400, 000...mine were around 800, 000... the doctor ordered me to go to a cancer doctor and have a bone marrow biopsy. that's how they identified the disorder. I had just gone in for a regular routine gynecologist visit and they did blood work because I'm in my 50's and my platelets were high... ShantelH, how hi are your platelets

For the past few years they have been around 550,000. 3 mths ago I started eating a paleo diet and started taking a few different herbal vitamins... I had my blood redrawn about 1 Monty ago and now my platelets are normal.

Thank you so much, I am a believer in Christ and my faith in Him has held me together through all of this. Thank you so much for sharing about the removal of the capsules. I know that it is so much better, but I have had some pretty close calls this past year so I understand why my doctor does not want me off of the blood thinner for too long. This site really helps me and I would not have made the decision to explant without you ladies. God works in mysterious ways. :)

I have heard of him, but he is six hours away from where I live and I need to be near my other doctors in case there are complications. Thank you for responding, I have called his office and contemplated going to see him

I believe you can email Dr. Melmed and he will respond and council you..just maybe ask him some questions and concerns...

Thank-you, I plan on keeping everyone here posted on what is going on....I went to pre-op already and filled out all of the paperwork. I also bought some new sports bra's that open in the front. I asked the Dr. if I could see the implants after they are out and they looked at me like I was crazy. I guess not that many people want that...I was surprised. I would think more people would want to check out what has been in their body for years (16 years in my case). I will be posting pics soon...kind of getting excited (and inpatient). :)

Make sure you ask and be adamant about getting the capsules out. I took two rounds of antibiotics and 3 fungus pills I asked my plastic surgeon for. ..

Hi Fruitgirl. If you're still looking for a PS in Newport Beach, I highly recommend Dr. Lavinia Chong. I consulted with four other doctors before choosing her, and she was head and shoulders above the rest. She performs a lot of implant removals and is extremely experienced and skilled in the procedure. If you haven't chosen a PS yet, check her out. I really think she's the best around, and couldn't be happier with my experience under her care.

Why is it important to take the capsules out? It is the scar tissue correct? My dr says I don't have much scar tissue so he will leave it in because of the bleeding that comes from that and my blood disorder I may bleed too much... why ? is it harmful to leave them in?

Yes, the capsules are scar tissue. They aren't part of the implants, they're simply scar tissue created by your body that formed around the implants over time. It's your own tissue, and if it's not calcified and thick, it just gets reabsorbed into surrounding tissue. If the capsules have calcified and become hard and thick, the body won't reabsorb them the way it will if they're more soft and pliable. So if your capsules are calcified, thick and hard and they're left in, you can feel them as hard lumps within your breasts and they can also distort the appearance of the breasts. Some women's capsules do become calcified and hard, and they should have the capsules removed. But if your PS examines your breasts and finds that the capsules haven't calcified and are more thin and pliable, you can leave them in because your body will reabsorb the tissue over time after the foreign objects are removed. I had my implants in for 17 years and my capsules were still soft and pliable at the time of removal, but some women's capsules can calcify over just a few months or years. If your doctor said you don't have much scar tissue, then you will be fine leaving the capsules in. It means you won't have calcified lumps in your breasts after the removal. It's definitely not worth it to take out the capsules when they haven't formed much scar tissue and when you have a dangerous blood disorder, considering capsule removal causes significant bleeding. My PS told me that I didn't have much scar tissue and it hadn't calcified and there's no trace of the capsules now (4 months post removal). I can't feel them at all and there are no lumps in my breasts, so they reabsorbed pretty easily and fast. I know there are some people who say that you absolutely have to have the capsules removed, but if you delve into the research a little, you'll find that that's not the case.

Also ... women who are having silicone implants removed are encouraged to have the capsules taken out because if the silicone leaked into the capsules, it could cause physical problems. Saline, unlike silicone, is completely harmless, and you mentioned earlier that yours are saline. Both of your implants could completely drain into your body and there would be no ill effects because saline is essentially saltwater and absorbs into the body with no problems. Silicone, however, is a gel and can spread outside the breasts and into the lymph nodes. So if you had silicone implants, you would probably want to remove the capsules even if they weren't calcified, simply to prevent any leakage into the capsules from spreading and causing health problems.

I'm hoping somone can tell me where to go to post a photo... thank you

Did you have any autoimmune illness or any symptoms that you feel were related to your implants. If so, have you noticed any improvements with those? I am so hoping to feel better and have more energy after I get them out. Thank-you soooo much for sharing your story with me, this really helps encourage me a bunch. Only 8 more days until I get to experience it myself. Thank-you again

No, I didn't have any autoimmune illness or symptoms. I think that's more common with silicone implants and mine were saline. I do feel as though I have more energy, though.

Mine are also saline but I have issues... you are fortunate. Our bodies don't like any foreign object in us no matter what it is made of. ..it tries to fight it with antibodies that can cause problems

Thank you for the website. How do you post pics and is it against the law to post nude pics online? I hesitate to share my before and after photos lol c don't want to be arrested. ..lol

You're welcome! No, it's not against the law to post nude pics online. There are nude pics everywhere online, and on this site they're posted to help others rather than to stimulate, so it's not a bad thing at all. I posted mine (without showing my face) because it really helped me a lot to see the before/after pics of others when making the decision to have the surgery. To post photos, just click "Update Your Review" then click on the "Add Photo" icon (in gray to the right of the blue "Post Update" icon), find your pics on your computer, click on one and it will be uploaded. Keep clicking on the "Add Photo" icon and repeating that process to upload more pics. Then when you're done, just click on "Post Update" and they will appear on your page. I think the photos are very helpful to others who are considering the procedure and don't know what to expect. Try not to be too embarrassed. We've all been there, and we're all pretty much anonymous.