Myrl Jeffcoat myrlj@jps.net

The letter below was written in response by Angela to Michael Fumento, who wrote the article on Silicone Breast Implants. . .Great letter Angela, thanks for writing it! Myrl

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I have read the article you wrote about activists causing alarm among women who want silicone breast implants.

During breast reduction surgery, infiltrative ductal carcinoma was accidentally discovered in October of 1982. While I was still unconscious on the operating table, the plastic surgeon called a general surgeon and together, they scheduled a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction with silicone implants 7 days hence. I had no voice or say regarding what was to be done.

I immediately became ill with post operative wound infections including Staph, Strep and E. Coli. My board certified plastic surgeon refused for 4 weeks to culture the wound or treat me with antibiotics. Necrosis, blood poisoning and gangreen set in and I was hospitalized for an additional 4 weeks in an attempt to save my life. The tissues covering the left implant rotted away and I had to undergo additional surgery to remove the exposed implant and cut out a great deal of infected tissues. Later it was discovered, the plastic surgeon recycled a set of used, custom-made, implants from another woman's body into mine to save himself approximately $400.00. Since used implants cannot be steralized, he merely washed them with some detergent and presumed there would be no problem. In 1987, I underwent further surgery to graft a muscle from my back onto my chest to create a pocket for a new left implant, this one covered with polyurethane "to prevent it from forming a hard shell around it."

I developed lupus like symptoms but knew nothing about Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). After exposing my body to intense UV radiation in a tanning bed, I fainted at the wheel of my car and caused a near fatal head on collision on 4-8-91. My left tibia and fibula were open fractures and I bled out at the scene. The leg bones did not heal for 6 years so I spent that time in a wheelchair, getting sicker and sicker each day. I was diagnosed with numerous disease processes at the Arizona Rheumatology Center, all attributed to my implants. I decided to get what was left of my implants removed and give my body time to heal before undergoing additional orthopedic surgery. Both implants were ruptured and deflated when removed in 1996.

All symptoms of SLE disappeared and my leg fractures healed spontaneously during the fifteen months following removal of my implants. That, Sir, is proof of cause and effect. Now, I garden in the sun without sunblock and get no lupus rashes. I no longer have dry eyes and mouth; my body again perspires with exertion and my ears once again make ear wax. At 64, I am probably healthier today than I was when first implanted in 1982 at age 41. My chest is flat as a pancake but as long as my husband stays around, I'm a happy camper.

All of the above information is documented in my medical files. My medical expenses between 1982 and 1997 were over $600,000.00 and involved 7 major surgeries. I came much too close to death on three occasions because of my implants (including the car wreck). The Lupus Society literature states that exposure of SLE patients to intense UV radiation a/k/a sunlight can cause major organ system shutdown. That is exactly what happened to me after
leaving the tanning parlor, causing the head on collision with a large motor home, totaling it and my Sedan deVille. Because of the havoc caused by my silicone implants, I must now take 17 prescription drugs each day, and a monthly B12 injection, to remain functional. The cost, as you can imagine, is overwhelming.

Some people smoke cigarettes but don't get lung cancer. That doesn't mean cigarettes are safe. The same truths apply to silicone implants, whether they be breast, dental, TMJ, chin, knee and hip replacements or penile. They should be banned from the market forever.

Angela
Oklahoma City, OK