Myrl Jeffcoat myrlj@jps.net

MS. SMITH-MILES: Good morning. My name is Rebecca Smith-Miles, or Becky. I am from northern Michigan. I am a registered nurse. My husband is a radiologist. I have no conflicts of interest.

I had silicone implants put in over 15 years ago. Within two years, I developed capsular contracture and experienced intense pain. My plan to be more beautiful was ironic in that I was uglier by the day. I had larger breasts, but they were hard, painful, and ugly. I was ashamed for even my husband to see them.

Within seven years of getting the implants, I was diagnosed with an atypical neurological disease. Eight years after being implanted, I had my implants and scar capsules removed. They had ruptured. And the plastic surgeon attempted to retrieve all of the leaked silicone, but he was unsuccessful.

If I had been included in the three-year and four-year studies at that time, only capsular contracture and pain would have been picked up, not the rupture and not the systemic problems.

I have gone from being a very athletic and active person to being physically inactive and at times bedridden. I worked daily prior to getting implants. Now I'm on disability. And sometimes I'm even unable to perform my daily household tasks, simple tasks.

I have severe overwhelming fatigue, joint and muscle aches, pain, dry, scratchy eyes, skin rashes, numbness in my calves and toes, hair loss, night sweats, and daily headaches. I am easily confused and have a constant fog in my head.

My skin develops rashes and reacts to previously normal substances. I have blister-like eruptions in my fingers that are intensely painful. And along with the pain comes burning and itching and total intolerance to any pressure. I can't use that finger. I scratched it and scratched it until the top came off. And then I felt with my tongue a tiny sliver of crystal. When I got that crystal out, it healed immediately.

I fear that I have silicone crystals running throughout my body, and I wonder what kind of damage it has done to my internal organs. I had silicone leakage in my chest, axillary lymph nodes down my arms.

My last surgery a year ago removed silicone after an ultrasound located it in my chest and breasts. I had a lemon-sized portion of my right breast tissue removed as a result of the leaking silicone from the rupture over ten years ago. The surgery has made that right breast noticeably smaller, but it's worth it.

My life since getting implants has changed completely. My social and family lives have suffered. I can no longer be a normal wife, mother, or grandmother. Even so, I'm lucky because my husband is a physician, and we are not financially devastated by my disability.

I beg you, as you make this very important decision, think not only of my experience but also of the lives of other women, your friends, your relatives, who may end up like me. Silicone breasts are not worth the known risks, let alone the unknown long-term risks.

Thank you. Any questions?