Everybody should have a Jimmy. What I mean is that everybody should have a man in her life who follows the model that Jimmy created when I had breast cancer, bi-lateral mastectomies and countless reconstructive surgeries.

Jimmy is an ob-gyn and knows more about medicine than most men caught in the breast cancer spiral. That knowledge can be a curse because it made Jimmy worry in advance of every step we took, and we took every step together:

When they came to take me to the operating room for the first mastectomy, Jimmy was in my hospital bed with me, holding me and keeping me warm. We were comforting each other and the hospital staff was shocked.

We cried together after the surgery was over. We had been married 19 years and I was 43 years old and felt as thought my body had been ravaged. It was 1983 and modified radical mastectomies provided the best chance for recovery. Jimmy convinced me that it didn't matter to him as long as I was well and we could continue our lives together. I knew it mattered to him but my being alive mattered to him more. He was angry with me that I chose to go back for operation after operation. Still, he changed my bandages on a daily basis after one of the reconstructive surgeries using implants left me with an open wound. He understood my changing moods and encouraged me to get support. I encouraged him to get support. We listened to each other and got outside help. We've now been married 46 years and are closer than we ever were.

I've been healthy in between many surgeries and another bout with cancer (kidney) three years ago. And through each of my medical problems, there was Jimmy, strong and loving and suffering along with me. He made me stronger because I wanted to match his steadfastness and courage. We've spent a good many years of our marriage with teary eyes as I had one medical crisis after another. But crying together makes laughing together that much more wonderful.

Our story underscores the importance, almost the urgency of understanding partners throughout the breast cancer/reconstructive process. Many men, like Jimmy, don't want their wives/partners to undergo surgery after surgery. Once they understand the risks of implants, men will often oppose their wives/partners getting them because of the risk to his loved one's health.

Yes, everybody should have a Jimmy. Oh how I wish that could be.

Please share the story of the man in your life and how he reacted to your implants and the surgery required to get them.

My Movie: Two Little Voices

History:

At the time the movie was made and first released for TV, the manufacturers prevailed upon the network to change specific references to "The Meme," an implant sold by Bristol Meyers and Dow Corning. They further required a five-minute tag done by Linda Ellerbe outlining the controversy about implants from a more pro-manufacturer point of view. That version of the movie has been seen around the world, many times, over the past many years.

Present Situation:

The version being sold on Amazon is the original version of the movie without the changes required by the manufacturers. It does not have the Linda Ellerbe tag either. It costs $9.99.

Although the movie is somewhat dated (it now costs nearly $15,000 to remove implants as opposed to the $5,000 number mentioned in the movie), it still is important for women considering implants to watch. Women need to know the history so that the history is not repeated. And the history is in that movie.

Kathleen Anneken and I kept the production of the movie a deep, dark secret for nearly a year until it was ready to be aired. We knew that the manufacturers would not have wanted it to be shown.

I am very pleased that the movie is available in its original form even though it’s a bit embarrassing for me to watch because I’m really not that fancy and aggressive and Kathleen was amazing and wonderful and a joy to work with from the day I met her.

Why Do Men Like, Uh, Breasts?

The most interesting part of this post is, of course, towards the end. Manish says:

“Men sexually objectify women. The objectification of women that men do, leads to emotional distress for some women: negative body image, implants, depression, etc. Women’s studies and feminist thought are full of slogans like “women need to reclaim their bodies�, “breasts are solely for nurturing�, etc. Often in such circles, men, by sub-consciously responding to gratuitous use of sexual imagery ( e.g. in ads) and by concious consumption of sexual material (e.g. porn), are held responsible for the social pressure placed on women to meet a certain physique. The sentiment, if not the logic, behind these ideas is understandable.

“But women sexually objectify men too. To take an example off the top of my head, women in general prefer men with hair. This leads some men to go for hair transplants, hormonal treatment, toupees, etc. Consider the number of successful aging male actors (or men in many other professions in the public eye) who are bald. Does baldness make one a bad actor?

“I’m not laboring to make the obvious point that turnabout is fair play. I'm trying to point out that nature didn't set out to create human beings who respect each other's feelings and treat them as indviduals first. Nature didn't give us bodies because the minds we have needed containers. We have the minds and bodies we do because that's what the brutal, selfish processes of nature ended up creating. Nature in general, and the sex game in particular, works on the basis of individuals trying to get some benefit out of other individuals for their own needs.

"But we humans have the unique ability (ironically, another gift of nature) to rise above our animal selves. To do this, we can't, shouldn't and needn't ignore the reasons that make things they way they are."

�

We don't often get the chance to hear men's thoughts about breasts beyond such one-word grunts like, "Bigger,"� so I really appreciated this effort.

A Great Woman Doing Important Work on Behalf of Women

Comedy Central Clip About Breast Implants

Unfortunately, you'll have to sit through a commercial first.

More unfortunately, I have no idea who this talented female comic is, because her name is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, the other five clips on that page, from five male comics, are all clearly attributed. Simple accident? Maybe, but I can’t help but raise an eyebrow.

Shout-Out for Breast Slideshow in JANE Guide to Breast Health

Who's gutsy enough to submit photos of themselves to help Jane spread the message for women to love the breasts they have?

Special challenge to women who've had their implants removed: Who's courageous enough to submit photos of their explanted chests?

A Good Q&A About Breast Implants

Are Implants Dangerous?

Q: I have a family history of breast cancer (my grandmother died from it). I'm interested in breast implants for enlargement, but I'm afraid of breast cancer. I researched on the Internet and found out that silicone is dangerous. What about the other kind, which is only salt and water? Are those dangerous too for a person like me? I really appreciate your help to help me to make a decision.

â€" Azadeh T., Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

A: While some implants are used to reconstruct a breast that has been removed because of cancer (breast reconstruction after mastectomy), the majority of breast implant surgery is done for elective breast augmentation (enlargement). That's cosmetic surgery, and anytime you are considering a surgical procedure for cosmetic reasons, you should be sure to understand the known risks, and to understand that some risks might not have yet been identified.

The possibility that silicone implants can increase the risk of developing connective tissue problems was not known until many years after this type of implant had started being widely used. The FDA is currently studying the risks further to determine whether silicone implants are safe, so they are not routinely available now. Most breast implants that are available are saline (salt water).

Either silicone or saline implants can have complications â€" including decreased nipple sensation, pain, unattractive appearance, scarring, infection, or implant rupture â€" but data thus far suggest that neither type has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. You should know, however, that breast implants may make it more difficult for a mammogram to find a breast cancer. This might be of particular concern for women at high risk for developing breast cancer, such as women with a strong family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer.

You should discuss your family history of breast cancer with your physician, and carefully weigh the risks and benefits before you make your decision about elective breast augmentation.

1) It shows how information on the Internet, no matter how outdated, can live on and on, continuing to influence people. This is a personal lesson for me, a 'newbie.'

�

2) I like this exchange very much because it’s from a questioner who obviously did her homework: Azadeh starts by ruling out silicone breast implants altogether because of the risks.

3) And the answerer, Dr. Hensley, seems to warn off Azadeh from unnecessary surgery by emphasizing that the patient must thoroughly understand the known risks. She says, the patient must 'understand that some risks might not have yet been identified,"� which is pretty scary! Breast implant surgery is serious, with the discomfort and risks associated with any major procedure, and I feel terrible that there are so many women willing to go through it for the sake of improving their physical appearance. I think Dr. Henley agrees with me.

4) Finally, Dr. Henley acknowledges that there is the possibility that silicone implants can increase the risk of developing connective tissue problems. Of course, now that silicone implants are back on the market, I wonder what Dr. Henley is saying now. Does she buy the FDA conclusion that breast implants are safe enough and so we should allow women to get them, or did she read the fine print requiring ongoing study, which essentially makes silicone breast implant recipients guinea pigs?

Misinformation About Breast Implant Risks, or How One Plastic Surgeon Really Feels About Women

Yes, the silicone breast implant is likely the m"most extensively studied medical device in the history of the world," and Dr. Oliver links to a few articles to prove this point, but that doesn't mean that the body of research, though extensive, is anywhere near adequate. Research thus far has been problematic for various reasons, the main one being bad design, making conclusive results impossible. For example, the vast majority of studies looks at women for only two or three years, but many health issues attributed to implants "such as lupus and other autoimmune diseases" take years to emerge.

See here for a critique of the 1995 "Harvard Nurses Study,"� one of the most highly regarded studies in the body of research around breast implants.

Finally, I have to say, Poor Dr. Oliver!!! Any man who professes to understand beauty and has to resort to presenting cartoon faces about a woman who just happens to have a different opinion than he does is at best immature and at worst reveals an inner revulsion for women. He even exults that someone else joined his sandbox. It seems that if you are his patient or are thinking of becoming his patient, one might remember that he knows how to make a cartoon of a woman if she mentions something he doesn’t agree with. Beware of any man who denigrates women.

Poor Dr. Oliver? No, it's really shame on Dr. Oliver.

Feminine Beauty Before the Advent of Cosmetic Surgery

The range of beautiful faces is astounding. I only wish more than the faces of these women are shown - from head to waist would be perfect! This way, the range of beautiful breasts could be displayed as well, breasts in all their natural glory, before the days of surgical enhancement.

These women radiate beauty as defined by the ages.

Could somebody like Pam Anderson make this list? I think not.

Let us celebrate these natural beauties.

I Am Mary

I am an actress. I am an activist speaking out against breast implants.

This may be seem to be a contradiction in terms, because how can someone in the entertainment industry - an industry that so revolves around physical appearance - be against one of the most popular beauty enhancement procedures today? The short answer is that it's a women's health issue and breast implants just aren't safe. The longer answer is "Well, I'm still looking for it, which is why I am part of this blog.

I know better than most how important physical appearance is to a woman's sense of self. At the same time, as part of that generation grew up in the new social landscape shaped by the efforts of such great women as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan, I have always known that my worth is much, much more than just how I look.

Yet, I agreed to invasive cosmetic surgery, and it made me very sick. Ironically, it disabled my ability to go full throttle after my career goals, which was why I had had it done in the first place.

Through this blog, I hope to find insight and wisdom about women's relationships with our bodies and with society as a whole. And I hope many other women will join me as I start on this voyage of discovery.

I Am Sybil

I fully understand the feelings of a woman who has undergone mastectomy or mastectomies. Her desire to replace what was lost is often based on her need to regain control of her life. But it is very important to me that all women understand what is really at stake when they choose to get implants. The control that women seem to be seeking by getting implants is lost when they start having trouble with them.

I believe that the more public discourse there is about breast implants the fewer women would get them. This is why I'm here, on the Internet, ready to talk about this hazard to women's health. I'm here to let women know that the implants available currently are unproven products capable of causing long-term difficulties for those who use them.

I invite other implant recipients to share their experiences here, and everyone to join my larger discussion of why we have a growing commercial venture by plastic surgeons and a surge in the manufacture and sale of breast implants. Those ventures will surely hurt women now and in generations to come.

With all that has been said about breast implants in the past 20 years, I am at a loss to understand why a poorly designed and unproven product has been made easily available to women, and why women, so many years after the great strides women have made to improve their lives, are still willing to undergo surgery to get them.

Let's talk!