Description of Event or Problem · 1
RPTR WRITES, "AFTER HAVING MY DAUGHTER IN 6/70 I HAD PROBLEMS WITH BOTH MY BREASTS. AFTER HAVING MY SECOND DAUGHTER IN 7/71, PROBLEMS I HAD WITH BOTH MY BREASTS WERE GETTING WORSE. HAVING BEEN SEEN BY MY GENERAL PRACTITIONER, I WAS SENT FOR SCAN ON BOTH BREASTS. FIBROCYSTIC MASTITIS WAS DIAGNOSED, AND I ALSO HAD GREEN FLUID OOZING FROM BOTH NIPPLES ACCOMPANIED WITH SEVERE PAIN. THE TREATMENT I WAS ON WAS DANAZOL, BUT TO NO AVAIL. I SAW MY GENERAL PRACTITIONER AGAIN WHO THEN MADE ME AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE BREAST SURGEON. I HAD NO FURTHER SCANS THAT REVEALED I HAD FIBROCYSTIC MASTITIS; BY THAT TIME FLUID FROM BOTH MY NIPPLES HAD BECOME EMERALD GREEN COLOR, REALLY DARK GREEN, ALSO WITH PAIN BECOMING WORSE. I WAS TOLD TO WRAP HOT WATER BOTTLE IN TOWEL AND PLACE TO MY BREAST; AND I WAS GIVEN PAIN CONTROL DRUGS. I STOOD PAIN UNTIL I COULD NO MORE. IN 6/90, I SAW BREAST SURGEON AGAIN, ASKING HIM IF THERE WAS WAY HE COULD RELIEVE ME FROM TERRIBLE PAIN I WAS IN. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE COULD ONLY BE ONE SOLUTION, AND THAT WAS TO HAVE DOUBLE MASTECTOMY. HE WOULD ONLY DO IT IF I WAS TO HAVE SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS. I AGREED. I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WOULD BE FINE. IN 8/89 I HAD BILATERAL "MAMMADOCHECTOMY." THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT EITHER, SO THAT'S WHY I ASKED FOR MASTECTOMY. I SAW BREAST SURGEON WHO REFERRED ME TO PLASTIC SURGEON, AND OPERATION WAS A JOINT ONE. THE BREAST WAS REMOVED, AND BREAST TISSUE DOWN TO MUSCLE (SUBCUTANEOUS MASTECTOMY); AND IMMEDIATE RECONSTRUCTION WITH SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS. THIS WAS CARRIED OUT IN 1990. I HAD BILATERAL SUBCUTANEOUS MASTECTOMY DEEP DOWN TO PECTORALIS MAJOR MUSCLE, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY SILICONE GEL IMPLANTS IN 1990. THE IMPLANTS BECAME EXPOSED DUE TO SCARS GAPING OPEN, FLUID WAS OOZING OUT. SWABS TAKEN OF FLUID REVEALED AFTER CULTURED PLASMA (KLEBSIELLA AEROGENES). I WAS GIVEN IV 500 MG METRONIDAZOLE, TETRACYCLINE/FLUCLOXACILLIN/PAIN KILLERS TYLOX. I HAD BLOOD TRANSFUSION AND IMPLANTS REMOVED FOLLOWING DAY. I WAS TOLD WHAT HAPPENED WAS JUST A ONE IN A MILLION CHANCE OF EVER HAPPENING, AND THAT I COULD HAVE SECOND ATTEMPT OF BEING REINSERTED WITH THE BREAST IMPLANTS AFTER 8 MOS. I TOOK SURGEON'S OFFER, AND HAD SECOND ATTEMPT OF HAVING SILICONE GEL BREAST IMPLANTS. AGAIN IN 1991 I HAD INSERTION OF BREAST IMPLANTS YET AGAIN. IN 1992 I ALSO HAD TO HAVE THEM REMOVED DUE TO SYSTEMIC INFECTION. IN 1997, I CAME ACROSS THE PACKAGE INSERT AND PRODUCT DATA SHEET, CLEARLY STATING THAT MASTITIS OR ANY ACTIVE INFECTION IS CONTRAINDICATED TO USE OF BREAST IMPLANTS MADE FROM SILICONE GEL. I AM SO ILL WITH FIBRO-FATTY CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISORDER, ACCOMPANIED WITH SEVERE PAIN, PROMINENTLY MARKED VASCULARITY, FIBROMYALGIA, CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, HYPOTHYROIDISM, PLANTAR FASCIITIS, ARTHRITIS IN KNEES, HANDS AND BACK. I EXPERIENCE NOW SEVERE PAIN IN HANDS, FINGERS, ARMS, THIGHS, BUTTOCKS CHEEKS, HIPS, AND CALVES OF BOTH LEGS. I HAVE LOSS OF BALANCE, LOSS OF WORDS, CONCENTRATION PROBLEMS, DRY EYES, MOUTH, NOSE AND VAGINA. I ALSO HAVE A LOT OF INFECTIONS, BREATHING DIFFICULTY, BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS, THRUSH IN MOUTH/VAGINA, CHEST INFECTIONS, THROAT INFECTIONS, EAR INFECTIONS, BOWEL DISORDER, AND BLADDER PROBLEMS. I HAVE WIDESPREAD PAPILLOMAS, CHEST THROUGH ARMS AND NECK. I HAVE FIBROS TISSUE IN MY JOINTS. I ALSO HAVE PAIN IN MY HEAD; IT IS NOT A HEADACHE, IT IS LIKE WHEN INFECTION AND PUSS THROB LIKE PAIN. LOSS OF SLEEP, DROPPING THINGS, BUMPING INTO THINGS, ELECTRIC SHOCK - LIKE WHEN YOU TOUCH BARE WIRES ON ELECTRICAL GOODS, IF I TOUCH ANYTHING METAL. CRAWLING SENSATION IF I TOUCH NYLON, DRYLON, LEATHER OR POLYESTER; IF I USE TALC PERFUMED AND COLORED SOAP. I ALSO HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES. DUE TO HAVING BACTERIAL INFECTIONS I STILL EVEN TODAY TAKE METRONIDAZOLE, ANTIBIOTICS, AND ANTIFUNGAL MEDICATION TOO. I FEEL VERY WEAK, I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING CHRONIC FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS, BUT I DON'T HAVE THE FLU. I CAN ONLY STAND, EVEN WALK SHORT PACES BEFORE BECOMING EXHAUSTED, AND MOSTLY BECAUSE OF THE SEVERE PAIN I SUFFER FROM. I'M IN MY EARLY 40'S, BUT AT THIS MOMENT I FEEL LIKE 90, AND IT ISN'T RIGHT. DOCTORS I'M UNDER DON'T KNOW HOW TO BEGIN TO TREAT ME. HOWEVER, THEY KNOW WHAT CAUSE IS BUT AT THIS MOMENT CANNOT OFFER ANY KIND OF TREATMENT. I AM A TEST CASE OVER HERE OF THE DOCTORS WHO ARE DEALING WITH ME. LET'S HOPE SOMETHING CAN BE DONE PRETTY SOON. I DO BLAME SURGEONS FOR THEIR IGNORANCE AND STUPIDITY OF WAY THEY HAVE TREATED ME IN THE FIRST PLACE. TO BEGIN WITH, FOR IGNORING THE PRODUCT DATA SHEETS OF ALL BREAST IMPLANTS, ALONG WITH IGNORING THE PACKAGE INSERTS TOO. I HAVE LOST ALL TRUST AND FAITH IN MEDICAL PROFESSION. THE GOVERNMENT: FOR REFUSING TO CARRY OUT ANY KIND OF RESEARCH OR TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE LIKE ME WITH SAME ILLNESS; TREATMENT WE NEED SO DESPERATELY TO GET WELL. I KNOW I'M AS TOUGH AS NAILS. I DON'T INTEND TO SIT BACK AND DO NOTHING. I'M DETERMINED TO GET SOMEWHERE AND GET TREATMENT I SO DESPERATELY NEED. UP UNTIL 1989 I USED TO WORK FULL TIME, 16 HRS A DAY IN A CUTLERY FACTORY. I ALSO TOOK CARE OF MY MOM WHO DIED FROM TERMINAL CANCER BACK IN 1985. I ALSO TOOK CARE OF MY FATHER WHO ALSO DIED FROM A TERMINAL DISEASE. BOTH OF MY PARENTS DIED FROM CHEST ILLNESSES, MOST OF MY FATHER'S FAMILY DIED FROM TUBERCULOSIS, LUNG CANCER, HEART ATTACKS, AND STROKES. IN MY MOM'S FAMILY THEY DIED OF LUNG/BREAST CANCER ETHACENIA. THEY ALL WENT TO OPEN AIR SCHOOL. I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT WAS BORN IN PERFECT HEALTH, THAT IS UNTIL I MARRIED AND HAD CHILDREN AT THE AGE OF 16." HISTORY: PT SUFFERED FROM CHRONIC BREAST PAIN FOR A PERIOD OF APPROX 20 YRS AND WHICH WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CYSTIC MASTITIS. VARIOUS CONSERVATIVE, DRUG TREATMENT REGIMES WERE TRIED TO HELP HER WITH THIS PROBLEM BUT TO NO AVAIL. SHE DESCRIBES HAVING A COLORED DISCHARGE COMING FROM HER NIPPLES IN ADDITION TO THE PAIN. SHE CAME UNDER THE CARE OF A CONSULTANT GENERAL SURGEON WHO PERFORMED AN OPERATION ON HER BREAST DUCTS IN 1989. CONTINUED IN B6.