In December 1984, a search for healing strategies would have been the furthest thing from my mind. I was very fit, rarely ill, and could easily leap seven steps in a single bound. My life was busy with raising very active kids while managing a real estate career. But in December of that year, I became one of the millions of women to go down a silent path, which was to change things for me for some time to come. It came with the decision to be augmented with silicone breast implants.

After the augmentation, I enjoyed a few years of continued health and had no regrets for the decision I had made. But, increasingly, I began to suffer from excruciating headaches, as well as from gait problems and involuntary head tremors. By late 1988, I was seeking medical assistance for my health. Eventually, I was diagnosed with a thyroid problem, a heart arrhythmia, and other disorders. I was no longer a well person. Treatment continued on for the next few years, during which at no time did my medical professionals suggest that it could be my implants causing my problems.

I believe it was 1992 when I first read a magazine article about the health issues associated with silicone breast implants. Imagine my horror when I saw listed nearly all of my own symptoms and illnesses. Not long thereafter, I became one of the 440,000 women who joined the massive class action suit against the breast implant manufacturers.

My health continued to spiral downward, with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia being the most devastating to cope with. It wasn’t only physically difficult – my ill health had devastating financial consequences as well. The crucial moment came in April of 1997, when ill health, finances and a poor quality of life all collided to create a perfect storm. I woke that morning and literally screamed out loud, “Myrl, do you want to live, or do you want to die?”

(more…)