It’s time for this woman to grow up so that her doctor takes her seriously. A “foob“?

An adult is proactive and does not accept treatment that is incomplete. A careful look and touch or even a moment to palpate the reconstructed breast is appropriate and should be asked for, if not given. Frankly, if you have to ask for that basic care, then this doctor is not the doctor for the job. Find another who will treat your reconstruction seriously.

I deeply understand that by giving painful issues names that mask the real problem it can be like a band-aid over a wound. But, one day, you have to look at the wound and accept it for what it is. And that is when you become an adult in the world of mastectomy and reconstruction, use appropriate and correct vocabulary, and expect, even demand, correct treatment..

And that is the day that your doctor or another doctor will take you seriously.

Firebox.com, The Winerack Can’t afford implants? For just $30, you can get a bigger bust and the female answer to the beer hat. It’s a little more useful than silicone, right? (Click here for a demonstrative video, in case you can’t quite wrap your head around it.)

Bloomberg.com, Cosmetic Surgery Losing Stigma for Men, Rises 17% in 2007 It’s not just the ladies that enjoy a little injection now and then. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American men underwent “more than 1 million” cosmetic procedures in 2007, including liposuction, nose jobs and “male breast reduction.” On that note…

ABC.com, Male Breast Surgery on the Rise for Teens This article estimates that 40 to 50 percent of all men have some version of gynecomastia, or “man boobs.” It also profiles a 16-year-old boy that opted for surgery to reduce his chest, rather than have to take off his shirt in gym class. We’re sure there are women everywhere who know how that feels, but why must surgery always be the answer?

American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Breast Cancer Risk and Surgical Intervention While we have our doubts about patients being told the details about reconstructive and cosmetic surgery using implants, it’s relatively heartening to see plastic surgeons paying attention to breast cancer risks in women and making recommendations as such.

Daily Mail, Why Aren’t Cancer Patients Being Told Their Breasts Can Be Saved? It’s true that cancer patients should be given more options and information then just, “Have a mastectomy!” But they should ALSO be given all the information about reconstruction options–and we’re sure that they aren’t.

Washington Post, Barbara Seaman, 72, Pioneer In Women’s Health Movement, has passed away. The co-founder of the National Women’s Health Network and a proponent of the women’s health movement in the 1970’s, Barbara Seaman is an inspiration for those of us actively fighting for women’s health.

TAGS: breast implants, cosmetic surgery, gynecomastia, breast cancer, teenagers, Barbara Seaman

Regarding this ill advised, virtual get out of jail free card ruling, to benefit mightily the med device industry, I was thrilled to see others equally as upset.

Senator Ted Kennedy sums it up well:

“In enacting legislation on medical devices, Congress never intended that FDA approval would give blanket immunity to manufacturers from liability for injuries caused by faulty devices.” He said that without congressional action “FDA approval will become a green light for shoddy practices by manufacturers” of medical devices.

Full article here.

Brief History: Breast augmentation at 19, diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases by 20, removed implants at 21, got life back the day I removed my implants.

Current Status: No longer disabled, working full-time as a special education teacher, continuing post-grad courses towards becoming an educational diagnostician, healthier than I’ve been in years!

I felt compelled to write to you all today. I took a “sick” day from work (how cool that I’m not having to save them for actually being sick anymore!) to have a fun day with my vacationing new fiance! One of my favorite things to do is to wake up early, when the rest of my world is sleeping, and study, check email, watch tv, you name it. Well, today I was checking emails and I noticed that there was an influx of emails from women who are feeling ill after getting their implants. This usually happens when a tv show I’ve done reruns (or it’s Christmas or Graduation season), so I decided to go online and check it out. I’m not sure if there was a show, or if it’s just a coincidence, but it hurt my heart to get so many emails from desparate women. I felt it was time to update you all on what is happening in my world.

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Dr. James Romanelli, a plastic surgeon from Huntington, NY, is featured on two YouTube videos (see “Durability of Saline & Silicone Breast Implants” below) demonstrating and discussing breast implants and giving “the facts” on the pros and cons. Really.

Despite Romanelli’s reassuring voice and the fancy lab coat and tie, we decided to double-check those facts and see if he knew what he was talking about. We asked Dr. Edward Melmed, a plastic surgeon who has testified frequently at FDA hearings and now performs explantations, to weigh in on Romanelli’s statistics. The results are in; maybe we shouldn’t let the lab coat hide the truth.

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A few days ago a friend sent me a link to a cancer survivor’s blog and suggested that I might want to get involved. I did go and spend a good deal of time reading the blog posts and it stirred up my emotions.

Although I have empathy for these women, I am just in such a different place than they are right now. Looking back, I probably also struggled with feelings of “Why me?” and grieving over the loss of my breast. BUT… here I am 30 years later and I want to smack these gals for being consumed with that attitude.

Life does not stop because we lose a breast. It would be far worse to lose an arm, leg, an eye, or even your hearing.

I remember 30 years ago I was living in Manhattan and I had just gotten out of the hospital. I was on the bus going downtown to my bank, feeling oh so sorry for myself… There I sat, just having had major surgery, and NO ONE on the bus but me had the slightest idea of what I had been through.

I watched a blind man get on the bus with his guide dog, and he found the time on his watch with his fingers. Then I spotted one of the homeless beggars with no legs on one of those dollies pushing himself down the street with his hands.

At that moment I felt pretty damn lucky to have only lost a breast.

GOODNESS… I sure wish there was a way to make women wake up and realize that this BREAST issue is all fueled by media hype, implant manufactures, plastic surgeons, and obnoxious men that just want to look at big breasts.

For crying out loud, the ONLY REASON for breasts is to nurse babies… and if you don’t have a baby, why the hell do you need breasts?

Just to let you all know where I am coming from… I am a 30 year survivor of breast cancer. I was a 25-years old and not married when I was diagnosed and had a mastectomy. I did silicone reconstruction five years post-mastectomy and then had to deal with multiple surgeries and illnesses as a result of that choice. For the last 12 years I am back to living with one breast… and, yes, there are times when I find it difficult to obtain the look I want in clothes or bathing suits. And no, I will never wear a strapless gown again… BUT WHO THE HECK CARES? I have my LIFE! And a pretty darn happy one at that.

Excerpt from American Profile Magazine, February 22, 2008

Erin

Mary McDonough, 46, is an actress, filmmaker and inspirational speaker. The mother of a 15-year-old daughter, she is engaged and lives in Orange County, Calif. She has a recurring part on the CBS series The New Adventures of Old Christine. Diagnosed with lupus several years ago, McDonough attributes the disease to her now-removed silicone breast implants. As a result, she has become an activist to educate women about the possible dangers of implants.

Women’s E-News, Spain Sizes Up Fashion World’s Measuring Stick  A $2.5 million study conducted by the Spanish government will rethink women’s clothing sizes and update measuring standards for women’s bodies. Maybe the U.S. can learn something from this!

CNNMoney.com, Cosmetic Surgery Market Stands Firm  If a woman will save money by skipping her morning latte and riding the bus to work, will she really put all those extra pennies towards breast implants? We say: start a savings account and let the interest grow, not your surgical bills.

Medical News Today, Mentor Corporation Launches Comprehensive Online Research on Breast Augmentation  No one honestly thinks that one of the “leading suppliers” of breast implants would offer unbiased information on cosmetic surgery… right?

NY Times, Sorry, Boys, This is Our Domain  The future of blogging: girls dominate their gender counterparts online, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, but still are the minority in the computer science world and IT education. The article brings up an interesting point about the “feminization” of the Internet and female self-expression (”From a young age they learn that they are objects… so they learn how to describe themselves”), but it also shows us why we need to boost girls’ self-esteem at an early age and encourage them that they can take their skills beyond Myspace and into the business world.

PRWatch.Org, Beyond Advertising: The Pharmaceutical Industry’s Hidden Marketing Tactics  Interesting blog post about how drugs and medical devices (inluding implants, of course!) are advertised to patients, and how companies maintain relationships with doctors. This is the kind of need-to-know stuff that keeps women safe and informed about what they put in their bodies.

TAGS: advertising, feminism, cosmetic surgery, fashion

The New York Times reported yesterday that the Supreme Court has ruled that the manufacturer of a federally approved medical device cannot be sued under state law if the device causes an injury. This ruling has huge implications for the health care-technology industry and their victi – oops, I mean customers.

The article, “Justices Make It Tougher to Sue Medical Device Makers,” by David Stout, tells us the Supreme Court ruled 8-to-1 in favor of Medtronic, upholding a lower court’s decision that plaintiff Charles R. Riegel, who was severely injured when a Medtronic balloon catheter burst while he was undergoing angioplasty, cannot sue the Minneapolis-based maker of cardiovascular devices. Riegel and his wife contend that the catheter had been designed, labeled and manufactured in a way that violated New York state law, with defects that caused severe and permanent injuries in Charles Riegel. But a federal district court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in Manhattan), dismissed the Riegels’ suit on grounds that the catheter had been given pre-market approval by the Food and Drug Administration, thus protecting the manufacturer from liability under state law.

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Recently I posted about a man that enhanced his tattoo using a silicone implant. I was curious as to whether he would fair well with this implant and if he had complications, would we hear about it? Little did I know that I would get my answer so quickly. As reported in the metro.co.uk, his body rejected the implants. The article reports that he had alot of fluid around the implants and when he pushed on it, it popped out of the incision that hadn’t healed yet.

As the article reports, the incision site was sewn up again just to have it open up from all the lymphatic fluids. So he now has it wrapped in gauze until it stops oozing.

When will the FDA and the manufacturer’s of these devices admit that they are just not safe????