Plastic Surgeon on Dr. Phil Gets it Wrong
Dr. Phil aired an episode on July 14th in which a panel of doctors answered medical questions. While there was interesting information given, the plastic surgeon (Dr. Andrew Ordon) they used didn’t quite get his facts right (shocking, right?). A woman went on the show that had over 16 operations on her breasts which included having 4 different sets of implants put in. The result was one breast that looked like a shriveled up mess in which the doctor stated that everything that could go wrong went wrong (contracture, infection, etc.). That much I partially agree with, partially because the women did not mention any weird symptoms…so she still had room to deteriorate according to what I’ve learned about breast implants. The plastic surgeon, Dr. Ordon then went on to say that “When you remove implants, and there’s nothing left in an area that’s been stretched, (the breast) shrinks down and shrivels down like the woman’s picture we just saw”. The picture he was referring to is one of the woman who’s had 16 operations and that some say looks equivalent to a mastectomy patient (on the right breast).
The problem here is that Dr. Ordon overgeneralized his statement and basically said that when women have their implants removed, they are going to be left horribly disfigured (and women are believing it as evident in this post). This is absolutely not true and I hate that this misinformation keeps getting promoted by the very people women are looking to for advice. So let’s get it straight, women that get their implants removed ARE NOT doomed to being disfigured! My breast implants were removed and I can’t believe how wonderful my natural breasts look. If you choose a doctor that is experienced in breast implant removal without shoving in replacement implants, then you can have great results. If you don’t believe me, take a peak around Yahoo’s Saline Support Group and www.explantation.com, where you can view true before and after photos.
On a different note, there was a different woman on the show with a mysterious illness (Morgellons) in which she said silicone (yes silicone!) fibers come out of her skin via lesions. That could have definitely used more air time and more explanation…none of the doctors were experienced in anything remotely close to this arena. Just to clarify, this woman did not mention having breast implants.
Oh, and this just in….beginning September 8th, we will be getting to hear more from Dr. Ordon as Dr. Phil brings us a new talk show called, “The Doctors“. So get ready to clarify more breast implant misinformation fellow BBers; this surgeon will represent all plastic surgeons and we all know how closely they stick together.
~Kacey
Oh! This is so annoying!!! We REALLY need to set the record straight! I can’t believe this jacka** of a surgeon actually has the nerve to say that the breast will shrink down and shrivel up after an implant has been taken out. So far from the truth it is almost laughable!!!! I left a comment over at real self, just to set the record straight. Everyone should if you can.
Comment by Krista — August 1, 2008 @ 2:50 pm
One of the members of my forum has Morgellons. She is terribly ill and was told that she was crazy and most of the doctors that she saw told her that she needed psychiatric help.
I keep hearing that fibers are coming out of these sores but there are also tiny little bugs and the woman that I know has comfirmed this.
I might add that she had a very difficult time finding a surgeon to do her explant and also added that she believes that her implants are a part of what caused this disease, in her case. I’m not saying that the major cause of this disease is breast implants but there might be some kind of connection. Research has not been done on this yet for any of us to know for sure.
Just like breast implants, I do believe that alot of information is being left out regarding this disease. Specifically the part about bugs coming out of the sores.
Many people are committing suicide that have this. There is no cure, doctors want to commit you and you are in constant agony with it.
The government is only alloting a minimal amount of money for research on this disease so in my opinion, they either know what has caused it or they really don’t believe it exists. I tend to believe in the latter of the two.
Some say it can be carried by birds as a man was standing in his garage when a bird flew in and hit him right in the forehead. Immediately following that he developed the disease and knows that this bird had it as well.
I could go on and on about it as I’ve done some research after the lady on my forum joined and told me about it. I was in complete shock and knew she had no reason to lie to me about any of this. I then decided it was time to look into it further.
I should do a post on it because we all should know what to look out for with this. Although, for now its rare, that might change in the future. People have reported being on the beach or planting flowers and feeling something biting them that they couldn’t see and then immediately developed Morgellons.
This is a frightening world we live in when a disease like Morgellons develops and few want to acknowledge that it exists. Very similar to breast implant related diseases.
Comment by bethtaylor — August 2, 2008 @ 10:47 am
Beth, after I heard about this disease, it made me thankful that I only have rheumatoid arthritis. I don’t know if I could handle it if things/bugs or anything was coming out of my skin…I can barely handle getting a pimple. Thankfully I don’t have many skin problems…it seems like I’m better equipped to deal with internal pain. I remember getting crawling feelings while I had implants. I felt like bugs would be on me and then I would check or swat at the area. Goodness…someone needs to find out what the connection is and help these people! I would absolutely encourage you to do a post on the topic one day.
Comment by Kacey — August 2, 2008 @ 1:52 pm
I know Kacey, it made me thankful that I only have to deal with ‘breast implant disease’. As terrible as that has been for me, this would be much worse. I just can’t even imagine what these people face on a daily basis.
I also had that crawling feeling under my skin. It wasn’t too bad and continued after explant for a long while. I no longer have that. I think it is an allergic type of reaction to the chemicals.
Also, I have read that when your liver is taxed, and we know that implants can do that, you will have an itchy feeling under the skin.
I actually feel blessed after I spoke to this woman because I don’t know how she deals with this disease!!!!
Comment by bethtaylor — August 2, 2008 @ 7:30 pm