FROM THE BIG 'C' TO THE BIG 'S' SCARE MY STORY BY DONNA CRIM Cancer is a very intimidating word when it is a medical diagnosis meant for you, personally. I faced these very diagnoses, at age 24. I was 5 months pregnant, with my third child at the time. There was a choice to be made - Treatment that would cause my baby to born stillborn, or no treatment and we would both die. I had two beautiful babies, a son firstborn, and then a daughter. Of course, I went into immediate treatment. The thought of leaving my babies was something that I wanted no part of whatsoever. After months of treatment, I had many problems to overcome, but I made it, and I lived to raise my babies. Then in 1990 the big 'C' reared its ugly head again. I underwent a very radical pelvic surgery. I made it! Then in 1991, exactly one year from that surgery, I found myself undergoing a bi-lateral mastectomy. It was almost more than I could believe, especially since I have lived a very healthy lifestyle. I trusted my surgeon completely. I was tired, and I needed someone I could trust to guide me in the right direction. I made the decision to have radical mastectomy without any other forms of treatment. Radiation had already played havoc with my body, from previous years. My doctore recommended a plastic surgeon that he had been working with, who he highly regarded. Immediate reconstruction was a desireable consideration for me. I was still young, and I had been blessed with a nice figure, so I thought "why be disfigured? I can have immediate reconstruction." The plastic surgeon made it sound like a snap. He did not use saline implants for reconstruction, and he assured me that silicone implants were the way to go. When I woke up from the mastectomy, the temporary devises used to to stretch my skin over a period of time, were in place. I never saw myself flat chested. I have never known more pain, even with all that I had been through. I knew this this immediate invasion to my body was just too much! However, I had made my choice, and I would tough it out. Over the next few months, the temporary implants were slowly filled with saline, and my skin stretched to accompany the growth. During this period of time, I was involved in an auto accident, and had to have a surgery to correct the shape of my left breast. Finally, it was time for the permanent implants. Soon after my surgery, I treated myself to a vacation in Mexico, where I visited my long-time childhood friends. They are a married a couple with a beautiful home on the ocean. I walked on the beach, layed in the sand, and I convalesed. I hated the way my breasts looked. They were flat pancakes. Then I started swelling under my arms, had sores over most of my body, and was deathly ill. I returned home, and coninued to pamper myself, but I went downhill even more. I visited my doctors, and they always acted puzzled as to why I felt so bad. My plastic surgeon insisted that the implants were perfect. With my persistence that something was very wrong, I went to a doctor for a special ultrasound. He said, "Donna, this is the most abnormal ultrasound I have ever done." These results went to the plastic surgeon. He continued to say that the implants were perfect, and that the other other doctor who did the ultrasound was mistaken. I insisted on surgery to have the silicone implants removed and have saline implants to replace them. There is so much that I could tell, like when the plastic surgeons assistant (his wife, an attorney) brought papers in for me to sign before my surgery. I decided to read the fine prints. It stated that they were redoing my surgery because I wanted larger breasts. I could not believe my eyes! I made it clear to this attorney that I was very ill, and that was the only reason I was putting myself through this surgery. The silicone implants had been in less than one year. I went into the hospital as an out-patient for surgery. Two hours maximum, and an hour in recovery and I would be on my way home, I was told. My husband waited patiently, and as the hours clicked away, he became very aware that there were complications. He was informed that there were indeed complications. When the plastic surgeon had opened me up, there was a mass of sticky goop. The jadkets on both implants had dissolved; they could not be found. He mopped and mopped, trying to clean me up, but the silicone had migrated to other areas. It had gone into my rib cage and attached. It had obviously migrated well beyond my chest cavity. He admitted leaving in about 40 percent of the silicone. I wonder how accurate that figure really was. Donna - right side before explantation. Donna had bi-lateral mastectomies, with reconstruction and implants. Donna - front view before explantation Donna - left side before explantation    Donna plans to add her post op photos in the future, so please check back. I was in the hospital for two days and nights following surgery. I was so ill, I honestly didn't think I would live. Guess what? He placed humongous saline implants in me, with a chest wall that was entirely infected and inflamed! They had textured jackets which made them better to grow into my infected chest cavity. My story could go on and on, but I can not. During the next several years, my life turned into going to one doctor after another. I was diagnosed with just about every autoimmune disease I can think of. If it had not been for the self-help treatments that I continually sought, I honestly do not think that I would be alive today. I went to holistic health care, and did detox programs one after another. It gave me some quality back into my life, in that I could function. However, I started packing on the weight. No matter how hard I had tried to work against the weight gain, I failed to lose. My implants put my upper muscle structure into a spasm that acutally made me look disfigured. I spent many hours in the emergency room. My feet would go into such attacks of pain that I couldn't do anything but scream. Then, my back and neck were constantly in pain and my arm became completely paralyzed. My kidneys quit functioning properly. I had to use diuretics. My blood pressure went sky high. I knew that my entire body was suffering from silicone poisoning, but I couldn't find a doctor who would even comment that silicone might have anything to do with my health problems. I kept my suffering to Jim and myself. He knew that I was having a very difficult time, but I didn't talk about my health to many people. When I did get stared on the subject of silicone, I sounded radical to others. I was on my last leg, when I finally went to my daughter, Ronda, and said "Help me." And help me, she did! Ronda did hours of research, keeping me informed of everything she was finding. then she found this wonderful forum. Together, we narrowed the doctors possibilities. I wrote to Standford, in California, asking if anyone could help me. I received no answer. We found Dr. Shaw at UCLA, but he was much too booked. Besides, he did not seem to be in tune with the silicone problems. Dr. Susan Kolb was the one that kept coming up, and finally the one that we decided I needed to consult. At this point in my health dilemma, I felt I needed a woman physician, who was well informed about silicone toxicity. Dr. Kolb immediately diagnosed my arm as frozen shoulder, caused from silicone. When she talked to me on the phone, she said that my breathing difficulty was caused from yeast in my lungs. She was helpful before I even met her. As far as we know, Dr. Susan Kolb is the only board certified holistic doctor, who treats silicone poisoning with a detox program and also does the plastic surgery. When Dr. Kolb opened me up, my right side was a mass of infected, diseased and dead tissue. It turned out to be a difficult surgery, to say the least. This surgery was done on an out-patient basis, but it was not easy! When my daughter was trying to get me out of the recovery room to the car, I had doubts that I could make it. But, make it, I did! For two days and nights, I was pretty much in and out. I had to resort to heavy pain medications about every 2-3 hours. Ronda was right by my side every step of the way. She is the best little nurse in the world! She kept my drains clean and measured, and Dr. Kolb called a few times to make sure we were doing "ok". On the fourth day after surgery, I went to Dr. Kolb for a farewell visit and she removed my drains. We had our ticket to fly back home the following day. I was so thankful there were no glitches in our trip home, as there had been for many others. We were happy to get back to our homes. It has been three weeks since my surgery. (on 5/2/02). Soon I will have post surgery photos to post. I will call my photos "the good, the bad, and the ugly". The good, as far as I am concerned, is having ME back. Dr. Kolb removed all of the old scar tissue, and left my skin and my reconstructed areolas and nipples. I am thinking of having reconstruction using my own fat, but it is still too early after surgery for me to give it much thought. I have a lot of healing to do! I am already experiencing much improvement. I have not had one body "melt-down" since surgery. They were so severe, I reached a point where it was too embarrassing to go out. My lungs are completely clear and so is my skin. The thrush in my mouth is completely healed, as well as the yeast on my chin. The swelling has gone out of my face, hands and feet, and my entire body. I am taking on a "Donna look" again. Thank God! I am healing well with no setbacks at this point. I feel that Dr. Kolb did a very clean, neat surgery, and I have all signs that the infection is clearing up. My family Doctor received instructions from Dr. Kolb for my follow-up care. He has been a real jewel, and he really wants to learn more about silicone toxicity. Thank God for this forum, and God bless each and every one of you! You have all been so very, very helpful. I could never thank you enough! Love to each and every one of you! If any of you decide to use Dr. Susan Kolb, plan to go to Atlanta from another area, I have a lot of information I can share about the area. I flew from California with my daughter, Ronda. She went with me for the consultation on the first trip. She also accompanied me on the second trip for my surgery. Do not hesitate to contact me if you need more information about Dr. Kolb or Atlanta. Some day, the whole world will know about silicone toxicity, and we will have played some roll in that knowlege. Email Donna in CA