More Surgery

I haven't written on here in awhile but I am going to post about this since it cancer related.

After I lost one breast because I had a DIEP flap failure they placed a tissue expander and after I finished chemotherapy they exchanged the expander with a breast implant. I never really liked it because it is hard and cold most of the time and the shape is considerably different than my DIEP breast. It is under the muscle and it can be painful at times.

During my chemotherapy I developed peripheral neuropathy in my hands and feet. This is a known side effect with both chemotherapy drugs that I received, carboplatin and taxotere. It got slightly better after I finished the chemo but then it got worse and worse over time. My fine motor ability with my hands is now so bad that I can't button a button or do simple things like open a bandaid or peel a stamp off the backing.

My neurologist does EMGs and she sees it worsening but really doesn't have any answers. She says it usually doesn't get better but it shouldn't be getting worse so she thinks it is possible there is another cause. She sent me for MRIs of my neck and back. They do show some abnormalities but it is unlikely the cause.

Not long ago I read an article about the FDA holding hearings about breast implants. They have been found to cause cancer and they are also causing autoimmune illnesses in women.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/03/26/women-need-better-information-breast-implants-panel-says/

I started researching this further. I found many articles and groups that describe the symptoms. https://healingbreastimplantillness.com/breast-implant-illness-symptoms/.

I asked the neurologist if she thought the breast implants could be causing my issues and she said she didn't know of any scientific evidence showing that they do. Time went by. My symptoms worsened. My hands are incredibly swollen. I have severe joint pain, enlarged lymph nodes, difficulty walking, severe fatigue, confusion, twitching to my face and hands, muscle pain, etc. I went to see a Rheumatologist. She did many blood tests and quite a few of them are grossly abnormal. My c-reactive protein is 15. If it is over one that suggests very high inflammation and suggests high risk for heart attack. She said 15 is suggestive of a huge inflammatory response. My IgG and IgA are also incredibly high. She said she would diagnose me with Rheumatoid arthritis but she thinks it is the breast implant. She said she is getting 5 or 6 women a month with these same symptoms. Many are so sick they are using walkers. They are removing the implants and they are getting better.

I went to see a plastic surgeon who is highly recommended and happens to be located near me. He said he is taking implants out daily and most of the women are getting better. He said I can do a lat flap fro reconstruction but it is a huge surgery and I am reluctant to do it. He said he can try to make me a new breast using only fat transfer but that it will take 4 or 5 procedures, all short and out patient. I decided to try this method.

So tomorrow is the day. It is a one day surgery if there are no complications. When they say "If there are no complications...." I always get worried since I have had a lot of rare complications and so have my kids. I am hoping for the best. He is going to take the implant out enbloc, do a full capsulectomy, repair my muscle and transfer a small amount of fat into the breast. He said he will transfer about 125 cc of fat in and we will hope for at least 60% to vasculate. They can do the fat transfer again in three months and at that time they can transfer 250 cc. Each time they can double the amount of fat they transfer and they hope for a 60% rate of vasculation.  My breast implant is 625 cc.

When they remove the breast implant and capsule they have to send any fluid surrounding it to pathology to test for breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma. (BIA-ALCL). It is rare so I 
am not going to stress over it but I will be happy to get the all clear. https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/reconstruction/types/implants/special-report

I am hoping that all these symptoms will go away when the implant is removed. I will post an update when it is out.