Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 14:51:07 -0700

Date: Tue, 04 May 1999 10:36:16 -0500

Subject: Forward to Dr. Pound

Dear Doctor Pound,

I know you don't want this harassment as you see it, but you surgeons have put us between a rock and a hard place. You "sell" us on the implants in the first place and then when the inevitable happens you wash your hands of us. Where is our follow up care?

My implanting surgeon was the last place I would have gone back too when I explanted. His office personnel gave me a hard time when I called back with symptoms I felt were connected to the implants. They told me how horrible I would look without re-implanting with saline. He even called me later to give me the Mayo Clinic spiel, and "reassure" me that certainly my diagnosis of fibromyalgia must be from Lymes disease, get it checked. I told him it had been checked every year for about 5 years of getting sicker and sicker.

They did not want to hear the clinical information I had to give them, let alone send out surveys to their past patients. What really made me lose faith in your profession is how all the women are treated. I know this is true, as I have been treated in the same way. At my GYN exam 3 months before my explant when I was at my sickest my doctor looked at my chest and wrote in my chart " Implants appear to be intact". Now how would he know by looking at them? Three months later I did find out one was ruptured and gel was extruded through a rent in the implant.

What made me even madder was after some researching on Medline after my explant what most likely ruptured my implant was the last closed capsulotomy done in 1994, well after your journals were telling you guys this was dangerous and contraindicated. I even found a paper that said the upper quadrant is where the ruptures will usually be found in such cases, and yup that is where my rupture was up into my arm pit. Now you may ask why did I let him do it? Because I didn't have access to his journals, nor the knowledge of the dangers of what rupture would bring. Two years later I was so sick I could not work. It spiraled me down the tubes so quickly there was no doubt in my mind what was making ME sick, no matter what the doctors I saw said.

The neuro problems caused by implants are something you can not ignore. I do have a medical background for about 25 years so I know how this should go. I was not given informed consent in any aspect of this implant fiasco. I know that you guys were lied to in the beginning, but when this all came to light you covered it up as well. And you continue to implant and re-surgerize the heck out of women. What other procedure would they let you do your 4th and 5th procedure to get it right? I think it fringes on malpractice. I would think a board of ethics would step in and say improve your quality control here, or quit doing the procedure. An ELECTIVE procedure I might add.

If insurance companies had to pay for more than just the reconstruction patients I think this would have been stopped years ago. It's because it is cash that this has gone on as long as it has. It is gravy money. No reimbursement hassles, no 10-15% off the top. Your getting redo's all along, and you have the blessings of the wonderful establishments such as Mayo and the New England journals to boot.

It has come down to money. The truth is out there. Had there been some sort of decent professional registry this would all have been blown out of the water. Had all the women that implanted the same year I implanted been registered and followed up with surveys every year you would know the truth. We did go back to the implanting surgeons, they treated us like we were crazy, or simply like shit. So we went else where to explant.

You all need to face this problem because it is not going away. We see them in substantial numbers every day here on the net scrambling to find answers to their medical problems. They are hurting and not getting the care they deserve. The high number of nurses in our ranks are an asset for these people at least they can get some profession advise that is helpful from them, as most are treated shamefully by your peers.

Spend about 6 months reading their stories and see what you think. Some of them are hard to read, as their brains are truly affected and they can not spell, or carry a train of thought well. I know what this is like, I could not dial phone numbers for months and my cognitive testing showed substantial damage in short term memory and recognition. I thank my God that has improved with explanting. But some of these women can't afford to explant and just keep getting worse. What is it that is affecting our brains Doctor? Could it be the platinum and chemicals they contain? Were these proven not to be a neurotoxin? Show me the studies that prove them safe.

You sound so irritated that we would feel compelled to write to you, but we are desperate to open your eyes and any of your colleagues. We need you to help and treat us, there are women dying. We have no idea what the future holds for us, can you tell us what silicone and it's chemical make up will do after 10-15 20 years of exposure in another 20 years, if we live that long? Will we be another Agent Orange?

We are the lab animals, we are the one's to study. So instead of blowing us off, and degrading us learn from us. Or are you afraid? We will not go away, as we die, there are many others to take our place thanks to you and your fellow implanting surgeons. If you don't like it then you'll have to stop putting them in, as long as there are implants there will be women that get sick. Open your heart and mind,

Donna

_________________________________

From: UBCDan@aol.com

Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 02:21:55 EDT

Subject: Harassment... Sorry just felt like an educator

Dear Dr. Pound,

I am totally sorry if any of the very ill silicone sisters have harassed you. After reading your exchanges with Ilena, I told myself not to bother you any more! Then I cried about my wife's sudden death, and wondered what you have done to pursue the information and questions that I have posed to you! Since I received no answers, I wondered why?

Dr. Pound,

Wen, This information did not come easily, nor without an extremely healthy price tag....... the loss of a very young 54 year old life, and wife! Where would you suggest I look for answers to my questions?

I am not here to harass you, or even question your profession or life-style. All I ask is competent answers to my questions.

What bothers me more than anything, is the appearance that P/S Docs are unconcerned and uninformed with the normal human body's autoimmune response to a foreign body. I am not an MD or even a PhD, just a BS with an understanding of chemistry and chemical bonding.... and yes, I do believe in free radicals!

I am not here to harass you, just to ask that you share your Medical expertise with a remarkedly large group of silicone survivors.... and the spouses of those who didn't survive their silicone experiences! I have give you months of research, please give me the courtesy of a response!

Sincerely Dan & Barbara Buck(she'll always be a part of me)