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Leaking Breast Implant - Surgery with Lyme?

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Posted 7/7/2013 7:41 AM (GMT 0)
I had a breast augmentation in 2002 with saline implants. This past week I am feeling a loss of volume in one breast and I believe it to be leaking.

It was always my plan to have the saline implants replaced with silicone when the time came, but having had Lyme Disease since 2007, I am scared to have surgery.

Has anyone undergone elective surgery with Lyme? What were your experiences?
Posted 7/7/2013 7:58 AM (GMT 0)
implants can grow mold and bacteria, can be dangerous and cause chronic health problems. if i had the money to get mine out, i would, and the silicone new ones are dangerous too. health is our most important goal here, so i would do some research on the real saftey of these implants before putting more stuff IN your body.
Posted 7/7/2013 8:01 AM (GMT 0)
there was a mystery diagnosis about a lady with our implants who had them taken out and were black, which is not uncommon now... now that people are getting them taken out they notice that inside gets contaminated easily. its not good...
Posted 7/7/2013 7:43 PM (GMT 0)
AvaG,

While I still need to have a LLMD do an "official diag" on me, I have a positive IgeneX test and lots of lyme symptoms, so I'm certain the diagnosis is a technicality.

Anyway, before I tested positive for lyme I had my implants removed. I had them out on 6/13 just a few weeks ago. Positive from IgeneX on 6/24. Emergency surgery for complications on 7/2. So 2 surgeries while having lyme.

I'm glad I had them out because I don't need to deal with both the lyme and implants issues. It was and continues to be slow going though to heal from the surgeries. I had what I now think were bad herxes after each one.

I'm just at the start of my lyme journey, but I'm certain I could not heal fully while having the implants in.

Warmly,
Chicky
Posted 7/7/2013 11:54 PM (GMT 0)
My daughter had an appendectomy when she was sick with Lyme. I was really worried when they wheeled her through the doors to the op room, knowing that she wasn't healthy and at that time, we didn't know what was going on. A different surgery I know, but she came through it fine. Her incisions were slow to heal up. She had 3 small ones.

I agree that you might want to research about having another type, in case they would give you more problems down the road. Good luck!
Posted 7/8/2013 1:25 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you everyone. I'm going to make an appointment to get it checked out. If necessary, I'll have them changed to the new silicone gel, which is less likely to leak. My biggest fear is the anesthesia. I didn't do well with it the first time, so much vomiting!
Posted 7/8/2013 6:21 AM (GMT 0)
no implant is safe :(
Posted 7/8/2013 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
You may be right that no implant is safe, but over the past 11 years, I have had no problems due to these, until now. The only reason I would be reticent to go with saline again is because I don't want to have to worry about replacing them much sooner than I would with silicone gel.

My only other option would be to take them out completely and have a reconstruction to my natural ( barely a B cup) breasts, from my now D-cups. I don't feel I'd ever be happy with that result. Believe me, I've given up a lot of my life due to Lyme. This is one thing I'm just not willing to give up. I hope that doesn't come across as rude, it's just tough when everything is supposedly bad for us.

My worry is really centered around anesthesia and having a surgeon that understands my sensitivity to all medications.
Posted 7/8/2013 7:30 PM (GMT 0)
It is your choice and you seem to know there are risks. I wonder if there are any tests that can check if you react negatively to anesthesia. I worried about that with my daughter, but fortunately, she came through fine.

It is too bad there's still so much focus on women's anatomy. I stressed to my daughters that isn't what makes them who they will become and fortunately, neither of them have any desire to change their size. They had me as an example, which helped. My husband didn't choose me based on my size. These were just my thoughts and I'm not putting you down for your choices. I hope you find the answers you need, but don't wait too long since it is leaking. You don't need more problems on top of Lyme.
Posted 7/23/2013 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
This is a very interesting topic. I too wonder about the safety of going under, when someone has lyme or a chronic infection.

I hope more members or passers by will comment on here if they had major surgery or operations while having lyme & coinfections. This will be of useful help for those who are worried or may need surgery in future.
Posted 7/24/2013 10:53 PM (GMT 0)
I've had 3 surgeries with Lyme, the last one while knowing I had it. The first two I puked horribly after the surgery.

First surgery was a bunionectomy, second was carpal tunnel surgery third was a meniscus repair and ACL replacement in my knee.

The knee surgery last year I told them how sick I get. They gave me something in the IV and some sort of patch behind the ear. While I felt sick, I didn't throw up. I also brought my own gluten free snacks and didn't eat the junk they give you.

The worst for me was that I had to stop all of my supplements for a week before surgery.

Also I did take much longer to heal then they told me it would.

I hope you do well. You should discuss this with not only the surgeon, but also the anesthesiologist.

Also, after the surgery I got back on my Serrapeptase right away. I had no issues with blood clots. I also took the detox stuff from the Hansa Center to help get stuff out of my system.
Posted 7/25/2013 8:13 AM (GMT 0)
This topic brought up some memories... I've been ill for so long, that I didn't even make the connection between my past surgeries and Lyme.

Anaesthetics would make me feel like living in a tunnel for about 4 weeks after surgery, 24/7. I had almost no connection with the world, so to speak. Very hard to function. I have had episodes like this for years, short ones, but it's hard when it's there all the time.

I don't know if it's related, but I'm one of those patients who woke up during a surgery, felt everything, couldn't react. Even at the dentist's my cheek would not go to sleep. Now I mention this to the anaesteseologist (at first I felt silly, but they weren't surprised by my reaction or lack of reaction to anaesthetics), and they keep it in mind, I also mention the tunnel feeling. The last surgeries I had went really fine, I'm not even scared anymore at the dentist's :-)

Post Edited (MarieLS) : 7/27/2013 1:30:34 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/27/2013 7:11 PM (GMT 0)
I too have no idea if waking up during surgery is related to the infections that I had - but I do know that it freaks out everyone else in the surgery suite!! LOL! devil I've woke several times during surgeries, and during a knee surgery, I tried to sit up! I can remember them all screaming "Get her down, get her down!: LOL!

I never did respond like 'normal' people to the pain meds either. I went in when my appendix was leaking and ready to burst and they said they gave me the full amount of morphine that they could and I got up and walked around - they were all a little slack jawed, but I had to go to the bathroom!!! LOL!

I do know that surgery is a tremendous strain on a healthy body, and most of us are a long way away from having a healthy body! So expect to have issues that most people don't have - increased symptoms, flares, set backs in treatment, getting viruses and other infections even, as the immune system will be even lower functioning.

It's best to avoid surgery until you are healed, but that's not always reasonable, so do your best and remember that you will need a lot of time to recover!!
Posted 7/27/2013 7:39 PM (GMT 0)
Wow - other people waking up during surgery!!! I'm not alone! turn (not really funny, but that's how I react on things...). I couldn't move, but it hurt so much - I was yelling inside 'just look at me, I'm awake' and then after what seemed a very long time the freaking out in the OR just before slipping away again - lol

we're just very special Trav - lol

Just inform your surgeon and your anaesteseologist, and be prepared: take time off, take time to come to yourself again.

 

Posted 7/27/2013 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
I do have to agree that you are special!!! I'm just a 'special case'! Giggle!

I agree, be sure to tell your anesthesiologist (wow! Happy for spell check!) that you wake up during surgeries, they will be happy that you've told them before they take you into surgery!!
Posted 7/27/2013 10:37 PM (GMT 0)
You're giving me too much credit Trav - lol
(people might start thinking I'm being serious about myself - lol)

the way I spelled it was certainly wrong, it even looked wrong... my spell check is Dutch, that won't help me much...
Posted 10/7/2013 1:23 AM (GMT 0)
Well I had Saline for 10 years, changed out to Silicone gel in 2009,, I recommend them to those who want them.. FDA approved.. :)

Nikki
Posted 10/8/2013 12:55 AM (GMT 0)
hey Traveler and Marie me too I woke up during an emergency C section and was terrified. I also do not do well with anesthesia everything makes me sick and I am very hard to wake up (other than the c section time).Always seems to take me longer to get that medicine out of my body. Probably had a few surgeries while not realizing I had lyme & friends. Never thought of a connection with lyme.
Posted 10/9/2013 6:59 AM (GMT 0)

it takes me a very long time to get out of that tunnel after an anesthetic... up to 3 weeks.

lol flowergirl: Lyme & friends turn

Posted 10/9/2013 5:08 PM (GMT 0)
Fitnikki, with a chronic infection ongoing, surgery is never recommended. Having a cosmetic surgery when one has these infections is always discouraged. The only reason one should undergo surgery for breast implants is because they just had to have their breast removed, or an implant is leaking.

Once the Lyme and other tick-borne infections have healed, then if a person wishes to something like that it's up to them, with the understanding that that kind of stress from surgery could likely cause a relapse if that person hasn't had enough time to complete their healing.
Posted 10/9/2013 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
Fortunately for me, I haven't had to have any surgeries for a few years now!! turn Yippie!! I don't really remember how long it took me to come out of that tunnel, although I do know it was a long time! Hopefully I'll not have to have another surgery! :-)
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