Doctor, are you listening? 

Thanks Adella for your comments and the opportunity for me to share my feelings on Susan Kolb. It hurts me deeply to see her targeted as the "enemy" and the honest frustrations felt by so many harmed women aimed at her. She may be a Plastic Surgeon, but she is also a sister who cares deeply about the harm done by implants. 

Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of many of us, the FDA made the fateful and in my humble opinion, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, decision to approve implants as "safe enough." I appreciate those who are putting their efforts into trying to get the FDA to reverse this decision and believe that all implants should be removed from the market. 

I believe that the FDA should do what it was charged with doing ... and allow no drug or device on the market until it's safety is proven. With close to 3/4 of women having complications in just the first few years, saline implants do not qualify, and I will continue to see that as many are warned as possible. 

The fact of life is, they are legal and regardless of what we believe, women are going to continue to get them. Even if they were outlawed, smugglers would bring them in to the US (like the Oklahoma PS who was convicted a few years ago), women would travel to Mexico, Europe, etc. to get them, and "backroom" implantations would continue. At minimum now, they are supposed to be "monitored" and studied ... not protection enough, but all we have to work with at this time. 

I have every intention of continuing my work to raise awareness as to the dangers of all implants and help those who have already made the fateful choice to have them (once, twice or 20 times) to make a better decision for their future and long term health. 

My strongest desire at this time is that the issues of Dr. Kolb and the fact that implants are legal and women can still choose to implant, does not become yet another way to divide our sisters. We need each other and the few doctors who are interested in delving into this issue and studying it and speaking out on it. 

We can be of different minds but of one spirit. 

May God bless us all and help us to find ways to reach those who have been and can be harmed by implants. 

With love, 

Controversy PLEASE POST

Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 18:33:55 -0600

Hi my sweeties:

I sent this out, hoping to stop the MADNESS.

LOVE YOU BOTH...LEA 

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Monday, October 23, 2000 6:23 PM

Subject: Re: Controversy PLEASE POST 

Dear Lynda: 

We are demanding a "PUBLIC ENQUIRY" here in Canada regarding silicone/saline breast implants. The paperwork is almost finished. This is the only way that we will ever get these devices banned forever. We will need the cooperation of all women who have been injured by these deadly devices to make this happen. Our government has to take some responsibility for all the pain and suffering that the women and their families have had to endure. This should happen "WORLDWIDE" because it would have a greater impact. We have had enough. 

Love always...Lea.....PLEASE POST...THANK YOU. 

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Monday, October 23, 2000 3:18 PM

Subject: Re: Controversy PLEASE POST 

As I stated to Eileen: 

I am saddened to see this controversy among our group. 

What I see is that the implants are a fact, at least for now. We need to focus on education, education, education!!!! We cannot get them banned, but the more we educate people about the dangers, the less desirable they will become. At some time in the future, we may have another chance to influence whether or not they stay on the market, but today is not that day. We can do the most by getting out the info., getting articles into magazines, and just by keeping info. on the websites. 

Let's focus on what we agree on and get on with the important work that we all do. 

Thanks so much! 

Lynda Roth 

PS: I do not believe that Dr. Kolb has any ulterior motives in placing saline implants in women. She may have a little denial about her own saline implants. She will deal with that in her own time. Meanwhile, if you need implants removed, she continues to be one of the best in her part of the country to do it. I, for one, will continue to send women who need a p.s. in that part of the country to Dr. Kolb. 

Lynda

To: "ilena rose" <ilena@san.rr.com>

Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2000 5:27 PM 

PLEASE POST 

Dearest Ilena: 

Good for you! We agree completely with everything you say. The real culprit here, unfortunately, is the FDA, because of its "safe enough" stand. But we can't allow the manufacturers to benefit from dissension among the women, so we all have to get past this and continue to pull together. 

As you know from our previous email on the "Glamour" article, we too were surprised by the revelation that Dr. Kolb had saline implants. But, as you point out, we all have to accept her decision. And come to think of it, who better than a plastic surgeon to have them! Now that we have thought about it, we think that Dr. Kolb is in a unique position. With her scientific training, she can self-monitor the "life" of her implants, observing the reactions in her own body--as she did previously with her silicone-gel implants--as they gradually break down. We are not wishing for a moment that Dr. Kolb should become sick; however, in the likely event that she does, perhaps she will report her findings to the scientific community. A peer-reviewed paper in a scientific journal that has been written by a scientifically adept plastic surgeon who has experienced firsthand the problems reported by numerous women should, surely, provide our side with unassailable proof of their dangers. 

We thank you for your continuing sensible approach to the problems that arise from time to time. 

Keep up the good work! 

Much love always..................Lea & David

MYRL JEFFCOAT  

Dear Myrl,

First let me say that I'm not feeling very well today and I am having a bit of trouble concentrating...brain fog. Please tell me if I understand you correctly.

You feel that women should have the freedom to choose breast implants...because they have the right to do as they wish with their bodies. You also feel that the "hard-liners" in this group, who do not believe that women should have the option to get breast implants because they are harmful, are causing problems in our group in that this debate over pro-choice and no-choice is dividing our group. And, that other women in the country who are happy with their implants (because they haven't had them in for long enough to become ill, I'll add) will join the ranks of those who are pro-choice and it will benefit the plastic surgeons and the manufacturers in the end. Is this all pretty accurate?

If I understand you correctly, then I would like to say that I am a hard-liner. I know that there is not a safe implant on the market and all that they do is harm women...and it takes as long as ten years for symptoms to start presenting themselves. I cannot bend on my stance that no one should get implants because they are not a safe product.

In my opinion the debate over pro-choice and no-choice in this issue of breast implants is ludicrous. No one should have the right to choose a defective and harmful product of any kind because our government is supposed to protect the publc from them and remove all harmful products from the market...especially failed medical devices. It seems to me that the focus of this whole controversy has shifted from the safety of breast implants to a woman's right to choose. To many women, taking away any of their rights to choose anything are "fighting words." I think the entire pro-choice/no-choice issue reeks of the manufacturer's PR propaganda.

When Iooking at this logically, this isn't even about breast implants. It's about whether or not the public should be able to choose products that are known to be harmful to them. If women should have the option to choose defective medical devices that will harm them...then, why should any defective product ever be removed from the market? If it is decided that women should have the right to choose a product that is harmful...then ALL products should be made available to the public without any sanctions. From defective tires to controlled substances...everything should be made available to the public despite it's potential harmful effects if this policy is to be adopted. This makes no sense to me in a society that has established governmental agencies that are supposed to provide the public with protection by adequately testing all products and removing those which are not safe for the public to use..

I feel that the FDA has failed us by approving saline breast implants earlier this year, but I don't think this is any reason to stop warning women about the dangers of breast implants. I feel just the opposite is true...we should warn women and try to educate the public about this travesty more than ever now.

I think the focus should be put back where it belongs: On whether or not the FDA should keep a product on the market that is known to harm the people who use it. Just because they are breast implants and they are a women's product, doesn't mean that by taking them off of the market that it would be denying women any of their rights. The FDA would, in fact, finally be doing their job by protecting women from a harmful product.

I can understand that this would be most unfair if implants were indeed safe and didn't harm women who had breast augmentation with them, and they were being denied to women who wanted them, but, this is not the case, as we all well know. This isn't an issue like the right to abortion, where women's rights ARE being tampered with. Banning implants should be equated with the banning of any faulty device or product....not a political issue concerning women's rights.

I believe that all harmful products should be taken off of the market. In the big picture, society pays for this mistake. In the instance of legalized alcohol and cigarettes, I think that they should also be banned. Alcohol is just as bad a drug as any street drug available, and destroys just as many lives as crack or heroin. Cigarettes cause their consumers to become ill with a wide array of illnesses and much of the health care that is provided to these people is provided by Society. The same will hold true for implant patients that will become dependant upon the government for health care. Why should corporations be able to harm the public and leave Society to pay for the harm they caused?

I do not think that this issue should divide our group, but, then again, I don't understand how anyone who has been made ill by a failed medical device could then fight for another woman's right to be able to have one and become ill, too. That doesn't make sense to me. We should want to protect our fellow sisters and the next generation of women...not allow them to blindly make the same mistake we did and destroy their health. We should fight for our rights to be protected from the agencies that are supposed to be monitoring these issues instead of fighting for other women's right to poison themselves.

I also think that most of the women who are happy with their implants are those who have been implanted within the past decade, and I think that most of them have not had the implants in their bodies long enough to experience the symptoms of silicone poisoning. These women may join forces with those who are pro-choice...... this time....but, once they begin to fall ill, and the next generation of implant victims emerge with illnesses and complications, the government will have no alternative but to completely eliminate the use of silicone and saline breast implants. The sad part about this is that thousands of women will be implanted before the next generation steps forward and complains that their implants have made them ill.

We, the first generation of silicone implant poisoning, stand a slim chance of winning the battle to force the FDA and the manufacturers to be accountable for their toxic implants and the harm they have done and to remove them from the market. But, we can lay the foundation for those who will follow us and give them the knowledge that we have acquired with the hopes that it will make their search for answers easier than it has been for us.

I do not think I have ever met a woman who has become ill from her breast implants and still supports their use. I think that we all need to stand strong on the issue that no implant is safe and no one should be able to choose to use them because we know they are so harmful. We cannot give even a little bit...and we cannot allow this to be disguised as a means of taking a woman's rights away from her.

I do not have any ill feelings toward any of my sisters who have disagreed with my stance. I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinions and that is what free speech is all about. However, I don't think I share the same agenda with anyone who feels that women should have the right to harm themselves with implants, and I won't allow the manufacturers and the plastic surgery associations to use me as a means to fight to keep implants on the market by trying to convince me with a facade that my rights are being violated.

Those of us who took this stance and ran into resistance on the Saline Support Forum, were told that we should find another forum to discuss these issues and that our comments were not welcomed on that forum. We did not break away from the group with the intentions of dividing it...we just wanted to be able to voice our opinions on certain issues pertaining to the use of saline breast implants without being threatened with being banned from the forum. I do not feel that I have separated from the group in any way. I do, however, realize that some of us don't share the same opinions, but I feel that we are all in this mess together and are sisters in this cause.

God bless all of you,

Lany

Pro-choice/No-choice

Our position concerning "Saline & Silicone" breast implants.  

They should be taken out the market from all over the world. 

It is not because the FDA has taken position concerning saline breast implants, that we have to follow that position. 

Would you take a plane knowing in advance that one ( 1 ) motor will not be working right? 

The FDA said that saline implants could be risky but never mentioned clearly what types of risks the women had to take. What kinds of studies did they do on the risks?

They said that whoever would use saline implants would have to tell the one who would like to be implanted "There are risks" and explain what kinds of risks they had to face. 

We don't believe that all will tell the truth. They have been lying in the past and they will continue to do so. 

Breast implants were supposed to be safe and be good for a lifetime. That's what they said. What a lie. 

Breast implants have never been safe and we all know it. 

We don't argue that women have the right to choose, we should say that their choice is risky. Prevention should be our task! 

We have been fighting Silicone & Saline implants and we will continue to do so. 

If you want to stay healthy stay away from breast implants. And we are starting to think that a lot of medical devices aren't safe.

Best regards,

Micheline & Tony Lambert

PS: "What is White is White , What is Black is Black, and both have never been Grey"