October 21, 2021 • 48 mins
How can you heal yourself if Doctors don’t even believe your illness is real? How do you find a doctor who can help you figure out what is happening in your body? There are pioneering doctors out there on the front lines, working tounderstand and treat this disease. From performing explants to emotional support, they are turning desperate patients into survivors.
Special Guests: Dr. David Rankin (IG: @davidrankinmd) and Jeff Rose (IG: @xplantjeff) Reach them at www.aquaplasticsurgery.com. Follow us on Instagram: Kristin - @kristin_e_nobles Christine - @CTorres1017 For more information: www.sicktitties.com
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Close to the Chest with Kristen and Christine is brought
to you by My Heart Radio. So today is Thursday
of June and I am actually going to see the
Los Angeles research tender today at Cedar SINAI. I am
definitely anxious and nervous about this appointment. Lately, I've been
(00:22):
having some really strange symptoms, like horrible pressure in my neck.
I almost feel like I have a choking sensation when
I try and eat. My voice is constantly tremoring, and
the lymph nodes underneath my arm and in my other
parts are starting to throb an ache, and I'm just
constantly exhausted. So my hope is that maybe today they
(00:44):
can give me some insight if there's any way to
stop this from spreading, or treat it or what's going on.
My biggest concern is the size of my lymph nodes
in my neck. I think some mornings I wake up
and try and pretend like this isn't really happening, that
this isn't currently going on in my life, And then
I look at my calendar and try and compartmentalize my
(01:07):
morning so I can get through it. And now I
have a lunch meeting with a bunch of doctors to
tell me how long I might still be here and
what the quote likelihood of success of treating me is.
Dealing with something that's so unknown, used to be so unusual,
but it gets It's something a lot of people deal
with now, But for me, I'm scared. Sometimes I think
(01:27):
about what my mom went through and how brave she
was when she found out she had glioblastoma, and I
just think I don't have the survivor gene. But then
other moments, I feel this need to fight and hang
in there and keep battling it. But sometimes I won't lie.
I get really scared and I feel very alone, and
I do get a lot of anxiety going to these doctors.
(01:48):
I start to think about what I'm going to look
like if I go bald with my breast cut out
walking around, and I start to feel like I'm going
to lose a part of myself. And another time, as
I want to be like those people on TV who
lean into it and embrace it and rock it and
get through it. But I'm starting to realize this disease
is absolutely nothing like on TV. You don't get to
(02:10):
take off work. You have to keep pushing on and ultimately,
being sick in this world doesn't make you any different
than anybody else. Your bills still happen, your problems with
your family are still there, and you've got to fight
on and push on. So hopefully today meeting with this company,
they will have some research or insights or things that
(02:33):
we haven't heard about yet. But I'm really scared. Also,
going to the cancer center always sucks the life out
of you because while you're there, you see these people
at different stages of treatment, and it's hard not to
feel their pain and feel bad. But I know, just
like me, none of these people want pity. They're fighting
to survive. So I'm hopefully I can get up the
(02:53):
courage to walk in that door, be organized, asked the
right questions, and get through this meeting. It's always really
hard to go to these things alone, but it then
it's even harder to go with someone because you worry
about what your family is going to see and experience
and the whole thing just freaking sucks. So here I go.
Wish me luck the sin and then question spa walk
(03:22):
into the room, heads turning on and down the fire.
So Christen, our topic this week is dealing with doctors.
How many women who are dealing with breast and plant
illness find the most difficult part of being chronicle ill
is visiting doctors in hospitals. Well, Christine, given b I
(03:43):
I is just starting to be recognized is a real illness.
Many of us have been seeing doctors for years that
told us they did not believe that breast and plant
illness was real. Or worse, we got misdiagnosed and we're
being treated with other diseases. So given that many of
us had severe fatigue, anxiety, and fear when it comes
to seeing doctors, I know I have severe PTSD, and
(04:04):
today I hope to uncover some of the tips from
some of the pioneering doctors out there who are developing
protocols and plans to treat people with breast and plant illness.
How many doctors did you see before being diagnosed, Christian Gosh,
I'd say over and all types of disciplines, and it
became daunting to sort through those who actually believed in
breast implant illness and those who thought it was on
(04:27):
my head. What about the hospitals? How many hospitals you've
been to? Well, Christine, I've spent over a thousand days
in hospitals in multiple states over the past twenty years.
Oh my goodness, Christian Nuts, over three years of your
life spent in hospitals. Yes, and I've been there on birthdays, holidays,
weekends and regardless, it's just no fun. It's nothing like
on TV. And unfortunately, I find given the lack of
(04:50):
education and experience people working in the hospital, be at
the doctors or nurses have with actual BII patients, it
gets really frustrating. Some of the nurses and doctor is
actually treat you like a drug seeking hypochondriac and do
not believe that the root cause of your ailments could
be your breast implants. So I spent a lot of
time in there just basically having them put it, you know,
band aids over bullet holes, treating these major symptoms I
(05:13):
were having that were awful, but never getting to the
root cause of what was making me so sick, your
breast implants. Right. So, you know, we went to the
hospital the other day, you and I and because you
had an appointment, could you tell our listeners what happened
to you? Wait before you tell the story, why were
you going to the doctor and what were your symptoms. Ironically,
(05:33):
this was a technicality. I was going to get an
ultrasound for my surgeon who was performing my ex plant,
because he wanted to get updated imaging of the masses
that have been in my breast for two yet plush years.
And what was so shocking is I thought this was
just a technicality, And while I was there, the radiologist
(05:53):
came in and told me that my images were fine,
there was nothing wrong with me, and to come back
in a couple of years. And I actually shared with
him that I was going for an explant the following week,
and he told me he didn't think I should need
to take these out. But that doesn't even make sense.
That's outrageous. Well, it's very frustrating, And in that moment,
I was actually scared that it would impact my insurance
(06:15):
covering my surgery because he's putting a medical opinion in
my chart. And I think this is why so many
of us with breast in punt illness are skeptical about
the care we receive and how can we trust our
caregivers if they don't even know how to diagnose the disease,
And with so many conflicting opinions from so many different
types of doctors during the diagnostic process just getting to treatment,
(06:38):
it becomes so hard to know who to believe. And honestly,
what bothers me the most is when my emotional state
gets questioned, like me being stressed out or depressed or
something going wrong with me is causing these symptoms, versus
the doctors actually believing that what I'm telling them is
happening to my body. It's really happening. Doctor should trust
(07:00):
what their patients are telling them. But to be fair,
not all doctors are uninformed and insensitive. I mean they
get their information from manufacturers, the f d A, and
their peers. Many of these doctors have been taught the
old philosophy that b I I is a condition that
hysterical women identified with but is not a proven disease. Absolutely, Christine.
(07:20):
But now that's changing, you know, and tells a nineteen
When the f d A recognize breast implant illness and
actual disease and many doctors started speaking out about it
and talking about patients they were meeting and treating and
seeing improvements, the conversation became real, if that makes sense.
And what's really exciting is now the FDA is asking
(07:42):
patients to report their adverse events. They're asking doctors and
manufacturers to give them data so they can properly understand
this disease and how to treat it. And I think
that through people like Dr Rankin who were talking to today,
we're finding there are great doctors out there, and Dr
Raykin is one of those pioneering doctors who is setting
(08:03):
a protocol for treating b I I. He has an
entire practice that's designed to explant women and treat them
as a whole person emotionally, physically, and financially through the process,
making sure that they're well taken care of. Well, let's
not keep avoiding absolutely fine. So first and foremost, I'm
(08:30):
gonna start by thinking, Dr Rankin, so much for joining
us on Close to the Chest. Here's someone who I've
been reading about and I'm just so excited to me
given the work you're doing. Thank you for being here.
It's my pleasure. Thank you very much for having me. Well,
I want to start and ask you some questions. Given
you are doing more X plants than anybody, do you
mind sharing with the listeners what breast I plant illness
(08:54):
is and what an ex plant is well, breast implant
illness is a series of findings that we're seeing in
women who have had breast implants. There's a multitude of them.
There's a there's a big list of things that women
are speaking about. The FDA on their website for breast
implant illness will list a series of things like brain
(09:16):
fog and hair loss and fatigue and anxiety and joint
pain and you can read the rust which we're seeing
in some women with breast implants. In these cases, oftentimes
an ex plant is the answer and helps them tremendously.
And an ex plant is removal of the breast implant
and removal of the scar tissue surrounding the implant, which
(09:39):
is formed by the body to try and protect the
body and block off of foreign body that's that's inside.
So that's an really important point you just made. And
for the listeners, dartr. Rinkin is a plastic surgeon. Correct,
that's correct. I had started looking into physicians. You obviously
came up and I was immediately impressed with the fact
(10:00):
you not only treat the women with the surgical process,
but do you mind sharing a bit about what you
do to support women through this journey? Will. Our whole
office staff is set up to provide care for our
patients that are suffering from progressing plant illness. We have
multiple explant leisan's who are available all the time by
(10:21):
their personal cell phone to guide our patients through the
whole process, to answer questions, to offer them support. We
have our own Facebook support group for our patients as well.
You know, there's a lot a lot to this for
my patients. There's a lot of medical issues for them.
They're not feeling well, so they need guidance from the
(10:42):
time they decide to explant, all the way through their
surgery and beyond on that. No, how long have you
been doing this. I've been in practice seventeen years. I'm
in my tenth year right now. I've been explanting at
a pretty decent paste for the last four years because
I'm just seeing the if it's my patients, I'm just
trying to really perfect that the best that I can.
(11:03):
The demand for doctors who can help us right now
is significant, but I think it's also the demand for
the care. And it sounds like you're treating emotional side
the physical side. What have you seen as a surgeon
in terms of the different types of implants and the
impact it's head physically on the body. Well, there's a
lot of different types of implants, different quote unquote makes
and models. There's textured implants, smooth silicone sailing, different manufacturers
(11:28):
whenever an implant is put in the body. But whether
it's a breasting implant or any type of implant in
your body, it's easy. It is foreign and tries to
wal it off and form scar tissues. So every patient
has some scar tissue around their implants. Sometimes it's extremely
thin and barely there, and sometimes it's thick and calcified,
and we really don't know why. In some patients it
(11:48):
forms one way and in other patients it forms other ways.
We're trying to really figure out why. You know, every
patient is different and unique, but generally we do see
a capsule or scar tissue every Asian with their implants. Wow,
obviously what you do is so amazing to me because
I can't imagine going in there seeing the impact it's had.
And then one of the things you said that really
(12:09):
stuck out is that maybe do you mentoring a bit
with the listeners about b I I, the diagnosis and
really where we stand with that because I think that's
an important area of confusion and need to understand sure
it's actually it's really a diagnosis of exclusion. Many of
my patients have been to a multitude of specialists. They've
had tests after tests and specialists after specialists, and they
(12:31):
really can't come up with a definitive cause there's no
blood tests, there's no X ray or cat skin that
we can do to say, oh, yeah, you have the
I I. It becomes a leap of faith for my
patients when they've exhausted all of the resources and decide
they're going to try this to see if they improve
their health. I've seen a couple of surgeons I have
some extreme symptoms and they were like, we don't know
(12:52):
if this will fix it. It's scary, but I think
as a patient, it's scarier to stay the same. What
needs to happen to actually prove that breast implant illness exists.
It sounds like you believe b I I is real.
I do five hundred explants a year, so I see
everything firsthand, and I see my patients improve the majority
of the great majority. As a physician, I wouldn't be
(13:12):
doing this unless I saw a positive outcome. In the
majority of my patients. So yeah, I do believe it's real.
It's not in every woman. Some women get breast implants
and they do just fine, and they're great devices for them,
and they love them and they have no problems at all.
But it's the patients that don't. Those are the patients
that I'm trying to help. What's incredible when you help
a woman and you do an explant? What options are
(13:35):
using that are available to patients after the explant or
during the explant for reconstruction? What type of procedures you know?
Everybody's tissues their difference on. Patients have a lot of
breast tissues, Some have a little breast tissue, some coming
with seven hundred ccm plan versus a two cc implants,
So you have to take all these things into consideration.
Oftentimes I'll do a breast lift at the same time
(13:58):
because the tissues have expanded a time when you just
remove a large volume, r US is going to tend
to drop in some patients that will recommend to lift
others I don't. It's really on a case. By Kate's basiness,
patients with more breast tissue are easier to get a
better aesthetic results with thinner breast tissue are a little
bit more challenging, so we always have to weigh in
medical benefits, what you're gonna look like after these all
(14:21):
coming to playing and are all super important for my patients.
Stepping back into this, you as a physician have treated
you said, over five hundred surgery the year, right now,
that's the Yeah, over five hundred a year of X plants. Wow,
here's my big question, and I don't want to offend you,
but do you see yourself ever doing implants again in
the future. Well, if they I'm gonna say no. But
(14:44):
if they come up with a completely safe implant, you know,
and I would you say, I wouldn't. But I think
that most of the products are the same consistency that
they've been for many years. So the short answer is
is probably not so supportive. I think it's incredible, first
and foremost the expertise that you bring to the table.
(15:06):
Like you said, conceptually, this has become something that's diagnosed
through elimination or symptom grouping. Like you mentioned before, how
has it been with your peers regarding breast implant illness
in the protocols that are being developed you know, as
far as my peers, you know, some are very supportive
of v I I and have started ex planting, and
(15:27):
others don't believe it's a real issue or a real diagnosis.
I think as they become more aware of patient outcomes,
then they'll they'll get on board. You know, they've been
doing this for many years and putting an implants like
like I did at the beginning of my career until
I really saw the benefits of explanting in a lot
(15:49):
of my patients. So, you know, I always do what
I think is right. I don't really get involved with
what my peers are going to think about it. If
I think it's the right thing to do, and I
clinically see my patients getting better, how could I know
not continue to do this? Dr Rank And you've done
many explants to your practice and treated hundreds, if not
(16:10):
thousands of women. What do you do with that data?
And are you currently doing any research studies? Right? We
do have a lot of data, as you can imagine,
so we have been in process of collecting the data
and we will be doing some type of research study
(16:31):
to try and you know, figure out how to diagnose
most common symptoms best treatment options, so stay tuned for that.
For the listeners. To get an implant approved and prove
it's safe, is a doctor, what is it that you
would like to see? Is that proof? When? What do
you think that the manufacturers are currently doing to provide that?
(16:53):
If anything well, you need to have studies. You need
to have you proved that there's no adverse reactions and pays. Basically,
that's that's how any other medical device is supposed to work.
That's how our f d A is supposed to work
with drugs, so you need long term studies. I think
that informed consent is a really important issue, so patients
(17:14):
should know their risks, benefits, potential complications, um and possible
outcomes going in. You can't just say, oh, this is
a dre precent safe, it's lifetime device, you'll never have
to worry about it. And now we have some of
those more informed consents going in on the inflants, so
people can make a more informed decision if they're choosing
to get implants. I think that's a key fact for
(17:38):
all of us as patients and what you just said,
because it's a lifetime device that you can have it
forever and you'll be fine, every it's great, It's has
never hurt anybody. I think it's the not only the
understanding that we have in the community, but kind of
the pitch and now you're bringing the conversation to this
real narrative of it may not be for everybody. Are
there any factors you've identified that predispose as women to
(18:00):
be I I unfortunately, I haven't seen a consistent type
of patient that happens. And I've seen every type of patient,
So there's no way to say, oh, patients who are
from Eastern Europe or South America higher development is just
there's really no consistent basis for one patient over the other. Wow.
So it sounds like you're doing things to help proactively
(18:22):
identify those of us at risk. You've created a process
to currently treat us that are going through it that
has the emotional and the physical support, which is incredible.
Do you mentioning a bit about some of the procedures
you do in the reconstruction for women are out there,
because I think the biggest fear for anybody is what
am I going to look like after? Yeah, it's it's
definitely scary for women with the lift. There's a lot
(18:45):
of different types of lifts, and depending on the degree
of what we're called toastis or drop of your brast,
how much breast tissue you have again, which I briefly
touched on, there's different scarring patterns based on what type
of lift you're gonna do. I try and see every patient, examine,
you know, what type of the implant they have, how
(19:06):
much tissue, and then we can make a decision of
what the surgical plan is. I understand it's a it's
a difficult thing for patients. They may go in with
breasts they are very aesthetic, lovely appearance, and now we're
going backwards and they're they're choosing to do this electively
for their health. So it's difficult emotionally, you know. Sometimes
(19:27):
the results are unpredictable, the bodies interesting on how some
people heal. You can do the same procedure on two
patients and they can heal totally differently. So that's why
I've focused so much time on just ex planting, because
I want to try and give the best results every patient.
You know, it's it's a it's a work in progress.
I'm always learning, I'm always trying to do better and
adjusting my my techniques just to try and improve my aesthetics. Well,
(19:51):
that's a really important point because currently, for women who
have recalled implants, the option that is financed by the
manufacturers on the device side, but not the surgery, is
a swapout. So, in your professional opinion, if you have
B I I in your complaining of symptoms, do you
believe swapping them out for a new and improved pair
is the solution for that woman? No, not at all.
(20:12):
If you're having a reaction to an implant, simply replacing
it with another implant is going to give you the
same symptoms that you've been experiencing. So I don't think
that's a real viable option for these women. And what
should they ask their doctor when they're meeting doctors in
order to make sure they're in the right hands again
experience maybe to see some before and after, maybe to
(20:33):
speak with some patients that have had surgery with that
doctor before, to console with them and have a physical
exam and and discuss lift no lift, or what the
doctor thinks the potential aesthetic outcome will be. So these
are these are important things to discuss. A lot of
women are now talking about fat transfers, so in what
(20:55):
scenario is a fat transfer appropriate for a woman and
is it something that you recommend right after X plant
or what's the right protocol for that. So in my
practice I do fat transfers. I usually wait a minimum
of six months because I want to let everything heal,
and to be honest, a lot of my patients that
say they want to fat transfer after six months, they say,
(21:17):
you know what, thank you very much, I'm done with surgery.
I am happy with the way I look, and they
decided not to do it. So it's nice to give
them that opportunity to decide if it's right for them
or not because it is another surgery. And then also
you want the fat to quote unquote take so with
a better heal rest, you have more opportunity for the
fat to survive. So it is something that it's not
(21:39):
like an implant. It can give you that full upper
poll fullness round look, but it can add about a
cup size if there's a symmetry, so it can help
with those. If there's a little bit of an indent
here or they're caused by the previous implant, it could
help with those two. So it's I think it's an
important tool that we have to help patients postoperaly or
maybe give a little bit volume the rate limiting step,
(22:02):
and a lot of my patients is some patients don't
have enough fat too to utilize, so that that can
be a factor too. Do you mind sharing a bit
with the listeners about silicone and what we know or
don't know about it it? Do you believe that's kind
of one of the root toxins that is in there? Well,
we don't know, and I can you know, speculate until
(22:24):
we do. Now, you know, being a physician and scientists,
we like to work on evidence space medicine, and I
don't want to say definitively that it's the silicone or
it's something else until we really can prove that. To
your point, sailing implants are made with a silicone shell.
Silicone implants are made with a silicone shell. Ones filled
(22:44):
with sailing, ones were filled with a silicone. In my practice,
I'm probably explaning sixt silicone and sailing. So it's not
like if you have a silicone they just swap it
with the sailing implant and things are going to be okay. Well,
that think that's a really important fact because you know,
and again I appreciate your honesty and the openness because
(23:05):
as patients, as advocates, and as anybody going through this,
embracing that we don't know what we don't know, in
being open to discovering the truth, I think is the answer.
What factors do you feel are making the b I
I issue a trending topic. I think that there's the
exponential recognition of it right now for multitude of factors.
(23:26):
I think social media has really brought a lot of
these patients together in some forums where they can discuss
things collectively, share stories, share symptoms, have credibility. When you
have you know, hundreds of thousands of women, I'll experience
you the same thing. I think that's very important. And
I think that you have a lot of celebrities or
(23:49):
people with a big voice who are getting on this
and you know, some of them have ex planted. They
share their experiences through social media and through other outlets
as well, kind of getting the getting the word out
there that you know, this could be what's going on
with your health. You're right, social media is so important.
And I think what you've done is, you know, really
(24:09):
created this community of women to prove that what do
you hear us constantly saying, is we all talk now?
Is that we feel so great that we're quoting not alone?
You know that that this is becoming recognized and that
we're not crazy. What advice would you give women with
b I I who are out there struggling with symptoms
and also trying to find a doctor. Well, I think,
(24:29):
like you said, just recognition that it's not in their head,
it's not a psychiatric condition, that there's some real, significant
symptoms that are being caused by this, and that there's
help out there. I do think it's important when explanning
to find somebody that doesn't like anything in life. Experience
is key, and to find somebody that does it on
a consistent basis, because it's not easy. It takes a
(24:53):
lot of experience to do it properly. So you know,
there's resources out there. A Breast implant Illness on Instagram
is a great resource to find. There's a list of
physicians that do this on a regular basis that can
that can really help these patients. Well, it sounds like
you have laid out a pathway for us where we
have options, you know, during post explant, if we don't
(25:15):
like how we look and there's alternatives, and I think
that's so important. In Again, I just want to wrap
up by saying thank you so much for the work
that you're doing. It was really amazing to find someone
who not only was treating the disease, but doing a
lot of work to speak out invalidate for us women
that there is an issue, it should be treated, and
you're defining some amazing standards in terms of treating the
(25:35):
whole patient. Any final things you'd like to share with
those women facing b I I or a l C
L currently that you think it's an important fact they
need to know. First of all, thank you very much
for having me. I really enjoyed speaking with you and
spreading awareness with you. I think it's important for women
to know that if they have b I I or
think they have b I, that there's support out there,
(25:58):
that they're going to be heard, that they're going to
be treated, that there's options, and you know, they have
people that they can turn to to try and help them.
And I think that every patient deserves that right Well, Kristen,
(26:23):
that's a doctor who really cares and goes the extra mile, absolutely,
and he's proven it and how he's designed his practice.
Our next guest, Jeff Rose, works with Dr Rankin and
he's actually a breast implant concierge and one of the
first people I reached out to when I realized I
needed to go through this again. What does that mean?
What's the breast implant concierge. What Jeff does is walk
women through the entire process, telling them and helping them
(26:47):
with what to expect when explanting. And he's an amazing
supporter through the diagnostic, treatment and recovery process and is
there to help his patients make sure they survive and thrive.
And I really think he has some great tip to
share with the listeners on how to pick the doctor,
how to be diagnosed, and hacks on how to get
through the process. Let's hear what he asked to say.
(27:09):
I just want to say thank you, Jeff for being
a part of this and coming on close to the chest.
I was curious as to what exactly was the impetus
for you to become involved in the advocacy and helping
women get explanted. Well, it is unusual, unexpected story. Back
in two thousand and thirteen, I was just going about
(27:31):
my business working in the health field, and my wife, who,
after giving birth to our son, got implants like a
lot of women do, and she really enjoyed them. And
about five years after having them, she started to get
sick very often, you know, flu like symptoms. I used
to joke with her because we used to go to
(27:51):
the gym together at five o'clock in the morning. She
was always very healthy like me. We always took care
of ourselves, and I used to say to her, you're
the healthiest sick person I've ever met. You're always getting sick.
And every six weeks she wasn't feeling good. It was
always something different. Over the course of time, symptoms would
(28:11):
get worse, the amount of symptoms would increase. The very
typical story that I know now. You know, we would
be going to doctors and specialists and getting tests done,
and we just we're looking for an answer. What's wrong?
Why are you getting sick? You know, all the blood
tests were coming back fine, everything was negative, which was good,
(28:32):
but at the same time, it was very frustrating. As women,
what would you give us this advice? And people coming
to the process of saying, you know, we think we
might have this. We're contacting doctors. What should you expect
is the process that you go through and meeting a
doctor to get an XP Like, how does it start?
What should you look for in a good physician? Well,
(28:54):
I think the one thing you indicated is important to
point out is everyone is different. Everyone everyone's case is different.
The first thing that happens is you're gonna have a
consultation with me, whether it's in the office, whether it's
face time, whether it's skype, whether it's on the phone.
We're gonna spend a good thirty to sixty minutes, however
(29:16):
long it takes. And first thing we're going to find
out is it really your implants making you sick. That's
the first thing that every woman has to really discover
on their own. Is it the implants. That's the first step.
The second step is picking the right doctor to do
your surgery complete removal of the capsule every single time.
(29:38):
If you're interviewing a doctor, you only need to start
with one question, can you guarantee me you will remove
a hundred percent of the capsule during my surgery. If
you don't get a very quick confident yes, time to
find another doctor. And it's not a matter of just
asking and him saying yes. Because the biggest challenge. Why
(30:00):
a lot of doctors don't remove the entire cap so, Well,
it's a couple of one is they don't believe in it.
They don't believe in breast implant illness. They think it's
just scar tissue that's harmless. Correct, and sometimes will say, oh,
the body will absorb it, it it will dissipate. That's not true.
In fact, scar tissue can actually grow. I mean I
always say, if that were true, if scar tissue dissolved,
(30:23):
how come we're removing old scar tissue from twenty and
thirty years ago. It doesn't dissolve. That's a fact, and
that's a fact that we see in the operating room
every single day. In order for you to get better
from breast implant illness, it requires complete removal of the
scar tissue. Now, if you are under the muscle with
the implant, it's more challenging and even more the reason
(30:47):
to find a competent doctor is because there's a high
chance that capsule will stick down to the rib cage
and it's millimeters above your lungs. And why is that important, Well,
you can puncture your lung So a typical inexperienced doctor
at this surgery. We'll look at that and say, I'm
(31:08):
not going to risk puncturing her lung and hurting her
and getting sued. So they leave it there and they think,
well I got most of it and she'll be okay,
the body will absorb it. That's not true at all.
So that's why most women do prefer a specialist to
interrupt you really quickly. It's becoming a category of specialty.
Ex plant. Yes, so within plastic surgery you have people
(31:31):
who are known for certain things. Do you mind sharing
with us on average, when it costs a woman just
in medical services to explant for what you know, Dr
Rankin is in the industry as a specialist. He's been
able to keep the costs very affordable. Under twelve thousand
dollars for an explant lift nerve block everything. We keep
(31:51):
it as affordable as possible. There are doctors that charge
as much as eighty dollars. I always want to emphasize,
and this is for all the listeners. When they're really
getting pricing, you want to see if it includes things
like anesthesia of our costs because a lot of times
you get a bill later on separately and they may
(32:13):
not quote that. So you always want to ask does
that include everything like anesthesia and operating room costs? Where
they tried its per hour with us, it covers everything
because we own it. That's the total price. So very important. Jeff,
can you tell the listeners what your role is as
an explant liaison? After I walked them through the initial
(32:37):
consult and they decide to schedule their surgery, then I
am available to them at all times. They have my
direct number and I work with them. I will help
them and tell them that it's recommended that you go
on an anti inflammatory diet because this is inflammatory base. Also,
(32:57):
the other thing is the chronic systemic the hydration where
everything is right out. Jeff, can you share what women
experience emotionally leading up to their excellent surgery. It's an
emotional one and that's why I think as a guy,
I can add a lot where having the support of
their spouse and even their family members is so so
important because you know, their partner is the one person
(33:21):
they're turning to pour emotional support, and if they don't
have that, it becomes that much more challenging. I mean,
I've had women, you know, back out of surgery because
they were afraid they weren't going to be, you know,
esthetically pleasing to their partner anymore. Uh, they were having
one of my fair's Jeff is I'm single, right and
(33:41):
my support system is Christine, who co hosts the show.
And everybody's saying, why don't you just get these out?
And like we've talked about, there's yes, the financial and
finding the right doctor, but then there's the emotional side
of is someone going to love me? Because I got
these initially to think they'd make me more attractive. And
so what I've actually done through this community is I've
met a group of women who are some of the deepest, kindest,
(34:05):
most incredible women. And I say, you know what's closer
to the chest is that you know you are Once
you remove these, you're all heart brain, and you know
you get yourself back. And so I think for us,
there's this moment where we overcome one of the symptomatic
issues that got us here. And I think I've met
a group of women in advocates like yourself that are
people I'm just proud to be around, and I think
(34:27):
you creating that community has been important. So do you
think we're almost to the point where insurance can step
in with specialists like Dr Rankin and help cover this.
We're getting closer. I still don't think it's going to
be within the next year or two. I think it's close.
I'll stay within five years. That is my goal that
(34:47):
hopefully insurance will at least cover the explant pot. They're
not going to cover the massive PECTI the lift, but
the explant part. My goal is for them to cover.
And I think it's through a lot of advacy and
get the word out and you know, people really talking
about this, and can all of us just take off
our clinical hats but the next fifteen minutes and let's
(35:08):
just use our common sense. And with using our common sense,
if we know that when we take a medication, well,
medications have side effects, every medication. In fact, the medical
school they teach you in order to have an effect,
you have to have a side effect. So it's kind
of the validation that the medicine is working. So if
(35:30):
we're using common sense and logic and you're putting this
big foreign object in you, this breast implant that has
these foody nor toxic chemicals and they are how in
the world is it logical to say that nobody gets
side effects? From that, it almost is ridiculous to say
that they don't. Of course, women are going to get
side effects from it, and people always kept saying to us, women,
(35:53):
you look fine. And I think what you're really trying
to bring to light is this is a feelings issue.
It is a medical issue you It is not an
elective issue. We didn't elect for this, and we don't
identify with it. We have it. And I think, as
someone who's having these conversations, to again raise my hat
to you, is that you're educating people on the f
(36:14):
d A, the procedural experts that are around you, the
actual patients, what you went through is an individual as
part of a family. And then you choose to take
this on because I'm sure it's not a fun conversation
to have. No, it's it's very it's very heartbreaking. So
many of the stories that I hear, and the most
(36:35):
heartbreaking ones are the ones where they have to have
a second surgery, as you know, where the first doctor
didn't do it correctly and they got their hopes up
of getting their life back and now they find out
they're still sick and they have to have another surgery. There,
I mean half half of the women that I speak
to every single day get emotional, start crying, and I
(36:57):
don't blame them. I mean, they've had their lives taken
away from them. And like I always say, is even
though we're removing implants all day long, that's not what
it's really about. It's about getting women their life back,
getting them back to the person they used to be
before they got sick. It is very sad, yes, well,
and remembering who we used to be is also challenging.
(37:17):
A lot of these women have been sick for a decade.
They have struggled, their bankrupt because they've spent so much money.
And I also know that's an area where I think
in talking about what you see. So when you're taking
a woman into the operating room, you're seeing implants come out,
what do you see in terms of the product, and
(37:37):
then what should we expect in terms of that procedure
and recovery? Well, great question, And every surgery is different.
You know their age, how how long they've had their implants.
But the recovery process is important, and again that's different
for everyone. Ninety days after the ex plant, way and
(38:00):
they do the three months follow up of women report
that they've gotten their quality of life back and they're
anywhere from symptom free and that is amazing. So the
good news to take away from this, and that's why
we say the first thing is to identify that it
is the implants, which I will help you with a
(38:22):
lot of women are not sure, and I have a
way to make the odds very very clear that it
is likely the implants. So that's the most important thing
that I do is help clarify, Okay, it is likely
the implants. Nothing's a hundred percent, but it's likely the implants,
or maybe it's not. And a key thing isn't sharing
your story. Telling the doctors that this works is the
(38:44):
validation they need to continue on. But giving them the
medical records to provide accurate data to the f DA
to continue to enforce more research, more tracking, and more
education is key because these doctors educate each other the
education you're giving. And so when a woman has an
explant done, doctors are literally scraping the caps, so any
(39:09):
remnants if they rupture this is gel, it can travel
throughout the body. And so this is not a pain
free surgery and we really kind of have to embrace
the suck, right correct I mean it is a major surgery.
I mean there's no getting around that. Both you know,
emotionally as well as physically. You know, the recovery can
take weeks. You have to keep that in mind also
(39:31):
when you're looking for a surgeon that it is a
major surgery. I mean, you know we're going in, you know,
very close to your heart and your lungs and removing
these two big foreign objects. In fact, in the research
that I've done to put it in perspective, the size
of the surgery is such that it's equivalent should removing
(39:54):
a bullet that's loads in your chest. When you go
in and remove that bullet, removing those two implants, it's
the same type of surgery. So that kind of puts
it in perspective. And it is a major surgery. So
you do have to keep that in mind, and you
certainly want professionals that do this and do this regularly,
planning for time off of work, giving yourself that ninety days.
(40:16):
One of the most important things to share with the
listeners is everything you say to your doctor is confidential.
But legally they have set a statute of limitations for
women from the date they identify with their symptoms, and
then there's a process that we have to go through
if we do become part of the current class action case.
Do you mind sharing with the listeners what the issue
(40:36):
is with quote chain of custody and how important it
is to find a surgeon that you can trust and
to communicate privately. Yeah, I mean confidentiality between um, you
and your doctor is paramount. I mean you have to
be able to discuss things and feel safe that it
is confidential. I mean there's hippa. I mean this is
(40:59):
a very very confidential Your medical history. Everything that is
discussed with your doctor is confidential. It is not to
be shared in any way, shape or form with anybody.
That's something I have to adhere to. Every medical professional
involved in our practice and in any practice must stick
by that. It is the foundation of what medicine is
(41:24):
built upon, is the confidentiality between the doctor and the
patient and the entire staff as well, so they can
get better and get the help they need and really
not worry about repercussions in any way, shape or form.
So yes, the very very important point. For sure, the
patients themselves can speak about their illness. When it comes
(41:47):
to privacy rights, however, is the health care providers, including doctors, nurses,
and social workers. Anybody involved in the diagnosis and conversation
regarding illnesses today have to provide complete and total confidentiality
as to their patients. Well, you've definitely, Jeff done that
(42:08):
today and everything you do share. The more we tell
our stories and you allow women to have the space
to tell their friends, you demystify the fact that a
this is not real, because it is. And I think
that you know, I am b I, I you know
people showing that this is what sick looks like. Please
send you know, love and light to your wife because
obviously without her, none of this would have been possible,
(42:31):
and it is one of the pioneering women. Her courage
is not only saving lives, but she's sharing her husband
with a lot of amazing women who will get their
lives back and be able to live the life we deserve.
And so thank you for you and thank you for
joining us. Well, thank you. It's a it's a team
effort for everybody. I can't do it alone, certainly, and
it's all these great group of women working together with
(42:52):
the same goal. So thank you. Those are two people
who are really saving women's lives and revolutionizing an entire industry. Christine,
it's amazing to see someone put their care back in healthcare.
Dr Rankin has taken the time to really educate and
(43:13):
advocate on behalf of his patients and pants a year.
That's at least two a day. And how about Jeff.
He really goes the extra mile for his clients. It's
so nice to see that there are people out there
who can make this part of the journey a little
bit less painful and a little easier. So, Chris, what
have we learned today that will help our listeners lower
their stress and anxiety when choosing a doctor. Kristen, I
(43:35):
think the first thing that women need to find is
a doctor who believes in breast implant illness. I think
that's paramount. It's everything. So for the listeners out there,
when scheduling appointments they're looking for a doctor, ask the
person who answers the phone if that doctor performs ex plants,
if they treat breast implant illness, and if there's a
place you can go see some testimonials. I think that's
(43:56):
a great way to start, for sure. I think the
second thing people need to do is to research those
doctors and talk to former patients. Absolutely again, you know,
just to hone in on that point. There's so many
ways on social media, you know, look out there and
talk to friends, you know, put in hashtag breast implant
illness and see what comes up. And ex plant is
(44:17):
another great hashtag to look at because you're going to
see pictures of women who are proud of their results,
happy with what happened. And I know they're more than
willing to share feedback on the doctors they went to
and the experience they had. I've done this myself. Yeah,
and when you went to see those doctors, what did
you do? And I think the third thing that I
took away from everyone we've talked to is make sure
(44:38):
you prepare a list of questions and concerns prior to
the appointment. I think what's so difficult for many of
us is we get in there and you freeze, you know.
I know I have a lot of PTSD from going
to doctors, And what's really helped me and some of
the other women I've talked to is to create a
list of questions, a list of concerns, and take notes.
It is not inappropriate to ask the doctor if you
(45:00):
can pull out your phone and record the conversation so
you can a play it back for your family to
share what happened, and be re listening to it yourself,
because you're going to walk out of that appointment and
have a lot of big choices to make. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare, absolutely,
and I think also shop around. I think one of
the things I learned personally is the range of quotes
I got were a variety of costs, some as low
(45:22):
as six thousand dollars, some as high as fifty two
dollars right, and then the procedures I was being offered.
I had to go to web md to google half
of these things. But what I found is not everybody
had the same treatment protocol, and that's important. I think
what we want to make sure as patients is that
we understand what the procedure is, get an estimate for
(45:43):
not only the ex plant, but any biopsies that need
to be done, and then lastly, any reconstruction that you
may want to do later. A lot of women, we've
learned from Dr Rankin today and other experts, they have
the procedure and that reconstruction could be six to twelve
months down the road. As a patient, you really want
to understand up front the total cost of recovery, not
(46:04):
just the cost of the surgery. You really have to
educate yourself on almost the entire procedure yourself, absolutely, and
there's great videos on the internet to look up what's
an end block, what's a capsulectomy, what are biopsies? You
can even see procedures. And I think the thing I
learned that was most important in this entire experience talking
(46:24):
to these amazing supporters is that don't give up. You know,
there are so many great doctors out there. And as
B I I gets more recognized and more surgeons start
talking about it, you know there are solutions, there are
more people to come that are going to treat us.
I think that's great advice. Do not give up, and
(46:44):
you're you're not alone. Close to the Chest with Kristen
and Christine has been brought to you by b Noble
Media Group and I Heart Radio. A very special thanks
to our guests Dr David Rankin and Jeff Rose. To
find out more about aqua plastic surgery, please visit www
(47:06):
dot aqua plastic surgery dot com. That's a q U
A p L A s t i c s U
r g e r y dot com. Now, I'd like
to share some gratitude, a very special thanks to I
Heart Radio, to r Parker and her I Heart Radio
marketing team, and a big big thanks to our executive producer,
(47:29):
Ramsey Long. If you or someone you know would like
to know more about Breaston plant illness, please visit sick
Titties dot com. That's s I c k t I
T t i e s dot com. Also, please follow
us on Instagram at sick dot titties and at b
Noble Art that's b n O b l e A
(47:52):
r T. And we would also love to have you
join our Facebook page at b Noble on b I
I and please remember you're not alone. Together we can
beat this. The views and opinions expressed are solely those
of the podcast author or individuals participating in the podcast,
and do not represent the opinions of my Heart Media
(48:13):
or its employees. This podcast should not be used as
medical advice, mental health advice, mental health counseling or therapy,
or as imparting any health care recommendations at all. Individuals
are advised to seek independent medical counseling, advice and or
therapy from a competent healthcare professional with respect to any
medical condition, mental health issues, health inquiry, or matter, including
(48:37):
matters discussed on this podcast. Close to the Chest with
Kristen and Christine is a production of I Heart Radio
and produced in our studios located in Atlanta, Georgia. For
more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the I heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
Close to the Chest with Kristen and Christine is brought
to you by My Heart Radio. So today is Thursday
of June and I am actually going to see the
Los Angeles research tender today at Cedar SINAI. I am
definitely anxious and nervous about this appointment. Lately, I've been
(00:22):
having some really strange symptoms, like horrible pressure in my neck.
I almost feel like I have a choking sensation when
I try and eat. My voice is constantly tremoring, and
the lymph nodes underneath my arm and in my other
parts are starting to throb an ache, and I'm just
constantly exhausted. So my hope is that maybe today they
(00:44):
can give me some insight if there's any way to
stop this from spreading, or treat it or what's going on.
My biggest concern is the size of my lymph nodes
in my neck. I think some mornings I wake up
and try and pretend like this isn't really happening, that
this isn't currently going on in my life, And then
I look at my calendar and try and compartmentalize my
(01:07):
morning so I can get through it. And now I
have a lunch meeting with a bunch of doctors to
tell me how long I might still be here and
what the quote likelihood of success of treating me is.
Dealing with something that's so unknown, used to be so unusual,
but it gets It's something a lot of people deal
with now, But for me, I'm scared. Sometimes I think
(01:27):
about what my mom went through and how brave she
was when she found out she had glioblastoma, and I
just think I don't have the survivor gene. But then
other moments, I feel this need to fight and hang
in there and keep battling it. But sometimes I won't lie.
I get really scared and I feel very alone, and
I do get a lot of anxiety going to these doctors.
(01:48):
I start to think about what I'm going to look
like if I go bald with my breast cut out
walking around, and I start to feel like I'm going
to lose a part of myself. And another time, as
I want to be like those people on TV who
lean into it and embrace it and rock it and
get through it. But I'm starting to realize this disease
is absolutely nothing like on TV. You don't get to
(02:10):
take off work. You have to keep pushing on and ultimately,
being sick in this world doesn't make you any different
than anybody else. Your bills still happen, your problems with
your family are still there, and you've got to fight
on and push on. So hopefully today meeting with this company,
they will have some research or insights or things that
(02:33):
we haven't heard about yet. But I'm really scared. Also,
going to the cancer center always sucks the life out
of you because while you're there, you see these people
at different stages of treatment, and it's hard not to
feel their pain and feel bad. But I know, just
like me, none of these people want pity. They're fighting
to survive. So I'm hopefully I can get up the
(02:53):
courage to walk in that door, be organized, asked the
right questions, and get through this meeting. It's always really
hard to go to these things alone, but it then
it's even harder to go with someone because you worry
about what your family is going to see and experience
and the whole thing just freaking sucks. So here I go.
Wish me luck the sin and then question spa walk
(03:22):
into the room, heads turning on and down the fire.
So Christen, our topic this week is dealing with doctors.
How many women who are dealing with breast and plant
illness find the most difficult part of being chronicle ill
is visiting doctors in hospitals. Well, Christine, given b I
(03:43):
I is just starting to be recognized is a real illness.
Many of us have been seeing doctors for years that
told us they did not believe that breast and plant
illness was real. Or worse, we got misdiagnosed and we're
being treated with other diseases. So given that many of
us had severe fatigue, anxiety, and fear when it comes
to seeing doctors, I know I have severe PTSD, and
(04:04):
today I hope to uncover some of the tips from
some of the pioneering doctors out there who are developing
protocols and plans to treat people with breast and plant illness.
How many doctors did you see before being diagnosed, Christian Gosh,
I'd say over and all types of disciplines, and it
became daunting to sort through those who actually believed in
breast implant illness and those who thought it was on
(04:27):
my head. What about the hospitals? How many hospitals you've
been to? Well, Christine, I've spent over a thousand days
in hospitals in multiple states over the past twenty years.
Oh my goodness, Christian Nuts, over three years of your
life spent in hospitals. Yes, and I've been there on birthdays, holidays,
weekends and regardless, it's just no fun. It's nothing like
on TV. And unfortunately, I find given the lack of
(04:50):
education and experience people working in the hospital, be at
the doctors or nurses have with actual BII patients, it
gets really frustrating. Some of the nurses and doctor is
actually treat you like a drug seeking hypochondriac and do
not believe that the root cause of your ailments could
be your breast implants. So I spent a lot of
time in there just basically having them put it, you know,
band aids over bullet holes, treating these major symptoms I
(05:13):
were having that were awful, but never getting to the
root cause of what was making me so sick, your
breast implants. Right. So, you know, we went to the
hospital the other day, you and I and because you
had an appointment, could you tell our listeners what happened
to you? Wait before you tell the story, why were
you going to the doctor and what were your symptoms. Ironically,
(05:33):
this was a technicality. I was going to get an
ultrasound for my surgeon who was performing my ex plant,
because he wanted to get updated imaging of the masses
that have been in my breast for two yet plush years.
And what was so shocking is I thought this was
just a technicality, And while I was there, the radiologist
(05:53):
came in and told me that my images were fine,
there was nothing wrong with me, and to come back
in a couple of years. And I actually shared with
him that I was going for an explant the following week,
and he told me he didn't think I should need
to take these out. But that doesn't even make sense.
That's outrageous. Well, it's very frustrating, And in that moment,
I was actually scared that it would impact my insurance
(06:15):
covering my surgery because he's putting a medical opinion in
my chart. And I think this is why so many
of us with breast in punt illness are skeptical about
the care we receive and how can we trust our
caregivers if they don't even know how to diagnose the disease,
And with so many conflicting opinions from so many different
types of doctors during the diagnostic process just getting to treatment,
(06:38):
it becomes so hard to know who to believe. And honestly,
what bothers me the most is when my emotional state
gets questioned, like me being stressed out or depressed or
something going wrong with me is causing these symptoms, versus
the doctors actually believing that what I'm telling them is
happening to my body. It's really happening. Doctor should trust
(07:00):
what their patients are telling them. But to be fair,
not all doctors are uninformed and insensitive. I mean they
get their information from manufacturers, the f d A, and
their peers. Many of these doctors have been taught the
old philosophy that b I I is a condition that
hysterical women identified with but is not a proven disease. Absolutely, Christine.
(07:20):
But now that's changing, you know, and tells a nineteen
When the f d A recognize breast implant illness and
actual disease and many doctors started speaking out about it
and talking about patients they were meeting and treating and
seeing improvements, the conversation became real, if that makes sense.
And what's really exciting is now the FDA is asking
(07:42):
patients to report their adverse events. They're asking doctors and
manufacturers to give them data so they can properly understand
this disease and how to treat it. And I think
that through people like Dr Rankin who were talking to today,
we're finding there are great doctors out there, and Dr
Raykin is one of those pioneering doctors who is setting
(08:03):
a protocol for treating b I I. He has an
entire practice that's designed to explant women and treat them
as a whole person emotionally, physically, and financially through the process,
making sure that they're well taken care of. Well, let's
not keep avoiding absolutely fine. So first and foremost, I'm
(08:30):
gonna start by thinking, Dr Rankin, so much for joining
us on Close to the Chest. Here's someone who I've
been reading about and I'm just so excited to me
given the work you're doing. Thank you for being here.
It's my pleasure. Thank you very much for having me. Well,
I want to start and ask you some questions. Given
you are doing more X plants than anybody, do you
mind sharing with the listeners what breast I plant illness
(08:54):
is and what an ex plant is well, breast implant
illness is a series of findings that we're seeing in
women who have had breast implants. There's a multitude of them.
There's a there's a big list of things that women
are speaking about. The FDA on their website for breast
implant illness will list a series of things like brain
(09:16):
fog and hair loss and fatigue and anxiety and joint
pain and you can read the rust which we're seeing
in some women with breast implants. In these cases, oftentimes
an ex plant is the answer and helps them tremendously.
And an ex plant is removal of the breast implant
and removal of the scar tissue surrounding the implant, which
(09:39):
is formed by the body to try and protect the
body and block off of foreign body that's that's inside.
So that's an really important point you just made. And
for the listeners, dartr. Rinkin is a plastic surgeon. Correct,
that's correct. I had started looking into physicians. You obviously
came up and I was immediately impressed with the fact
(10:00):
you not only treat the women with the surgical process,
but do you mind sharing a bit about what you
do to support women through this journey? Will. Our whole
office staff is set up to provide care for our
patients that are suffering from progressing plant illness. We have
multiple explant leisan's who are available all the time by
(10:21):
their personal cell phone to guide our patients through the
whole process, to answer questions, to offer them support. We
have our own Facebook support group for our patients as well.
You know, there's a lot a lot to this for
my patients. There's a lot of medical issues for them.
They're not feeling well, so they need guidance from the
(10:42):
time they decide to explant, all the way through their
surgery and beyond on that. No, how long have you
been doing this. I've been in practice seventeen years. I'm
in my tenth year right now. I've been explanting at
a pretty decent paste for the last four years because
I'm just seeing the if it's my patients, I'm just
trying to really perfect that the best that I can.
(11:03):
The demand for doctors who can help us right now
is significant, but I think it's also the demand for
the care. And it sounds like you're treating emotional side
the physical side. What have you seen as a surgeon
in terms of the different types of implants and the
impact it's head physically on the body. Well, there's a
lot of different types of implants, different quote unquote makes
and models. There's textured implants, smooth silicone sailing, different manufacturers
(11:28):
whenever an implant is put in the body. But whether
it's a breasting implant or any type of implant in
your body, it's easy. It is foreign and tries to
wal it off and form scar tissues. So every patient
has some scar tissue around their implants. Sometimes it's extremely
thin and barely there, and sometimes it's thick and calcified,
and we really don't know why. In some patients it
(11:48):
forms one way and in other patients it forms other ways.
We're trying to really figure out why. You know, every
patient is different and unique, but generally we do see
a capsule or scar tissue every Asian with their implants. Wow,
obviously what you do is so amazing to me because
I can't imagine going in there seeing the impact it's had.
And then one of the things you said that really
(12:09):
stuck out is that maybe do you mentoring a bit
with the listeners about b I I, the diagnosis and
really where we stand with that because I think that's
an important area of confusion and need to understand sure
it's actually it's really a diagnosis of exclusion. Many of
my patients have been to a multitude of specialists. They've
had tests after tests and specialists after specialists, and they
(12:31):
really can't come up with a definitive cause there's no
blood tests, there's no X ray or cat skin that
we can do to say, oh, yeah, you have the
I I. It becomes a leap of faith for my
patients when they've exhausted all of the resources and decide
they're going to try this to see if they improve
their health. I've seen a couple of surgeons I have
some extreme symptoms and they were like, we don't know
(12:52):
if this will fix it. It's scary, but I think
as a patient, it's scarier to stay the same. What
needs to happen to actually prove that breast implant illness exists.
It sounds like you believe b I I is real.
I do five hundred explants a year, so I see
everything firsthand, and I see my patients improve the majority
of the great majority. As a physician, I wouldn't be
(13:12):
doing this unless I saw a positive outcome. In the
majority of my patients. So yeah, I do believe it's real.
It's not in every woman. Some women get breast implants
and they do just fine, and they're great devices for them,
and they love them and they have no problems at all.
But it's the patients that don't. Those are the patients
that I'm trying to help. What's incredible when you help
a woman and you do an explant? What options are
(13:35):
using that are available to patients after the explant or
during the explant for reconstruction? What type of procedures you know?
Everybody's tissues their difference on. Patients have a lot of
breast tissues, Some have a little breast tissue, some coming
with seven hundred ccm plan versus a two cc implants,
So you have to take all these things into consideration.
Oftentimes I'll do a breast lift at the same time
(13:58):
because the tissues have expanded a time when you just
remove a large volume, r US is going to tend
to drop in some patients that will recommend to lift
others I don't. It's really on a case. By Kate's basiness,
patients with more breast tissue are easier to get a
better aesthetic results with thinner breast tissue are a little
bit more challenging, so we always have to weigh in
medical benefits, what you're gonna look like after these all
(14:21):
coming to playing and are all super important for my patients.
Stepping back into this, you as a physician have treated
you said, over five hundred surgery the year, right now,
that's the Yeah, over five hundred a year of X plants. Wow,
here's my big question, and I don't want to offend you,
but do you see yourself ever doing implants again in
the future. Well, if they I'm gonna say no. But
(14:44):
if they come up with a completely safe implant, you know,
and I would you say, I wouldn't. But I think
that most of the products are the same consistency that
they've been for many years. So the short answer is
is probably not so supportive. I think it's incredible, first
and foremost the expertise that you bring to the table.
(15:06):
Like you said, conceptually, this has become something that's diagnosed
through elimination or symptom grouping. Like you mentioned before, how
has it been with your peers regarding breast implant illness
in the protocols that are being developed you know, as
far as my peers, you know, some are very supportive
of v I I and have started ex planting, and
(15:27):
others don't believe it's a real issue or a real diagnosis.
I think as they become more aware of patient outcomes,
then they'll they'll get on board. You know, they've been
doing this for many years and putting an implants like
like I did at the beginning of my career until
I really saw the benefits of explanting in a lot
(15:49):
of my patients. So, you know, I always do what
I think is right. I don't really get involved with
what my peers are going to think about it. If
I think it's the right thing to do, and I
clinically see my patients getting better, how could I know
not continue to do this? Dr Rank And you've done
many explants to your practice and treated hundreds, if not
(16:10):
thousands of women. What do you do with that data?
And are you currently doing any research studies? Right? We
do have a lot of data, as you can imagine,
so we have been in process of collecting the data
and we will be doing some type of research study
(16:31):
to try and you know, figure out how to diagnose
most common symptoms best treatment options, so stay tuned for that.
For the listeners. To get an implant approved and prove
it's safe, is a doctor, what is it that you
would like to see? Is that proof? When? What do
you think that the manufacturers are currently doing to provide that?
(16:53):
If anything well, you need to have studies. You need
to have you proved that there's no adverse reactions and pays. Basically,
that's that's how any other medical device is supposed to work.
That's how our f d A is supposed to work
with drugs, so you need long term studies. I think
that informed consent is a really important issue, so patients
(17:14):
should know their risks, benefits, potential complications, um and possible
outcomes going in. You can't just say, oh, this is
a dre precent safe, it's lifetime device, you'll never have
to worry about it. And now we have some of
those more informed consents going in on the inflants, so
people can make a more informed decision if they're choosing
to get implants. I think that's a key fact for
(17:38):
all of us as patients and what you just said,
because it's a lifetime device that you can have it
forever and you'll be fine, every it's great, It's has
never hurt anybody. I think it's the not only the
understanding that we have in the community, but kind of
the pitch and now you're bringing the conversation to this
real narrative of it may not be for everybody. Are
there any factors you've identified that predispose as women to
(18:00):
be I I unfortunately, I haven't seen a consistent type
of patient that happens. And I've seen every type of patient,
So there's no way to say, oh, patients who are
from Eastern Europe or South America higher development is just
there's really no consistent basis for one patient over the other. Wow.
So it sounds like you're doing things to help proactively
(18:22):
identify those of us at risk. You've created a process
to currently treat us that are going through it that
has the emotional and the physical support, which is incredible.
Do you mentioning a bit about some of the procedures
you do in the reconstruction for women are out there,
because I think the biggest fear for anybody is what
am I going to look like after? Yeah, it's it's
definitely scary for women with the lift. There's a lot
(18:45):
of different types of lifts, and depending on the degree
of what we're called toastis or drop of your brast,
how much breast tissue you have again, which I briefly
touched on, there's different scarring patterns based on what type
of lift you're gonna do. I try and see every patient, examine,
you know, what type of the implant they have, how
(19:06):
much tissue, and then we can make a decision of
what the surgical plan is. I understand it's a it's
a difficult thing for patients. They may go in with
breasts they are very aesthetic, lovely appearance, and now we're
going backwards and they're they're choosing to do this electively
for their health. So it's difficult emotionally, you know. Sometimes
(19:27):
the results are unpredictable, the bodies interesting on how some
people heal. You can do the same procedure on two
patients and they can heal totally differently. So that's why
I've focused so much time on just ex planting, because
I want to try and give the best results every patient.
You know, it's it's a it's a work in progress.
I'm always learning, I'm always trying to do better and
adjusting my my techniques just to try and improve my aesthetics. Well,
(19:51):
that's a really important point because currently, for women who
have recalled implants, the option that is financed by the
manufacturers on the device side, but not the surgery, is
a swapout. So, in your professional opinion, if you have
B I I in your complaining of symptoms, do you
believe swapping them out for a new and improved pair
is the solution for that woman? No, not at all.
(20:12):
If you're having a reaction to an implant, simply replacing
it with another implant is going to give you the
same symptoms that you've been experiencing. So I don't think
that's a real viable option for these women. And what
should they ask their doctor when they're meeting doctors in
order to make sure they're in the right hands again
experience maybe to see some before and after, maybe to
(20:33):
speak with some patients that have had surgery with that
doctor before, to console with them and have a physical
exam and and discuss lift no lift, or what the
doctor thinks the potential aesthetic outcome will be. So these
are these are important things to discuss. A lot of
women are now talking about fat transfers, so in what
(20:55):
scenario is a fat transfer appropriate for a woman and
is it something that you recommend right after X plant
or what's the right protocol for that. So in my
practice I do fat transfers. I usually wait a minimum
of six months because I want to let everything heal,
and to be honest, a lot of my patients that
say they want to fat transfer after six months, they say,
(21:17):
you know what, thank you very much, I'm done with surgery.
I am happy with the way I look, and they
decided not to do it. So it's nice to give
them that opportunity to decide if it's right for them
or not because it is another surgery. And then also
you want the fat to quote unquote take so with
a better heal rest, you have more opportunity for the
fat to survive. So it is something that it's not
(21:39):
like an implant. It can give you that full upper
poll fullness round look, but it can add about a
cup size if there's a symmetry, so it can help
with those. If there's a little bit of an indent
here or they're caused by the previous implant, it could
help with those two. So it's I think it's an
important tool that we have to help patients postoperaly or
maybe give a little bit volume the rate limiting step,
(22:02):
and a lot of my patients is some patients don't
have enough fat too to utilize, so that that can
be a factor too. Do you mind sharing a bit
with the listeners about silicone and what we know or
don't know about it it? Do you believe that's kind
of one of the root toxins that is in there? Well,
we don't know, and I can you know, speculate until
(22:24):
we do. Now, you know, being a physician and scientists,
we like to work on evidence space medicine, and I
don't want to say definitively that it's the silicone or
it's something else until we really can prove that. To
your point, sailing implants are made with a silicone shell.
Silicone implants are made with a silicone shell. Ones filled
(22:44):
with sailing, ones were filled with a silicone. In my practice,
I'm probably explaning sixt silicone and sailing. So it's not
like if you have a silicone they just swap it
with the sailing implant and things are going to be okay. Well,
that think that's a really important fact because you know,
and again I appreciate your honesty and the openness because
(23:05):
as patients, as advocates, and as anybody going through this,
embracing that we don't know what we don't know, in
being open to discovering the truth, I think is the answer.
What factors do you feel are making the b I
I issue a trending topic. I think that there's the
exponential recognition of it right now for multitude of factors.
(23:26):
I think social media has really brought a lot of
these patients together in some forums where they can discuss
things collectively, share stories, share symptoms, have credibility. When you
have you know, hundreds of thousands of women, I'll experience
you the same thing. I think that's very important. And
I think that you have a lot of celebrities or
(23:49):
people with a big voice who are getting on this
and you know, some of them have ex planted. They
share their experiences through social media and through other outlets
as well, kind of getting the getting the word out
there that you know, this could be what's going on
with your health. You're right, social media is so important.
And I think what you've done is, you know, really
(24:09):
created this community of women to prove that what do
you hear us constantly saying, is we all talk now?
Is that we feel so great that we're quoting not alone?
You know that that this is becoming recognized and that
we're not crazy. What advice would you give women with
b I I who are out there struggling with symptoms
and also trying to find a doctor. Well, I think,
(24:29):
like you said, just recognition that it's not in their head,
it's not a psychiatric condition, that there's some real, significant
symptoms that are being caused by this, and that there's
help out there. I do think it's important when explanning
to find somebody that doesn't like anything in life. Experience
is key, and to find somebody that does it on
a consistent basis, because it's not easy. It takes a
(24:53):
lot of experience to do it properly. So you know,
there's resources out there. A Breast implant Illness on Instagram
is a great resource to find. There's a list of
physicians that do this on a regular basis that can
that can really help these patients. Well, it sounds like
you have laid out a pathway for us where we
have options, you know, during post explant, if we don't
(25:15):
like how we look and there's alternatives, and I think
that's so important. In Again, I just want to wrap
up by saying thank you so much for the work
that you're doing. It was really amazing to find someone
who not only was treating the disease, but doing a
lot of work to speak out invalidate for us women
that there is an issue, it should be treated, and
you're defining some amazing standards in terms of treating the
(25:35):
whole patient. Any final things you'd like to share with
those women facing b I I or a l C
L currently that you think it's an important fact they
need to know. First of all, thank you very much
for having me. I really enjoyed speaking with you and
spreading awareness with you. I think it's important for women
to know that if they have b I I or
think they have b I, that there's support out there,
(25:58):
that they're going to be heard, that they're going to
be treated, that there's options, and you know, they have
people that they can turn to to try and help them.
And I think that every patient deserves that right Well, Kristen,
(26:23):
that's a doctor who really cares and goes the extra mile, absolutely,
and he's proven it and how he's designed his practice.
Our next guest, Jeff Rose, works with Dr Rankin and
he's actually a breast implant concierge and one of the
first people I reached out to when I realized I
needed to go through this again. What does that mean?
What's the breast implant concierge. What Jeff does is walk
women through the entire process, telling them and helping them
(26:47):
with what to expect when explanting. And he's an amazing
supporter through the diagnostic, treatment and recovery process and is
there to help his patients make sure they survive and thrive.
And I really think he has some great tip to
share with the listeners on how to pick the doctor,
how to be diagnosed, and hacks on how to get
through the process. Let's hear what he asked to say.
(27:09):
I just want to say thank you, Jeff for being
a part of this and coming on close to the chest.
I was curious as to what exactly was the impetus
for you to become involved in the advocacy and helping
women get explanted. Well, it is unusual, unexpected story. Back
in two thousand and thirteen, I was just going about
(27:31):
my business working in the health field, and my wife, who,
after giving birth to our son, got implants like a
lot of women do, and she really enjoyed them. And
about five years after having them, she started to get
sick very often, you know, flu like symptoms. I used
to joke with her because we used to go to
(27:51):
the gym together at five o'clock in the morning. She
was always very healthy like me. We always took care
of ourselves, and I used to say to her, you're
the healthiest sick person I've ever met. You're always getting sick.
And every six weeks she wasn't feeling good. It was
always something different. Over the course of time, symptoms would
(28:11):
get worse, the amount of symptoms would increase. The very
typical story that I know now. You know, we would
be going to doctors and specialists and getting tests done,
and we just we're looking for an answer. What's wrong?
Why are you getting sick? You know, all the blood
tests were coming back fine, everything was negative, which was good,
(28:32):
but at the same time, it was very frustrating. As women,
what would you give us this advice? And people coming
to the process of saying, you know, we think we
might have this. We're contacting doctors. What should you expect
is the process that you go through and meeting a
doctor to get an XP Like, how does it start?
What should you look for in a good physician? Well,
(28:54):
I think the one thing you indicated is important to
point out is everyone is different. Everyone everyone's case is different.
The first thing that happens is you're gonna have a
consultation with me, whether it's in the office, whether it's
face time, whether it's skype, whether it's on the phone.
We're gonna spend a good thirty to sixty minutes, however
(29:16):
long it takes. And first thing we're going to find
out is it really your implants making you sick. That's
the first thing that every woman has to really discover
on their own. Is it the implants. That's the first step.
The second step is picking the right doctor to do
your surgery complete removal of the capsule every single time.
(29:38):
If you're interviewing a doctor, you only need to start
with one question, can you guarantee me you will remove
a hundred percent of the capsule during my surgery. If
you don't get a very quick confident yes, time to
find another doctor. And it's not a matter of just
asking and him saying yes. Because the biggest challenge. Why
(30:00):
a lot of doctors don't remove the entire cap so, Well,
it's a couple of one is they don't believe in it.
They don't believe in breast implant illness. They think it's
just scar tissue that's harmless. Correct, and sometimes will say, oh,
the body will absorb it, it it will dissipate. That's not true.
In fact, scar tissue can actually grow. I mean I
always say, if that were true, if scar tissue dissolved,
(30:23):
how come we're removing old scar tissue from twenty and
thirty years ago. It doesn't dissolve. That's a fact, and
that's a fact that we see in the operating room
every single day. In order for you to get better
from breast implant illness, it requires complete removal of the
scar tissue. Now, if you are under the muscle with
the implant, it's more challenging and even more the reason
(30:47):
to find a competent doctor is because there's a high
chance that capsule will stick down to the rib cage
and it's millimeters above your lungs. And why is that important, Well,
you can puncture your lung So a typical inexperienced doctor
at this surgery. We'll look at that and say, I'm
(31:08):
not going to risk puncturing her lung and hurting her
and getting sued. So they leave it there and they think,
well I got most of it and she'll be okay,
the body will absorb it. That's not true at all.
So that's why most women do prefer a specialist to
interrupt you really quickly. It's becoming a category of specialty.
Ex plant. Yes, so within plastic surgery you have people
(31:31):
who are known for certain things. Do you mind sharing
with us on average, when it costs a woman just
in medical services to explant for what you know, Dr
Rankin is in the industry as a specialist. He's been
able to keep the costs very affordable. Under twelve thousand
dollars for an explant lift nerve block everything. We keep
(31:51):
it as affordable as possible. There are doctors that charge
as much as eighty dollars. I always want to emphasize,
and this is for all the listeners. When they're really
getting pricing, you want to see if it includes things
like anesthesia of our costs because a lot of times
you get a bill later on separately and they may
(32:13):
not quote that. So you always want to ask does
that include everything like anesthesia and operating room costs? Where
they tried its per hour with us, it covers everything
because we own it. That's the total price. So very important. Jeff,
can you tell the listeners what your role is as
an explant liaison? After I walked them through the initial
(32:37):
consult and they decide to schedule their surgery, then I
am available to them at all times. They have my
direct number and I work with them. I will help
them and tell them that it's recommended that you go
on an anti inflammatory diet because this is inflammatory base. Also,
(32:57):
the other thing is the chronic systemic the hydration where
everything is right out. Jeff, can you share what women
experience emotionally leading up to their excellent surgery. It's an
emotional one and that's why I think as a guy,
I can add a lot where having the support of
their spouse and even their family members is so so
important because you know, their partner is the one person
(33:21):
they're turning to pour emotional support, and if they don't
have that, it becomes that much more challenging. I mean,
I've had women, you know, back out of surgery because
they were afraid they weren't going to be, you know,
esthetically pleasing to their partner anymore. Uh, they were having
one of my fair's Jeff is I'm single, right and
(33:41):
my support system is Christine, who co hosts the show.
And everybody's saying, why don't you just get these out?
And like we've talked about, there's yes, the financial and
finding the right doctor, but then there's the emotional side
of is someone going to love me? Because I got
these initially to think they'd make me more attractive. And
so what I've actually done through this community is I've
met a group of women who are some of the deepest, kindest,
(34:05):
most incredible women. And I say, you know what's closer
to the chest is that you know you are Once
you remove these, you're all heart brain, and you know
you get yourself back. And so I think for us,
there's this moment where we overcome one of the symptomatic
issues that got us here. And I think I've met
a group of women in advocates like yourself that are
people I'm just proud to be around, and I think
(34:27):
you creating that community has been important. So do you
think we're almost to the point where insurance can step
in with specialists like Dr Rankin and help cover this.
We're getting closer. I still don't think it's going to
be within the next year or two. I think it's close.
I'll stay within five years. That is my goal that
(34:47):
hopefully insurance will at least cover the explant pot. They're
not going to cover the massive PECTI the lift, but
the explant part. My goal is for them to cover.
And I think it's through a lot of advacy and
get the word out and you know, people really talking
about this, and can all of us just take off
our clinical hats but the next fifteen minutes and let's
(35:08):
just use our common sense. And with using our common sense,
if we know that when we take a medication, well,
medications have side effects, every medication. In fact, the medical
school they teach you in order to have an effect,
you have to have a side effect. So it's kind
of the validation that the medicine is working. So if
(35:30):
we're using common sense and logic and you're putting this
big foreign object in you, this breast implant that has
these foody nor toxic chemicals and they are how in
the world is it logical to say that nobody gets
side effects? From that, it almost is ridiculous to say
that they don't. Of course, women are going to get
side effects from it, and people always kept saying to us, women,
(35:53):
you look fine. And I think what you're really trying
to bring to light is this is a feelings issue.
It is a medical issue you It is not an
elective issue. We didn't elect for this, and we don't
identify with it. We have it. And I think, as
someone who's having these conversations, to again raise my hat
to you, is that you're educating people on the f
(36:14):
d A, the procedural experts that are around you, the
actual patients, what you went through is an individual as
part of a family. And then you choose to take
this on because I'm sure it's not a fun conversation
to have. No, it's it's very it's very heartbreaking. So
many of the stories that I hear, and the most
(36:35):
heartbreaking ones are the ones where they have to have
a second surgery, as you know, where the first doctor
didn't do it correctly and they got their hopes up
of getting their life back and now they find out
they're still sick and they have to have another surgery. There,
I mean half half of the women that I speak
to every single day get emotional, start crying, and I
(36:57):
don't blame them. I mean, they've had their lives taken
away from them. And like I always say, is even
though we're removing implants all day long, that's not what
it's really about. It's about getting women their life back,
getting them back to the person they used to be
before they got sick. It is very sad, yes, well,
and remembering who we used to be is also challenging.
(37:17):
A lot of these women have been sick for a decade.
They have struggled, their bankrupt because they've spent so much money.
And I also know that's an area where I think
in talking about what you see. So when you're taking
a woman into the operating room, you're seeing implants come out,
what do you see in terms of the product, and
(37:37):
then what should we expect in terms of that procedure
and recovery? Well, great question, And every surgery is different.
You know their age, how how long they've had their implants.
But the recovery process is important, and again that's different
for everyone. Ninety days after the ex plant, way and
(38:00):
they do the three months follow up of women report
that they've gotten their quality of life back and they're
anywhere from symptom free and that is amazing. So the
good news to take away from this, and that's why
we say the first thing is to identify that it
is the implants, which I will help you with a
(38:22):
lot of women are not sure, and I have a
way to make the odds very very clear that it
is likely the implants. So that's the most important thing
that I do is help clarify, Okay, it is likely
the implants. Nothing's a hundred percent, but it's likely the implants,
or maybe it's not. And a key thing isn't sharing
your story. Telling the doctors that this works is the
(38:44):
validation they need to continue on. But giving them the
medical records to provide accurate data to the f DA
to continue to enforce more research, more tracking, and more
education is key because these doctors educate each other the
education you're giving. And so when a woman has an
explant done, doctors are literally scraping the caps, so any
(39:09):
remnants if they rupture this is gel, it can travel
throughout the body. And so this is not a pain
free surgery and we really kind of have to embrace
the suck, right correct I mean it is a major surgery.
I mean there's no getting around that. Both you know,
emotionally as well as physically. You know, the recovery can
take weeks. You have to keep that in mind also
(39:31):
when you're looking for a surgeon that it is a
major surgery. I mean, you know we're going in, you know,
very close to your heart and your lungs and removing
these two big foreign objects. In fact, in the research
that I've done to put it in perspective, the size
of the surgery is such that it's equivalent should removing
(39:54):
a bullet that's loads in your chest. When you go
in and remove that bullet, removing those two implants, it's
the same type of surgery. So that kind of puts
it in perspective. And it is a major surgery. So
you do have to keep that in mind, and you
certainly want professionals that do this and do this regularly,
planning for time off of work, giving yourself that ninety days.
(40:16):
One of the most important things to share with the
listeners is everything you say to your doctor is confidential.
But legally they have set a statute of limitations for
women from the date they identify with their symptoms, and
then there's a process that we have to go through
if we do become part of the current class action case.
Do you mind sharing with the listeners what the issue
(40:36):
is with quote chain of custody and how important it
is to find a surgeon that you can trust and
to communicate privately. Yeah, I mean confidentiality between um, you
and your doctor is paramount. I mean you have to
be able to discuss things and feel safe that it
is confidential. I mean there's hippa. I mean this is
(40:59):
a very very confidential Your medical history. Everything that is
discussed with your doctor is confidential. It is not to
be shared in any way, shape or form with anybody.
That's something I have to adhere to. Every medical professional
involved in our practice and in any practice must stick
by that. It is the foundation of what medicine is
(41:24):
built upon, is the confidentiality between the doctor and the
patient and the entire staff as well, so they can
get better and get the help they need and really
not worry about repercussions in any way, shape or form.
So yes, the very very important point. For sure, the
patients themselves can speak about their illness. When it comes
(41:47):
to privacy rights, however, is the health care providers, including doctors, nurses,
and social workers. Anybody involved in the diagnosis and conversation
regarding illnesses today have to provide complete and total confidentiality
as to their patients. Well, you've definitely, Jeff done that
(42:08):
today and everything you do share. The more we tell
our stories and you allow women to have the space
to tell their friends, you demystify the fact that a
this is not real, because it is. And I think
that you know, I am b I, I you know
people showing that this is what sick looks like. Please
send you know, love and light to your wife because
obviously without her, none of this would have been possible,
(42:31):
and it is one of the pioneering women. Her courage
is not only saving lives, but she's sharing her husband
with a lot of amazing women who will get their
lives back and be able to live the life we deserve.
And so thank you for you and thank you for
joining us. Well, thank you. It's a it's a team
effort for everybody. I can't do it alone, certainly, and
it's all these great group of women working together with
(42:52):
the same goal. So thank you. Those are two people
who are really saving women's lives and revolutionizing an entire industry. Christine,
it's amazing to see someone put their care back in healthcare.
Dr Rankin has taken the time to really educate and
(43:13):
advocate on behalf of his patients and pants a year.
That's at least two a day. And how about Jeff.
He really goes the extra mile for his clients. It's
so nice to see that there are people out there
who can make this part of the journey a little
bit less painful and a little easier. So, Chris, what
have we learned today that will help our listeners lower
their stress and anxiety when choosing a doctor. Kristen, I
(43:35):
think the first thing that women need to find is
a doctor who believes in breast implant illness. I think
that's paramount. It's everything. So for the listeners out there,
when scheduling appointments they're looking for a doctor, ask the
person who answers the phone if that doctor performs ex plants,
if they treat breast implant illness, and if there's a
place you can go see some testimonials. I think that's
(43:56):
a great way to start, for sure. I think the
second thing people need to do is to research those
doctors and talk to former patients. Absolutely again, you know,
just to hone in on that point. There's so many
ways on social media, you know, look out there and
talk to friends, you know, put in hashtag breast implant
illness and see what comes up. And ex plant is
(44:17):
another great hashtag to look at because you're going to
see pictures of women who are proud of their results,
happy with what happened. And I know they're more than
willing to share feedback on the doctors they went to
and the experience they had. I've done this myself. Yeah,
and when you went to see those doctors, what did
you do? And I think the third thing that I
took away from everyone we've talked to is make sure
(44:38):
you prepare a list of questions and concerns prior to
the appointment. I think what's so difficult for many of
us is we get in there and you freeze, you know.
I know I have a lot of PTSD from going
to doctors, And what's really helped me and some of
the other women I've talked to is to create a
list of questions, a list of concerns, and take notes.
It is not inappropriate to ask the doctor if you
(45:00):
can pull out your phone and record the conversation so
you can a play it back for your family to
share what happened, and be re listening to it yourself,
because you're going to walk out of that appointment and
have a lot of big choices to make. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare, absolutely,
and I think also shop around. I think one of
the things I learned personally is the range of quotes
I got were a variety of costs, some as low
(45:22):
as six thousand dollars, some as high as fifty two
dollars right, and then the procedures I was being offered.
I had to go to web md to google half
of these things. But what I found is not everybody
had the same treatment protocol, and that's important. I think
what we want to make sure as patients is that
we understand what the procedure is, get an estimate for
(45:43):
not only the ex plant, but any biopsies that need
to be done, and then lastly, any reconstruction that you
may want to do later. A lot of women, we've
learned from Dr Rankin today and other experts, they have
the procedure and that reconstruction could be six to twelve
months down the road. As a patient, you really want
to understand up front the total cost of recovery, not
(46:04):
just the cost of the surgery. You really have to
educate yourself on almost the entire procedure yourself, absolutely, and
there's great videos on the internet to look up what's
an end block, what's a capsulectomy, what are biopsies? You
can even see procedures. And I think the thing I
learned that was most important in this entire experience talking
(46:24):
to these amazing supporters is that don't give up. You know,
there are so many great doctors out there. And as
B I I gets more recognized and more surgeons start
talking about it, you know there are solutions, there are
more people to come that are going to treat us.
I think that's great advice. Do not give up, and
(46:44):
you're you're not alone. Close to the Chest with Kristen
and Christine has been brought to you by b Noble
Media Group and I Heart Radio. A very special thanks
to our guests Dr David Rankin and Jeff Rose. To
find out more about aqua plastic surgery, please visit www
(47:06):
dot aqua plastic surgery dot com. That's a q U
A p L A s t i c s U
r g e r y dot com. Now, I'd like
to share some gratitude, a very special thanks to I
Heart Radio, to r Parker and her I Heart Radio
marketing team, and a big big thanks to our executive producer,
(47:29):
Ramsey Long. If you or someone you know would like
to know more about Breaston plant illness, please visit sick
Titties dot com. That's s I c k t I
T t i e s dot com. Also, please follow
us on Instagram at sick dot titties and at b
Noble Art that's b n O b l e A
(47:52):
r T. And we would also love to have you
join our Facebook page at b Noble on b I
I and please remember you're not alone. Together we can
beat this. The views and opinions expressed are solely those
of the podcast author or individuals participating in the podcast,
and do not represent the opinions of my Heart Media
(48:13):
or its employees. This podcast should not be used as
medical advice, mental health advice, mental health counseling or therapy,
or as imparting any health care recommendations at all. Individuals
are advised to seek independent medical counseling, advice and or
therapy from a competent healthcare professional with respect to any
medical condition, mental health issues, health inquiry, or matter, including
(48:37):
matters discussed on this podcast. Close to the Chest with
Kristen and Christine is a production of I Heart Radio
and produced in our studios located in Atlanta, Georgia. For
more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the I heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
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