1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:09,077 --> 00:00:11,745 (bright music) 4 00:00:27,595 --> 00:00:28,562 - [Michelle] Ironically, 5 00:00:28,596 --> 00:00:29,797 they're not as big as people think they are. 6 00:00:29,830 --> 00:00:30,864 - [Man] Your boobs? 7 00:00:30,898 --> 00:00:31,532 - [Michelle] Yeah. 8 00:00:31,565 --> 00:00:32,366 - [Man] They're pretty big. 9 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:33,767 - They're big-ish, but they're not. 10 00:00:33,801 --> 00:00:36,737 When I'm on the show, I do this. 11 00:00:36,770 --> 00:00:39,507 So people get the real effect, but really they're not. 12 00:00:39,540 --> 00:00:40,441 That's what the joy is, 13 00:00:40,474 --> 00:00:43,344 pushing them up, and making them cartoony. 14 00:00:43,377 --> 00:00:46,013 It's all about the cartoon effect. 15 00:00:49,917 --> 00:00:51,619 - Well, a big trend in queens these days 16 00:00:51,652 --> 00:00:53,421 are those latex boobs. 17 00:00:53,454 --> 00:00:56,490 - Uh, I don't like the way they look, those aren't breasts. 18 00:00:56,524 --> 00:00:57,658 These are breasts. 19 00:00:57,691 --> 00:00:58,826 - Oh, girl. 20 00:00:58,859 --> 00:00:59,660 - [Michelle] These are breasts. 21 00:00:59,693 --> 00:01:01,095 - You don't have to tell me twice. 22 00:01:01,129 --> 00:01:03,797 (upbeat music) 23 00:01:07,601 --> 00:01:10,003 - The reason I showcase my breasts so much in my career 24 00:01:10,037 --> 00:01:12,106 is because I love them. 25 00:01:12,140 --> 00:01:15,743 As a teenager, my breasts were nonexistent. 26 00:01:15,776 --> 00:01:18,112 I was literally ribs, nipple. 27 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:21,115 I had a specific boyfriend 28 00:01:21,149 --> 00:01:23,551 who used to play the bongos on my chest, 29 00:01:23,584 --> 00:01:25,553 and he did it in jest, 30 00:01:25,586 --> 00:01:27,888 but I think somehow that stuck with me. 31 00:01:27,921 --> 00:01:31,825 And so my best friend and I sent away for this cream 32 00:01:31,859 --> 00:01:33,594 to make our chests grow 33 00:01:33,627 --> 00:01:35,396 that we got from the back of a magazine. 34 00:01:35,429 --> 00:01:39,099 None of it worked, and instead of embracing it, 35 00:01:39,133 --> 00:01:42,870 it was always in the front of my mind. 36 00:01:42,903 --> 00:01:47,575 Weird that I couldn't have security, but I just didn't. 37 00:01:50,043 --> 00:01:52,680 I got my first set of implants when I was 21. 38 00:01:52,713 --> 00:01:56,617 I never felt complete without them, so I did it. 39 00:01:56,650 --> 00:01:58,786 I did it three times over. 40 00:01:59,887 --> 00:02:02,790 So I got what I wanted, and I had them for 16 years, 41 00:02:02,823 --> 00:02:06,126 and all along, they were making me sicker and sicker, 42 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:07,027 I believe. 43 00:02:08,696 --> 00:02:10,964 I was sick for actual years. 44 00:02:10,998 --> 00:02:12,833 Doctors kept saying it was in my head. 45 00:02:12,866 --> 00:02:14,202 Every single one says, you're fine. 46 00:02:14,235 --> 00:02:17,838 And then finally in 2018, I was online, 47 00:02:17,871 --> 00:02:21,209 and I saw that there were tens of thousands. 48 00:02:21,242 --> 00:02:22,510 I'm not even exaggerating. 49 00:02:22,543 --> 00:02:24,077 Tens of thousands of women out there 50 00:02:24,111 --> 00:02:27,481 with the exact same symptoms that I had. 51 00:02:27,515 --> 00:02:30,451 - Leg swelling, pain in the joints. 52 00:02:31,552 --> 00:02:32,953 - [Woman] I couldn't even walk up a flight of stairs. 53 00:02:32,986 --> 00:02:35,756 - [Woman] Chronic yeast infections, sinus infections. 54 00:02:35,789 --> 00:02:38,826 - [Woman] Brain fog, migraines. 55 00:02:38,859 --> 00:02:41,662 - I got to a point where I couldn't get out of bed anymore. 56 00:02:41,695 --> 00:02:44,232 I was in that much pain. 57 00:02:44,265 --> 00:02:46,967 - [Michelle] I started Googling curing autoimmune disease, 58 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:51,605 and then the term breast implant illness was on there. 59 00:02:55,609 --> 00:02:58,612 And then I found the Facebook group. 60 00:02:58,646 --> 00:03:00,648 - [Reporter] Right now there's an online group of women 61 00:03:00,681 --> 00:03:02,115 who think their health issues 62 00:03:02,149 --> 00:03:05,986 can be linked back to their implants. 63 00:03:06,019 --> 00:03:06,954 - [Michelle] And on there, 64 00:03:06,987 --> 00:03:09,557 women that had explanted right then and there 65 00:03:09,590 --> 00:03:11,892 were telling me everything changed. 66 00:03:11,925 --> 00:03:13,994 They felt so much better. 67 00:03:15,929 --> 00:03:18,866 - I woke up from that surgery explant, and feeling, 68 00:03:18,899 --> 00:03:20,568 taking that first full breath. 69 00:03:20,601 --> 00:03:22,803 And you explant ladies know what I'm talking about. 70 00:03:22,836 --> 00:03:24,037 I took my first full breath, 71 00:03:24,071 --> 00:03:28,776 and I no longer felt like I was burning alive on the inside. 72 00:03:28,809 --> 00:03:29,943 - [Michelle] I knew this was it. 73 00:03:29,977 --> 00:03:31,111 I bought it from the beginning. 74 00:03:31,144 --> 00:03:33,947 I was never skeptical, it was it. 75 00:03:35,082 --> 00:03:40,053 So once I figured it out, I wanted to tell everyone. 76 00:03:40,087 --> 00:03:40,954 - I have implants. 77 00:03:40,988 --> 00:03:43,557 I got my implants about two years ago. 78 00:03:43,591 --> 00:03:45,959 So when Michelle called to tell me about, 79 00:03:45,993 --> 00:03:48,296 she thinks she has breast implant illness 80 00:03:48,329 --> 00:03:50,564 I was really annoyed. 81 00:03:50,598 --> 00:03:54,067 I had no idea there was even risk. 82 00:03:54,101 --> 00:03:56,804 A part of me wants to go back to my surgeon, and be like, 83 00:03:56,837 --> 00:03:59,973 why would you not say something? 84 00:04:00,007 --> 00:04:01,208 But he'll probably deny it. 85 00:04:01,241 --> 00:04:02,843 They don't even admit it 86 00:04:02,876 --> 00:04:05,178 because they'll lose patients, and they'll lose money. 87 00:04:05,212 --> 00:04:07,881 (bright music) 88 00:04:09,149 --> 00:04:10,784 - [Reporter] The FDA and medical community 89 00:04:10,818 --> 00:04:14,855 do not recognize breast implant illness as a real condition. 90 00:04:14,888 --> 00:04:16,890 - There have been many large-scale scientific studies 91 00:04:16,924 --> 00:04:17,991 that don't appear to show 92 00:04:18,025 --> 00:04:20,628 that breast implant illness even exists. 93 00:04:20,661 --> 00:04:25,666 - Breast implant illness is more of a psychosomatic ailment. 94 00:04:29,136 --> 00:04:31,204 It's almost a fad. 95 00:04:31,238 --> 00:04:34,107 You know, it's totally socially contagious. 96 00:04:34,141 --> 00:04:36,744 The breast implant illness, social media groups, 97 00:04:36,777 --> 00:04:41,248 they're turning their patients against their doctors. 98 00:04:41,281 --> 00:04:46,286 They are way out of their lane, and are doing a lot of harm. 99 00:04:50,090 --> 00:04:55,062 - I just can't say that this is a toxic biomaterial. 100 00:04:55,095 --> 00:04:57,197 Does that look unsafe? 101 00:04:57,230 --> 00:04:59,099 It looks absolutely safe to me. 102 00:04:59,132 --> 00:05:02,803 It just enhances the breast just that much. 103 00:05:11,745 --> 00:05:16,249 - I've actually had 16 great years with these boobs. 104 00:05:16,283 --> 00:05:17,217 Are you gonna miss these? 105 00:05:17,250 --> 00:05:18,085 They fed you. 106 00:05:18,118 --> 00:05:19,653 - No. 107 00:05:19,687 --> 00:05:20,888 - [Michelle] Really? 108 00:05:20,921 --> 00:05:25,258 - No, I honestly got scared that your career was gonna end 109 00:05:25,292 --> 00:05:27,661 after you got your boobs removed, I'm not even kidding. 110 00:05:27,695 --> 00:05:28,662 - When I told you that I was thinking about it? 111 00:05:28,696 --> 00:05:30,230 - [Lillie] Yeah, like, I actually felt like, 112 00:05:30,263 --> 00:05:31,432 no one was gonna like you anymore. 113 00:05:31,465 --> 00:05:32,633 - When did I tell you, like, about two years ago, right? 114 00:05:32,666 --> 00:05:33,834 - [Lillie] Yeah. 115 00:05:33,867 --> 00:05:35,102 - I was talking, this is how long ago I started thinking, 116 00:05:35,135 --> 00:05:37,871 I want to get them out because I think there's a connection. 117 00:05:37,905 --> 00:05:39,973 - I remember vividly telling you, like, crying telling you, 118 00:05:40,007 --> 00:05:40,974 I didn't want you to get them out 119 00:05:41,008 --> 00:05:42,042 'cause, like, you weren't gonna have as job. 120 00:05:42,075 --> 00:05:44,745 - No, you weren't crying, how it went was this. 121 00:05:44,778 --> 00:05:46,947 Well, there goes your career. 122 00:05:46,980 --> 00:05:47,648 - Okay. 123 00:05:47,681 --> 00:05:48,682 - [Michelle] That's how it went. 124 00:05:48,716 --> 00:05:49,383 - [David] Wow. 125 00:05:49,417 --> 00:05:50,317 - [Michelle] You really think? 126 00:05:50,350 --> 00:05:50,884 - That's like your entire brand is, like, 127 00:05:50,918 --> 00:05:51,885 based off that, like. 128 00:05:51,919 --> 00:05:55,389 - Yeah, but do you think that I am just my boobs? 129 00:05:55,423 --> 00:05:57,024 - I never said that, I just said you're- 130 00:05:57,057 --> 00:05:57,691 - [Michelle] No, I'm asking you. 131 00:05:57,725 --> 00:05:58,892 - No, I don't think you are, 132 00:05:58,926 --> 00:06:00,127 but your, like, entire brand is, like, about your boobs. 133 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:04,164 - Yeah, true, but my entire brand is based off my talent. 134 00:06:04,197 --> 00:06:06,199 - And your boobs, right? 135 00:06:08,301 --> 00:06:09,770 - [David] That's like a microphone drop. 136 00:06:09,803 --> 00:06:10,438 - Thank you. 137 00:06:10,471 --> 00:06:11,304 - [David] Thanks. 138 00:06:11,338 --> 00:06:12,372 - Here's my question. 139 00:06:12,406 --> 00:06:15,308 How do you know some of your symptoms aren't just? 140 00:06:15,342 --> 00:06:16,109 - I don't know. 141 00:06:16,143 --> 00:06:17,411 - [Lillie] Like, created mentally? 142 00:06:17,445 --> 00:06:18,646 - [Michelle] I don't know. 143 00:06:18,679 --> 00:06:21,949 - I just think it's important not to jump to conclusions, 144 00:06:21,982 --> 00:06:22,916 or you know what I mean? 145 00:06:22,950 --> 00:06:26,319 There just has to be significant amounts of. 146 00:06:26,353 --> 00:06:28,756 - If you're sick enough, you can jump to a conclusion, 147 00:06:28,789 --> 00:06:30,691 and I'm sick of being sick. 148 00:06:30,724 --> 00:06:32,225 And there's hundreds of thousands of women out there 149 00:06:32,259 --> 00:06:33,226 that are sick of being sick. 150 00:06:33,260 --> 00:06:35,395 And the thing is, every time I go to a doctor, 151 00:06:35,429 --> 00:06:38,899 you're normal, your test is normal, it's anxiety. 152 00:06:38,932 --> 00:06:40,167 - What happens when you bring up the idea 153 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:41,735 that you think it's the implants? 154 00:06:41,769 --> 00:06:42,803 - Dr. Allen said, 155 00:06:42,836 --> 00:06:44,938 they tell us in medical school that they're safe. 156 00:06:44,972 --> 00:06:46,006 - [Lillie] Do you regret getting them? 157 00:06:46,039 --> 00:06:48,942 - No, because I had a lot of good years with them. 158 00:06:48,976 --> 00:06:49,810 - Right. 159 00:06:49,843 --> 00:06:50,778 - I don't regret it. 160 00:06:50,811 --> 00:06:54,314 I just resent that I wasn't told the truth. 161 00:06:55,783 --> 00:07:00,053 And the truth is these can make you very sick. 162 00:07:00,087 --> 00:07:01,321 - I don't know. 163 00:07:01,354 --> 00:07:04,825 I think she's just, Lola says she's faking it for attention. 164 00:07:04,858 --> 00:07:05,726 - Lola? 165 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,030 Do you think I'd go through surgery to fake for attention? 166 00:07:10,063 --> 00:07:11,331 You think I need attention? 167 00:07:11,364 --> 00:07:12,165 - A little. 168 00:07:12,199 --> 00:07:15,302 - No, I think I don't, I get enough. 169 00:07:15,335 --> 00:07:17,738 Yeah, I get enough, plenty. 170 00:07:19,072 --> 00:07:22,375 Not from you, but from everybody else. 171 00:07:22,409 --> 00:07:26,146 - Of course, I question it, but I've always been supportive 172 00:07:26,179 --> 00:07:28,348 'cause these illnesses have been stretched over, 173 00:07:28,381 --> 00:07:30,784 like, now decades, I think. 174 00:07:32,052 --> 00:07:35,088 To have brain fog, Epstein-Barr syndrome, sleep issues, 175 00:07:35,122 --> 00:07:37,925 headaches, heart palpitations, and stuff like that. 176 00:07:37,958 --> 00:07:40,393 There was a lot of symptoms, a lot of symptoms. 177 00:07:40,427 --> 00:07:43,497 So I want her healthy that's all that matters. 178 00:07:43,531 --> 00:07:47,400 I don't care anymore, I just want her healthy. 179 00:07:49,369 --> 00:07:50,538 - [Michelle] I know it seems crazy 180 00:07:50,571 --> 00:07:52,439 that people are battling over whether implants are safe 181 00:07:52,472 --> 00:07:55,475 decades after they were brought onto the market, 182 00:07:55,509 --> 00:07:57,344 but it all started to make sense for me 183 00:07:57,377 --> 00:07:59,913 when I looked up the history of implants, 184 00:07:59,947 --> 00:08:03,283 and found out how this whole thing began. 185 00:08:05,919 --> 00:08:07,054 - [Interviewer] So how did you guys find out 186 00:08:07,087 --> 00:08:10,223 what your dad was famous for? 187 00:08:10,257 --> 00:08:11,191 - [David] Kind of an interesting story. 188 00:08:11,224 --> 00:08:13,794 - Your fourth grade story was a good story. 189 00:08:13,827 --> 00:08:16,830 - So I was in fourth or fifth grade, 190 00:08:17,965 --> 00:08:20,400 came home to dinner one night, 191 00:08:20,433 --> 00:08:23,971 and the topic came up that dad was gonna be on TV. 192 00:08:24,004 --> 00:08:26,540 I was like, how cool is that, right? 193 00:08:26,574 --> 00:08:29,509 And so I go to school the next day, and tell my teacher. 194 00:08:29,543 --> 00:08:33,213 Hey, my dad's gonna be on TV, can we watch? 195 00:08:34,247 --> 00:08:36,917 And she's like, "Well, sure, that's great." 196 00:08:36,950 --> 00:08:40,954 And so this opening shot is the medical reporter 197 00:08:41,922 --> 00:08:45,559 standing in front of, I think, the OR doors, or something, 198 00:08:45,593 --> 00:08:46,560 I vaguely remember, 199 00:08:46,594 --> 00:08:50,363 and she's holding silicone breast implants. 200 00:08:52,132 --> 00:08:53,100 And the teacher was like, 201 00:08:53,133 --> 00:08:57,404 "We're gonna turn it off and let's go to recess." 202 00:08:57,437 --> 00:09:01,074 That was kind of my first realization that that item was, 203 00:09:01,108 --> 00:09:03,844 you know, his baby that he created. 204 00:09:07,915 --> 00:09:09,850 - He started in Canada. 205 00:09:10,884 --> 00:09:12,552 He was a Canadian citizen, 206 00:09:12,586 --> 00:09:15,455 and migrated here after medical school 207 00:09:15,488 --> 00:09:18,458 because he wanted to be a capitalist. 208 00:09:18,491 --> 00:09:21,228 He didn't feel like he had that opportunity in Canada 209 00:09:21,261 --> 00:09:24,031 because of the medical system they had. 210 00:09:24,064 --> 00:09:26,600 And that's what it's all about. 211 00:09:26,634 --> 00:09:31,839 ♪ Only in America can a guy from anywhere ♪ 212 00:09:32,305 --> 00:09:37,310 ♪ Go to sleep a pauper and wake up a millionaire ♪ 213 00:09:38,045 --> 00:09:43,050 ♪ Only in America can a kid without a cent ♪ 214 00:09:43,283 --> 00:09:47,855 - Gerow and Cronin told me they wanted to do something 215 00:09:48,521 --> 00:09:52,325 that would be as big as the artificial heart. 216 00:09:55,362 --> 00:09:58,966 - Well, what we have done is to replace the human heart 217 00:09:58,999 --> 00:10:01,902 not only anatomically, but functionally. 218 00:10:01,935 --> 00:10:05,472 - As big as the NASA space exploration. 219 00:10:05,505 --> 00:10:09,509 - [Reporter] We have lift off, we have lift off. 220 00:10:11,011 --> 00:10:13,613 - They wanted to be world-famous. 221 00:10:16,483 --> 00:10:18,218 Gerow was a friend of mine, 222 00:10:18,251 --> 00:10:22,990 and he had a bigger ego than I do, this is saying a lot. 223 00:10:24,424 --> 00:10:26,694 So in '62, Gerow is making rounds 224 00:10:26,727 --> 00:10:28,195 at one of the county hospitals 225 00:10:28,228 --> 00:10:31,131 where he also did his charity work. 226 00:10:31,164 --> 00:10:34,001 All of us did charity work, believe it or not. 227 00:10:34,034 --> 00:10:37,337 And he made rounds and he felt this IV bag. 228 00:10:37,370 --> 00:10:39,606 - It just happened to be the same day 229 00:10:39,639 --> 00:10:43,376 they stopped putting liquids in glass bottles, 230 00:10:43,410 --> 00:10:47,080 and had begun to put them into plastic bags. 231 00:10:47,114 --> 00:10:48,515 So he's walking down the hall 232 00:10:48,548 --> 00:10:51,418 with this bag of warm blood, soft. 233 00:10:56,724 --> 00:10:59,126 - It feels like a breast. 234 00:10:59,159 --> 00:11:01,494 That's where the whole idea came from. 235 00:11:01,528 --> 00:11:03,596 - Now, at the same time, 236 00:11:03,630 --> 00:11:06,233 there was a company called Dow Corning, 237 00:11:06,266 --> 00:11:08,401 and they have a new product. 238 00:11:08,435 --> 00:11:12,439 It's a material that can be made into solid liquid, 239 00:11:12,472 --> 00:11:15,743 or gel, or anything in between. 240 00:11:15,776 --> 00:11:18,445 - [Narrator] This is Dow Corning in Midland, Michigan, 241 00:11:18,478 --> 00:11:22,315 the world's first and largest silicone plant. 242 00:11:22,349 --> 00:11:25,518 Silicones are a remarkable recent development. 243 00:11:25,552 --> 00:11:29,456 A great step forward in the science of chemistry. 244 00:11:29,489 --> 00:11:34,261 Say, Dr. Miller, what kind of silicone mixture is that? 245 00:11:34,294 --> 00:11:35,996 - This, just hold on. 246 00:11:36,029 --> 00:11:40,100 This is just a little polydimethylsiloxane. 247 00:11:40,133 --> 00:11:44,637 - [Narrator] Complex compounds for making life simpler. 248 00:11:44,671 --> 00:11:47,274 - Silicone was invented around World War II, 249 00:11:47,307 --> 00:11:50,377 and it became this really wonder material. 250 00:11:50,410 --> 00:11:51,244 Initially, it was used 251 00:11:51,278 --> 00:11:54,081 for things like lubricating jet engines. 252 00:11:54,114 --> 00:11:56,616 After World War II, manufacturers of silicone 253 00:11:56,649 --> 00:11:59,452 started looking at more civilian markets. 254 00:11:59,486 --> 00:12:02,355 - So Cronin goes back to his office and calls Dow Corning. 255 00:12:02,389 --> 00:12:04,524 This is Dr. Thomas Cronin in Houston. 256 00:12:04,557 --> 00:12:06,226 And would you think about making a breast implant 257 00:12:06,259 --> 00:12:08,361 out of your new material? 258 00:12:08,395 --> 00:12:09,296 The answer was yes. 259 00:12:09,329 --> 00:12:11,765 - It was that simple. 260 00:12:11,799 --> 00:12:15,435 - This was like the Wright brothers airplane. 261 00:12:15,468 --> 00:12:18,138 (bright music) 262 00:12:21,241 --> 00:12:24,077 We weren't the first to try to augment the breast 263 00:12:24,111 --> 00:12:25,578 with an implant, 264 00:12:25,612 --> 00:12:28,448 but every single case of it before that time 265 00:12:28,481 --> 00:12:31,418 had a lot of body reaction, all negative. 266 00:12:31,451 --> 00:12:33,186 - We saw some really odd materials, 267 00:12:33,220 --> 00:12:36,056 things that were at hand. 268 00:12:36,089 --> 00:12:40,560 Things like woodchips, glass balls, even kinds of yarn. 269 00:12:41,728 --> 00:12:46,133 - [Dr. Patten] And then at the end of World War II in Japan, 270 00:12:46,166 --> 00:12:50,437 the Japanese ladies wanted to have bigger breasts 271 00:12:50,470 --> 00:12:53,606 so that they could marry American GIs. 272 00:12:55,242 --> 00:12:57,477 - There were barrels of silicone on the harbor 273 00:12:57,510 --> 00:13:01,414 in Yokohama Harbor during the American occupation. 274 00:13:01,448 --> 00:13:03,583 And barrels of it started disappearing 275 00:13:03,616 --> 00:13:07,220 because Japanese prostitutes were actually injecting 276 00:13:07,254 --> 00:13:10,858 some of the silicone right into their breasts. 277 00:13:10,891 --> 00:13:12,759 - And it was a gigantic disaster 278 00:13:12,792 --> 00:13:18,098 because silicone caused tremendous inflammatory changes, 279 00:13:18,131 --> 00:13:21,334 and an activation of the immune system, 280 00:13:22,602 --> 00:13:25,672 such that the tissues were destroyed. 281 00:13:31,744 --> 00:13:35,448 Direct injection of silicone was outlawed right away. 282 00:13:35,482 --> 00:13:38,151 - So one of these new silicone bags 283 00:13:38,185 --> 00:13:40,120 could be the much better solution, 284 00:13:40,153 --> 00:13:43,390 or perhaps the next implant revolution. 285 00:13:43,423 --> 00:13:45,625 - Dow Corning, they sent us 286 00:13:46,693 --> 00:13:49,362 a little tester about that big, 287 00:13:50,563 --> 00:13:54,201 and we put it underneath the skin of a dog. 288 00:13:55,835 --> 00:13:59,572 Esmeralda was the dog, and the dog survived, 289 00:13:59,606 --> 00:14:03,843 and everything went well so that was our research. 290 00:14:03,877 --> 00:14:06,880 And with that we told them, yes, 291 00:14:06,914 --> 00:14:10,717 we're ready to put an implant into a patient. 292 00:14:15,956 --> 00:14:19,159 (telephone ringing) 293 00:14:22,329 --> 00:14:23,196 - Hello. 294 00:14:24,564 --> 00:14:25,632 I'll tell you. 295 00:14:25,665 --> 00:14:29,436 I'm being interviewed right now, so I can't talk. 296 00:14:29,469 --> 00:14:32,172 - [Woman] What are you being interviewed for? 297 00:14:32,205 --> 00:14:34,741 - Well, you know about my breast? 298 00:14:34,774 --> 00:14:36,843 - [Woman] Oh, okay. 299 00:14:36,876 --> 00:14:38,946 - You forgot that? 300 00:14:38,979 --> 00:14:39,846 Okay. 301 00:14:40,914 --> 00:14:41,781 - [Woman] Bye. 302 00:14:41,814 --> 00:14:42,682 - Bye-bye. 303 00:14:45,518 --> 00:14:47,254 What did you ask me? 304 00:14:49,756 --> 00:14:53,360 So my implants were put in long about '62. 305 00:14:55,628 --> 00:14:57,897 I guess the world would be surprised to see 306 00:14:57,931 --> 00:15:00,533 here I am 88, and still going. 307 00:15:02,369 --> 00:15:07,240 How it started because I'd gotten some tattoos on my breast. 308 00:15:07,274 --> 00:15:10,610 I didn't stop at one, I went one, two, three. 309 00:15:10,643 --> 00:15:13,780 I regretted it 'cause my dad preached, 310 00:15:14,747 --> 00:15:16,549 never mark your body. 311 00:15:17,850 --> 00:15:20,220 Well, having them a year or so, 312 00:15:20,253 --> 00:15:23,656 I was just desperate to get them off. 313 00:15:23,690 --> 00:15:27,627 And that's how I come to get to meet Dr. Gerow. 314 00:15:29,029 --> 00:15:31,298 He was such a nice man. 315 00:15:31,331 --> 00:15:33,600 He was handsome and tall. 316 00:15:33,633 --> 00:15:37,837 See, I'd never seen any professional person before. 317 00:15:39,973 --> 00:15:43,310 I just had a crush on him, secret one. 318 00:15:46,279 --> 00:15:47,847 Dr. Gerow asked me, 319 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:51,451 would I like to have my breasts implanted? 320 00:15:52,552 --> 00:15:55,755 And I said, well, I don't know. 321 00:15:55,788 --> 00:15:58,291 I said, but I'd rather have my ears fixed 322 00:15:58,325 --> 00:16:01,761 'cause I used to be called big ears, and big foot 323 00:16:01,794 --> 00:16:04,964 through the getting my breast fixed. 324 00:16:04,998 --> 00:16:06,433 Then they said, well, 325 00:16:06,466 --> 00:16:09,602 they'd fix that too, and then I did it 326 00:16:11,304 --> 00:16:13,773 (quirky music) 327 00:16:27,387 --> 00:16:29,856 I just felt real proud about it. 328 00:16:29,889 --> 00:16:34,561 After I got out of the hospital, and the first time I'd 329 00:16:37,397 --> 00:16:40,800 been out on the street in downtown Houston 330 00:16:44,571 --> 00:16:46,639 I got a lot of cat-calls. 331 00:16:53,646 --> 00:16:57,650 And I'd always thought I was the ugly dumpling, 332 00:16:57,684 --> 00:17:00,787 but getting the breasts implant, 333 00:17:00,820 --> 00:17:04,357 and beginning with the doctors, and everything, 334 00:17:04,391 --> 00:17:07,627 I'd just come out of all that, 335 00:17:07,660 --> 00:17:11,431 and realized that I was good as anybody else. 336 00:17:23,810 --> 00:17:26,513 - No, okay, so you're gonna have them removed. 337 00:17:26,546 --> 00:17:30,583 Now what happens to your emotional identity 338 00:17:30,617 --> 00:17:31,918 once they're gone? 339 00:17:31,951 --> 00:17:34,020 - The reason I got them was for my self-confidence. 340 00:17:34,053 --> 00:17:37,056 I needed them because of male-dominated society telling me, 341 00:17:37,090 --> 00:17:39,859 and boyfriends that I wasn't as attractive with no tits. 342 00:17:39,892 --> 00:17:42,829 I always had a great ass, but I never had tits. 343 00:17:42,862 --> 00:17:44,797 - Right, because if you look at the first 344 00:17:44,831 --> 00:17:47,534 Seduction album cover, you don't have them in. 345 00:17:47,567 --> 00:17:48,401 Is that correct? 346 00:17:48,435 --> 00:17:49,269 - No, I had nothing in. 347 00:17:49,302 --> 00:17:50,937 - Yeah, because that's the album cover 348 00:17:50,970 --> 00:17:53,039 you are flat as a board. 349 00:17:53,072 --> 00:17:55,408 - [Michelle] Flat as a board. 350 00:17:55,442 --> 00:17:56,609 Right after high school, 351 00:17:56,643 --> 00:17:58,978 I was in a girl group called Seduction, 352 00:17:59,011 --> 00:18:02,482 and we had a huge song called "Two To Make It Right." 353 00:18:02,515 --> 00:18:04,851 So that album cover followed me everywhere. 354 00:18:04,884 --> 00:18:06,586 And I absolutely hated it 355 00:18:06,619 --> 00:18:08,855 because it reinforced all of my insecurities 356 00:18:08,888 --> 00:18:11,691 every single time I looked at it. 357 00:18:11,724 --> 00:18:14,527 - And how soon after that picture was taken, did you, 358 00:18:14,561 --> 00:18:17,564 how many hours after that picture was taken did you? 359 00:18:17,597 --> 00:18:18,665 - Minutes. 360 00:18:18,698 --> 00:18:22,635 Booked the next flight home to Dr. Rosenberg, yeah. 361 00:18:22,669 --> 00:18:24,871 So I did that really early on, 362 00:18:24,904 --> 00:18:28,975 and it was my own identity, thinking I wasn't worthy. 363 00:18:29,008 --> 00:18:31,711 I'm not anti-plastic surgery. 364 00:18:31,744 --> 00:18:34,447 If you love plastic surgery, I love plastic surgery, 365 00:18:34,481 --> 00:18:37,650 but it doesn't work right for everybody. 366 00:18:37,684 --> 00:18:41,921 And for me, I think my implants are causing my ill health. 367 00:18:41,954 --> 00:18:43,923 When I got my first set of breast implants, 368 00:18:43,956 --> 00:18:46,793 I was told that breast implants were 100% safe, 369 00:18:46,826 --> 00:18:48,961 and that there were no dangers at all, 370 00:18:48,995 --> 00:18:49,962 but as it turns out, 371 00:18:49,996 --> 00:18:52,965 that's what women have been told since day one. 372 00:18:52,999 --> 00:18:55,935 (reflective music) 373 00:19:02,809 --> 00:19:07,480 - I met Dr. Gerow when my girlfriend called me, 374 00:19:07,514 --> 00:19:10,683 and had an appointment with him for liposuction. 375 00:19:10,717 --> 00:19:15,655 And I was just going to be in the room just to be a friend. 376 00:19:18,925 --> 00:19:21,228 He was examining her sutures, 377 00:19:21,261 --> 00:19:24,531 and her sutures were loosely stitched 378 00:19:26,132 --> 00:19:29,035 between the buttocks and her thigh. 379 00:19:31,538 --> 00:19:34,474 He surprisingly raised that area up 380 00:19:35,174 --> 00:19:39,078 where you can actually look inside the cavity, 381 00:19:39,111 --> 00:19:41,481 which took me by surprise. 382 00:19:41,514 --> 00:19:45,652 It was like looking into a chocolate Easter bunny. 383 00:19:46,986 --> 00:19:49,055 When he raised her buttocks up, he looked at me, 384 00:19:49,088 --> 00:19:51,824 and went wah-ha-ha-ha, you know. 385 00:19:54,193 --> 00:19:56,463 I really liked Dr. Gerow. 386 00:19:57,230 --> 00:20:00,933 When we were about finished with her appointment, 387 00:20:00,967 --> 00:20:03,770 her doctor appointment, he looked at me and said, 388 00:20:03,803 --> 00:20:06,473 I was wearing a violet sweater. 389 00:20:08,275 --> 00:20:13,246 He said, "You don't look so perfect in your sweater." 390 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:15,014 And I said, "Well, what do you mean by that?" 391 00:20:15,047 --> 00:20:16,983 And he explained that he was the inventor 392 00:20:17,016 --> 00:20:19,886 of the breast implant, and then he said, 393 00:20:19,919 --> 00:20:23,122 "Why don't you come see me sometime?" 394 00:20:23,155 --> 00:20:26,092 I was taking modeling classes, 395 00:20:26,125 --> 00:20:28,828 and acting classes at the time. 396 00:20:28,861 --> 00:20:29,829 And so I thought, 397 00:20:29,862 --> 00:20:32,064 well, gee, I might venture into this and see, 398 00:20:32,098 --> 00:20:35,167 you know, it seemed so easy. 399 00:20:35,201 --> 00:20:38,237 And I went to visit him on an appointment. 400 00:20:38,271 --> 00:20:40,740 I had a list of questions. 401 00:20:40,773 --> 00:20:43,976 Are breast implants decompressible? 402 00:20:44,010 --> 00:20:46,846 Because I was taking scuba classes. 403 00:20:46,879 --> 00:20:50,983 And are they okay if you're flying in an airplane? 404 00:20:52,652 --> 00:20:55,187 I wanted to know the integrity of an implant. 405 00:20:55,221 --> 00:20:57,256 And he said, "No, they're fine." 406 00:20:57,290 --> 00:21:00,192 He really believed in his product. 407 00:21:00,226 --> 00:21:04,564 So, therefore, I elected to have the surgery done. 408 00:21:08,134 --> 00:21:10,136 I mean, I was happy from the beginning. 409 00:21:10,169 --> 00:21:11,804 And then I realized 410 00:21:11,838 --> 00:21:14,674 that something is wrong with this implant. 411 00:21:14,707 --> 00:21:17,577 It's flat, it doesn't match the other one. 412 00:21:17,610 --> 00:21:19,078 It lost its volume. 413 00:21:20,046 --> 00:21:22,014 I went back to see him saying, 414 00:21:22,048 --> 00:21:24,984 I think something is wrong with this implant. 415 00:21:25,017 --> 00:21:26,285 He said, "You have a rupture." 416 00:21:26,319 --> 00:21:27,320 Now what do we do? 417 00:21:27,354 --> 00:21:29,255 He said, "Well, I'm gonna have to replace it." 418 00:21:29,288 --> 00:21:30,423 I just said, "Okay, fine," 419 00:21:30,457 --> 00:21:32,859 but he said, "I'm gonna have to replace both of them." 420 00:21:32,892 --> 00:21:34,961 So he increased the size. 421 00:21:40,867 --> 00:21:44,303 And I had a size C instead of a B. 422 00:21:44,337 --> 00:21:47,273 I didn't understand why he wanted to make me larger. 423 00:21:47,306 --> 00:21:48,941 - He liked big breasts. 424 00:21:48,975 --> 00:21:52,244 And I think this was a personal failing. 425 00:21:56,048 --> 00:21:57,984 So he would have a patient on the table, 426 00:21:58,017 --> 00:21:59,752 and install implants 427 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:05,257 that really looked like this woman was stacked. 428 00:22:06,325 --> 00:22:10,129 Nope, not good enough, take it all down. 429 00:22:10,162 --> 00:22:13,666 And another two hours put in a bigger one, so, 430 00:22:13,700 --> 00:22:16,202 it was never enough for him. 431 00:22:16,235 --> 00:22:17,870 - So I went home, 432 00:22:17,904 --> 00:22:20,740 but then later I had another rupture again. 433 00:22:20,773 --> 00:22:23,676 So he said, "Well, you're gonna have to replace it again." 434 00:22:23,710 --> 00:22:26,212 And then gradually I was getting tired. 435 00:22:26,245 --> 00:22:27,780 I was fatigued. 436 00:22:27,814 --> 00:22:30,149 I started getting body aches. 437 00:22:31,718 --> 00:22:35,187 Then I started breaking out in skin rashes. 438 00:22:37,957 --> 00:22:41,227 Gosh, my hair started falling out in clumps. 439 00:22:41,260 --> 00:22:43,195 I went back to see him, he said, 440 00:22:43,229 --> 00:22:45,131 "Go see Dr. Bernard Patten. 441 00:22:45,164 --> 00:22:46,899 He is a neurologist. 442 00:22:46,933 --> 00:22:49,736 He's with Baylor College of Medicine." 443 00:22:49,769 --> 00:22:52,739 - Gerow found a number of people 444 00:22:52,772 --> 00:22:55,875 that he had done implants on 445 00:22:55,908 --> 00:22:58,678 developing neurological problems, 446 00:22:58,711 --> 00:23:01,414 weakness, fatigue, trouble seeing, thinking, 447 00:23:01,448 --> 00:23:02,982 reading, writing, remembering, 448 00:23:03,015 --> 00:23:05,051 chewing, swallowing, talking, climbing stairs, 449 00:23:05,084 --> 00:23:07,286 getting out of a chair, off the toilet, 450 00:23:07,319 --> 00:23:09,055 anything you can think of 451 00:23:09,088 --> 00:23:13,192 that seemed to refer to the nervous system, 452 00:23:13,225 --> 00:23:15,327 Gerow would send the patient to me. 453 00:23:15,361 --> 00:23:20,232 So I began to see a group of referred patients from Gerow, 454 00:23:21,233 --> 00:23:25,071 and they all had implants 'cause he was the implant doctor. 455 00:23:25,104 --> 00:23:27,306 This was the implant mecca. 456 00:23:28,775 --> 00:23:33,045 I began connecting the dots, and seeing the obvious, 457 00:23:34,814 --> 00:23:36,015 is that the implant 458 00:23:36,048 --> 00:23:38,951 was somehow stimulating the immune system 459 00:23:38,985 --> 00:23:41,053 to make the patient sick. 460 00:23:42,522 --> 00:23:43,656 - I'm not a doctor, 461 00:23:43,690 --> 00:23:46,025 but it doesn't take a rocket scientist now to go back, 462 00:23:46,058 --> 00:23:48,160 and realize it was too soon 463 00:23:48,194 --> 00:23:51,130 for Dr. Gerow's product to be on the market. 464 00:23:51,163 --> 00:23:53,065 These were making people sick and ill, 465 00:23:53,099 --> 00:23:56,068 and I need to do something about it. 466 00:24:02,542 --> 00:24:04,343 - Doctors told me, 467 00:24:04,376 --> 00:24:08,280 you guys are really doing women a disservice by, 468 00:24:08,314 --> 00:24:11,350 because this isn't real and made me feel really guilty. 469 00:24:11,383 --> 00:24:12,384 - [Woman] I think we all look. 470 00:24:12,418 --> 00:24:13,385 - [Woman] We all look normal. 471 00:24:13,419 --> 00:24:14,220 - [Woman] 'Cause doctors don't take us seriously. 472 00:24:14,253 --> 00:24:16,489 - [Woman] It's an invisible illness. 473 00:24:16,523 --> 00:24:17,456 - I overheard a really good friend of mine. 474 00:24:17,490 --> 00:24:19,425 I heard her talking quietly to someone else. 475 00:24:19,458 --> 00:24:20,292 She's a nurse also. 476 00:24:20,326 --> 00:24:22,495 Well, I think sometimes these women 477 00:24:22,529 --> 00:24:25,264 just want to attribute their symptoms to something. 478 00:24:25,297 --> 00:24:26,499 I don't really think that. 479 00:24:26,533 --> 00:24:27,433 I mean, she didn't know I was listening, but I heard her, 480 00:24:27,466 --> 00:24:30,136 and it really hurt me 'cause she has them, 481 00:24:30,169 --> 00:24:31,203 and she has no issues, 482 00:24:31,237 --> 00:24:33,139 but just because you don't know something exists 483 00:24:33,172 --> 00:24:34,373 doesn't mean it doesn't exist. 484 00:24:34,406 --> 00:24:35,975 - [Michelle] Did you confront her? 485 00:24:36,008 --> 00:24:38,545 - No, I didn't want to do it in a room full of people. 486 00:24:38,578 --> 00:24:39,478 - [Michelle] She's also your friend. 487 00:24:39,512 --> 00:24:40,212 - [Woman] Right. 488 00:24:40,246 --> 00:24:42,949 - Who here has explanted already? 489 00:24:42,982 --> 00:24:46,819 - I've gone to several plastic surgeons asking, 490 00:24:46,853 --> 00:24:51,023 and I've had two male plastic surgeons tell me 491 00:24:51,057 --> 00:24:52,158 you're not gonna be happy 492 00:24:52,191 --> 00:24:53,225 with the way you look if you do this. 493 00:24:53,259 --> 00:24:54,961 - Yeah, that's the line that they give everybody. 494 00:24:54,994 --> 00:24:55,662 - [Woman] That's insane. 495 00:24:55,695 --> 00:24:56,663 - And female doctors do it too. 496 00:24:56,696 --> 00:24:58,464 - How do you know what I'm gonna be happy with? 497 00:24:58,497 --> 00:24:59,465 How dare you tell me. 498 00:24:59,498 --> 00:25:00,166 - [Woman] At this point it's not about looks. 499 00:25:00,199 --> 00:25:00,867 - No, we're way past that point, 500 00:25:00,900 --> 00:25:01,834 we're way past that point, yeah. 501 00:25:01,868 --> 00:25:03,936 - [Michelle] It's not about looks anymore. 502 00:25:03,970 --> 00:25:05,237 - Part of the reason I was seeking out 503 00:25:05,271 --> 00:25:07,039 female plastic surgeons 504 00:25:07,073 --> 00:25:09,108 was because I thought they would understand. 505 00:25:09,141 --> 00:25:10,342 - [Michelle] Oh, they have a bunch of crazy ones out there. 506 00:25:10,376 --> 00:25:11,443 I'm gonna use the word crazy. 507 00:25:11,477 --> 00:25:12,645 - They don't, they don't. 508 00:25:12,679 --> 00:25:16,348 After I told her and I'm crying and telling her all this, 509 00:25:16,382 --> 00:25:18,017 all these things that I'm going through, 510 00:25:18,050 --> 00:25:19,185 and I'm tired of it. 511 00:25:19,218 --> 00:25:20,853 And I'm so happy I'm gonna get this out, 512 00:25:20,887 --> 00:25:24,356 and I'm so happy she's gonna do it, she says, 513 00:25:24,390 --> 00:25:28,027 "So I guess you won't consider putting another implant in?" 514 00:25:28,060 --> 00:25:28,728 - [Michelle] Oh my God. 515 00:25:28,761 --> 00:25:30,496 - [Woman] Having beautiful tits 516 00:25:30,529 --> 00:25:32,331 are pretty pointless if you're stuck in bed. 517 00:25:32,364 --> 00:25:33,199 - Yeah. 518 00:25:33,232 --> 00:25:33,900 - I like that. 519 00:25:33,933 --> 00:25:34,533 - [Michelle] That's a good line. 520 00:25:34,567 --> 00:25:35,234 - [Woman] Not having sex. 521 00:25:35,267 --> 00:25:36,468 - True because you're too tired. 522 00:25:36,502 --> 00:25:40,106 - You're not parenting, you're not doing, you're existing. 523 00:25:40,139 --> 00:25:42,474 - [Woman] I haven't had sex this year. 524 00:25:42,508 --> 00:25:44,977 - Oh, I'm not even gonna say how long it's been for me. 525 00:25:45,011 --> 00:25:47,079 I'll embarrass my husband. 526 00:25:47,113 --> 00:25:49,115 - [Woman] Please don't record that. 527 00:25:49,148 --> 00:25:52,852 - [Michelle] They're troopers, the ones that have stuck. 528 00:25:52,885 --> 00:25:54,420 - [Woman] He needs some male support, 529 00:25:54,453 --> 00:25:56,322 another husband who's gone through this. 530 00:25:56,355 --> 00:25:58,357 - It's not easy on them, it isn't. 531 00:25:58,390 --> 00:26:00,092 - No, it's been rough for us. 532 00:26:00,126 --> 00:26:01,260 - Of course. 533 00:26:01,293 --> 00:26:05,364 - We got married three years ago, and just the decline, 534 00:26:05,397 --> 00:26:08,467 so I'm not the person that he married. 535 00:26:08,500 --> 00:26:10,870 When you go to a doctor, 536 00:26:10,903 --> 00:26:13,005 and they want to give you another pill, 537 00:26:13,039 --> 00:26:16,442 they want basically just to brush you off. 538 00:26:17,476 --> 00:26:19,278 It's very isolating, 539 00:26:19,311 --> 00:26:22,849 and it makes you feel like you are crazy. 540 00:26:28,154 --> 00:26:29,021 Sorry. 541 00:26:41,433 --> 00:26:43,502 I just want if I can help one person 542 00:26:43,535 --> 00:26:48,440 to know that you're not alone and you're not crazy. 543 00:26:48,474 --> 00:26:50,176 And that this is something that is happening 544 00:26:50,209 --> 00:26:53,946 to hundreds and thousands and maybe millions of women. 545 00:26:53,980 --> 00:26:56,115 - It's wild that history is repeating itself, though, 546 00:26:56,148 --> 00:26:57,917 because so many women went through this 547 00:26:57,950 --> 00:27:01,220 in the '80s and '90s, and now it's all happening again. 548 00:27:01,253 --> 00:27:02,588 And it's like, everyone has amnesia, 549 00:27:02,621 --> 00:27:04,456 but it's just wild that there's these doctors 550 00:27:04,490 --> 00:27:06,192 that aren't remembering what's happened. 551 00:27:06,225 --> 00:27:09,395 And you'd think that they would have been taught. 552 00:27:09,428 --> 00:27:13,365 - I believe, in my opinion, the first to get them out, 553 00:27:13,399 --> 00:27:15,334 to have them explanted. 554 00:27:16,335 --> 00:27:17,937 It was early '80s. 555 00:27:19,138 --> 00:27:20,239 Dr. Patten said, 556 00:27:20,272 --> 00:27:25,077 "You show the signs of silicone exposure in your body." 557 00:27:26,245 --> 00:27:28,614 He let me know that there is a correlation, 558 00:27:28,647 --> 00:27:31,483 and I really felt the need in my mind 559 00:27:31,517 --> 00:27:33,252 to really get these out. 560 00:27:33,285 --> 00:27:34,987 That's when I went through the Yellow Pages, 561 00:27:35,021 --> 00:27:36,956 and searched for a surgeon 562 00:27:36,989 --> 00:27:39,992 to get them out as soon as possible. 563 00:27:41,527 --> 00:27:45,164 I went to the appointment, and I said, "I had a rupture." 564 00:27:45,197 --> 00:27:47,299 And I said, "Get these out." 565 00:27:47,333 --> 00:27:50,336 And I said, "When you take them out, I'd like to have them 566 00:27:50,369 --> 00:27:53,439 because I wanted to sue the manufacturer 567 00:27:53,472 --> 00:27:56,675 because they're making faulty breast implants." 568 00:27:56,709 --> 00:28:00,079 You have to have data in order to prove your case. 569 00:28:00,112 --> 00:28:02,114 I wanted to know why I got sick. 570 00:28:02,148 --> 00:28:04,416 Find out what was happening to me. 571 00:28:04,450 --> 00:28:06,185 Did this happen to another woman? 572 00:28:06,218 --> 00:28:08,254 But I never got my implants back. 573 00:28:08,287 --> 00:28:11,490 I don't know whatever happened to them. 574 00:28:15,127 --> 00:28:17,129 After the surgery, I went to him, and said, 575 00:28:17,163 --> 00:28:18,530 "I thought you were gonna give to those to me 576 00:28:18,564 --> 00:28:20,099 after the surgery." 577 00:28:20,132 --> 00:28:24,236 And he said, "Well, it's for your protection." 578 00:28:24,270 --> 00:28:26,773 He said, "Let's get your sutures out." 579 00:28:26,806 --> 00:28:29,341 He avoided, and then he laughed when he took out the suture, 580 00:28:29,375 --> 00:28:32,044 he goes, "Well, have you adjusted to your new shape?" 581 00:28:32,078 --> 00:28:35,381 I was disfigured, and he laughed. 582 00:28:35,414 --> 00:28:39,618 Like I did not think that that was very nice 583 00:28:39,651 --> 00:28:42,388 for a surgeon to laugh at a woman, 584 00:28:42,421 --> 00:28:46,458 and treat her that way in that fashion, you know? 585 00:28:48,060 --> 00:28:51,097 I don't want to cry 'cause this has been a long time. 586 00:28:51,130 --> 00:28:53,099 I have to get over it, 587 00:28:53,132 --> 00:28:56,402 but, you know, it was, you know, it was. 588 00:28:59,839 --> 00:29:04,010 So I wanted to pursue a products liability case. 589 00:29:06,145 --> 00:29:09,415 I called different attorneys, and I was laughed at. 590 00:29:09,448 --> 00:29:11,350 People said, "Oh, that's ridiculous. 591 00:29:11,383 --> 00:29:14,486 There's no such thing as ruptured breast implants." 592 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:16,188 No one believed me. 593 00:29:18,124 --> 00:29:19,425 - [Doctor] You see those areas? 594 00:29:19,458 --> 00:29:21,093 - [Woman] Yes. 595 00:29:21,127 --> 00:29:23,429 - Those areas show microcalcifications. 596 00:29:23,462 --> 00:29:26,065 I'd like to schedule a biopsy. 597 00:29:27,834 --> 00:29:29,568 - What if it's cancer? 598 00:29:29,601 --> 00:29:32,471 - If anybody had told me in 1983 599 00:29:32,504 --> 00:29:35,141 that a diagnosis of breast cancer 600 00:29:35,174 --> 00:29:37,209 would give me a 30 year career, 601 00:29:37,243 --> 00:29:42,314 I would have been blown away, but that's what happened. 602 00:29:42,348 --> 00:29:45,284 (reflective music) 603 00:29:47,386 --> 00:29:50,289 I was 43, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, 604 00:29:50,322 --> 00:29:52,324 had bilateral mastectomies, 605 00:29:52,358 --> 00:29:55,361 and my first set of breast implants. 606 00:29:56,262 --> 00:29:57,129 - Mom. 607 00:29:58,130 --> 00:29:59,565 - They ruptured. 608 00:29:59,598 --> 00:30:00,532 - [Woman] This can't be normal. 609 00:30:00,566 --> 00:30:02,734 - Actually, it does happen. 610 00:30:02,768 --> 00:30:04,603 - Set number two, same thing happens. 611 00:30:04,636 --> 00:30:05,571 - Now what? 612 00:30:08,140 --> 00:30:09,341 - Surgery again. 613 00:30:09,375 --> 00:30:10,642 - Set number three, I'm starting to think 614 00:30:10,676 --> 00:30:13,145 that this is really not a very good thing, 615 00:30:13,179 --> 00:30:14,546 but what am I gonna do? 616 00:30:14,580 --> 00:30:16,115 - Perhaps we shouldn't put new ones in. 617 00:30:16,148 --> 00:30:18,784 - I don't want to spend the rest of my life looking, 618 00:30:18,817 --> 00:30:21,087 and feeling like a freak. 619 00:30:23,322 --> 00:30:27,826 - [Man] You're not gonna look like a freak not to me. 620 00:30:27,860 --> 00:30:30,696 - Set number four I said I am done. 621 00:30:30,729 --> 00:30:32,298 And if it had happened to me, 622 00:30:32,331 --> 00:30:34,533 then it had to have happened to other women too. 623 00:30:34,566 --> 00:30:37,369 So I started to look around to find out 624 00:30:37,403 --> 00:30:39,338 what the situation was. 625 00:30:40,572 --> 00:30:43,775 - How can the FDA approve a product with such serious risks? 626 00:30:43,809 --> 00:30:45,477 - We haven't. 627 00:30:45,511 --> 00:30:46,578 - Excuse me. 628 00:30:46,612 --> 00:30:48,180 - When I found out that they had never been approved 629 00:30:48,214 --> 00:30:51,417 by the FDA I almost had a heart attack. 630 00:30:51,450 --> 00:30:54,386 (reflective music) 631 00:31:02,261 --> 00:31:06,232 - The kinds of studies that one should engage oneself, 632 00:31:06,265 --> 00:31:07,333 we didn't do. 633 00:31:08,968 --> 00:31:12,638 Nobody even thought about a series of studies. 634 00:31:12,671 --> 00:31:16,408 You have a new implant you put it in, and it works. 635 00:31:16,442 --> 00:31:19,378 And the patient is happy, and then let's put in another one. 636 00:31:19,411 --> 00:31:23,749 - So they were considered an experimental device, 637 00:31:23,782 --> 00:31:26,652 but when I went to buy them, oh, these are fabulous. 638 00:31:26,685 --> 00:31:30,389 People have been using them since the '60s, oh, my my. 639 00:31:30,422 --> 00:31:33,859 So everything was to make me, put me on the defensive, 640 00:31:33,892 --> 00:31:36,895 but don't put me on theoffensive 'cause when you do that, 641 00:31:36,929 --> 00:31:41,400 you have lost your battle, and that's what happened. 642 00:31:43,535 --> 00:31:45,771 I did not find any other information 643 00:31:45,804 --> 00:31:47,706 about women having problems, 644 00:31:47,739 --> 00:31:50,609 so I decided to write the article. 645 00:31:51,944 --> 00:31:56,248 Once that article appeared, my world changed. 646 00:31:56,282 --> 00:31:57,683 I started getting letters from women 647 00:31:57,716 --> 00:31:59,718 who had read the article, 648 00:31:59,751 --> 00:32:01,653 and they told me their experiences. 649 00:32:01,687 --> 00:32:04,523 They were much more horrendous than mine. 650 00:32:04,556 --> 00:32:08,660 And we decided to have an information clearinghouse 651 00:32:08,694 --> 00:32:13,599 because you couldn't get it directly from the doctor. 652 00:32:13,632 --> 00:32:17,769 And I put everybody's name on a three by five card. 653 00:32:17,803 --> 00:32:20,672 Write it down on a card, put it in the little box. 654 00:32:20,706 --> 00:32:21,907 It was endless. 655 00:32:24,610 --> 00:32:27,779 We probably had somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 names. 656 00:32:27,813 --> 00:32:30,749 And after that, the Connie Chung show contacted me. 657 00:32:30,782 --> 00:32:33,252 The lid blew off of my life. 658 00:32:35,721 --> 00:32:37,956 - Most of us know little about breast implants. 659 00:32:37,990 --> 00:32:39,158 We've seen the ads. 660 00:32:39,191 --> 00:32:41,360 We've heard the rumors about which celebrities have them, 661 00:32:41,393 --> 00:32:42,361 and which don't, 662 00:32:42,394 --> 00:32:44,830 but we don't know anything about the dangers. 663 00:32:44,863 --> 00:32:47,366 - Connie Chung said, "Would you allow a picture 664 00:32:47,399 --> 00:32:50,869 of your failed implant to be shown?" 665 00:32:50,902 --> 00:32:53,405 And I said, "Yes, I would." 666 00:32:53,439 --> 00:32:55,007 - [Connie] Sybil Goldrich gave up on implants 667 00:32:55,041 --> 00:32:59,478 after five operations left her breasts mangled and infected. 668 00:32:59,511 --> 00:33:01,013 She allowed us to use this photo 669 00:33:01,047 --> 00:33:04,316 as a graphic example of her ordeal. 670 00:33:04,350 --> 00:33:07,286 - My daughters were so angry at me. 671 00:33:08,020 --> 00:33:11,290 They just thought I was putting too much out in the open. 672 00:33:11,323 --> 00:33:12,991 It's one thing for me to speak about it, 673 00:33:13,025 --> 00:33:16,928 but it's another thing to see something. 674 00:33:16,962 --> 00:33:20,699 And what I let them see was pretty horrific. 675 00:33:21,767 --> 00:33:22,934 - [Connie] Today she's demanding 676 00:33:22,968 --> 00:33:26,305 that doctors warn women of all the dangers they may face. 677 00:33:26,338 --> 00:33:27,739 - Nobody has done the kind of studies 678 00:33:27,773 --> 00:33:31,477 that are required for this kind of product. 679 00:33:31,510 --> 00:33:33,812 Just as I say that it's my belief 680 00:33:33,845 --> 00:33:36,315 that the implants are harmful, 681 00:33:36,348 --> 00:33:39,851 the drug companies, and the manufacturers 682 00:33:39,885 --> 00:33:42,821 don't have any proof that it's not. 683 00:33:44,022 --> 00:33:46,458 Why should we be in this catch-22 situation, 684 00:33:46,492 --> 00:33:48,494 30 years after the fact? 685 00:33:51,397 --> 00:33:53,832 - Every single woman went to see her plastic surgeon 686 00:33:53,865 --> 00:33:54,966 the next day, 687 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:58,937 and the doctors started calling it Connie Chung disease. 688 00:33:58,970 --> 00:34:01,740 - You know, this was in my estimation, 689 00:34:01,773 --> 00:34:04,343 frank yellow journalism. 690 00:34:04,376 --> 00:34:05,277 It was just so dogmatic 691 00:34:05,311 --> 00:34:07,346 in terms of breast implants are not safe. 692 00:34:07,379 --> 00:34:10,616 And so then FDA Chairman, Kessler, 693 00:34:10,649 --> 00:34:12,418 had all of these hearings. 694 00:34:12,451 --> 00:34:14,653 - The implants hardened, migrated, 695 00:34:14,686 --> 00:34:17,022 generated one infection after the other. 696 00:34:17,055 --> 00:34:20,392 - I would give anything to be restored 697 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:22,961 to the condition I was 698 00:34:22,994 --> 00:34:25,864 before I had my breast implant surgery. 699 00:34:25,897 --> 00:34:29,568 - 25 years of study andexperience have shown these devices 700 00:34:29,601 --> 00:34:32,704 to be as safe as most things in life. 701 00:34:32,738 --> 00:34:35,674 (reflective music) 702 00:34:40,146 --> 00:34:43,415 - A journalist got hold of these documents, 703 00:34:43,449 --> 00:34:47,486 hundreds of pages of internal documents. 704 00:34:47,519 --> 00:34:48,787 He contacted me. 705 00:34:50,122 --> 00:34:54,593 The documents were very quotable, and very shocking. 706 00:34:56,195 --> 00:35:00,699 I ended up showing it to the FDA commissioner. 707 00:35:00,732 --> 00:35:03,735 - Dow knew that their product 708 00:35:03,769 --> 00:35:06,838 stimulated the immune system in 1975. 709 00:35:08,207 --> 00:35:12,844 The FDA subpoenaed the company documents that say that. 710 00:35:15,447 --> 00:35:16,715 - In addition to that, 711 00:35:16,748 --> 00:35:20,085 the documents had a lot of internal memos 712 00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:23,789 from salesmen at Dow Corning. 713 00:35:23,822 --> 00:35:25,657 They were saying things like 714 00:35:25,691 --> 00:35:28,427 I'm telling the plastic surgeons 715 00:35:28,460 --> 00:35:30,196 that there are clinical trials 716 00:35:30,229 --> 00:35:32,898 with my fingers crossed behind my back, 717 00:35:32,931 --> 00:35:33,932 or the implants 718 00:35:36,101 --> 00:35:40,706 when I put them on the doctor's desk to see them, 719 00:35:40,739 --> 00:35:42,474 they're greasy. 720 00:35:42,508 --> 00:35:44,743 They're leaving a grease mark on the desk. 721 00:35:44,776 --> 00:35:46,545 And that makes a very bad impression 722 00:35:46,578 --> 00:35:48,947 'cause it looks like it's leaking. 723 00:35:48,980 --> 00:35:52,884 And then, of course, there's the higher up at the company 724 00:35:52,918 --> 00:35:56,622 saying just keep washing your implants, 725 00:35:56,655 --> 00:35:59,858 so that they don't leave a grease mark. 726 00:36:01,827 --> 00:36:06,565 There was clear dishonesty in many different directions. 727 00:36:11,570 --> 00:36:14,072 - I am asking that physicians cease using 728 00:36:14,105 --> 00:36:16,475 silicone gel implants. 729 00:36:16,508 --> 00:36:21,547 As physicians, our first obligation is to do no harm. 730 00:36:21,580 --> 00:36:24,883 (dramatic music) 731 00:36:24,916 --> 00:36:28,186 - I'm angry, and frustrated, and scared. 732 00:36:29,221 --> 00:36:30,789 - They tell you it's in your head. 733 00:36:30,822 --> 00:36:33,058 You begin to think you're crazy. 734 00:36:33,091 --> 00:36:34,726 It's very real. 735 00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:36,127 - Walk in my shoes. 736 00:36:36,161 --> 00:36:37,229 You want a study? 737 00:36:37,263 --> 00:36:38,129 Study me. 738 00:36:39,298 --> 00:36:41,833 (indistinct) 739 00:36:43,835 --> 00:36:45,136 - We have recalls for seat belts. 740 00:36:45,170 --> 00:36:46,805 We have recalls for cigarettes. 741 00:36:46,838 --> 00:36:49,641 Where's our recall for this defective product? 742 00:36:49,675 --> 00:36:51,142 You should be ashamed of yourself. 743 00:36:51,176 --> 00:36:53,579 (applause) 744 00:36:58,650 --> 00:37:00,552 - All these women were coming, 745 00:37:00,586 --> 00:37:04,022 and wanting their breasts taken out, and this, 746 00:37:04,055 --> 00:37:06,892 and all these bad things happening. 747 00:37:06,925 --> 00:37:08,794 And for me, it didn't, 748 00:37:10,028 --> 00:37:13,765 and they've just been a good thing, lasting, 749 00:37:16,034 --> 00:37:20,272 but I don't know, so many women were claiming this, 750 00:37:20,306 --> 00:37:21,873 and claiming that. 751 00:37:21,907 --> 00:37:25,644 And I don't know whether it was true or not. 752 00:37:28,747 --> 00:37:30,782 - There was a bonanza medically. 753 00:37:30,816 --> 00:37:32,318 And then the interesting thing was 754 00:37:32,351 --> 00:37:34,553 there was a bonanza legally 755 00:37:34,586 --> 00:37:39,024 because a lot of these implants turned out to be toxic. 756 00:37:39,057 --> 00:37:42,661 - [Narrator] In the Old West justice was hard to find. 757 00:37:42,694 --> 00:37:44,663 Today when you've been hurt on the job, 758 00:37:44,696 --> 00:37:46,798 you need a lawyer ready to handle 759 00:37:46,832 --> 00:37:49,635 the challenges of a new frontier. 760 00:37:50,336 --> 00:37:53,071 - Houston has a very high concentration 761 00:37:53,104 --> 00:37:55,240 of personal injury lawyers. 762 00:37:55,273 --> 00:37:57,743 It was for many years a blue-collar town, 763 00:37:57,776 --> 00:37:59,845 and it was close to the port, 764 00:37:59,878 --> 00:38:03,615 so you had all of these blue-collar injuries. 765 00:38:03,649 --> 00:38:05,183 - [Narrator] Working long hours in the oilfield 766 00:38:05,216 --> 00:38:06,852 is dangerous, hard work, 767 00:38:06,885 --> 00:38:09,355 and it's a challenge just to make it home safely everyday. 768 00:38:09,388 --> 00:38:11,857 - The guys who are the most successful plaintiff's lawyers 769 00:38:11,890 --> 00:38:16,928 in the country, if not the world, they're like sharks. 770 00:38:16,962 --> 00:38:19,130 - [Narrator] When you have an accident, or a job injury, 771 00:38:19,164 --> 00:38:20,098 dial Law-1000. 772 00:38:21,367 --> 00:38:23,869 - They're always trawling for new business. 773 00:38:23,902 --> 00:38:25,837 - If you've been hurt in any accident, 774 00:38:25,871 --> 00:38:28,073 you can talk to an attorney who can settle most cases 775 00:38:28,106 --> 00:38:29,875 without going to court. 776 00:38:29,908 --> 00:38:31,743 - I think when someone heard, 777 00:38:31,777 --> 00:38:34,346 hey, a couple of women are getting sick with these things. 778 00:38:34,380 --> 00:38:38,116 I'm sure someone like John O'Quinn immediately thought, 779 00:38:38,149 --> 00:38:40,619 oh, well, let's investigate. 780 00:38:46,358 --> 00:38:50,362 - Make no mistake, we are engaged in a holy war. 781 00:38:51,763 --> 00:38:54,700 We're gonna win this fight. 782 00:38:54,733 --> 00:38:56,768 We're gonna win it because we're right. 783 00:38:56,802 --> 00:38:58,637 And we're gonna win it 784 00:38:58,670 --> 00:39:02,007 because like no case I've ever worked on, 785 00:39:03,442 --> 00:39:04,876 this is the champion of all of them. 786 00:39:04,910 --> 00:39:07,112 (applause) 787 00:39:14,986 --> 00:39:16,254 - You know, it was all money. 788 00:39:16,287 --> 00:39:19,024 And in Houston, especially, at that time, 789 00:39:19,057 --> 00:39:20,826 that's what was valued. 790 00:39:20,859 --> 00:39:23,729 So if the plastic surgeon is getting wealthy, 791 00:39:23,762 --> 00:39:26,264 and John O'Quinn was getting wealthy, 792 00:39:26,297 --> 00:39:28,299 it was like, hey, it works for everybody. 793 00:39:28,333 --> 00:39:30,235 And if there are these women getting sick in the middle, 794 00:39:30,268 --> 00:39:32,137 well, somebody, you know, you get help at the front end. 795 00:39:32,170 --> 00:39:34,706 You get help at the back end. 796 00:39:41,012 --> 00:39:43,682 - Okay, let me try that. 797 00:39:43,715 --> 00:39:47,085 Hey guys, I'm posting this to give you some news. 798 00:39:47,118 --> 00:39:51,222 This is the last time you're going to see me with these. 799 00:39:51,256 --> 00:39:52,758 I know they're a national treasure, 800 00:39:52,791 --> 00:39:55,894 but I believe for the past 20 years, 801 00:39:55,927 --> 00:39:58,296 these breast implants have been making me sick. 802 00:39:58,329 --> 00:40:00,065 And I'm documenting this journey, 803 00:40:00,098 --> 00:40:01,433 and I'm sharing it with you, 804 00:40:01,467 --> 00:40:03,702 so stay tuned for all the details. 805 00:40:03,735 --> 00:40:07,806 I love you, and I'll see you on the lighter side. 806 00:40:08,740 --> 00:40:09,407 Okay. 807 00:40:13,144 --> 00:40:14,079 Here we go. 808 00:40:17,415 --> 00:40:21,820 My God, it's like I'm nervous, I never get nervous. 809 00:40:27,759 --> 00:40:30,996 Hey guys, I'm posting this to give you some news. 810 00:40:31,029 --> 00:40:35,166 This is the last time you're going to see me with these. 811 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:36,735 I know they're a national treasure, 812 00:40:36,768 --> 00:40:39,404 but I believe for the past 20 years 813 00:40:39,437 --> 00:40:41,139 these breast implants have been making me- 814 00:40:41,172 --> 00:40:43,174 - I follow Michelle Visage on Instagram. 815 00:40:43,208 --> 00:40:45,376 I felt that I really had to make a comment 816 00:40:45,410 --> 00:40:47,946 talking about my experiences. 817 00:40:53,985 --> 00:40:55,220 I was fresh out of college. 818 00:40:55,253 --> 00:40:58,957 And my first new job was in a med corporation. 819 00:40:58,990 --> 00:41:01,960 And they're a breast implant manufacturer. 820 00:41:01,993 --> 00:41:05,230 They hired me right away, and we were doing experiments. 821 00:41:05,263 --> 00:41:06,832 This was right kind of in the middle 822 00:41:06,865 --> 00:41:08,433 of when Dow Chemical was being sued. 823 00:41:08,466 --> 00:41:09,968 There was a lot of lawsuits going on 824 00:41:10,001 --> 00:41:12,137 regarding breast implants. 825 00:41:15,941 --> 00:41:17,108 - [Reporter] Once silicone implants 826 00:41:17,142 --> 00:41:19,377 were taken off the market, saline implants, 827 00:41:19,410 --> 00:41:22,213 which are basically silicone bags filled with saltwater 828 00:41:22,247 --> 00:41:24,983 were marketed as the new safe alternative, 829 00:41:25,016 --> 00:41:28,153 but even as the manufacturers were making this claim, 830 00:41:28,186 --> 00:41:30,088 no one had done the studies 831 00:41:30,121 --> 00:41:33,825 to confirm whether or not it was even true. 832 00:41:33,859 --> 00:41:36,494 - People were saying, implants are saline now they're safe, 833 00:41:36,528 --> 00:41:39,230 but we were still worried about the shell, 834 00:41:39,264 --> 00:41:42,200 which was still made of silicone. 835 00:41:42,233 --> 00:41:45,436 To make the shells you have this there's, like, a bar. 836 00:41:45,470 --> 00:41:48,106 And then there's, like, the shape of the implant. 837 00:41:48,139 --> 00:41:50,508 And it gets dipped into the liquid silicone, 838 00:41:50,542 --> 00:41:52,277 and then it's cured. 839 00:41:53,945 --> 00:41:57,115 And then you seal them up, and you fill it with saline. 840 00:41:57,148 --> 00:41:58,884 So we knew that there's still silicone. 841 00:41:58,917 --> 00:42:00,285 We're still putting silicone in the body. 842 00:42:00,318 --> 00:42:01,219 Even though the gel was gone, 843 00:42:01,252 --> 00:42:04,122 there's still silicone in the implants. 844 00:42:04,155 --> 00:42:08,293 So we needed to test for the safety of the shells. 845 00:42:10,495 --> 00:42:13,064 I did these experiments where I would take the implants, 846 00:42:13,098 --> 00:42:16,835 and set them on these silicone disks. 847 00:42:16,868 --> 00:42:17,969 It was, like, these round disks. 848 00:42:18,003 --> 00:42:20,105 And you put the implant on top of it. 849 00:42:20,138 --> 00:42:23,174 And what happens is because there's silicone on silicone 850 00:42:23,208 --> 00:42:27,045 if there's any leakage, the silicone from the shell 851 00:42:27,078 --> 00:42:29,915 will get absorbed into this silicone disk. 852 00:42:29,948 --> 00:42:32,618 And so everyday, twice a day, I'd weigh these disks. 853 00:42:32,651 --> 00:42:34,853 And if it starts getting more weight 854 00:42:34,886 --> 00:42:38,489 then you know that it's leaching from the implants 855 00:42:38,523 --> 00:42:41,893 out into the body, potentially. 856 00:42:41,927 --> 00:42:46,131 I weighed it for at least six to eight months, 857 00:42:46,164 --> 00:42:48,499 twice a day, five days a week. 858 00:42:48,533 --> 00:42:51,002 And the weight would definitely go up. 859 00:42:51,036 --> 00:42:53,138 It's not saline that's coming in. 860 00:42:53,171 --> 00:42:54,472 It actually was silicone 861 00:42:54,505 --> 00:42:57,609 because saline wouldn't be absorbed into the disk. 862 00:42:57,643 --> 00:42:59,177 It would just roll right off, 863 00:42:59,210 --> 00:43:02,113 and could really start to even see, 864 00:43:02,147 --> 00:43:05,150 like, a glisten on the disk. 865 00:43:05,183 --> 00:43:08,519 I mean, it was actually more significant than we'd expected. 866 00:43:08,553 --> 00:43:11,890 And I reported all my results. 867 00:43:11,923 --> 00:43:14,025 And when reporting all this data I'm thinking, 868 00:43:14,059 --> 00:43:16,895 oh, so we're gonna, like, change how this goes. 869 00:43:16,928 --> 00:43:18,930 And it was really exciting. 870 00:43:18,964 --> 00:43:23,902 And just time goes by and nothing, nothing changes. 871 00:43:23,935 --> 00:43:25,671 You'd think that there would be some kind of action 872 00:43:25,704 --> 00:43:27,906 that would happen with the company that they'd say, 873 00:43:27,939 --> 00:43:32,944 okay, well, let's maybe pull this off the market for now, 874 00:43:33,178 --> 00:43:35,313 but nothing ever happened. 875 00:43:39,718 --> 00:43:42,220 I remember I took a tour of the factory, 876 00:43:42,253 --> 00:43:45,156 which ran 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 877 00:43:45,190 --> 00:43:46,457 365 days a year. 878 00:43:47,425 --> 00:43:49,895 And it dumbfounded me to see 879 00:43:50,561 --> 00:43:53,699 how many they were cranking out they were still just, 880 00:43:53,732 --> 00:43:56,467 they had just these machines that were dipping those things, 881 00:43:56,501 --> 00:43:58,670 dipping, dipping, dipping, all day, all night. 882 00:43:58,704 --> 00:43:59,604 There was so much money. 883 00:43:59,637 --> 00:44:01,406 There was so much money they were making 884 00:44:01,439 --> 00:44:03,174 with these implants, 885 00:44:04,075 --> 00:44:05,043 but we never did anything. 886 00:44:05,076 --> 00:44:08,313 We never fixed anything, never fixed anything. 887 00:44:08,346 --> 00:44:11,249 The final tipping point for me, 888 00:44:11,282 --> 00:44:15,286 there was a woman that had an explant surgery. 889 00:44:15,320 --> 00:44:18,990 She had to have her implants removed. 890 00:44:19,024 --> 00:44:21,626 They brought it back to the office 891 00:44:21,659 --> 00:44:25,363 so that we could look at ways to improve it. 892 00:44:27,465 --> 00:44:29,467 I looked at that and I thought of her. 893 00:44:29,500 --> 00:44:32,670 I'd never thought of her before, the her, you know? 894 00:44:32,704 --> 00:44:36,274 Where these were going, who was wearing them. 895 00:44:36,307 --> 00:44:39,310 After a while, it started to feel funny just working there 896 00:44:39,344 --> 00:44:42,981 because they were controlling the information. 897 00:44:43,014 --> 00:44:47,085 They were controlling what women could know. 898 00:44:47,118 --> 00:44:50,221 I felt like I was a part of something sinister. 899 00:44:50,255 --> 00:44:52,257 I made my exit from the breast implant industry, 900 00:44:52,290 --> 00:44:54,159 and never looked back. 901 00:44:56,027 --> 00:44:56,962 - [Michelle] Okay. 902 00:44:56,995 --> 00:45:00,165 Packing my bag to go down to Newport Beach. 903 00:45:00,198 --> 00:45:04,469 Of course, I have to have a candle because you know. 904 00:45:04,502 --> 00:45:09,040 Water bottles, and then sweat pants, button-up stuff, 905 00:45:10,241 --> 00:45:11,509 all these things, 906 00:45:11,542 --> 00:45:13,211 and, guys, look, no nails 'cause the surgery. 907 00:45:13,244 --> 00:45:16,081 Ew, whose hands are these? 908 00:45:16,114 --> 00:45:19,117 I'm so natural I could puke. 909 00:45:19,150 --> 00:45:21,186 I'm shopping for bras. 910 00:45:21,219 --> 00:45:25,156 I think I got the right size right here, right? 911 00:45:26,191 --> 00:45:28,726 Think I'm in the right section. 912 00:45:28,760 --> 00:45:31,096 Here we go, that'll be me. 913 00:45:37,602 --> 00:45:41,339 So my surgery is in two and a half hours. 914 00:45:41,372 --> 00:45:44,175 - [Lillie] I'm proud of you. 915 00:45:44,209 --> 00:45:48,113 - Well, a prayer at noon would be lovely. 916 00:45:48,146 --> 00:45:49,414 - [Lillie] Okay. 917 00:45:50,748 --> 00:45:53,651 - [Michelle] My atheist child. 918 00:45:53,684 --> 00:45:58,023 - [David] Lillie, say something nice to your mama. 919 00:45:58,723 --> 00:46:01,392 - [Lillie] I love you, and it's gonna be great. 920 00:46:01,426 --> 00:46:03,694 - [Michelle] I love you too. 921 00:46:05,696 --> 00:46:07,165 - [Lillie] Where the fuck are your nails? 922 00:46:07,198 --> 00:46:09,400 (laughing) 923 00:46:11,436 --> 00:46:13,138 - [Michelle] When silicone implants were banned, 924 00:46:13,171 --> 00:46:16,641 I was working at a strip club in Queens called Goldfingers. 925 00:46:16,674 --> 00:46:18,509 I hosted the hot oil wrestling show 926 00:46:18,543 --> 00:46:21,212 because my breasts were too small to get a job as a dancer. 927 00:46:21,246 --> 00:46:25,450 My little kind of large B cups weren't gonna do it. 928 00:46:27,118 --> 00:46:28,386 The girls that made the money, 929 00:46:28,419 --> 00:46:30,588 they were called featured dancers, right? 930 00:46:30,621 --> 00:46:34,425 They were huge, and they were still getting implants. 931 00:46:34,459 --> 00:46:36,527 Many of them were actually going all the way to Houston 932 00:46:36,561 --> 00:46:38,429 to get them because Houston 933 00:46:38,463 --> 00:46:40,565 not only was the most affordable place to get them, 934 00:46:40,598 --> 00:46:42,800 they also went the biggest. 935 00:46:48,306 --> 00:46:49,841 - After the FDA moratorium, 936 00:46:49,875 --> 00:46:51,877 there was definitely a chill on implants. 937 00:46:51,910 --> 00:46:54,212 I mean, you literally couldn't get silicone implants. 938 00:46:54,245 --> 00:46:56,114 You could only get saline implants. 939 00:46:56,147 --> 00:46:57,582 So during the moratorium, 940 00:46:57,615 --> 00:47:00,518 some of the largest customers of breast implants 941 00:47:00,551 --> 00:47:02,888 were women in the burlesque industry, 942 00:47:02,921 --> 00:47:04,589 and the cabaret industry. 943 00:47:04,622 --> 00:47:07,425 Houston was ground zero for that. 944 00:47:14,365 --> 00:47:18,904 - The demand in the market for topless dance clubs, 945 00:47:18,937 --> 00:47:22,473 obviously, for breasts is higher because, you know, 946 00:47:22,507 --> 00:47:25,776 to put a slang phrase, it's a titty bar. 947 00:47:28,880 --> 00:47:32,750 - One of the marketing tactics was that I would go out to, 948 00:47:32,783 --> 00:47:36,922 there's probably not a gentlemen's club in Harris, Brazoria, 949 00:47:36,955 --> 00:47:42,160 or Galveston County that I have not personally frequented. 950 00:47:42,660 --> 00:47:46,531 I used to always say that I was out, you know, 951 00:47:49,700 --> 00:47:51,669 selling boobs for Dr. Johnson. 952 00:47:51,702 --> 00:47:52,870 He would always say, 953 00:47:52,904 --> 00:47:57,675 "You're gonna go strum us up some business this weekend." 954 00:47:58,676 --> 00:48:00,912 I would actually go into the dressing rooms. 955 00:48:00,946 --> 00:48:03,348 And I had a way with the girls. 956 00:48:03,381 --> 00:48:05,650 I would talk to them about a way 957 00:48:05,683 --> 00:48:08,553 that we could make you feel better about yourself, 958 00:48:08,586 --> 00:48:13,424 improve your income, your health, what's good for you. 959 00:48:13,458 --> 00:48:16,627 - It was like, well, okay, you have the silicone implants, 960 00:48:16,661 --> 00:48:19,730 but we have now these saline implants, 961 00:48:19,764 --> 00:48:22,267 which are healthier, and look more natural. 962 00:48:22,300 --> 00:48:26,604 So I think, again, it's all about the money, ultimately. 963 00:48:26,637 --> 00:48:28,273 - I gave 500 business cards out 964 00:48:28,306 --> 00:48:30,708 probably in just a few months. 965 00:48:32,377 --> 00:48:34,312 He started Grand Teton Days. 966 00:48:34,345 --> 00:48:37,548 It was a discounted rate if you booked then. 967 00:48:37,582 --> 00:48:41,752 Our day on a Teton Day was just go, go, go, go, go. 968 00:48:43,321 --> 00:48:44,289 The ladies would come in, 969 00:48:44,322 --> 00:48:46,291 and we'd have a whole waiting room out there, 970 00:48:46,324 --> 00:48:49,594 and, golly, sometimes I'd tell them, I'd say let's say, 971 00:48:49,627 --> 00:48:50,795 be knocking on the door, let's go. 972 00:48:50,828 --> 00:48:51,796 - Come on, let's go because. - Let's go. 973 00:48:51,829 --> 00:48:56,434 - I knew Gerald quite well, and I like Gerald, 974 00:48:56,467 --> 00:49:01,339 although, he was even more eccentric than was Frank Gerow. 975 00:49:02,773 --> 00:49:06,011 - Every surgical day, radio on, 976 00:49:06,044 --> 00:49:07,778 it have to be the country music. 977 00:49:07,812 --> 00:49:09,647 - Oh yeah, uh-hmm. 978 00:49:09,680 --> 00:49:10,581 - Willie Nelson. 979 00:49:10,615 --> 00:49:11,882 - [Darlene] Yes, indeed. 980 00:49:11,916 --> 00:49:13,851 - [Nurse] Linda, come on back, Linda. 981 00:49:13,884 --> 00:49:18,856 ♪ If you've got the money honey I've got the time ♪ 982 00:49:18,889 --> 00:49:20,058 We'll go honky tonkin' 983 00:49:20,091 --> 00:49:22,960 - Get one on the table, get them under, get them going. 984 00:49:22,994 --> 00:49:24,129 Move them to recovery. 985 00:49:24,162 --> 00:49:27,765 She's recovering while we're getting another one going. 986 00:49:27,798 --> 00:49:29,500 - There was a conveyor belt of women 987 00:49:29,534 --> 00:49:32,870 just coming through these operation rooms. 988 00:49:32,903 --> 00:49:34,505 - He would line up 20 patients, 989 00:49:34,539 --> 00:49:37,608 and do 20 breast augmentations all day. 990 00:49:37,642 --> 00:49:40,511 - It's like boobs everywhere, you know what I mean? 991 00:49:40,545 --> 00:49:44,049 And this crazy doctor in this Hawaiian shirt, 992 00:49:44,082 --> 00:49:46,917 white cowboy boots, are you for real right now? 993 00:49:46,951 --> 00:49:51,956 ♪ If you've got the money honey I've got the time ♪ 994 00:49:55,060 --> 00:49:58,463 - He had a swimming pool, it was like a breast. 995 00:49:58,496 --> 00:49:59,830 It was a breast. 996 00:49:59,864 --> 00:50:01,699 - And the nipple was the hot tub. 997 00:50:01,732 --> 00:50:02,600 - Yeah. 998 00:50:07,405 --> 00:50:08,639 - Anna Nicole, she got a lot of recognition, 999 00:50:08,673 --> 00:50:13,411 and women got more comfortable talking about breast implants 1000 00:50:13,444 --> 00:50:15,880 because of her publicity. 1001 00:50:15,913 --> 00:50:17,582 - Her career started right over here 1002 00:50:17,615 --> 00:50:20,618 at a club called Rick's Cabaret. 1003 00:50:20,651 --> 00:50:21,952 - It was sort of a combination 1004 00:50:21,986 --> 00:50:23,954 of an old-fashioned titty bar, 1005 00:50:23,988 --> 00:50:27,792 and, like, an upper-class British men's club. 1006 00:50:30,428 --> 00:50:32,530 So you could have your cigars and your brandy, 1007 00:50:32,563 --> 00:50:34,965 and an 18-year-old SMU student 1008 00:50:36,033 --> 00:50:38,703 working her way through college. 1009 00:50:38,736 --> 00:50:39,637 - [Reporter] Strip clubs, 1010 00:50:39,670 --> 00:50:41,639 once found only on the seedy side of town 1011 00:50:41,672 --> 00:50:44,709 have today become business centers. 1012 00:50:44,742 --> 00:50:48,045 - Rick's was the first publicly traded cabaret company 1013 00:50:48,079 --> 00:50:49,180 in the world. 1014 00:50:49,214 --> 00:50:51,949 It was American Express's largest corporate account. 1015 00:50:51,982 --> 00:50:54,919 It really popularized large breasts 1016 00:50:55,820 --> 00:50:58,489 for this mainstream market. 1017 00:50:58,523 --> 00:51:00,525 And in fact, from Rick's Cabaret, 1018 00:51:00,558 --> 00:51:04,061 you had this idea of large breasts migrating to Hollywood. 1019 00:51:04,095 --> 00:51:06,997 And from there the rest of the world. 1020 00:51:07,031 --> 00:51:10,535 - Okay, I was straight as a board when I was growing up. 1021 00:51:10,568 --> 00:51:14,572 I was flat-chested, nothing compared to this. 1022 00:51:14,605 --> 00:51:18,809 - [Regis] There isn't much compared to that, ha-ha. 1023 00:51:19,910 --> 00:51:23,114 - Anna Nicole, anytime she would be in the spotlight, 1024 00:51:23,148 --> 00:51:26,517 it made a lot of young girls feel comfortable 1025 00:51:26,551 --> 00:51:27,952 about talking about breast implants, 1026 00:51:27,985 --> 00:51:30,054 and to actually get out there and get them. 1027 00:51:30,087 --> 00:51:31,021 - [Woman] Thank you. 1028 00:51:31,055 --> 00:51:32,457 - [Woman] Can I have your tits by any chance? 1029 00:51:32,490 --> 00:51:33,858 - [Man] No, no tits allowed. 1030 00:51:33,891 --> 00:51:36,661 - I'll give you my doctor's name. 1031 00:51:36,694 --> 00:51:39,130 (upbeat music) 1032 00:51:46,571 --> 00:51:49,039 - Dr. Johnson, a lot of ladies came to him 1033 00:51:49,073 --> 00:51:52,510 to be very, very, very large sized. 1034 00:51:52,543 --> 00:51:56,013 And he's like, "What can we do to do that?" 1035 00:51:59,917 --> 00:52:02,653 The largest implant that you can buy is a euro sell, 1036 00:52:02,687 --> 00:52:04,955 it's overseas and from France. 1037 00:52:04,989 --> 00:52:07,425 And I believe that one goes only up to, 1038 00:52:07,458 --> 00:52:10,161 like, three or 4,000 cc's, but don't quote me on that, 1039 00:52:10,195 --> 00:52:12,863 but once you get to a certain point with the big implants, 1040 00:52:12,897 --> 00:52:17,702 it voids the manufacturer warranty for the implants. 1041 00:52:17,735 --> 00:52:19,870 What you're looking at here is 1042 00:52:19,904 --> 00:52:22,473 you're looking at polypropylene string. 1043 00:52:22,507 --> 00:52:26,211 Now he put this string in some of the largest ladies 1044 00:52:26,244 --> 00:52:28,112 that we have ever done. 1045 00:52:28,145 --> 00:52:31,449 The polypropylene string is just that. 1046 00:52:31,482 --> 00:52:36,086 It was just like a big wad of string, just wad of string. 1047 00:52:41,192 --> 00:52:44,529 I mean, he had an FDA experiment approval, a patent on that, 1048 00:52:44,562 --> 00:52:46,964 and they had to sign a release. 1049 00:52:46,997 --> 00:52:47,998 - [Alma] So they have to sign. 1050 00:52:48,032 --> 00:52:49,934 - He would make a pocket, 1051 00:52:49,967 --> 00:52:53,170 usually a little under the inframammary crease, 1052 00:52:53,204 --> 00:52:55,072 and put the string in. 1053 00:52:56,241 --> 00:52:57,174 What would happen is 1054 00:52:57,208 --> 00:53:01,011 the string is a foreign body to the breast, 1055 00:53:01,045 --> 00:53:03,948 so the breasts would start to react to this foreign body, 1056 00:53:03,981 --> 00:53:06,717 and have, like, almost an allergic reaction, 1057 00:53:06,751 --> 00:53:08,486 or some type of reaction. 1058 00:53:08,519 --> 00:53:10,821 So it caused the serum to just build and build, 1059 00:53:10,855 --> 00:53:12,623 and build and build and build. 1060 00:53:12,657 --> 00:53:14,259 What happened is we had to teach patients 1061 00:53:14,292 --> 00:53:18,863 to take an 18 gauge needle, and a 60cc syringe, 1062 00:53:18,896 --> 00:53:19,797 embed it on the breast, 1063 00:53:19,830 --> 00:53:23,668 and actually withdraw some of the serum. 1064 00:53:23,701 --> 00:53:27,972 So if I didn't, like, reduce with the syringe, 1065 00:53:28,005 --> 00:53:29,039 and the needle, 1066 00:53:29,073 --> 00:53:32,943 they would just get huge, huge, huge, huge, huge. 1067 00:53:34,979 --> 00:53:37,147 Dr. Johnson, he's thinking, okay, at some point 1068 00:53:37,181 --> 00:53:38,616 the body would stop, 1069 00:53:38,649 --> 00:53:42,620 and it would accommodate this string implant, 1070 00:53:42,653 --> 00:53:45,523 and would stop making the serum that didn't happen. 1071 00:53:45,556 --> 00:53:47,157 The breast tissue itself would be compromised, 1072 00:53:47,191 --> 00:53:48,793 and the polypropylene 1073 00:53:48,826 --> 00:53:51,228 would start rubbing the side of the breast wall. 1074 00:53:51,262 --> 00:53:54,999 And it could actually start to evacuate out of the body. 1075 00:53:55,032 --> 00:53:58,035 He got more aggressive with encouraging the ladies 1076 00:53:58,068 --> 00:54:00,305 to go ahead and get these out. 1077 00:54:00,338 --> 00:54:02,172 - I'm a ticking time bomb 1078 00:54:02,206 --> 00:54:05,209 because anything could happen to me. 1079 00:54:06,210 --> 00:54:10,047 I was basically a victim of an experiment. 1080 00:54:10,080 --> 00:54:12,817 I have one option, a mastectomy. 1081 00:54:15,686 --> 00:54:17,588 - If PPP would have worked, 1082 00:54:17,622 --> 00:54:20,157 wow, what an amazing thing that would have been. 1083 00:54:20,190 --> 00:54:21,926 If it would have worked. 1084 00:54:21,959 --> 00:54:22,960 - [Alma] If. 1085 00:54:24,929 --> 00:54:27,598 (quirky music) 1086 00:54:44,181 --> 00:54:46,116 - With your implants being older, 1087 00:54:46,150 --> 00:54:49,754 it wouldn't surprise me if at least one of them is ruptured. 1088 00:54:49,787 --> 00:54:50,955 - Right. 1089 00:54:50,988 --> 00:54:52,990 - So you have your implants surrounded by the scar sac. 1090 00:54:53,023 --> 00:54:55,726 The whole thing comes out in one piece without any tear 1091 00:54:55,760 --> 00:54:57,662 in case there's a rupture, 1092 00:54:57,695 --> 00:54:59,263 because if you make a tear, 1093 00:54:59,296 --> 00:55:02,099 now some of that free silicone gel will come out. 1094 00:55:02,132 --> 00:55:04,702 - [Michelle] For how long have you only been explanting? 1095 00:55:04,735 --> 00:55:06,103 - [Dr. Chun] Probably about two years. 1096 00:55:06,136 --> 00:55:07,672 - 'Cause you were doing other stuff up until then, 1097 00:55:07,705 --> 00:55:08,373 and then it became. 1098 00:55:08,406 --> 00:55:09,206 - [Dr. Chun] Exactly. 1099 00:55:09,239 --> 00:55:09,874 - The primary. 1100 00:55:09,907 --> 00:55:12,009 - Yeah, 'cause the thing is 1101 00:55:12,042 --> 00:55:14,879 the more I would do this type of surgery 1102 00:55:14,912 --> 00:55:16,714 as that volume went up, 1103 00:55:16,747 --> 00:55:19,750 and you start consistently getting that same feedback. 1104 00:55:19,784 --> 00:55:21,686 Oh, my God, my life has changed. 1105 00:55:21,719 --> 00:55:26,090 I'm no longer bedridden unable to do anything. 1106 00:55:26,123 --> 00:55:28,993 Now I'm out there my old self again. 1107 00:55:29,026 --> 00:55:30,361 There have been some patients 1108 00:55:30,395 --> 00:55:33,263 where they're just a completely different person. 1109 00:55:33,297 --> 00:55:34,365 - Right. 1110 00:55:34,399 --> 00:55:35,165 - [Dr. Chun] And that's their old self coming back. 1111 00:55:35,199 --> 00:55:36,266 - Why do some doctors not believe 1112 00:55:36,300 --> 00:55:40,304 that breast implant illness is real do you think? 1113 00:55:40,337 --> 00:55:42,840 - Well, I mean, I think the biggest thing is, you know, 1114 00:55:42,873 --> 00:55:46,944 as doctors we're trained to be like scientists, 1115 00:55:46,977 --> 00:55:52,016 so we're supposed to use data to formulate our opinions. 1116 00:55:52,049 --> 00:55:55,352 Then everyone points to the core clinical studies 1117 00:55:55,386 --> 00:55:56,220 that were done. 1118 00:55:56,253 --> 00:55:59,857 And what we were told all these years 1119 00:55:59,890 --> 00:56:03,794 was that studies have shown referring to those two studies, 1120 00:56:03,828 --> 00:56:05,430 that there is no connection 1121 00:56:05,463 --> 00:56:08,365 between the implants and these symptoms. 1122 00:56:08,399 --> 00:56:12,302 So that's the story that gets told over and over and over. 1123 00:56:12,336 --> 00:56:13,838 And so everyone's mindset is, 1124 00:56:13,871 --> 00:56:16,273 okay, well, you can't be sick from implants 1125 00:56:16,306 --> 00:56:18,876 because I've been told that the study showed 1126 00:56:18,909 --> 00:56:20,377 that does not happen. 1127 00:56:20,411 --> 00:56:23,213 (dramatic music) 1128 00:56:27,885 --> 00:56:28,953 - In "Medicine Tonight" 1129 00:56:28,986 --> 00:56:32,156 in 1992 the FDA banned silicone gel breast implants 1130 00:56:32,189 --> 00:56:34,258 for all, but a limited number of women, 1131 00:56:34,291 --> 00:56:36,694 not because of known risks, 1132 00:56:36,727 --> 00:56:38,763 but because of possible risks. 1133 00:56:38,796 --> 00:56:41,832 Now four years later, many are asking, was it real, 1134 00:56:41,866 --> 00:56:44,068 or was it a silicone scare? 1135 00:56:46,136 --> 00:56:48,172 - [Reporter] Recent studies say there's no link 1136 00:56:48,205 --> 00:56:50,941 between silicone gel implants and disease, 1137 00:56:50,975 --> 00:56:53,343 studies at the Mayo Clinic and Harvard, 1138 00:56:53,377 --> 00:56:56,313 published in the prestigious "New England Journal." 1139 00:56:56,346 --> 00:56:58,949 Some believe it's time to take a second look. 1140 00:56:58,983 --> 00:57:02,386 - I look at it as the hoax of the century. 1141 00:57:05,355 --> 00:57:09,393 - What happened was Dow Corning had to do something. 1142 00:57:09,426 --> 00:57:12,362 They were gonna lose a lot of money. 1143 00:57:12,396 --> 00:57:15,032 Number one, they had the most popular breast implants 1144 00:57:15,065 --> 00:57:16,467 on the market. 1145 00:57:16,501 --> 00:57:19,970 Number two, they make pretty much all the silicone 1146 00:57:20,004 --> 00:57:21,806 sold in this country. 1147 00:57:23,040 --> 00:57:24,809 Number three, they were sued, 1148 00:57:24,842 --> 00:57:29,213 and it was their desire to not have to pay $3 billion. 1149 00:57:31,982 --> 00:57:35,953 So Dow Corning took some money from its marketing budget, 1150 00:57:35,986 --> 00:57:37,287 not its research budget, 1151 00:57:37,321 --> 00:57:39,289 but from its marketing budget, 1152 00:57:39,323 --> 00:57:43,861 and started hiring academic researchers to do studies 1153 00:57:44,895 --> 00:57:48,766 that would show that their implants were safe. 1154 00:57:52,803 --> 00:57:53,771 - [Reporter] Some believed the Harvard, 1155 00:57:53,804 --> 00:57:56,240 and Mayo Clinic studies are seriously flawed, 1156 00:57:56,273 --> 00:57:57,474 concerned that the research, 1157 00:57:57,508 --> 00:57:59,476 and some of the researchers themselves 1158 00:57:59,510 --> 00:58:01,979 were funded by breast implant makers, 1159 00:58:02,012 --> 00:58:05,482 that the studies didn't follow enough women for long enough. 1160 00:58:05,516 --> 00:58:09,053 And that they focused on the wrong thing. 1161 00:58:10,120 --> 00:58:15,125 - You have the ability to take a little bit of information, 1162 00:58:15,826 --> 00:58:19,530 and pretend that it answers all your questions. 1163 00:58:19,564 --> 00:58:24,068 When it, number one, can't possibly answer those questions. 1164 00:58:24,101 --> 00:58:26,971 And number two, was never designed to answer the questions 1165 00:58:27,004 --> 00:58:30,307 because the people paying for the studies 1166 00:58:30,340 --> 00:58:34,178 made sure that the questions were asked in a way 1167 00:58:34,211 --> 00:58:37,314 that would make their product look good. 1168 00:58:37,347 --> 00:58:38,515 - At the end of the day, 1169 00:58:38,549 --> 00:58:41,318 they did those studies to sell silicone implants again. 1170 00:58:41,351 --> 00:58:45,055 I mean, I think we can never discount individual experiences 1171 00:58:45,089 --> 00:58:48,358 because here what we have are a group of healthy women, 1172 00:58:48,392 --> 00:58:50,460 they get their breast implants put in, 1173 00:58:50,494 --> 00:58:52,362 and all of a sudden they don't feel well. 1174 00:58:52,396 --> 00:58:53,397 - Right. 1175 00:58:53,430 --> 00:58:54,498 - And then they get their implants taken out, 1176 00:58:54,531 --> 00:58:55,465 and they feel better. 1177 00:58:55,499 --> 00:58:56,400 - [Michelle] Right. 1178 00:58:56,433 --> 00:58:58,569 - So I don't think you can discount that. 1179 00:58:58,603 --> 00:59:01,338 Is it as good as a large control study? 1180 00:59:01,371 --> 00:59:06,143 No, but certainly I think that should raise flags and say, 1181 00:59:06,176 --> 00:59:09,580 hey, something's definitely going on here. 1182 00:59:14,284 --> 00:59:19,189 - At some point, what was happening is the plastic surgeons 1183 00:59:19,223 --> 00:59:22,459 were saying there are now dozens of studies 1184 00:59:22,492 --> 00:59:24,995 showing how safe breast implants are. 1185 00:59:25,029 --> 00:59:27,865 And a lot of those dozens of studies were published 1186 00:59:27,898 --> 00:59:32,236 by the same researchers funded by the implant manufacturers, 1187 00:59:32,269 --> 00:59:36,006 and their summary was there's no evidence. 1188 00:59:36,040 --> 00:59:38,843 (dramatic music) 1189 00:59:43,580 --> 00:59:45,449 - The multiple randomized prospective studies 1190 00:59:45,482 --> 00:59:48,118 that have been performed show no demonstrable link 1191 00:59:48,152 --> 00:59:49,887 between silicone gel breast implants, 1192 00:59:49,920 --> 00:59:52,089 and health or safety concerns for women. 1193 00:59:52,122 --> 00:59:54,291 - The scientific studies have failed to demonstrate 1194 00:59:54,324 --> 00:59:57,294 that women with these devices have greater health risk 1195 00:59:57,327 --> 00:59:59,063 than women without implants. 1196 00:59:59,096 --> 01:00:00,330 - There are treatment options available, 1197 01:00:00,364 --> 01:00:03,467 which foster the safety, efficacy, and patient satisfaction 1198 01:00:03,500 --> 01:00:05,502 of silicone breast implants, thank you. 1199 01:00:05,535 --> 01:00:07,371 - There is major medical news tonight 1200 01:00:07,404 --> 01:00:09,674 about silicone breast implants. 1201 01:00:09,707 --> 01:00:13,010 Late today, the FDA approved them for use 1202 01:00:13,043 --> 01:00:15,479 lifting a ban that has been in effect 1203 01:00:15,512 --> 01:00:17,447 for more than a decade. 1204 01:00:19,549 --> 01:00:21,451 - The Food and Drug Administration Advisory panel 1205 01:00:21,485 --> 01:00:23,053 voted seven to two, 1206 01:00:23,087 --> 01:00:24,154 to recommend approving the sale 1207 01:00:24,188 --> 01:00:25,656 of silicone gel breast implants 1208 01:00:25,690 --> 01:00:28,558 by the Mentor Company of Santa Barbara, California. 1209 01:00:28,592 --> 01:00:31,495 Stock price ballooned 40 points after the approval. 1210 01:00:31,528 --> 01:00:33,931 (laughter) 1211 01:00:35,132 --> 01:00:36,066 We'll be right back. 1212 01:00:36,100 --> 01:00:39,236 (cheers and applause) 1213 01:00:44,675 --> 01:00:48,345 - I definitely feel my heart beating faster. 1214 01:00:48,378 --> 01:00:49,546 Is that normal? 1215 01:00:49,579 --> 01:00:54,418 - [Nurse] It is, just a little bit of nerves and anxiety. 1216 01:00:57,688 --> 01:00:59,556 - [Michelle] My whole life is about to change completely. 1217 01:00:59,589 --> 01:01:02,659 I'm scared, I'm nervous, I'm petrified. 1218 01:01:02,693 --> 01:01:04,061 - [Nurse] All done. 1219 01:01:04,094 --> 01:01:05,362 - All right, so I'm gonna go ahead, 1220 01:01:05,395 --> 01:01:06,530 and put some markings on you. 1221 01:01:06,563 --> 01:01:07,397 You feel okay? 1222 01:01:07,431 --> 01:01:08,232 - I do. 1223 01:01:08,265 --> 01:01:11,736 - [Dr. Chun] Swing your legs around. 1224 01:01:11,769 --> 01:01:13,370 - [Michelle] If this doesn't work 1225 01:01:13,403 --> 01:01:14,739 it's back to the drawing board, 1226 01:01:14,772 --> 01:01:17,641 but I know so much that I'm right. 1227 01:01:19,543 --> 01:01:24,081 I know that I'm gonna feel so much better after this. 1228 01:01:29,019 --> 01:01:31,722 - Piece of cake, get those guys out. 1229 01:01:31,756 --> 01:01:34,291 (soft music) 1230 01:01:45,035 --> 01:01:47,571 - She's sound asleep, all right. 1231 01:01:52,777 --> 01:01:56,613 So the surgery consists of removing their implants, 1232 01:01:56,646 --> 01:02:00,050 but also the surrounding scar tissue, 1233 01:02:00,084 --> 01:02:02,052 otherwise known as a capsule. 1234 01:02:02,086 --> 01:02:04,021 They don't want any foreign material, 1235 01:02:04,054 --> 01:02:09,059 foreign body left behind, so they want everything taken out. 1236 01:02:20,370 --> 01:02:22,672 The reason why there is so few plastic surgeons 1237 01:02:22,706 --> 01:02:26,343 performing the procedure, as I think it should be done, 1238 01:02:26,376 --> 01:02:30,280 remove the entire capsule is because of this belief 1239 01:02:30,314 --> 01:02:34,251 that implants do not cause any health problems. 1240 01:02:35,619 --> 01:02:39,389 So I've just now freed up the entire implant. 1241 01:02:40,557 --> 01:02:43,293 Her implant is inside the sac. 1242 01:02:43,327 --> 01:02:44,494 I think it's intact. 1243 01:02:44,528 --> 01:02:48,098 I can't quite tell because obviously we haven't opened it. 1244 01:02:48,132 --> 01:02:50,634 You know, women seeing things on social media 1245 01:02:50,667 --> 01:02:52,102 are finally realizing, 1246 01:02:52,136 --> 01:02:55,572 hey, everyone else has the same problem. 1247 01:02:55,605 --> 01:02:57,174 And a lot of them are getting better. 1248 01:02:57,207 --> 01:02:59,476 So I'm gonna look into that. 1249 01:03:01,879 --> 01:03:03,347 Since the early '90s, 1250 01:03:03,380 --> 01:03:05,449 that's when Connie Chung broke that story, 1251 01:03:05,482 --> 01:03:08,318 and actually when the floodgate opened. 1252 01:03:08,352 --> 01:03:09,453 - [Reporter] But decades later, 1253 01:03:09,486 --> 01:03:11,655 social media provides a place 1254 01:03:11,688 --> 01:03:15,425 for a new generation of women to commiserate. 1255 01:03:15,459 --> 01:03:16,760 - It's been, like, absolutely horrific, 1256 01:03:16,793 --> 01:03:18,395 like, the amount of pain, 1257 01:03:18,428 --> 01:03:21,498 and, like, suffering that I've had to go through. 1258 01:03:21,531 --> 01:03:23,500 - [Reporter] There are thousands of women who do find 1259 01:03:23,533 --> 01:03:25,135 that they have these types of symptoms, 1260 01:03:25,169 --> 01:03:27,504 but there have been many large-scale scientific studies 1261 01:03:27,537 --> 01:03:28,772 that don't appear to show 1262 01:03:28,805 --> 01:03:32,409 that breast implant illness even exists. 1263 01:03:32,442 --> 01:03:36,380 - It's being ridiculed, denied, talked down to. 1264 01:03:37,414 --> 01:03:39,616 I'm afraid to ask for help. 1265 01:03:40,851 --> 01:03:42,619 - [Reporter] Within the medical community, 1266 01:03:42,652 --> 01:03:46,523 little to no credibility is given to possible connections 1267 01:03:46,556 --> 01:03:49,093 between illness and implants. 1268 01:03:49,894 --> 01:03:53,663 - Spoiler alert, it was my freaking implants. 1269 01:03:55,900 --> 01:03:58,402 - So we'll leave that on the back table. 1270 01:03:58,435 --> 01:04:00,670 So we just have to get all the bleeding stopped, 1271 01:04:00,704 --> 01:04:01,738 and we'll be done. 1272 01:04:01,771 --> 01:04:05,442 After their surgery, I can't explain exactly why, 1273 01:04:05,475 --> 01:04:07,144 but they seem to get better. 1274 01:04:07,177 --> 01:04:10,780 What I like to see happen is this whole issue 1275 01:04:12,917 --> 01:04:16,686 becomes more of a recognized medical issue, 1276 01:04:16,720 --> 01:04:20,724 not imagined symptoms by a bunch of crazy women 1277 01:04:20,757 --> 01:04:24,895 'cause that's how this is portrayed at this point. 1278 01:04:26,830 --> 01:04:30,234 - [David] My wife's awake, hold on. 1279 01:04:30,267 --> 01:04:32,602 Wow, she powered out of that. 1280 01:04:36,840 --> 01:04:37,674 Honey. 1281 01:04:37,707 --> 01:04:38,542 - Uh-hum. 1282 01:04:38,575 --> 01:04:39,409 - [David] Hi. 1283 01:04:39,443 --> 01:04:40,277 - Hi. 1284 01:04:40,310 --> 01:04:41,678 - [David] How are you? 1285 01:04:41,711 --> 01:04:42,913 - How'd it go? 1286 01:04:42,947 --> 01:04:45,615 - It went great, how are you feeling? 1287 01:04:45,649 --> 01:04:46,583 - Oh, tired. 1288 01:04:46,616 --> 01:04:48,218 - [David] Tired, you want to keep sleeping? 1289 01:04:48,252 --> 01:04:49,486 - Keep sleeping. 1290 01:04:49,519 --> 01:04:51,455 - [David] Okay, I'm right here, okay? 1291 01:04:51,488 --> 01:04:52,322 - Yeah. 1292 01:04:52,356 --> 01:04:54,624 - [David] Okay, love you. 1293 01:04:54,658 --> 01:04:56,193 - [Michelle] How are the capsules? 1294 01:04:56,226 --> 01:04:59,396 - [David] Capsules, I'm gonna check it out now, okay? 1295 01:04:59,429 --> 01:05:00,230 All right? 1296 01:05:00,264 --> 01:05:01,966 Do you want to see it later, yeah? 1297 01:05:01,999 --> 01:05:04,568 Okay, I'm gonna go check it out now, okay? 1298 01:05:04,601 --> 01:05:05,435 All right. 1299 01:05:05,469 --> 01:05:07,271 - At the end of every procedure I do, 1300 01:05:07,304 --> 01:05:09,506 I always examine the capsule and the implants, 1301 01:05:09,539 --> 01:05:12,509 so that I can determine if there are any abnormalities. 1302 01:05:12,542 --> 01:05:15,512 So at the end of the day, you know what we see here, 1303 01:05:15,545 --> 01:05:20,317 I think, it's interesting, but it's not diagnostic. 1304 01:05:20,350 --> 01:05:21,952 They all came out in one piece, you know, 1305 01:05:21,986 --> 01:05:23,853 there's nothing leaking out. 1306 01:05:23,887 --> 01:05:24,788 - [David] Can I ask, 1307 01:05:24,821 --> 01:05:25,322 do you have a prediction on either of them? 1308 01:05:25,355 --> 01:05:26,356 Do you think either? 1309 01:05:26,390 --> 01:05:27,857 - [Dr. Chun] I don't think this one's gonna be. 1310 01:05:27,891 --> 01:05:29,459 This one, maybe, maybe not. 1311 01:05:29,493 --> 01:05:32,696 This one, I don't think it's ruptured the left one. 1312 01:05:32,729 --> 01:05:33,797 So I'll take a look. 1313 01:05:33,830 --> 01:05:35,465 - [David] Yeah. 1314 01:05:35,499 --> 01:05:36,800 - [Dr. Chun] Now you always want to make sure 1315 01:05:36,833 --> 01:05:39,903 that you don't cut the implant yourself. 1316 01:05:39,936 --> 01:05:41,738 So this one's intact. 1317 01:05:41,771 --> 01:05:42,973 - [David] Okay. 1318 01:05:45,442 --> 01:05:46,410 - [Dr. Chun] So this one looks like, 1319 01:05:46,443 --> 01:05:48,712 this one's intact as well. 1320 01:05:48,745 --> 01:05:49,513 - [David] Two intact ones. 1321 01:05:49,546 --> 01:05:52,716 - Uh-hmm, so they're both intact, 1322 01:05:52,749 --> 01:05:55,285 but, again, whether you see things or not, 1323 01:05:55,319 --> 01:05:57,921 doesn't correlate with whether you have symptoms or not. 1324 01:05:57,954 --> 01:06:00,290 Because, again, I think the problem is 1325 01:06:00,324 --> 01:06:02,959 it's a reaction to the silicone materials, 1326 01:06:02,993 --> 01:06:04,528 whether it's broken or not, 1327 01:06:04,561 --> 01:06:07,797 saline, silicone doesn't really seem to matter 1328 01:06:07,831 --> 01:06:10,934 because it's the shell that's got silicone. 1329 01:06:10,967 --> 01:06:11,801 - [David] Thank you so much. 1330 01:06:11,835 --> 01:06:12,969 - You're welcome. 1331 01:06:13,003 --> 01:06:16,673 They'll process it and then we'll give it back to her. 1332 01:06:16,706 --> 01:06:17,674 - Two days from now? 1333 01:06:17,707 --> 01:06:18,608 - When she comes back, yeah, when she comes in. 1334 01:06:18,642 --> 01:06:19,909 - [David] Great. 1335 01:06:22,379 --> 01:06:24,614 It's what, two days after the surgery? 1336 01:06:24,648 --> 01:06:25,515 - Yeah. 1337 01:06:26,516 --> 01:06:30,520 It feels really weird, they're just so little. 1338 01:06:31,388 --> 01:06:34,624 Oh my God, little, usually, I'd be out to here. 1339 01:06:34,658 --> 01:06:35,292 - [David] Yeah. 1340 01:06:35,325 --> 01:06:37,761 - I'm totally flat-chested. 1341 01:06:37,794 --> 01:06:41,331 They're gonna be like pancakes, I can tell. 1342 01:06:41,365 --> 01:06:44,301 So get some syrup, and some butter. 1343 01:06:45,935 --> 01:06:46,970 - Hi, how are you? 1344 01:06:47,003 --> 01:06:48,838 - Dr. Chun, I'm so little. 1345 01:06:48,872 --> 01:06:50,374 - Huh? - I'm so little. 1346 01:06:50,407 --> 01:06:52,342 - That's what Mother Nature intended you to be. 1347 01:06:52,376 --> 01:06:53,009 - Yes, that is what Mother Nature intended. 1348 01:06:53,043 --> 01:06:53,877 - That's you. 1349 01:06:53,910 --> 01:06:54,944 - You are right. 1350 01:06:54,978 --> 01:06:58,315 - All right, so how do you feel more importantly? 1351 01:06:58,348 --> 01:07:00,917 - Pain-wise, what, a two, maybe. 1352 01:07:00,950 --> 01:07:01,851 - [Dr. Chun] That's great. 1353 01:07:01,885 --> 01:07:02,552 - There's really no pain. 1354 01:07:02,586 --> 01:07:03,687 - [Dr. Chun] No, that's good. 1355 01:07:03,720 --> 01:07:05,955 - Soreness, it feels like when I got my implants in. 1356 01:07:05,989 --> 01:07:08,458 - Sure, so all the bad things, 1357 01:07:08,492 --> 01:07:11,027 all the worst things happen in that first 48 hours. 1358 01:07:11,061 --> 01:07:12,262 - [Michelle] Right. 1359 01:07:12,296 --> 01:07:14,564 - So going forward, things are gonna start getting better. 1360 01:07:14,598 --> 01:07:15,732 - [Michelle] Good. 1361 01:07:15,765 --> 01:07:17,367 - Even if you do nothing, things are gonna get better. 1362 01:07:17,401 --> 01:07:18,602 So the worst is behind you already. 1363 01:07:18,635 --> 01:07:19,603 - [Michelle] Okay. 1364 01:07:19,636 --> 01:07:20,137 - Each day it's gonna get a little bit better, 1365 01:07:20,170 --> 01:07:20,837 a little bit better. 1366 01:07:20,870 --> 01:07:24,474 - From your mouth to God's ears. 1367 01:07:24,508 --> 01:07:25,875 I just can't believe how little I am, 1368 01:07:25,909 --> 01:07:27,944 like, really, really little. 1369 01:07:27,977 --> 01:07:29,113 - Does it surprise you, are you? 1370 01:07:29,146 --> 01:07:32,416 - My belly is bigger than my boobs got to work on that. 1371 01:07:32,449 --> 01:07:34,884 - [David] Are you not upset that they're so small? 1372 01:07:34,918 --> 01:07:35,585 Then you're cool. 1373 01:07:35,619 --> 01:07:37,721 - No, I am not, I am so happy. 1374 01:07:37,754 --> 01:07:40,124 I'm able to detox and regain my health. 1375 01:07:40,157 --> 01:07:43,793 - There you go, I love you, no matter what. 1376 01:07:43,827 --> 01:07:44,894 - I love you. 1377 01:07:46,596 --> 01:07:47,431 Day 10. 1378 01:07:47,464 --> 01:07:48,698 - [David] Day 10, really? 1379 01:07:48,732 --> 01:07:49,566 - [Michelle] Day 10. 1380 01:07:49,599 --> 01:07:50,567 - [David] Generally, how do you feel? 1381 01:07:50,600 --> 01:07:52,736 - Yesterday morning was a rough morning for me, 1382 01:07:52,769 --> 01:07:57,073 and I feel, like, weak and I could possibly pass out. 1383 01:07:57,107 --> 01:07:58,007 I've never passed out, 1384 01:07:58,041 --> 01:08:00,510 but I think that's what it feels like, so. 1385 01:08:00,544 --> 01:08:03,613 This feels great healing beautifully. 1386 01:08:04,614 --> 01:08:08,084 This is not quite there, still lightheaded. 1387 01:08:09,853 --> 01:08:13,523 Didn't expect it to last this long, but my body needs time. 1388 01:08:13,557 --> 01:08:17,594 Blood flow is brand new after 30 years, I guess. 1389 01:08:17,627 --> 01:08:21,030 It's got to find its way back to my brain. 1390 01:08:23,032 --> 01:08:26,069 Three months after, some things have improved, 1391 01:08:26,102 --> 01:08:27,771 but not everything. 1392 01:08:30,607 --> 01:08:34,110 I'm definitely not one who woke up and was healed. 1393 01:08:34,144 --> 01:08:38,882 So we are going to get my toxicology reports of my hair, 1394 01:08:39,849 --> 01:08:41,518 skin, nails, blood. 1395 01:08:44,654 --> 01:08:46,756 This will show what, if anything, 1396 01:08:46,790 --> 01:08:50,927 has been leached into my body from these implants. 1397 01:08:50,960 --> 01:08:54,063 I do expect to find something because I know I'm not crazy. 1398 01:08:54,097 --> 01:08:56,132 I know the way that I feel. 1399 01:08:56,166 --> 01:09:00,170 So there's something going on from these things. 1400 01:09:06,543 --> 01:09:07,577 Okay, here we go. 1401 01:09:07,611 --> 01:09:10,947 Oh, I'm not gonna be able to read these things. 1402 01:09:10,980 --> 01:09:11,848 Let's see. 1403 01:09:16,986 --> 01:09:19,523 Unknown chemicals and toxins. 1404 01:09:20,490 --> 01:09:22,626 What they found in my pee. 1405 01:09:22,659 --> 01:09:25,895 Dioctyl phthalate, the plasticizer, 1406 01:09:25,929 --> 01:09:29,799 and organosilicones detected in trace amounts. 1407 01:09:30,767 --> 01:09:32,236 I mean, organosilicone sounds like 1408 01:09:32,269 --> 01:09:34,137 it has to do with the implants. 1409 01:09:34,170 --> 01:09:36,506 It's obviously from these. 1410 01:09:45,882 --> 01:09:48,218 (soft music) 1411 01:09:56,192 --> 01:09:57,026 I'm Michelle. 1412 01:09:57,060 --> 01:09:57,727 - [Dr. Patten] Welcome. 1413 01:09:57,761 --> 01:09:58,595 - [Michelle] Nice to meet you. 1414 01:09:58,628 --> 01:10:00,830 Have a look, tell me what you think. 1415 01:10:00,864 --> 01:10:03,533 There are hair, urine and skin. 1416 01:10:10,006 --> 01:10:12,809 - The silicones leak from the implant, 1417 01:10:12,842 --> 01:10:16,179 and they do travel in your body, so, 1418 01:10:16,212 --> 01:10:21,050 and it looks like it migrated all over you, it's all over. 1419 01:10:21,084 --> 01:10:23,152 So you're a typical case. 1420 01:10:24,721 --> 01:10:26,523 A low molecular weight silicone, 1421 01:10:26,556 --> 01:10:28,157 which is what they detected. 1422 01:10:28,191 --> 01:10:29,158 - [Michelle] Right. 1423 01:10:29,192 --> 01:10:32,762 - Dimethylsiloxane is the immune stimulant. 1424 01:10:32,796 --> 01:10:34,731 Do you know what kind of implant you had? 1425 01:10:34,764 --> 01:10:35,565 - [Michelle] Mentor. 1426 01:10:35,599 --> 01:10:36,266 - Yeah. 1427 01:10:36,300 --> 01:10:38,935 - Mentor smooth silicone gel. 1428 01:10:38,968 --> 01:10:41,137 - And the capsule did it have? 1429 01:10:41,170 --> 01:10:42,872 - Full en bloc. - Yeah. 1430 01:10:42,906 --> 01:10:46,242 - And things are slowly getting better. 1431 01:10:46,276 --> 01:10:51,581 - The usual patient that has complete removal does recover 1432 01:10:51,615 --> 01:10:52,982 about two years later. 1433 01:10:53,016 --> 01:10:55,218 - I was gonna say in time, in time, Dr. Patten, yeah. 1434 01:10:55,251 --> 01:10:56,119 - [Dr. Patten] It takes about two years. 1435 01:10:56,152 --> 01:10:57,186 - Yes. 1436 01:10:57,220 --> 01:11:00,324 - So your body is actually mobilizing the silicone. 1437 01:11:00,357 --> 01:11:01,491 - What does that mean mobilizing the silicone? 1438 01:11:01,525 --> 01:11:05,194 - Excreted in the urine, or in the stool, in the bile. 1439 01:11:05,228 --> 01:11:05,995 - [Michelle] Yes. 1440 01:11:06,029 --> 01:11:07,864 - And if there's no more coming in 1441 01:11:07,897 --> 01:11:10,266 chances are you're going to recover. 1442 01:11:10,300 --> 01:11:13,236 Believe it or not, the company's knew, 1443 01:11:13,269 --> 01:11:15,171 the silicone migrating. 1444 01:11:15,204 --> 01:11:17,607 - So then, Dr. Patten, why do they keep saying 1445 01:11:17,641 --> 01:11:20,043 the data says there's no harm? 1446 01:11:21,177 --> 01:11:23,112 - This is the whole thing, it's a cover up. 1447 01:11:23,146 --> 01:11:24,280 Don't you get it? 1448 01:11:24,314 --> 01:11:26,082 Okay, it fools the people. 1449 01:11:26,115 --> 01:11:28,318 It's like President Grant's 1450 01:11:30,887 --> 01:11:35,825 physician wrote a paper that Grant's cancer of the mouth 1451 01:11:35,859 --> 01:11:39,996 was due to smoking too many cigars, that was 1870. 1452 01:11:41,698 --> 01:11:43,199 The medical literature since that time 1453 01:11:43,232 --> 01:11:46,035 is full of smoking causes lung cancer. 1454 01:11:46,069 --> 01:11:46,903 - Tobacco, yeah. 1455 01:11:46,936 --> 01:11:49,673 - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 1456 01:11:49,706 --> 01:11:52,075 And some tobacco companies fought it like crazy. 1457 01:11:52,108 --> 01:11:54,110 They made it look like it was controversial 1458 01:11:54,143 --> 01:11:56,380 that the evidence wasn't good enough, 1459 01:11:56,413 --> 01:11:58,715 or that there was a reasonable group of scientists 1460 01:11:58,748 --> 01:12:00,684 who thought differently, et cetera. 1461 01:12:00,717 --> 01:12:04,320 There are economic forces at work here. 1462 01:12:04,354 --> 01:12:05,489 - That's true. 1463 01:12:05,522 --> 01:12:08,057 - Billions of dollars are at stake in plastic surgeons. 1464 01:12:08,091 --> 01:12:08,992 - [Michelle] Billions, yes. 1465 01:12:09,025 --> 01:12:10,193 - Billions, we're talking about billions. 1466 01:12:10,226 --> 01:12:14,831 - Yes, 0.1% of doctors are willing to know what you know, 1467 01:12:14,864 --> 01:12:16,199 and are willing to talk about it I'm sure. 1468 01:12:16,232 --> 01:12:18,334 - I agree with you, I agree with you. 1469 01:12:18,368 --> 01:12:22,706 After accumulating 2,000 sick women with implants, 1470 01:12:23,940 --> 01:12:25,875 they have to be convinced by the evidence. 1471 01:12:25,909 --> 01:12:29,413 This is what Shakespeare calls ocular proof. 1472 01:12:29,446 --> 01:12:30,914 I see it myself. 1473 01:12:32,048 --> 01:12:33,650 So I don't care what people say 1474 01:12:33,683 --> 01:12:35,719 because they haven't seen the cases. 1475 01:12:35,752 --> 01:12:36,753 They don't know it. 1476 01:12:36,786 --> 01:12:37,721 - [Michelle] Right. 1477 01:12:37,754 --> 01:12:38,988 - They don't even know what they're doing. 1478 01:12:39,022 --> 01:12:41,190 They are ignorant. 1479 01:12:41,224 --> 01:12:43,760 (soft music) 1480 01:12:49,365 --> 01:12:50,700 - [Reporter] A report just released from MD Anderson 1481 01:12:50,734 --> 01:12:51,768 this morning, 1482 01:12:51,801 --> 01:12:52,802 researchers looked at the largest group of women 1483 01:12:52,836 --> 01:12:55,138 with breast implants that's ever been studied. 1484 01:12:55,171 --> 01:12:57,173 - Now they found there's a higher risk of rare diseases 1485 01:12:57,206 --> 01:13:00,944 among these women than in those without implants. 1486 01:13:00,977 --> 01:13:03,179 - The alarming news about breast implants, 1487 01:13:03,212 --> 01:13:04,347 we've found evidence, 1488 01:13:04,380 --> 01:13:06,349 they could be linked to a deadly cancer. 1489 01:13:06,382 --> 01:13:08,017 - [Reporter] A cancer of the immune system 1490 01:13:08,051 --> 01:13:10,987 linked to breast implants called ALCL. 1491 01:13:11,020 --> 01:13:13,690 The FDA told NBC News it will meet next year 1492 01:13:13,723 --> 01:13:16,926 to discuss concerns about their safety. 1493 01:13:21,965 --> 01:13:26,002 - I got PIP breast implants in Dallas in 1998. 1494 01:13:26,035 --> 01:13:28,705 I developed chronic fatigue, and auto-immune disease. 1495 01:13:28,738 --> 01:13:32,208 Other symptoms were swollen lymph nodes, recurrent fever, 1496 01:13:32,241 --> 01:13:34,343 brain fog, and more. 1497 01:13:34,377 --> 01:13:37,413 - My memory became so concerning to me. 1498 01:13:37,447 --> 01:13:39,949 I asked specifically to start undergoing testing 1499 01:13:39,983 --> 01:13:41,384 for Alzheimer's. 1500 01:13:41,417 --> 01:13:43,219 - I started then having flu-like symptoms 1501 01:13:43,252 --> 01:13:44,488 that I could not relieve. 1502 01:13:44,521 --> 01:13:47,190 This health crisis affects all of us, 1503 01:13:47,223 --> 01:13:49,859 and has been going on for decades. 1504 01:13:49,893 --> 01:13:51,961 - It's a vicious circle, you know. 1505 01:13:51,995 --> 01:13:55,064 You can even compare it to rape cases. 1506 01:13:55,098 --> 01:13:58,935 Fundamentally women aren't believed. 1507 01:13:58,968 --> 01:14:00,003 - I'm a little emotional 1508 01:14:00,036 --> 01:14:03,940 because I still have implants, and I'm very sick. 1509 01:14:03,973 --> 01:14:06,843 - I was prepared to say goodbye to my family 1510 01:14:06,876 --> 01:14:08,812 because I didn't think 1511 01:14:08,845 --> 01:14:11,047 that I was gonna make it through all of this. 1512 01:14:11,080 --> 01:14:14,083 - At some point we have to stop and listen to women, 1513 01:14:14,117 --> 01:14:16,920 and look at them and say, I believe you. 1514 01:14:16,953 --> 01:14:19,155 I believe that you're in pain. 1515 01:14:19,188 --> 01:14:22,759 And I want to do something to help that. 1516 01:14:22,792 --> 01:14:24,127 - We must have better informed consent, 1517 01:14:24,160 --> 01:14:26,462 so the patients can determine the risk are low enough 1518 01:14:26,496 --> 01:14:27,463 to implant or not. 1519 01:14:27,497 --> 01:14:29,966 - Respectfully, I employ you to require surgeons 1520 01:14:29,999 --> 01:14:31,901 to provide informed consent. 1521 01:14:31,935 --> 01:14:34,137 - Everyone deserves to have a choice, I agree with that, 1522 01:14:34,170 --> 01:14:38,041 but we deserve to have an informed choice. 1523 01:14:38,074 --> 01:14:39,475 - You have the power to make that happen. 1524 01:14:39,509 --> 01:14:42,078 Please do what is right. 1525 01:14:42,111 --> 01:14:43,446 Thank you for allowing to speak. 1526 01:14:43,479 --> 01:14:45,882 (applause) 1527 01:14:51,521 --> 01:14:54,290 - This morning, the FDA's call for a new warning 1528 01:14:54,323 --> 01:14:57,326 for the most popular cosmetic procedure in the world. 1529 01:14:57,360 --> 01:15:00,263 We are talking about breast implants. 1530 01:15:00,296 --> 01:15:02,899 - The FDA is proposing all breast implants 1531 01:15:02,932 --> 01:15:05,434 contain a black box warning. 1532 01:15:05,468 --> 01:15:08,204 That label is the strictest warning attached to a product, 1533 01:15:08,237 --> 01:15:11,307 meaning it comes with hazards, including loss of life. 1534 01:15:11,340 --> 01:15:14,377 - However, those warnings would only be seen by the surgeon, 1535 01:15:14,410 --> 01:15:17,180 not the patient because unlike medications, 1536 01:15:17,213 --> 01:15:21,484 patients don't see implant boxes, or labels. 1537 01:15:21,517 --> 01:15:23,419 - [Terri] Dr. Potter says her hope is that the FDA 1538 01:15:23,452 --> 01:15:26,422 will do more to make sure patients are informed. 1539 01:15:26,455 --> 01:15:29,793 For the KV Defenders, I'm Terri Gruca. 1540 01:15:39,335 --> 01:15:41,838 (soft music) 1541 01:15:50,113 --> 01:15:51,347 - [Michelle] For 15 plus years, 1542 01:15:51,380 --> 01:15:53,617 I was told by every doctor that I saw 1543 01:15:53,650 --> 01:15:56,586 that implants were 100% safe. 1544 01:15:56,620 --> 01:15:58,187 So now I'm sitting here wondering 1545 01:15:58,221 --> 01:16:00,624 is this new mandate by the FDA enough 1546 01:16:00,657 --> 01:16:04,928 to change the doctor's minds about implant safety? 1547 01:16:04,961 --> 01:16:07,296 (soft music) 1548 01:16:22,245 --> 01:16:24,347 - [Dr. Rose] At these recent FDA hearings, 1549 01:16:24,380 --> 01:16:27,383 the newest thing, from what I understand, 1550 01:16:27,416 --> 01:16:30,620 is to put a black box label on the implant. 1551 01:16:30,654 --> 01:16:32,956 - Well, that's why I'm here. 1552 01:16:32,989 --> 01:16:36,893 The black box warning would you warn your patients? 1553 01:16:36,926 --> 01:16:38,394 - Breast implant illness does exist. 1554 01:16:38,427 --> 01:16:42,431 - Well, that in of itself is validated. 1555 01:16:42,465 --> 01:16:46,636 - It exists, but I have experience with maybe 1556 01:16:46,670 --> 01:16:49,272 six or 7,000 implant patients, 1557 01:16:52,075 --> 01:16:54,944 and out of all these thousands of patients of mine, 1558 01:16:54,978 --> 01:16:58,514 I can only think of three, or four, or five, 1559 01:17:00,684 --> 01:17:05,889 that have had what we would call connective tissue disease. 1560 01:17:06,122 --> 01:17:10,559 And so I see so many patients that are doing so well, 1561 01:17:10,593 --> 01:17:12,962 years and years and years and years later. 1562 01:17:12,996 --> 01:17:14,030 - Yeah, it won't affect everybody for sure. 1563 01:17:14,063 --> 01:17:16,565 - So does that mean you just take all the implants 1564 01:17:16,599 --> 01:17:17,801 off the shelves, 1565 01:17:17,834 --> 01:17:19,568 and all these 10 million women that are implanted worldwide 1566 01:17:19,602 --> 01:17:21,570 what happens then, you know? 1567 01:17:21,604 --> 01:17:22,571 - [Michelle] Well, true, 1568 01:17:22,605 --> 01:17:25,241 but you take the responsibility off of yourself. 1569 01:17:25,274 --> 01:17:26,075 - Right, right. 1570 01:17:26,109 --> 01:17:27,043 - [Michelle] With full disclosure. 1571 01:17:27,076 --> 01:17:29,078 - And if you follow that black box warning, 1572 01:17:29,112 --> 01:17:31,614 and you had said to me, Michelle, you're 33. 1573 01:17:31,647 --> 01:17:33,182 These got to come out because, 1574 01:17:33,216 --> 01:17:35,218 no, at 33 I wouldn't have done. 1575 01:17:35,251 --> 01:17:36,953 I'm telling you Dr. Rose, I know me. 1576 01:17:36,986 --> 01:17:38,554 - Michelle, you're hanging out in the clubs. 1577 01:17:38,587 --> 01:17:39,555 You're a young, beautiful girl. 1578 01:17:39,588 --> 01:17:41,090 - No, at 33 I was not, I was a professional. 1579 01:17:41,124 --> 01:17:43,426 I was working, and I had two kids. 1580 01:17:43,459 --> 01:17:45,228 I was not hanging out anywhere, darlin' trust me. 1581 01:17:45,261 --> 01:17:48,131 - These girls, the young patients, 1582 01:17:48,164 --> 01:17:50,266 it's beauty, beauty, beauty, beauty, beauty. 1583 01:17:50,299 --> 01:17:51,500 - And I understand. 1584 01:17:51,534 --> 01:17:55,038 I'm in the vainest, vainest industry there is, Hollywood. 1585 01:17:55,071 --> 01:17:56,973 I am telling you I get it, 1586 01:17:57,006 --> 01:17:59,075 but I also am telling you because I care more, 1587 01:17:59,108 --> 01:18:01,610 you cannot money cannot buy you health. 1588 01:18:01,644 --> 01:18:02,779 - Absolutely. 1589 01:18:02,812 --> 01:18:06,149 - So if somebody, if you Dr. Rose, who I respect said, 1590 01:18:06,182 --> 01:18:10,486 Michelle, there's a small percentage that there is a chance 1591 01:18:10,519 --> 01:18:12,989 that you can get a neurological, or autoimmune disorder. 1592 01:18:13,022 --> 01:18:15,558 And then you said, there's a black box warning on this. 1593 01:18:15,591 --> 01:18:17,293 I would go, uh. 1594 01:18:17,326 --> 01:18:19,495 - But it's very difficult. 1595 01:18:19,528 --> 01:18:21,430 I think it's a very difficult situation 1596 01:18:21,464 --> 01:18:25,568 because you just can't say exactly what percentage 1597 01:18:25,601 --> 01:18:28,271 could have an adverse reaction. 1598 01:18:28,304 --> 01:18:30,306 - All I want is transparency for the women out there 1599 01:18:30,339 --> 01:18:32,408 who are getting implanted 'cause I'm telling you, 1600 01:18:32,441 --> 01:18:35,211 I know me because I've struggled for so long, 1601 01:18:35,244 --> 01:18:38,147 have to advocate for myself 'cause nobody else will. 1602 01:18:38,181 --> 01:18:39,715 So at least I'm armed with the information. 1603 01:18:39,749 --> 01:18:41,350 And then if something happens, I get to go, 1604 01:18:41,384 --> 01:18:44,720 well, he told me this could happen, I didn't listen. 1605 01:18:44,754 --> 01:18:47,090 - Michelle, you're not the first patient 1606 01:18:47,123 --> 01:18:48,657 that I've had this discussion with. 1607 01:18:48,691 --> 01:18:49,826 - [Michelle] I bet. 1608 01:18:49,859 --> 01:18:54,463 - And I wish I could get my arms more well around it, 1609 01:18:54,497 --> 01:18:55,664 you know? 1610 01:18:55,698 --> 01:19:00,269 I just wish I could understand the whole process better. 1611 01:19:00,303 --> 01:19:01,637 - I don't want to be in this position. 1612 01:19:01,670 --> 01:19:02,505 I don't want to be sick. 1613 01:19:02,538 --> 01:19:03,472 - [Dr. Rose] Right. 1614 01:19:03,506 --> 01:19:06,810 - It's not a made up thing because it's real. 1615 01:19:06,843 --> 01:19:09,212 My blood, and my urine, and my hair, and my skin 1616 01:19:09,245 --> 01:19:11,480 will show you that it's real. 1617 01:19:11,514 --> 01:19:15,384 It's not made up, but, and you acknowledge that, 1618 01:19:15,418 --> 01:19:18,087 but the point is, I guess, to wrap it up 1619 01:19:18,121 --> 01:19:22,158 the black box warning will you tell the people? 1620 01:19:22,191 --> 01:19:23,692 - Sure, of course. 1621 01:19:23,726 --> 01:19:26,429 I mean, when patients come in, 1622 01:19:26,462 --> 01:19:29,065 so, typically, what you say is 1623 01:19:30,499 --> 01:19:32,468 you'll talk about these 1% things, 1624 01:19:32,501 --> 01:19:36,605 and then probably if they would broach the subject 1625 01:19:37,540 --> 01:19:40,276 a little bit, I'm happy to talk to these patients. 1626 01:19:40,309 --> 01:19:42,145 Look, you've got to understand, Michelle, 1627 01:19:42,178 --> 01:19:45,214 I'm not trying to at all minimize breast implant illness. 1628 01:19:45,248 --> 01:19:46,082 I'm really not. 1629 01:19:46,115 --> 01:19:47,016 - Good. 1630 01:19:47,050 --> 01:19:47,984 - I think it's dreadful, it's horrible. 1631 01:19:48,017 --> 01:19:50,253 I mean, what's particularly dreadful to me 1632 01:19:50,286 --> 01:19:54,423 is did I harm a patient knowingly, or unknowingly? 1633 01:19:55,624 --> 01:19:57,827 You know, I mean, it's a little frightening. 1634 01:19:57,861 --> 01:19:58,661 - Right. 1635 01:19:58,694 --> 01:20:01,564 - But still, I mean, I don't think 1636 01:20:01,597 --> 01:20:03,499 even though there's small little risks, 1637 01:20:03,532 --> 01:20:06,235 I continue to be a very ardent, 1638 01:20:06,269 --> 01:20:10,139 and vocal supporter of this biomedical device. 1639 01:20:15,311 --> 01:20:19,448 They are beautiful little objects, aren't they? 1640 01:20:19,482 --> 01:20:21,885 Maybe it's not like looking at, you know, 1641 01:20:21,918 --> 01:20:25,521 whales in the ocean, but it is quite beautiful to me. 1642 01:20:25,554 --> 01:20:27,656 I think these implants are really, really safe. 1643 01:20:27,690 --> 01:20:29,325 I feel dreadful. 1644 01:20:29,358 --> 01:20:31,760 This implant in my hands does not rupture. 1645 01:20:31,794 --> 01:20:33,629 I would feel dreadful to think, 1646 01:20:33,662 --> 01:20:37,666 and I've got a letter from Mentor Corporation, 1647 01:20:37,700 --> 01:20:41,804 ruptures reported in my practice, 0% rupture rate. 1648 01:20:41,837 --> 01:20:43,172 And you could cut this, 1649 01:20:43,206 --> 01:20:44,773 and you would see this is a gel. 1650 01:20:44,807 --> 01:20:49,512 It's a very viscous, it's a very viscous biomaterial. 1651 01:20:49,545 --> 01:20:51,514 It is a beautiful implant 1652 01:20:51,547 --> 01:20:55,751 in 99 plus, plus, plus percent of patients 1653 01:20:55,784 --> 01:20:59,655 it's a very safe biomaterial in my estimation. 1654 01:21:01,857 --> 01:21:05,494 - I think most plastic surgeons are proud of their work, 1655 01:21:05,528 --> 01:21:10,533 and they don't want to believe that these breast implants 1656 01:21:10,900 --> 01:21:13,669 that they've been putting in all these women 1657 01:21:13,702 --> 01:21:16,439 are causing serious health problems. 1658 01:21:16,472 --> 01:21:19,675 And I think plastic surgeons like anybody else, 1659 01:21:19,708 --> 01:21:22,778 we all want to believe that the work we do is worthwhile, 1660 01:21:22,811 --> 01:21:25,448 and we don't want to believe that we've been doing something 1661 01:21:25,481 --> 01:21:27,283 that's harmed people. 1662 01:21:38,427 --> 01:21:40,629 (applause) 1663 01:21:42,398 --> 01:21:43,532 - London town. 1664 01:21:44,567 --> 01:21:47,636 (cheers and applause) 1665 01:21:47,670 --> 01:21:49,872 My name is Michelle Visage, 1666 01:21:52,775 --> 01:21:55,211 and these are what's left of my tits. 1667 01:21:55,244 --> 01:21:57,313 (cheers) 1668 01:22:00,816 --> 01:22:01,884 Full stop. 1669 01:22:01,917 --> 01:22:05,888 I've recently gotten my breast implants out, right? 1670 01:22:07,556 --> 01:22:09,892 Along the line I found out something about myself 1671 01:22:09,925 --> 01:22:11,294 that I didn't expect to. 1672 01:22:11,327 --> 01:22:12,828 When I got them, I was 21 years old, 1673 01:22:12,861 --> 01:22:15,431 and my record company was run by men. 1674 01:22:15,464 --> 01:22:16,699 I was signed by men. 1675 01:22:16,732 --> 01:22:17,933 My production company was men, 1676 01:22:17,967 --> 01:22:20,803 and they all told me all along, you know, you're really hot, 1677 01:22:20,836 --> 01:22:23,539 but you'd be sexier with boobs, right? 1678 01:22:23,572 --> 01:22:26,342 What I realized when I was healing was that all those years 1679 01:22:26,375 --> 01:22:28,611 of I thought that I was doing it for myself, 1680 01:22:28,644 --> 01:22:29,812 and anybody that listens to the podcast, 1681 01:22:29,845 --> 01:22:32,881 you've heard me argue with Ru, say, no, I did it for me. 1682 01:22:32,915 --> 01:22:35,451 And I partially did it for me, and by the way, 1683 01:22:35,484 --> 01:22:37,753 I'm not anti-plastic surgery. 1684 01:22:37,786 --> 01:22:40,589 No, if you want it get it, but know what you're doing, 1685 01:22:40,623 --> 01:22:42,358 and know who you're doing it for. 1686 01:22:42,391 --> 01:22:44,660 And at the end of the day, I am 50 years old, 1687 01:22:44,693 --> 01:22:48,264 and I love my small tits for the first time in my life. 1688 01:22:48,297 --> 01:22:51,400 (cheers and applause) 1689 01:22:51,434 --> 01:22:53,669 And I ain't doing it for anybody apart from myself. 1690 01:22:53,702 --> 01:22:55,571 So when you look in the mirror today, 1691 01:22:55,604 --> 01:22:57,306 today right now is all we have. 1692 01:22:57,340 --> 01:22:59,508 We don't have tomorrow, it's not guaranteed. 1693 01:22:59,542 --> 01:23:00,909 So love yourself for who you are. 1694 01:23:00,943 --> 01:23:04,280 You are beautiful and perfect just as you are today. 1695 01:23:04,313 --> 01:23:06,315 (cheers and applause) 1696 01:23:06,349 --> 01:23:07,850 It's the truth. 1697 01:23:07,883 --> 01:23:11,020 (cheers and applause) 1698 01:23:16,392 --> 01:23:20,929 ("Oh Dead On Oh Love" by Lisa Papineau) 1699 01:23:36,812 --> 01:23:41,817 ♪ Broken land, broken hands 1700 01:23:42,051 --> 01:23:47,022 ♪ Digging my way to the other side ♪ 1701 01:23:48,391 --> 01:23:53,396 ♪ But the dirt and dust 1702 01:23:54,463 --> 01:23:59,468 ♪ Slide back into the hole 1703 01:23:59,902 --> 01:24:04,907 ♪ So I'll swallow that earth 1704 01:24:06,475 --> 01:24:11,480 ♪ Until I'm burst full 1705 01:24:12,115 --> 01:24:15,017 ♪ Found wanting 1706 01:24:15,050 --> 01:24:20,055 ♪ Oh dead on, oh love 1707 01:24:20,823 --> 01:24:25,828 ♪ Your little world hid fast base in shadow ♪ 1708 01:24:32,701 --> 01:24:37,673 ♪ Your little world tastes of sweet and sour ♪ 1709 01:24:42,511 --> 01:24:47,516 ♪ One foot at a time girl, one foot at a time girl ♪ 1710 01:24:47,816 --> 01:24:52,788 ♪ One foot at a time girl, one foot at a time ♪ 1711 01:24:53,756 --> 01:24:58,727 ♪ One foot at a time girl, one foot at a time ♪ 1712 01:25:18,581 --> 01:25:21,049 (bright music)