(WXYZ) — I have been covering breast implant stories for decades, going back more than 20 years when complaints first started surfacing about issues with silicone breast implants and how the silicone was causing some women to get sick.
Then, we learned even with saline-filled breast implants, the shell is still made of silicone, so the problems continued for some women.
Today it has a label – breast implant illness.
A few years ago, women fought and won legislation to have a black box warning on all breast implants, but the fight for informed consent continues. It means doctors would be forced to go over a checklist of problems before breast implants are inserted.
I sat down with a woman who not only battled and won her fight against breast cancer, but who also got ill after reconstructive surgery with breast implants. We are raising her voice as she battles lawmakers for protection for all women.
It was January 2014 during a trip to the gym when Dawn Pugh first noticed painful lumps under her chest.
"It looked like I kind of had a golf ball under my chest basically," Pugh said.
Pugh has a long history of breast cancer in her family. Her grandmother and grandfather both had it.
So, she thought she had inflammatory tissue but breast lumps are usually pain free.
"When that happened to you, did that scare you?" I asked.
"Oh it did, it did, because it was very painful," she said.
In fact, when hot water hit her lumps, it burned.
Two months later in March, she had lumpectomies. Then with her mom by her side, she got dire news from her doctor.
"I sat down and he says, 'well looks like you have a few breast cancers' and he got up and walked out," she said.
Crushed and shocked by the way that news was delivered, she was ready to fight.
By May, she had a double mastectomy and had to make a decision about whether or not to get breast implants.
The message she go was, "if you choose to go flat, if you choose not to have reconstruction breast implants or something that will give you some kinds of breast tissue, you just won’t be happy. Shameful, think right from the start," she said.
Once she had breast reconstruction surgery she began having serious health problems. She says she wreaked of a coppery chemical smell and had to argue with people who sniffed her.
"It’s not body odor. I’ve been poisoned or something," she said.
Her surgeon insisted her implants were safe.
"I had to fight to even be heard that I was having a reaction," Pugh said.
"Who finally listened to you?" I asked.
"I think it was my rheumatologist," she said.
Dawn had to endure 30 surgeries over a ten-year period. Her hearing has been affected and she has a hole in her lung because the implants had adhered to her ribs.
"2019 was my last surgery after getting my breast implants. It’s been five years since I had my implants removed and I continue to get better," Pugh said.
According to the findings of a study by the National Institutes of Health and published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, from 2015 to 2020, 4.2% of silicone breast implant surgeries for cosmetic purposes had to be revised due to breast implant illness. For women who had silicone breast implants for reconstructive reasons, 2.7% of the revisions were due to breast implant illness.
Breast implant illness symptoms and signs include a list of issues including:
- Chronic fatigue
- Memory and concentration problems
- Sleep disturbance
- Anxiety
- Joint and muscle pain
- Breathing problems
- Rashes and other skin problems
- Dry mouth and dry eyes
Several plastic surgeons I've interviewed in the past now refuse to do breast implants and only do explant surgery. Others have insisted breast implants are safe.
Today, Pugh is proud to be flat-chested because she’s on the mend. She did a spread in People Magazine.
"I believe that looks so beautiful, what made you so brave to say here I am?" I asked.
"When they called me to be in People Magazine, I thought, you know, I’ve been working on this bill for over four years to get this awareness out," Pugh said.
Today, Dawn is an advocate fighting for the passage of the Informed Consent Bill. It would require a patient checklist for potential health problems. The Michigan legislature is supposed to take it up in the Sspring. Dawn and others fought and won for a black box warning to be on breast implant packages, but she says that warning is not seen when having surgery.
"My message is to be informed, be informed. Do your homework. Don’t just listen to what your surgeon says," she said.
Dawn and others believe no one should be shamed whether you choose to have breast implants or choose to go flat like she did.
If you want to learn more, a documentary called “No Breasts Required” will premiere in Grand Rapids on Oct. 5 with a second showing in November.
