Though the medical industry has tried to silence them, a Facebook group gives the women the opportunity to share their stories.Rachel Coloyan screamed one morning in February 2016 as her body began to shake. Coloyan, then 23, started having seizures that month, but the cause remained a frightening conundrum that blood tests, MRIs, CT scans, and a team of physicians had failed to unlock.
The members are convinced they have a condition dubbed breast implant illness, despite being disclaimed by most medical professionals and having little to no credible science to support it. The illness is believed to be an immunological response to chemicals in implants, with common symptoms including mental confusion, blurry vision, debilitating joint and muscular pain, chronic fatigue, and hair loss.
Eric Wright, M.D., a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Little Rock who performs as many as 10 explantations a week, says he has discussed the illness with fellow physicians. “We all feel a bit stuck in the mind-set that says, ‘If this truly exists, there has got to be data to support it,’” he says. “There are no randomized control or double-blind studies that we know of, but I don’t think that discredits the claims.