More Challenges

Not too long after Cathy completed her chemotherapy treatment, her psoriasis returned just as strong as before cancer or perhaps a little stronger.  While chemo cleared up Cathy's psoriasis during treatment, Dr. Drosick told us that it is common for psoriatic chemo patients to have a flare-up of psoriasis that is pretty powerful after chemo is finished.  We had expected its return.  We also hoped that it would settle down over time.  As Cathy's psoriasis worsened, she began to develop some joint pain, as well.  Cathy's hands and elbows hurt, then her knees, hips, ankles, and shoulders.  The logical connection that I made (perhaps mistakenly) was psoriatic arthritis.  We thought that maybe this would settle down also.

Well, the joint pain is worsening and the vision in Cathy's right eye has begun to blur a little bit.  As the symptoms increased we felt the need for a little research and some doctors' appointments.  The doctors' appointments haven't happened, yet, but the research has yielded some interesting information.  We both encountered many stories written by women of silicone implants triggering autoimmune responses.  We read about blurry vision, joint pain, skin problems, and saw scary words like rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and lupus.  Most of these stories indicated that within two years of the implants being removed the autoimmune disease vanished.

Further investigation led us to many research studies that have shown no connection between silicone implants and autoimmune disease.  Many of these studies included implants made of silicone gel, as well as saline implants encased in silicone.  While the research is pretty conclusive on this subject, the anecdotal tales of women with horrible autoimmune disease are pretty convincing.

We have a lot more research to do and a lot to learn before Cathy's surgery on April 23.  Any prayers for pain relief and improved vision would be appreciated.  Prayers for insight and guidance in decision making would also be appreciated.  Any readers in the medical field who could guide me toward respected and reliable medical journals that would help me gather information are welcome.  It's hard for someone outside the medical profession to know what research deserves merit.