Q. I have breast implants but do not know the make. I am worried about the effects on my health. What should I do?
A. First and foremost, don’t panic. Although there has been a great deal of press coverage about the safety or otherwise of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) implants, the current guidance from the Department of Health is that, for the majority of women, the routine or immediate removal of implants is not necessary.
Of course, this does not mean that women who are concerned about safety of these implants should not have them removed if they wish to do so as a matter of personal choice.
The first thing that you should do is to check that you do actually have PIP implants. You should contact the clinic that performed your surgery and ask them to confirm the type of implants that you have. They may allow you access to your surgical notes (subject to a small fee) and these will clearly state whether you received the affected implants. They will either be labelled PIP or Cloverleaf Medical Implants. If you do have either of these, then you should contact the clinic again and request a scan. Alternatively, you can contact your own GP but he/she is likely to refer you back to the clinic in question in the first instance.
Once you have had a scan, if the results do show that your implants have indeed ruptured then you should ask for an appointment with a consultant at the clinic to discuss the options open to you.
With regard to your legal position, we would also be looking to claim compensation for you, not only for the potential costs of any further surgery and financial losses but also to compensate you for the pain and suffering and distress that you have suffered.
On the other hand, if your scan results show that your implants are still intact, then you must decide what you want to do. If you are extremely concerned about the safety of the implants, then you can choose to have them removed or replaced. However, you may decide to monitor the position and simply keep an eye on the position and await further guidance from the Department of Health. Again, we would discuss all of your options with you and we can claim compensation for you where appropriate.
Contact Poole Townsend, your local personal injury specialists, who will offer you a free interview and you will receive independent, expert, local, legal advice. Visit www.pooletownsend.co.uk, go to services, legal, accident and injury claims and click ‘start your claim’.
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