When Salmon Armsa国际传媒檚 Karissa Pukas decided to get breast implants in 2013, she had no inkling of what horrors the next five years would hold.

At 22, her thought was that bigger breasts would improve her looks sa国际传媒� give her more confidence.

At 28, her recent experience has changed that view: sa国际传媒淔rom no boobs, to big boobs, to no boobs. You think you will wear different clothessa国际传媒� I think everyone has a notion the grass is always greener. There are great things about small boobs, great things about big boobs. The biggest thing is about being happy about how you naturally are.sa国际传媒�

In 2013, Pukas was already an Internet sensation, with hundreds of thousands of people tuning in to her YouTube channel, following her on Facebook and on Instagram.

Her fame had begun simply enough.

Living in Vancouver and taking a fashion merchandising program at the Blanche MacDonald Centre, she decided she wanted to meet people. And meet people she did. She began making fashion videos and soon expanded into makeup. But it was her style sa国际传媒� engaging, unpretentious, unassuming, that seemed to draw followers.

sa国际传媒淚 think itsa国际传媒檚 a combination of right time, right kind of things needed and being approachable,sa国际传媒� she said in a 2015 interview with the Observer. sa国际传媒淚 think a lot of women doing what I do come across a little bit robotic or too propersa国际传媒� I am unapologetically myself.sa国际传媒�

When her lease on her apartment ran out, she moved to Australia, a place shesa国际传媒檇 always dreamed of living, to be with her boyfriend who shesa国际传媒檇 met when they both worked at Silver Star Mountain. Life was good.

Pukas did her research before committing to surgery. Silicone had been discontinued for implants in the sa国际传媒�90s due to problems, and now sa国际传媒榞ummiessa国际传媒� or sa国际传媒榞ummy bearsa国际传媒� implants, textured rather than smooth, were said to be a good choice.

The surgery went well and she was pleased with her decision, despite having back pain as her body adjusted to its new proportions.

But about six months after the operation, she began feeling fatigued constantly.

Then came anxiety. Depression.

She delved into her life, trying to understand why the changes. A doctor said sa国际传媒榮tress,sa国际传媒� but she couldnsa国际传媒檛 see how her life was any more stressful than it had been a year earlier. Not to mention, health and fitness had always been a top priority for her. She stayed fit, ate well.

Then she developed sa国际传媒渘asty body odor. A metallic, acidic stink, predominantly on the left side.sa国际传媒�

Even after a shower where she would scrub and scrub, she would come out and her boyfriend would notice that she would still sa国际传媒渟tink.sa国际传媒�

She developed night sweats, where she would wake up drenched and shivering.

She went to a naturopath, but symptoms continued.

In 2016 she returned to Canada and things continued to get worse. She began suffering from chronic joint pain.

sa国际传媒淢y hip would wake me up sa国际传媒� thatsa国际传媒檚 not normal for a 26-year-old.sa国际传媒�

Then came problems with food intolerance, recurring diarrhea, daily. She began having menstrual periods multiple times per month. She had adult acne, heart palpitations, strange-smelling urine, brain fog and trouble concentrating.

Pukas saw several doctors and was given several tests. She was dismissed, told there was nothing wrong with her. She was never asked if she had a foreign object in her body, nor did she make the connection.

sa国际传媒淚 think the biggest frustration for me, it was almost likened to me being a hypochondriac. I knew this was not right, it was not how I should be feeling.sa国际传媒�

Still, she managed to maintain her presence online. Although she no longer wanted to go out of her house because of all her health problems, she kept up her Youtube channel. She would try to carry on as usual, but sometimes she was brutally honest. In response to a video talking about all her digestion problems, a couple of followers mentioned breast implant disease.

Pukas didnsa国际传媒檛 pay much attention, at least not at first.

sa国际传媒淗onestly, when I first heard that, I almost got offended. How would it be my implants?sa国际传媒�

Although reluctant to consider the implants, the similarities with what other women were saying on the Internet was uncanny.

sa国际传媒淚t was absolutely unbelievable, sa国际传媒� word for word.sa国际传媒�

She eventually arrived at the decision to have her implants removed, and chose a California plastic surgeon, Dr. H. Jae Chun, who was recommended.

In September of this year, in a video in which Chun provides testimony to the FDA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, he explains he has been focused solely on breast explants over the past three years. He said the women who come to him, who have saline or silicone implants, usually have neurological or connective tissue disorder symptoms.

Such symptoms are well-documented in implant manufacturerssa国际传媒� own documentation and brochures, yet sa国际传媒渢hese women are routinely told theresa国际传媒檚 nothing wrong with them, theysa国际传媒檙e perfectly fine and healthy, itsa国际传媒檚 all in their mindssa国际传媒�,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檙e often told breast implants are the most studied medical device ever and they have been definitely proven to be perfectly safe.sa国际传媒�

That view has been expressed by various manufacturers, Chun said, so it disseminates down to plastic surgeons and other specialists and primary care physicians. He notes that the incidence of problems reported in core studies range anywhere from 1.4 to two per cent. However, manufacturers have offered a rebuttal, stating a panel of expert scientists has found the evidence linking neurological diseases to breast implants is insufficient or flawed.

Chun says thatsa国际传媒檚 because the scientists realize the study size required would be very large.

Related:

Pukas went ahead with her explant in April of this year sa国际传媒� which involved removing the scar capsule as well as the implant sa国际传媒� and describes the change as shockingly immediate. The whites of her eyes were suddenly white. The brain fog began to lift.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 been a night and day change with my health and how itsa国际传媒檚 turned around.sa国际传媒�

She explains that the symptoms came down to the fact her body was fighting itself, trying to get rid of the implant.

sa国际传媒淚t has nothing to do with who put that implant in, itsa国际传媒檚 how your bodysa国际传媒檚 immune system reacts to that implant.sa国际传媒�

And she now feels great mentally.

sa国际传媒淭he crazy thing is, after the explant, I feel so much better about myself, so much sexier, so much better than I did with the implants. My body is one that works, itsa国际传媒檚 healthy.sa国际传媒�

Her purpose in talking about her experience is not intended to incite panic or to point fingers. Itsa国际传媒檚 for information, she emphasizes, calling herself pro-information, not anti-plastic surgery.

sa国际传媒淚 want women to be aware it is a possibility from implantssa国际传媒� sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 an important conversation. Often womensa国际传媒檚 health gets pushed aside.sa国际传媒�

Her story is spreading throughout the media, including Cosmopolitan, O (Oprah) Magazine, MSN.com and Yahoo.com. Her YouTube video, sa国际传媒淭he Truth about Breast Implants - Breast Implant Illness,sa国际传媒� detailing her experience, has surpassed half a million views.

sa国际传媒淚 think itsa国际传媒檚 important people put their story out there, and the truth. A decision I made at 22 will affect me for the rest of my life. I see the value of what my body can do, not what it looks like. Thatsa国际传媒檚 what itsa国际传媒檚 for. It doesnsa国际传媒檛 matter what you look like. Itsa国际传媒檚 a shell.sa国际传媒�

marthawickett@saobserver.net
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