>>> WELCOME BACK. KACARISSA PUKIS IS A YOUTUBE STA
WITH MORE THAN 700,000
FOLLOWERS.
FOLLOWERS. >> WHEN SHE CAME DOWN WITH A
MYSTERY ILLNESS, SHE SAYS SOME
OF THE LOYAL FANS HELPED FIGURE
OUT THE CAUSE.
>> WHAT IS GOOD, MY YOUTUBE
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS. >> Reporter: THIS IS 27-YEAR-OLD
KARISS PUKIS, WHO POSTS HER TAKE
ON FITNESS TO FASHION TO FOOD ON
HER YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
LAST YEAR, SHE OPENED UP TO HER
FANS ABOUT PERSONAL HEALTH
CHALLENGES SHE WAS HAVING.
>> I WAS CONTINUOUSLY GETTING
CHRONICALLY MORE AND MORE SICK,
REGARDLESS OF HOW HEALTHY I WAS
LIVING.
LIVING. IT MADE ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE.
SO THE CONSULTATION WENT
AWESOME.
AWESOME. >> Reporter: WHEN KARISSA WAS 22
YEARS OLD, SHE HAD BREAST
IMPLANT SURGERY.
IMPLANT SURGERY. >> INCISION WOULD BE UNDERNEATH
THE FOLD IN MY BOOB, AND IT IS
COMMON, ESPECIALLY FOR THE TYPE
OF IMPLANT I WANTED, AS WELL AS
THE LOOK THAT I WANTED.
>> Reporter: WHAT SHE WANTED WAS
TO TRANSFORM HER B-CUP TO A DD,
USING IMPLANTS.
USING IMPLANTS. THE PROCEDURE WAS DONE BY A
SURGEON IN AUSTRALIA, WHERE SHE
LIVED AT THE TIME.
>> READY FOR SURGERY.
I WILL SEE YOU GUYS ON THE OTHER
SIDE.
SIDE. HI, EVERYBODY.
HI, EVERYBODY. I AM OUT OF SURGERY.
>> Reporter: KARISSA CONTINUED
TO DOCUMENT HER RECOVERY.
A MONTH AFTER SURGERY, SHE
RETURNED TO HER REGULAR
ACTIVITIES.
ACTIVITIES. SIX MONTHS LATER, SHE SAID SHE
BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE SYMPTOMS,
SUCH AS ANXIETY, FATIGUE, BODY
ODOR, AND FOOD INTOLERANCES.
VISITS TO LOCAL HEALTH CLINICS
SEEMED TO OFFER NO DEFINITIVE
ANSWERS TO HER MEDICAL MYSTERY.
ONE DOCTOR DIAGNOSED HER WITH
SITUATIONAL DEPRESSION,
SITUATIONAL DEPRESSION, SOMETHING KARISSA SAID SHE’D
NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE.
>> IN APRIL, I BELIEVE, OF 2017,
I DID A GUT HEALTH VIDEO,
LETTING YOU GUYS IN AT A
VULNERABLE MOMENT IN MY LIFE.
I HAD A FEW COMMENTS SAYING,
HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED BREAST
IMPLANT ILLNESS?
IMPLANT ILLNESS? I LOOKED INTO IT.
WHAT I FOUND ABSOLUTELY CHANGED
MY LIFE.
MY LIFE. >> KARISSA JOINS US NOW.
IT IS NICE SEEING YOU HERE
HEALTHY AND HAPPY.
THIS IS THE ULTIMATE STORY OF
BEING YOUR OWN ADVOCATE.
YOU KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG,
AND NOBODY WAS DIAGNOSING IT
CORRECTLY.
CORRECTLY. WHAT ALL WERE YOUR SYMPTOMS?
>> I WAS HAVING A WILD RANGE OF
SYMPTOMS.
SYMPTOMS. FIRST, STARTED OFF WITH A LOT OF
FATIGUE AND A LOT OF ANXIETY
THAT I NEVER PREVIOUSLY HAD.
IT WAS VERY OVERWHELMING,
ESPECIALLY LIVING OVERSEAS, AWAY
FROM MY FAMILY.
I DIDN’T REALLY HAVE THE
SUPPORT.
SUPPORT. STARTED INTO HAVING REALLY BAD
FOOD INTOLERANCES.
FOOD INTOLERANCES. I WAS HAVING BOWL MOVEMENTS
EIGHT TO TEN TIMES A DAY.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. >> MY JOINT PAIN WAS SO
UNCONTROLLABLE, IT’D WAKE ME UP
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
I HAD AWFUL SMELLING SWEAT, EVEN
AFTER SHOWERING.
AFTER SHOWERING. IT WAS WRONG.
SOMETHING WAS WRONG, BUT NO ONE
WAS LISTENING.
WAS LISTENING. >> SO WHEN DID IT START TO DAWN
ON YOU, THAT IT COULD BE YOUR
IMPLANTS?
IMPLANTS? >> IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE VIDEO I
PUT OUT.
PUT OUT. I RECEIVED COMMENTS FROM
DIFFERENT FOLLOWERS SAYING, HAVE
YOU EVER CONSIDERED IT COULD
POTENTIALLY BE BREAST IMPLANT
ILLNESS?
ILLNESS? I’D NEVER HEARD OF IT.
I ALMOST HAD AN EGO RESPONSE AS
MY FIRST RESPONSE.
YOU’RE JUST LIKE, GO AWAY.
IT’S NOT MY BOOBS.
IT’S FINE.
IT’S FINE. IT’S NEVER BEEN THAT.
THE MORE I READ INTO IT, AND THE
MORE WOMEN’S STORIES I
UNCOVERED, IT WAS THE SAME
SYMPTOMS.
SYMPTOMS. IT COULD NOT BE ANY MORE THE
EXACT SAME THING I WAS GOING
THROUGH.
THROUGH. >> DID YOU FIND A DOCTOR WHO
SAID, YES, THIS IS DEFINITELY
WHAT’S CAUSING IT, AND HERE’S
WHY?
WHY? OR DID YOU SAY, LET’S GET THESE
OUT OF ME.
I WANT TO START FRESH?
>> THERE IS NO DOCTOR THAT WILL
DEFINITIVELY SAY BREAST IMPLANT
ILLNESS IS A MEDICALLY
RECOGNIZED PROBLEM, WHICH IS
UNBELIEVABLE TO ME, WITH THE
AMOUNT OF WOMEN THAT HAVE
STRUGGLED WITH THE EXACT SAME
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. >> ONCE YOU REALIZED THIS, HOW
QUICKLY DID YOU MOVE TO GET YOUR
IMPLANTS REMOVED?
IMPLANTS REMOVED? >> I REALIZED IN ABOUT -- I PUT
THE VIDEO OUT IN PROBABLY APRIL
2017, AND THEN I TRULY BELIEVED
IT WAS THAT IN ABOUT JULY 2017.
I WASN’T ABLE TO BOOK IN AND GET
MY SURGERY UNTIL THE FOLLOWING
APRIL, SO THIS PAST APRIL.
IT WAS HARD.
YOU HAVE THE ANXIETY THE WHOLE
TIME, THINKING ABOUT, I KNOW
THESE OBJECTS INSIDE OF ME ARE
MAKING ME SICK.
I SWEAR, IT HAS TO BE THIS.
THERE’S NOTHING ELSE THAT MAKES
SENSE.
SENSE. >> HOW QUICKLY AFTER THEY WERE
REMOVED DID YOU FEEL LIKE
YOURSELF AGAIN?
YOURSELF AGAIN? >> ALMOST IMMEDIATE.
IT WAS SHOCKING.
I HAD MY FAMILY THERE.
WHEN I WAS WHEELED OUT OF
SURGERY, I HAD MORE COLOR IN MY
FACE.
FACE. >> YOU HAD PICTURES OF THAT,
BEFORE YOU WENT IN AND AFTER.
>> IT IS UNBELIEVABLE.
>> IT REALLY IS REMARKABLE.
HOLD ON.
HOLD ON. I THINK WE’RE GOING TO GET THAT
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. >> IT WAS A NIGHT AND DAY
DIFFERENCE.
DIFFERENCE. I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. >> I STARTED FEELING BETTER
RIGHT AWAY.
RIGHT AWAY. I STILL HAD SLIGHT PERSISTENT
GUT TROUBLES, AS GUT THINGS TAKE
A WHILE TO BALANCE OUT.
NINE MONTHS OUT, I AM 100%
SYMPTOM FREE.
SYMPTOM FREE. I’M SO, SO GRATEFUL.
IT’S GIVEN ME MY LIFE BACK.
>> NO SIGNS OF DEPRESSION, NONE
OF THAT?
OF THAT? >> COMPLETELY GONE.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. >> WHAT’S YOUR MESSAGE TO OTHER
YOUNG WOMEN WHO ARE THINKING
ABOUT DOING THIS, DOING
IMPLANTS, OR OTHER BODY-ALTERING
SURGERIES?
SURGERIES? WHAT’S YOUR MESSAGE TO THEM?
>> I’M NOT ANTI-PLASTIC SURGERY,
BUT I AM ABSOLUTELY
PRO-INFORMATION.
PRO-INFORMATION. I FEEL WOMEN ARE GETTING THE
SHORT END OF THE STICK.
IT’S NOT FAIR FOR THE
MANUFACTURERS TO BE DOING THESE
STUDIES, RATHER THAN A THIRD
PARTY.
PARTY. IT IS LIKE ASKING THE TOBACCO
INDUSTRY TO SELF-REGULATE.
HOW WOULD THAT BE SAFE FOR
ANYONE?
ANYONE? IT’S NOT.
IT’S NOT. THAT’S THE CURRENT SITUATION
THAT WE’RE IN.
I DON’T THINK THAT THAT IS
SERVING ANYONE AT THIS POINT.
>> WELL, THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF
PLASTIC SURGEONS ESTIMATES THAT
MORE THAN 300,000 WOMEN
UNDERWENT BREAST AUGMENTATION
LAST YEAR.
LAST YEAR. NOW, THE FDA IS CREATING A NEW
REGISTRY TO TRY AND BETTER
UNDERSTAND THE LONG-TERM IMPACT.
I MEAN, THAT COULD TAKE A VERY
LONG TIME.
LONG TIME. >> THAT’S THE PROBLEM.
I THINK UP UNTIL THIS POINT,
TOO, IT’S ALL BEEN, YOU HAVE TO
TELL YOUR DOCTOR.
THAT’S THE ONLY WAY THAT THEY
WOULD KNOW.
WOULD KNOW. THE DOCTORS DON’T HAVE TO THEN
PASS IT ON TO ANY THIRD PARTY.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> THEY CAN JUST INTERNALIZE IT,
NEVER SAY A THING, AND THE
PATIENT GOES HOME, WONDERING WHY
THEY’RE STILL SICK.
THEY NEVER GET ANSWERS.
I WOULD HAVE NEVER FIGURED OUT
THIS IS WHAT IT WAS IF IT WASN’T
FOR OTHER WOMEN IN THE COMMUNITY
SHARING THEIR STORIES.
I’M SO, SO GRATEFUL.
>> YOU LOOK AMAZING.
I’M GLAD YOUR HEALTH IS BACK.
WE REACHED OUT TO THE AMERICAN
SOCIETY OF PLASTIC SURGEONS FOR
REACTION TO RISKARISSA’S STORY.
>> WE RECEIVED A STATEMENT, IN
PART, DECADES OF RESEARCH SHOW
NO CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
BREAST IMPLANTS AND AUTO IMMUNE
DISEASES.
DISEASES. NO MEDICAL DEVICE IS WITHOUT
RISK, AND PATIENTS SHOULD
CONSULT THEIR PLASTIC SURGEON IF
THEY EXPERIENCE A CHANGE IN
HEALTH.
HEALTH. >> BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> YOU WANTED TO SAY ONE THING?
>> I WAS GOING TO SAY, WOULD YOU
RATHER TRUST WOMEN THAT HAVE
BEEN THROUGH IT OR SOMEBODY THAT
IS SELLING YOU A PRODUCT?
>> GOOD QUESTION.
KARISSA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
SHARING YOUR STORY.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS
PLATFORM.
PLATFORM. SO MANY WOMEN DO, TOO.
IF WOMEN ARE LOOKING FOR MORE
INFORMATION ON THIS, PLEASE
CHECK OUT THE FACEBOOK SUPPORT
GROUPS.
GROUPS. THERE ARE BREAST IMPLANT ILLNESS
SUPPORT GROUPS WITH A TON OF
INFORMATION IN THE FILES
SECTION.
SECTION. IT IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE
WE SHARE THIS BECAUSE OTHER