'A nightmare from beginning to end'

Oil leaked from one of Lynsey's implants

As the government advises the removal of breast implants containing soya bean oil, one of the 5,000 women who have received them explains how her health has been affected.

Lynsey Irvine, 24, from Edinburgh, had the implants put in in December 1997 for cosmetic reasons.

She was told they would be safer compared to silicon.

"Right after the operation I noticed something was wrong. I had pain from the word go, but my surgeon said it was just post-operative pain," she said.

"Then about six months after the operation I noticed a big bubble that appeared on the left side of my chest - it was the oil that had been leaking.

"Once the doctors saw that they took the implant straight away, because they thought it was going to burst."

Open wound

"For two or three months the wound had to be left open so that the oil could drain away. Every two days or so the dressing over the wound would be saturated with oil.

"It smelt horrible and the whole thing was an absolute nightmare from beginning to end."

She was advised to have the other implant removed, but her health insurance company told her she had to pay for the operation herself.

It seems amazing that they could think these implants were so safe and now think they are so dangerous

Lynsey Irvine

"I had to wait to have the right implant removed on the NHS and it was awful - for a few months I had one A cup and one D cup."

"Quite a lot of oil leaked from my implant and was in my system. They tried to get it out, but of course, they couldn't get it all out.

"When someone says the word cancer to you, of course you start thinking the worst.

"And they haven't really told us what is going on. It seems amazing that they could think these implants were so safe and now think they are so dangerous."

'Sharp pain'

Mrs Irvine, the mother of three-year-old Joe and 10-week-old Lucy, is also concerned about the new advice that women with the implants should avoid becoming pregnant or breastfeeding until they are removed.

"I was breastfeeding Lucy, but I had to stop because I had a very sharp pain in my left breast.

"I know I have had the implants removed, but it is very hard to know what the situation is now."

She said she would warn any woman considering having implants to think again.

"It is difficult to dissuade someone when they have got their mind set on it, because women are always faced with images of the perfect body and it can be very difficult psychologically, but I would tell them to really think about it."