Explanted August 2, 2022. This is 3 months post as I write this. I still can’t believe I paid $6,000 to get implants in and then $7,000 to get them taken out 1.5 years later. I loved my implants. I got very small ones, see that post here, and did no research on the actual implant themselves before getting them placed. I knew nothing about them or any complications I could face and never thought twice about having the surgery. Boy do I feel differently now! I woke up one day in May, Mother’s Day. I was having a glass of champagne on the couch and my breathing changed. And never went back to normal. The health issues came on quickly and heavy and I wasted no time in deciding to remove my implants. I was sick the entire summer, time I’ll never get back for me and for my family. I was MISERABLE.
symptoms
First was the breathing. Then stomach issues-belching all day, everyday. Then stomach pains. Tingling in my left arm. Bubble in my throat. Pressure in my throat. Skin rashes. Anxiety threw the roof. Extreme fatigue-I couldn’t go to dinner, or go out. I would sleep on the couch while my kids took naps and then go back to bed when they did at night. I only had relief when I was asleep. The breathing was definitely the worst. It’s hard to explain but my best way is to say I couldn’t get a satisfying breath. My chest would stop me. So I was gasping for a deep breath most of the time.
the doctors
I saw 8 doctors, had tons of tests ran. Everything came back normal. Healthy as a horse! My very first doctor was a pulmonologist and he first asked about my implants. It was like I had been hit by a brick. I would have NEVER thought it could have been my implants. He was the only one to every entertain the idea of it being the implants. NO ONE ELSE WOULD SPEAK ABOUT IT. Including my plastic surgeon. I saw two PCP’s, a gastroenterologist, an ENT, and three plastic surgeons. I had an endoscope performed, tests for hiatal hernia, ct scan, cat scans, two ER trips, the list goes on and on. 25k in medical bills in three months. DEPRESSING.
post explant
Once I recovered from the drugs after explanting my fatigue was already gone. My throat issues took a good month to heal and my breathing took almost 3 months to even improve, and as I write this it’s not completely healed. I’m really not sure if it will ever be. I’ll never know if it was due to the implants but all my other health issues have gone away. I sometimes wonder if I had something lying dormant and the implants made it worsen, but all my tests show nothing is wrong with my lungs/chest/ etc. Some of it I may never know. It is still a healing process with myself that I am on everyday. The journey has completely changed me mentally. I’m still very happy that I made the decision to do it and will never put them back in. I know too much now to think implants are no big deal. THEY AREN’T! Do your research! Lots of women are getting them out now.
mental game
My mental game had to be very strong to get through all this. It came on so quickly for me and mentally it was EXTREMELY hard. I also lost a family member during this time and had to move. I had no choice but to move ahead for my babies but I had to start meditating, I had to listen to podcasts to go to sleep, and I had to start praying more for strength and courage and really make some difficult choices with myself. Before I went into surgery I just laid there in my gown and cried and cried. There was always a possibility that I could explant and not feel any better. I was really hoping for instant gratification, and when I still had breathing issues for months after that was also hard. We take our health for granted until something happens and then your health is all you have.