Breast Implant Illness

Continued from my post of Pre-op/post-op blog post.

My journey with breast implants:

I've always been an AA, super flat. I was always fine with it until I breastfed. I had gorgeous full C breasts and then 2 years later after breastfeeding they were gone--I was all nipples. Pics below. So I thought I was done having kids (I ended up remarried) and chose to get get implants to fill out my shirts. Not going to lie, I loved them. I loved the way I looked in shirts. I'd never had cleavage before. They were a little hard and it wasn't super easy to lay on my tummy or get a massage or chiropractic adjustment, but they looked amazing. About five years ago, before BII was all over the news, I intuitively knew I needed them removed. I had decided they weren't healthy for me and knew I wasn't going to get them replaced after 10 years like my surgeon recommended. I also knew I wanted to finalize my childbearing/breastfeeding years prior to having them removed. I knew it probably wasn't super healthy that my children might be getting toxins in my breastmilk, but I still felt it was better than formula. I've had symptoms over the years like neuropathy, migraines, gut issues, heightened anxiety, heart palpitations, hair loss, weight loss, brain fog, etc, but I could easily blame them on being a mom and getting older. I had a swollen lymph node near my breast and had an ultra-sound done twice over the years and they always said it was just inflamed, no cancer. Wonder why-the toxins in the implants. I'm happy to report the lymph node has already shrunk a lot and I'm only 3 days post-op. Regarding the neuropathy, I've seen a neurologist twice and they always said nothing was wrong with me... Fast-forward to breastfeeding my last child, I began to start weaning him at 1.5 years old because I found the surgeon I wanted and timed it out so I would be two months post-nursing once I had my surgery.

What is BII?

There is no test for BII and many plastic surgeons still dismiss the negative health effects of breast implants. My surgeon who put mine is still does breast implant procedures and isn't on the approved list for BII surgeons. In 2018, a very large study was done and found there is a correlation between breast implants and cancer, autoimmune illnesses, etc. The FDA announced in 2019 that specific cancers can be due to implants and the systemic issues caused by silicone. (Study, study, article). Since I didn't have major breast implant illness symptoms, I think there might be a correlation between the thickness of the capsules (what's a capsule, keep reading) and the symptoms associated with breast implant illness (BII). Some people report very severe autoimmune type symptoms soon after or even years after they get their implants in. On a positive, many women report around 80% of their symptoms diminish very shortly after explant.

Information on BreastCancer.org for more information.

Having breast implants in your body is not going to end well because everyone is effected by the aggressive chemicals and heavy metals that are associated with breast implants and are defined as carcinogenic, cytotoxic, neurotoxic, and endocrine disruptors. -www.healingbreastimplantillness.com

What's in Breast Implants?

I wish I would have known more about the implants when I got them in. I remember the surgeon being so excited about gummy silicone implants because if they ruptured inside of you they wouldn't leak out. Well that's wrong. The silicone shells are permeable and can leach what's inside, into your body. Do you know what's inside of them? Well it depends on which implants you have. Below I will show what's in my Mentor smooth high profile silicone implants that I had for 7.5 years. And for those of you with saline implants, you're not out of the clear. The shell is made of silicone and can still leach toxins into your body. Here's a link to the FDA where I found the toxins that are in the implants. This is why I am doing a heavy metal detox!!! I'll be posting a blog post on my heavy metal hair analysis.

When the implants are placed into our bodies, we immediately attempt to protect ourselves from the foreign materials by encapsulating the implant with fibrous scar tissue. Here's are a few pictures from the internet. Capsules are formed around EVERY single implant. Do not let a doctor tell you you didn't have capsules or that there is no reason to have the capsules removed. The capsules must be removed during your explant/capsulectomy or else you will continue having symptoms. The toxins are also trapped in the capsules. Here is a list of surgeons that understand BII and will properly remove the implants.

What an enbloc full capsulectomy looks like prior to capsules being removed.

Explant and have removed the capsules from the implants

Here is silicone implant that was rupture

Calcified and ruptured

Some implants are more calcified and thickened causing extreme pain, and some cause contracture, disfiguring the look of the breast. Sometimes implants are also to be found with mold in them or surrounding them. Even sadder is the FDA finally admitted that certain textured breast implants have been linked to cancer called Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). I believe all breast implants will eventually have the same warning.

Does insurance cover the explant?

Most insurances don't cover removal if they were placed for cosmetic reasons. However, I have seen more companies like BCBS, begin to pay for explants or at least part of it. I paid out of pocket for mine.