61 Yr Old, Having my Hardened Silicone Breast Implants Removed 23 Yrs Later! - Santa Clara, CA

I had my breast implant surgery when I was 38 years old. My silicone implants hardened after two years, but I lived with that because I felt sexier and more womanly. Fast-forward many years later and the hardness factor became more annoying and painful to me. I also developed fibromyalgia along the way and I feel the implants contributed to that. My implants are so hard, I hate them! I just want these foreign objects out of my body! Reading everyone's posts on this web site has been very helpful, because it's somewhere to discuss my experience, fears, ask questions, find the support I need and where I can hopefully help others, too. I started looking for a plastic surgeon in 2007. I belong to Kaiser and my primary physician told me that Kaiser would remove my implants for free or at very little cost. Yay! I saw two different plastic surgeons at Kaiser; the first one in 2007 & the second one in 2011. I had issues with both of them; nothing awful, but to save time, I won't go into detail. Mostly, I was too worried about the end results to go ahead with the surgery. So, I waited. About six months ago I started experiencing more pain in my left breast. That worried me, so I started thinking about getting them removed again. Now, after researching other plastic surgeons at Kaiser, I made an appt for a consultation with one in Santa Clara, CA which is about 30 minutes from my home. This plastic surgeon is the Chief of Plastic Surgery, who specializes in breast reconstruction and he has great credentials, etc. I am a VERY OCD person when it comes to being well-informed about my doctors as well as any procedure I'm considering. I spent two days, perusing the Kaiser web site to read about every plastic surgeon in my area, for starters, then I compared each one and made sure they were board-certified in plastic surgery, plus I wanted one who specializes in breast surgery. I saw him on Friday, 2/8/14. I had a LOT of questions written in my little notebook! First, we talked a bit, then he had me stand up while he examined my breasts. He told me to get dressed, because "people tend to remember details better when they're comfortably clothed and not sitting in a gown". I loved that! How considerate and he was right! LOL. First, he explained the procedure he recommended for ME and explained why. He was calm, factual and not rushed in any way. After he explained what his recommendations were, I told him I had a lot of questions for him and he said that was fine by him and encouraged me to ask away! First, I asked him about his credentials to confirm everything I'd read online, I asked if his anesthesiologist was also board-certified and the answer was "yes". He told me that ALL of Kaiser's plastic surgeons are required to be board-certified, and the anesthesiologists are too. I will have the surgery in the OR as an outpatient, with general anesthesia. He said this surgery should take about 2 hrs. My left breast is harder than the right, especially along the bottom of the breast. They are very firm. To me, they feel like hard oranges/grapefruits! Some days they feel like baseballs when I hug someone or lie on my tummy for a back massage. Embarrassing and uncomfortable! The plastic surgeon said that he will first check to see if my implants have ruptured (he looked at my mammo X-rays and he said they look intact--the left side
MAY have a small rupture at the bottom from what he saw) while he makes the incision. He said he'll be looking for any gel from a rupture and if he sees any, he'll be sure to remove the entire capsule, to ensure none of the gel escapes into my body. He will also carefully remove any excessively-hard scar tissue. If there's no rupture, I think he said he would keep the capsule in, which is part of my body, so I would be able to retain as much breast tissue as possible, so my breasts would not be as sunken in or flat. That's only if the capsule is thin and not hard. If it's hard or too thick, he'll remove the capsule. He explains that the capsule is a normal response to the body whenever a foreign object is put inside of our bodies. If it's a thin shell that was formed, it's our own tissue, so nothing left in is toxic, which is what I was worried about. I want anything toxic to be removed! I really feel that this doctor is an excellent choice for many reasons, besides his credentials. He was factual, but friendly, very approachable, kind, patient and he had a sense of humor, which is something I need. He never made me feel stupid and I didn't feel rushed in any way. He said this time with him was for ME and that he wanted to be sure all of my concerns and questions were answered. I really liked HIM and that part is huge to me, especially when I knew his credentials as well. I told him of my fears and concerns. He addressed every one of them. Okay, now for what I can expect for MY results...I think he honestly gave me the worst-case scenario, so I wouldn't get my hopes up. I am not expecting great results; NOT because of his expertise, just because of the way my breasts are, to begin with. My breasts were always small and I didn't have a lot of breast tissue on the bottoms of them. My nipples aren't the kind that are up high or even in the middle. Not the cute, perky kind of nipples, in other words, darn it! If they were, I probably would have been okay with smaller breasts. Maybe. Sooo....he said my breasts may not end up being symmetrical, one side may be more concave if he has to remove more scar tissue in that side. With implants, the breast tissue stretches out, so I should expect loose skin and droopiness. Oh, goody! Ugh...but that's what I've been expecting. He, of course, will be striving for the best possible outcome for me, but he has to be sure he's removing anything harmful, too. I will get to go home about two hours after the surgery. He said he's going to insert a drain in each breast that usually stays in for a week, but it could be longer if necessary. I'll be wearing two Ace bandages, snugly wound around my chest for a week, so I can only take a sponge bath. He said I could very carefully take a bath in shallow water to wash my bum, if I want. I'll have to measure the fluid in the bulbs at the end of the drains left in and empty it afterward. Yeah, kinda gross, but I can handle that. Then, he'll see me a week after my surgery, if all goes normally. I'm discouraged about how my breasts may look after surgery, but I still want to go ahead. I have a lot of aches in my body, not a lot of energy, brain fog and I feel like all of these symptoms began two years after I got the implants. I hope and pray the symptoms disappear eventually once the implants are gone. I am feeling good about this surgeon and that's the very important first step in this whole process. A few days later...I have been freaking out a bit about being disfigured. What if I am? Can I handle that? I've enjoyed having boobies and being able to wear sexy bras! I love knowing I have some cleavage to show if I bend over and someone may have a little peek of "boobage" instead of a flat chest. LOL. Little moments of pleasure and confidence I didn't used to have. Oh well. I'll just deal with it. My surgery is scheduled for April 11th and I know I'll still struggle with the loss of my normal-looking breasts, but I feel like I'm making the healthiest decision for me. I'll post before pics soon. Sorry this is so long!!

I've been thinking my implants have been causing me to have health issues, mostly with auto-immune issues, that I decided to get them removed. It's not fun having hard boobs that hurt, either, especially the left side. It has started hurting more lately and something just feels "wrong", besides the hardness. But, I almost feel like I'm volunteering for a mastectomy, because that's what I feel like my breasts will look like after I have them removed, other than the big scar that a mastectomy causes. Maybe it's better that I just live with my normal-looking breasts and cope with the hardness! I'm very worried about how they'll look after surgery. What if I look disfigured and lopsided? I'm really starting to second-guess myself! I feel like I found a qualified surgeon and I was already to go, but now I'm really worried about how I'll feel post op.