Glad I Explanted. But It Was Botched.

This is a long journey. Hope this can help someone else to know what to plan and ask for.
I'll try to make this short. I was 24 in 1990 when I got my first implants. They were 300 CC and under the muscle and looked fake and one of them started to get firmer and encapsulate. One year later, in 1991, I had them put over the muscle by another surgeon and he decided against my wishes to make them 500CC. They were GORGEOUS and natural and too huge. In 2001 I finally had them changed out under local anesthesia, back to 300 CC (still over the muscle) and they were very pretty, and very soft. (All of them were smooth silicone).
Around 2018 one started to very slowly get firmer. By 2019 it was very firm. Since some implants cause a type of breast cancer and this is a symptom, I had an MRI. It was inconclusive. I had to get them out as the one was now becoming painful and misshapen. I keep putting it off as I was terrified. I also wanted off this implant merry go round with endless surgeries! That's the thing no one tells you, is all the things that can go wrong. They say 1 in 5 goes "wrong" but all my surgeries were never reported anywhere. So it's likely more than 1 in 5.
I had consults with 3 surgeons. Dr Casselith had the best bed side manner. She also has impressive before and afters on her website.
On the day of surgery, while she was marking up my chest with a sharpie, I was so scared I could barely get my legs to work. In hind sight, i kick myself all the time, as she said, "I'll hide the scar in the fold under the breast". I had wanted to say, NO! I don't care about a scar under, because the worst results I've ever seen on realself were where the surgeon put the incision too high and it cut through the breast! Dont do that! I'd rather have a scar. Shape is always senior to color. Always!
But i didnt say it and she cut through my boob and it has caused constant issues not to mention its a shame that it looks as it does. On mammogram that breast shows so much scar tissues and lymphodema that they always have to also do an ultrasound. Its also lumpy and ALWAYS tender. That never went away. The scar is also sunken in. Its about 1.5" higher than the incision on my right. You can see in the photos that it is actually a miracle that it looks as good as it does actually. It was a Frankenstein scar the way she put me back together. At the second follow up appointment she was not there, just the nurse. And I said, what do I do about this? She shrugged. She said, if you do another surgery you'd start all over. So I live with it and count my blessings that it was not cancer and I am alive! It turned out to be a significant infection around that implant on the path report. I will never do another push up as the pain makes that a no go. Ive tried for years now. Something on the chest wall is not right (?) on my left side, my right side has none of these issues. Its like everything is SO TIGHT in the muscle wall on my left. Ive spent so much money in physical therapy, fascia release, acupuncture, massage....stretching....And it never changes. Its always painful. Right now as I type its a 2, if I ever roll over and sleep on that side, its a 10!! (So i do not!) My right breast has no issues. She was fine with the non encapsulated breast. I would not select her as a surgeon for an encapsulated breast again. She botched it. Plain and simple.
OH! AND...she charged me for the operating room and the anesthesiologist only and she would bill my insurance for the rest. I then requested the super bill to submit to my insurance. My insurance said the super bill was not correct somehow. I went back and forth with casseliths office for...a year? Then my insurance said they had already paid her office so I could not get reimbursed! I saw that they had billed my insurance and were paid for the surgery (way more than they had initially quoted me), and also for the anesthesiologist (that I had paid them for). So they were paid twice. I called and it took months to get anyones attention. Finally I lost it and said I would take them to small claims. A lady in billing said she would send me two checks that day. I got one in an envelope. So I had to complain AGAIN. And then she said Casselith's husband was going to messenger me a check...and I got reimbursed from them. It was not great.
I'd go to someone else if you are contemplating explanting. Maybe someone who specializes in it. But even with all of this...I am so glad I dont have implants any more! I like smaller boobs! Implants are out. Big boobs make a woman over 50 look matronly and larger. I can wear so many cute things now I could not before. I'm thrilled they are out! I just wish she'd not cut through my boob!
If I had seen my photos before I had this surgery it would have terrified me and also sent me to another surgeon. I don't want to terrify you. It's a good move to get them out, but I cant recommend this office.
It was a very hard process to contemplate and go through for me. VERY hard emotionally and also physically. In time tho, they have improved how they look a bit more and I also have adjusted. It takes a LONG time to heal from this fully, on all levels, so be patient and also know, our beauty is not just our tits. It's time for women to not have to endanger our health to have big old boobs. I just wish I could have talked to my 24 year old self and talked her out of it, but she wouldnt have listened just like all those in here I see so excited to get a foreign object implanted under anesthesia. Now I see that as pretty dysfunctional and sad.