Breast Explant by Dr. Feng- Tips for Recovering Alone

I am in my early 30's. I had saline implants under the muscle for almost 11 years. About 3-4 years ago I started experiencing chest pain, hair loss, cold hands and feet, numbness in extremities, swollen lymph nodes in neck and arm pits, brain fog, food intolerances, my skin seemed dull and grayish, extreme fatigue, and I was constantly getting sick. I ended up spending around $5,000 on MRIs, CAT scans, ultrasounds, and countless doctor visits of them telling me I am young and healthy (29 when started going to doctors). I finally decided to start listening to my gut and began conducting my own research. During this time I found tons of research conducted by Dr. Feng and other physicians citing Dr. Feng's work explaining breast implant illness. Implants are linked to all of my symptoms mentioned above and many more. Implants are also linked to autoimmune diseases, thyroid disease (I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism this past August), adrenal fatigue, and problems with your lymphatic system. This past May I finally decided to make my appointment to explant.
I have young kids so I had to do this on my own. My family helped watch my kids while I was gone. If you are in a similar situation, I just want to let you know it is so doable. I will share my tips I have found through other reviews, nurses at the clinic, and through trial and error.
I stayed at the recommended Homewood Suites. It is just a couple miles from her office in a nice area close to shops, pharmacy, and grocery stores. I would highly recommend this hotel as the staff is super accommodating and nice. The hotel provides a shuttle service, they also will take the hinge off your door so you can get in and out after surgery (highly recommend requesting so you can at least walk the halls), they will take you grocery shopping or get groceries for you, and they will even come to your room and open something up for you that you are having trouble with. Dr. Feng recommends this hotel which is why I went with it and I am glad I did. The only thing you need to be aware of is if you are flying in to Cleveland the hotel shuttle does not go to the airport (25 mins away). They will call a taxi for you or you can use Uber.
The night before my surgery I went to the grocery store and prepped my room. You need to put everything you will need for the rest of your stay at arm level as they will want you to keep your arms to your side like T-rex while you recover. I put the ironing board on one side of my bed and kept my laptop and phone on it along with many small water bottles. There are outlets on the bed side lights so you can keep everything plugged in and your phone and computer will still reach. I requested extra pillows and a blanket ahead of time although that is not necessary. You can call the front desk and tell them you are a patient of Dr. Feng and the housekeeping staff will let themselves in to deliver whatever you need if you forget something. Put your luggage or suitcase on the stand that is in your closet so you have easy access to your clothes and get all your toiletries out and put on the sink counter. I put saran wrap around the microwave, fridge, and freezer handles like a towel to grip and pull to help open them. The microwave was the only one I was having trouble opening by myself, but the less you use and move your arms the quicker your drainage amount will do down so I would recommend doing something similar so you are minimizing the use of your pecs.
Your drainage amount has to be below 30 for each side. I had surgery on Wednesday and wasn't released till Monday. My right side caused me to have to stay over the weekend, but that is also the side my implant was adhered to my rib cage which I will elaborate more on a little later in this post. I definitely recommend flying in and out if you do not have someone who can pick you up and drive you home. Also, save your Whole Food bags so you can use as trash bags because you will have a lot of trash over the next few days with water bottles and food containers.
While grocery shopping keep in mind that you want to buy smaller containers of things so you are not engaging your pecs lifting. You will have to pay a little more but get the smaller water bottles not the Liter size. Make sure you open all bottles including your prescription bottles before surgery and leave open or screw back on lightly because it really is challenging to do that the first week out of surgery plus you don't want to increase your drainage amount by using pecs more than you have to. If you buy a carton of anything I would recommend buying cups so you can distribute the drink into before surgery so you don't have to lift the carton. I used saran wrap to cover the tops. I bought a plant based probiotic drink that I used this method for. Also, buy plates and bowls light weight throw away kind so you can scoop out just what you are eating. Do not buy anything high in sodium. You will want to try and eliminate as much sodium as possible during your recovery as it increases your drainage amount. Try to eat as clean as possible.
FengFit Foods is amazing and you get 10% off for being a patient. I recommend placing an order the day of your surgery and the nurse will bring it back to your room for you and put in your fridge. The salads are huge. They end up actually being cheaper than Whole Foods because of the size and they taste so much better. I got the Super Sweet Kale and Harvest Apple and Pecan. You will be sent home with the Signature Salad. All three are excellent. You will also be sent home with the Confetti soup which is very good as well. I bought the White Bean and Kale soup and it was great. My favorite thing from FengFit which I am actually having a craving for right now is the Veggie Burger. I am not a vegetarian and would much rather have a real hamburger. However, I was really focused on eating clean so I could get released as soon as possible and the Veggie Burger is AMAZING!! I had it twice while I was there and would highly recommend trying it.
I would recommend trying to make a friend with one of the other patients. I would guess Dr. Feng does a min. of 2 explants on each surgery day. I met another patient in the waiting room and she was by herself as well. We were both staying at the same hotel so we were able to visit and give each other emotional support through this process. We both had surgery on the same day as well. Both of us did great and I look forward to keeping in touch with her as well.
I would also highly recommend taking a pain pill or tylenol or both before getting your drains out. I did not take a pain pill or tylenol after the 1st day post op because I did not need it, but I wish I would have taken a pain pill and tylenol before having my drains out. My right side did not hurt at all, but my left side was uncomfortable. It is a super weird feeling. I would not describe it as pain, but just uncomfortable.
I am almost 1 week post op and I am already seeing improvements in my symptoms. My hands are not cold or numb anymore. My feet still are, but I am hoping that resolves it self with time. I have a "sparkle" in my face as I have been told. I think besides the fact that I am feeling better I have color to my skin again. It isn't a pale grayish tone anymore. My chest, neck, shoulder, and back pain all on left side is gone. I noticed a decrease in size to one of the swollen lymph nodes on the left side of my neck. I am hoping with time and lymphatic massage this will resolve itself as well. I am most excited about seeing my blood work for my thyroid at my next appointment with my ENT. My last appointment he said that he was going to have to up my medication because my body wasn't absorbing it like it should. If you are having thyroid symptoms or have already been diagnosed with Hypo, Hyper, or Hashimotos I highly recommend reading Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause By Dr. Izabella Wentz and her 90 day guide. I just finished the first one and am getting ready to start the 90 day guide in a couple weeks. It covers everything, even the testing you need to request your doctor to perform. I was going to the same ENT specialist for 3 years and all he was testing was TSH. You should be tested for TSH, TPO antibodies, Thyroglobulin antibodies, Free T4, Free T3, and if you are experiencing hair loss reverse T3. If I would have known this I would have probably not lost a 1/3 of my hair (fingers crossed it comes back with these changes I am making) and probably would have been diagnosed alot sooner than this past August than just waiting till my TSH number was high enough for them to prescribe medication. Unfortunately, my thyroid has cysts and nodules on it now.
I highly recommend Dr. Feng. She has explanted the most breast implants of any doctor in the country by a land slide. Yolanda Foster and Crystal Hefner are some of the celebrities who have come to her to restore their health and you can google their stories. This helped put me at ease about making my decision to explant and to explant with Dr. Feng. Dr. Feng is also still trying to fight the vast majority in the plastic surgery world who believe implants do not affect your health. She is currently conducting a study with her patients on how implants affect your breathing. When you inhale and exhale your rib cage should expand and contract, however, when your implant adheres to the rib cage (like my right side) it doesn't allow for that movement affecting the way your breathe and the amount of oxygen you take in.
The reason I chose Dr. Feng was her holistic approach to regaining your health. I used to think supplements, essential oils, and foot detox baths were all a hoax and didn't work. I have seen first hand how supplements make a huge difference. I had a chin implant that had to be removed too. I was very concerned about the bruising and swelling. I had absolutely no bruising on my chin or breasts and very minimal swelling due to the supplements provided by her clinic and Dr. Feng's expertise. Essential oils have cured my oldest's allergies. The clinic has 0% infection rate. You will be asked to shower with a Hepa cleanse a few times before surgery. I don't understand why this is not mandatory with all surgeons and hospitals. I had surgery a decade ago and got a staph infection. Knowing what I know now if I have any future surgeries I will be showering with it a few times on that location before surgery. Apparently you can purchase it at pharmacies like CVS. The clinic provided it for me. Dr. Feng and her team have really thought of everything when it comes to explanting and they really put your nerves at ease once you get there.
I will post an update here in 3 months or so with some pictures and will most likely be back to the clinic in a year and will share my fat transfer experience. Although I am trying to get myself to be okay with my small breasts again. This is another reason why I really like Dr. Feng. She didn't try to sell me on anything. I had to ask her a couple different times about the fat transfer. She was really nice and would answer the specific question and then would say lets wait a year and see what you think. Obviously, I have an insecurity which is why I implanted and she really tried to build my self-esteem up. I was asking her about my face now without my chin implant and she said, "Well, I happen to really like your face." She had so many opportunities to sell me on something else and she wouldn't do it. She was only focused on educating me on my diet so I can regain my health and building up my self-esteem. I can't thank Dr. Feng and her team enough for what they did for me and for not giving up on educating people about breast implant illness so they don't end up making the same mistake as I did. Good news is you can restore your health. Get an enbloc (capsules have to come out), change your diet (Paleo or Vegan), test for your deficiencies and take supplements for them, and give your body a year or two to heal. So many plastic surgeons will try to scare you into not getting them out because you will be disfigured. If you go to a skilled explant specialist you will be fine you will just obviously have small boobs again. I think mine are a little bigger than before I got implants, maybe due to additional breast tissue from having kids- idk.
Side notes: Forgot to mention to get the scar peptide cream. I have been using it on a different part of my body because you can't put anything on your incisions for 6 weeks and the cream has made a huge improvement in just a little under a week on fairly new scars. I am going to order another one and have them ship to me so I can get the 10% discount on that too.
You will have to fill your prescriptions before surgery. There is a CVS and Rite Aid on way back to hotel from her office. The Rite Aid has a drive thru if you want to drop it off and then get groceries.
Santo Salon Spa is right next door to the clinic. I recommend getting your hair washed there a couple days after your surgery. It will make you feel better. I didn't have anything nasty in my hair from surgery it just got really tangled from laying on it. I would recommend putting your hair in a bun on top of your head for surgery so it is out of their way. It will also be out of your way once you get back to the hotel and then the salon can take it out for you and wash and style your hair. It isn't weird going there as they have the same lady wash and style all of Feng's patients hair and she is super nice. I was a little self-conscious going, but it was a great experience.
Also, if you have already had a fat transfer with a good or bad experience please email me about it or email me your link to your review. My breast look great they are just small and although I am going to try and come to terms with them I would like to hear from everyone who had a fat transfer good or bad to help me make that decision.
Happy healing to all!!

Hi, I am back and wanted to share some more info with you, especially if you are one struggling with health issues. I wish I would have known more about vitamin deficiencies and leaky gut before making the decision to get an Enbloc vs. a Capsulectomy. If I could go back in time I would have found someone experienced in Capsulectomy and who could repair the muscle (saline under muscle). I think Dr. Feng and her staff are wonderful and I am not sure I would have been able to talk her into getting a Capsulectomy since most of her research relies on testing the tissue. She is an awesome choice if you can talk her into doing just a Capsulectomy or if you were a B cup or bigger before getting implants then you will be left with tissue to work with. However, if you were an A cup or smaller before implants please prep yourself if choosing to get an Enbloc because you will most likely be left with nothing. If you are planning to do a Fat transfer after expect to only to be an A after because you are starting from nothing. Although, I saw a lot of improvements in my health shortly after the surgery and for the next few months, I think a lot of it had to do with correcting the leaky gut and vitamin deficiencies (especially if your hair is falling out) which I had started about 3 months before my surgery. If you are NOT bed ridden and are experiencing Thyroid and Autoimmune symptoms I would urge you to do your own research and give your body 6 months to rebound with supplements to see where your health really is before making the decision. Finding a nurse practitioner or someone who will do more blood work than just the standard CBC panel is key to finding all your deficiencies that need corrected. Make sure you do the elimination diet to see what is affecting you. To be on the safe side eliminate all gluten, sugar, dairy, alcohol and give it at least 3 months before making your decision. Your body really does have the ability to heal itself and I feel knowing what I know now that an Enbloc is over kill. I personal feel if you aren't bed ridden, you just need to get the Capsule out especially if you just had saline implants. Feel free to message me if you have any questions. I wish more people on here would have responded to my messages while I was navigating this difficult stage in my life. Good luck healing!!
1. Start Elimination Diet
2. Fix your leaky Gut with GLUTAMINE FORTÉ (I used Integrative Health) Don't eat Gluten at all to give your gut time to health. Always consult your doctor before taking a supplement in case it interferes with a medication you are on or health issue. Also, check for parasites. You can find tons of online companies to send it to.
3. Find a Good Nurse Practitioner who will do more blood work than a CBC panel (I had a hard time finding doctors to run any test, I found an independent nurse practitioner and she actually worked with me and what I was research and reading to fix the problem.)
4. Read! There are so many doctors who have converted to functional medicine who have books and website about Thyroid, Lyme, Autoimmune, Chronic Fatigue, IBS, etc. and they all are pretty much saying the same thing with one having an important tip another may have left out and vice versa so I read them all. But it works!! I just wish this information came into my hands earlier and I had more patience to see the results. There is hope on the other side of the tunnel.