Implants making me sick. Many symptoms gone first day after explant, no lift or new implants! Dr. Feng is the best.

Implants are 23 y.o. Capsular Contracture on Rt. side Baker's grade IV, Lt. side soft and squishy, likely ruptured. Found a lump at 17 and had my first lumpectomy (of benign fibroadenoma tumor) by a general surgeon, (large Lt. lateral scar). 2nd large tumor grew back, same place, age 23. Not thrilled about being left with 1 1/2 breasts, decided to get b/l silicone implants at time of 2nd lumpectomy by plastic surgeon, this time: periareolar incision, subglandular (over the muscle), McGhan textured, round, silicone implants July 1991. Went from size 34B to 34C, very natural looking, no one knew. Rt. side became hard and round within a few years, but no big deal. (now hard and painful) Love my breasts, always have. I did lose some nipple sensitivity, and nursed my four children with a fair degree of difficulty. Lived with random chronic symptoms for past several years, but thought it was just aging. Symptoms progressed rapidly over last yr. Started aggressive treatment to restore my immune system and heal my body naturally w/ Gerson Therapy (juicing 10x a day/coffee enemas & intense supplements to push the thyroid, support the liver and kidneys, etc) It worked so well that my body tried to remove these foreign objects on it's own! (I was warned that it might do this) It was so painful, I had to stop. I began researching implant removal. When I saw the list of symptoms from others with implants, I fell over. 90% of my issues were on that list. I felt crazy when I actually sat down to write them out for the Gerson coach, but these were the symptoms I had listed: (severe foggy brain, high pitch ringing in my ears, joint pain (toes, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, hands), bottom of feet hurt, muscle pain/weakness, cold/blue hands & feet, can't get warm, shocking pain down arms, TMJ (jaw locks up), sinus pain/pressure, glands sore & swollen in neck and jaw, teeth hurt, ear aches, eyes painful, burning & red, vision sharply declining, headaches, back of head painful, neck pain (vertebrae catches/locks), fatigue, dizziness, exhausted with minor activity, hair falling out, colon sluggish/poor elimination time, foul urine odor, bladder inflamed& painful, pain &fullness across liver area, red pattern across nose & cheeks, breasts & underarms swollen & painful, stabbing chest wall pain, nodules on thyroid scan, fibroid cysts on ovaries & breasts, (same on uterus, had removed). They sounded like symptoms of hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia, possible MS, but at least some sort of auto immune disorder. Hair samples and a cheek swab showed high levels of silicone dioxide deep within my tissues. I don't know how many of my symptoms are due to silicone toxicity, but I expect the breast pain to get better, and I can at least then proceed to restore the healing mechanisms in my body to take care of the rest. I am researching explantation with b/l capsulectomy, en bloc, no replacement implants, no lift, excision of all silicone granulomas diagnosed with ultrasound mapping. I hope to do this soon. I will update with my decision and a surgery date.

After much deliberation, I have made a decision and scheduled the explantation of my 23 y.o. silicone implants with Dr. Feng for Feb. 27, 2015. I feel confident that she is my best choice.
Here are all of the details to help others better understand the process and gather information to ask informed questions.
I live 7 hours away from Cleveland, Ohio so I will arrive one day prior to surgery, meeting Dr. Feng for the first time during a 90 minute consultation, followed by pre-admin testing (EKG, bloodwork, urine)
I will be having bilateral capsulectomies en bloc through the inframammary fold incision and excision of all silicone granulomas. Dr. Kahn at the Cleveland Clinic will do the Ultrasound mapping (one day prior, just before my consultation with Dr. Feng an pre-admin testing). He will draw on my skin to indicate the exact location of any silicone granulomas from under my arms, across my chest wall up to my collar bone. Dr. Feng will take four hours to do the procedure the following day. She will use drains that will come out in 2-3 days, depending on how much fluid is still draining into the bags. She has her own surgical facility and employees her own anesthesiologist, not a nurse anesthetist. They use fast acting anesthesia that leaves the body in six minutes so you wake up quickly without the hang over feeling. She sends vitamin supplements for you to take before and after. ("Recovery Support Program" by VitaMedica, formulated by an anesthesiologist to enhance would healing, support the immune system, prevent infection and minimize inflammation using vitamin A, C, zinc, copper, selenium, bioflavonoids, bromelain and quercetin, taken 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after. Also, Arnica Montana 30X is given right after surgery and until bruising or swelling subsides.) You will stop all supplements of your own during this time. There are certain foods and medications that interfere with the body's ability to clot properly after surgery that you will discontinue one to three weeks prior in preparation for surgery and three weeks after. I think that this is all very well thought out and makes sense to get your body ready to undergo surgery and gain the best outcome. Her office sends a detailed packet of information outlining everything you need to do, where to go and when, and how you will pay for it.
The breakdown of her fees may help you plan accurately if you decide to go to her: Dr. Feng's surgery fee is $4,000. (It may be different if you do not require b/l capsulectomies. I don't know.) This fee will not change no matter how many granulomas she has to remove or how much extra time may be required. It is a flat rate and includes her consultation, surgical fee, and all post-op visits forever, they said. Her facility fee (also non-time dependent) is $3,650 and includes all pre-admin testing, vitamins, anesthesia,O.R. time, etc. (She is known to have success getting your insurance to pay. You would still have to pay $150 up front for the consultation. Then Dr. Feng will write a letter of predetermination to your insurance company, but only if she feels there is medical necessity for you to have surgery. Then you wait the four or so weeks it takes for insurance to respond. Even if they approve it, you will pay for everything up front and have to get reimbursed by your insurance company, but at least you will know if they will cover it or not.) If you do not want to wait and want to book a date with Dr. Feng, you will be required to give a $1,500 deposit when you schedule your surgery date. It is non-refundable, so don't schedule until you are sure that you are doing this, that you want Dr. Feng to do it and you are sure about the date. There is a fee of $575 to change the date unless due to medical or family emergency and can be changed up to one year from date of deposit. You retain 100% of your deposit if you cancel 30 days in advance of your surgery date, but only 80% if you cancel less than a month, but as least two weeks prior. (If you postpone or cancel your surgery within 2 weeks of the scheduled date, unless it is due to an illness or injury which would interfere with you having surgery, you will forfeit the entire deposit.) You can pay for the deposit with a credit card, but not the balance unless you want to pay an additional 3%. Pay the balance with Care Credit or 2 cashier's checks; one to Dr. Feng for $4,000 and the other to The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic for the balance of $2,150. You will also need to be prepared to pay around $500, I'm told, for the ultrasound mapping done by Dr. Kahn, paid to the Cleveland Clinic and between $300-$400 for pathology, also paid to the hospital. The hospital will bill your insurance, but if it is not covered, you will need to plan for this additional $800-$900 in your budget.
My surgery is on a Friday, so I will plan to stay in the area until Monday or Tuesday, but that is not required. You can drive back home and return to have the drains removed, if that is more convenient.
My post-op instructions are "Do not push, pull or lift for 2 weeks". If I comply, I should be okay to return to normal activities, I'm told. (Maybe not lifting small children, if you have young ones. I do not.)
That is what I know right now. I hope that I got the details right. I took them from my information packet, but you might ask her staff personally, as some things may change or be different for your situation. I'm just going by what the paperwork says and my experience. I do not have insurance that will cover it, so I have not had that exact experience.
I will post more info as I go.
Hope this helps.

Taking my supplements since 2 wks pre-op, now. Stopped all meds and foods with blood thinning properties (salicylates) like apples, cucumbers, tomatoes, pineapple, raisins, strawberries, grapes, garlic, ginger, etc. They send you a detailed list of what to stop and when. I start taking the Bromelain tomorrow that came in my pre-op package. (a powerful anti-inflammatory)
I feel pretty good about the surgery. My husband is super supportive and assuring. My friends and family all know and are also very supportive. So grateful. The kids all have families that are taking them for the week. We farmed them out to their best friends' for sleep overs. They're pretty excited about that.
I wanted to post some other important tips that I have found in preparation. Mainly just to ask the hotel for the hospital rate or special surgery rate if you are traveling to have your surgery. I am going to the Cleveland Clinic to see Dr. Kahn for the Ultrasound Mapping that Dr. Feng requires, so I mentioned the Cleveland Clinic to the hotel and they gave me a 20% discount for people coming in for testing or treatment. They didn't ask for details or anything, I just said, "Do you have a promotional rate for patients traveling to you for medical treatment?" and they gave it to me. My sister in law is a professor of nursing at a teaching hospital and told me about people coming in from out of town getting a special rate and that I should ask. What a savings. The Marriott "Residence Inn" in Beachwood gave me a code to use for booking online. (click on Corporate or Promotional Code when you are in "Find and Reserve" on Marriott.com, and enter P8J ) I think each hotel has it's own code. It saved me $50 a night!
Also, I don't think I mentioned that Dr. Feng and her clinic accept CareCredit as a payment option. Each doctor has their own financing plan. Her office offers 6 months with no interest, and 12 and 24 months with 14% interest. We were approved online for $1,000 and sent a CareCredit card. We will use the 6 months, no interest on $1,000 and apply it to the balance due for the Lu-Jean Feng Clinic fee. The rest we will pay with two money orders. Remember, she does not accept personal checks. Funds must be certified. No big deal, just be prepared.
We drive up on Wednesday, that's in two days. My appointments are on Thursday morning starting at the Cleveland Clinic at 11am, immediately followed by a consultation and pre-op testing with Dr. Feng at 1pm. She likes to do it back to back so she can see the markings Dr. Kahn makes on your skin indicating the silicone granulomas, and she can discuss the details of what she will be doing in your surgery.
The staff said that I don't need to purchase any special bras at this time, but just to wear a button up shirt on the day of surgery. They will send me home in compression dressing and some type of surgical bra that I will wear for a while. I was tempted to order bras online that everyone has talked about, but decided to wait until after the surgery.
I will post more info as I go to let you know what to expect.