Looking into Breast Implant Removal (En Bloc/total Capsulectomy) - Miami, FL

In the spring of 2014, I had a breast enhancement and breast lift (300 cc mentor cohesive silicone gummy bear implants placed under the muscle with anchor breast lift). I am in my late 30's and always wanted to lift my breasts because I lost volume due to pregnancy and breast feeding. I always fluctuated between a full B and small C, depending on my weight but had a hard time filling out my bra and achieving cleavage. My post-implant breast size now ranges between a medium C or a small D depending on the bra. My breasts look very natural and to be honest, no one even noticed I got a boob job. I can't complain, my plastic surgeon did a phenomenal job. Unfortunately, I began experiencing some strange symptoms right out of the gate and here is where my story with implants begins and it all began with my feet. I was instructed to wear compression socks for 5 days post op, so the day I decided to take them off and change my pants, I felt a strange web-like electrical sensation from my ankle that would spread to my toes. My feet were also ice cold, all of the time! About a month later I began feeling a coldness and tingling in my arms. In my sleep I would feel tingling and chills all over. This prompted me to go the ER and it was suspected I had either Guillian-Barre syndrome or MS. They were ruled out with an MRI. I then began seeing a neurologist to follow-up. After weeks of appointments for blood work, nerve conduction, EEG, a biopsy, anxiety and insomnia began to kick in. Nothing was found to be abnormal in my test results except that I did have some small nerve fiber damage in my feet, but no explanation as to why. My neurologist sent me on my way and referred me to see someone at the university and prescribed a medication (Metanx) containing very high methylfolate, methylcobalamin B12, and P5P B6 usually given to patients with peripheral neuropathy caused by diabeties. Never took the gabbapentin that was prescribed. I took the Metanx as prescribed and began itching, feeling really anxious, irritable, couldn't sleep and began googing some more. I learned about something called MTHFR. I requested a test from my PCP and sure enough I had a double mutation for it. I also noticed in my blood work was that I had higher levels of arsenic and sky high levels of B12! During this time I was experiencing panic attacks, 24 hour anxiety, and insomnia because of all of the stress. I couldn't believe that no one could figure out what was wrong with me! This lead to all sorts of worries and concerns about my future, and the future of my marriage and family. All I could do was cry, ruminate all day long and research online. I began seeing a psychiatrist and therapist to get me through. What therapy has done for is help me cope with all of this and go on with my life in order to function, although my ability to sleep well has never fully returned and I can never go back and un-know, what I know now about the dangers of implants and what they can do to your body. Taking the functional medicine route has also filled in the blanks for me, where traditional medicine has fallen short and let me down. As far as my symptoms/health issues I now have a year and a half late, here is what comes to the top of my mind: neuropathy, cold feet and hands, sensitivity to light, dizziness, poor sleep/insomnia, hair falling out, food allergies and sensitivities that I never had before, adrenal fatigue per 24-hr saliva test, anxiety, tense muscles in my neck, shoulders, and upper back despite seeing chiro 2-3X per week, poor gut health where my nutrients are not being digested properly and absorbed, carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms, my arms and hands get numb and hurt a little when l lie down and read or hold phone upwards. Per my nutritionist I now must avoid gluten, sugar, tomatoes, dairy, soy, ginger, turkey, turmeric, beans, chocolate, among other things I once enjoyed without trouble, I take pancreatic digestive enzymes after all meals, probiotics and probiotics. Results of an organic acids test revealed my body is actually demanding much more of many many vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals than just a year ago when I took the same test. I am also showing more cadmium and mercury then a year ago. I'm sorry this has been so long, but I wanted this to resonate with anyone that may be going through similar issues, and may think that their situation is isolated or unique. I spent a long time afraid, and then very angry at myself for making myself sick, and now I obsess about how to make myself well, but feel like the more time I don't take action and explant, the longer I am drawing this out. I also think about how bad off I might be, if I weren't so proactive and have taken many measures to try to improve my health without giving into the pharmaceutical route. My only regret was seeing a plastic surgeon about getting an explant, and letting her talk me out of it - twice. Well I think I'm ready now. I placed a call for a consult today, and due to a cancellation, I will be able to meet with him in 2 days. I have seen him on the list of plastic surgeons that performs that en bloc removal. Wish me luck : )

Today I went to my first explant consult with a PS located in the South Miami area. I think it went fairly well even though for some reason I was so nervous I felt sick to my stomach. This didn't even happen when I met with my original PS about removing my implants 5 months ago, returning to the scene of the crime sort of speak. This doctor took a lot of his time with me, which I very much appreciated. He is actually listed on a few lists I've seen for doctors that perform en bloc surgeries. He spent much of his time speaking to me about the numerous studies refuting the connection between the new generation of intact silicone implants and autoimmune disease and symptoms, particularly in my case because it's only been about a year and a half. With this in mind, he told me as a doctor he could not recommend an explant because he doesn't believe in the correlation, but as a patient if I had other objections to keeping the implants for ANY reason, he would provide the service and remove them for me. He told me he rarely encounters patients returning to remove implants, but occasionally he comes across a patient that believes she is experiencing some symptoms as a result of the implants and has them taken out. He said that many actually still experience symptoms despite removing them and return requesting to have implants put back in. Now about my breasts, he examined them and said they felt soft, and absent of any capsular contracture or any issues, therefore he recommended an explant under IV sedation that would take a very short time in the surgical center, no drains, and where recovery would be a speedy one. He said that capsules in my case would be minimal, and trying to remove them would be unnecessary because it would be similar to peeling off the thin skin of an onion. He believes that the newest cohesive implants have a thick silicone shell, therefore one is protected from the contents, and unless one has a rupture, it would be unnecessary to remove the capsule. What he had to say about my 1 1/2 yr old breast lift was kinda depressing. He said that the anchor-style incision is "archaic" and a technique that is not really used any more, it's actually the first one taught in school. As a result, it doesn't hold up, hence explaining why my implants are already bottoming out!!!!! I thought it was in my imagination or that I was trying to psychologically convince myself that my boobs were sagging out of a love/hate relationship I have with my breasts right now. Whenever I would as my husband, he would say they looked natural I guess to spare my feelings! So I left the office with two quotes, one for a removal under local sedation, and another for a lift without a removal. He usually waits about 6 months or more after removal to see how the skin contracts and lets the patient determine whether she would like to return for a lift.

I could have sworn I wrote a review about my 2nd consult back at the end of December, but it turns out I did not after all!!! It must have been the craziness of the holidays. Anyway, I saw a female doctor is the South Miami area that has worked on my step mother a few times for reconstruction after breast cancer. She did not dispute that I was having symptoms, and told me that if I wanted to remove them and remove my capsules, she would without hesitation. She shared with me her own experience with implants explaining to me that her last set made her feel like she was suffocating and that she could not breathe at times so she just recently exchanged them and repositioned them. It was nice to hear a female's physician's perspective, someone who has gone through the process herself, and also had experienced some discomfort. She was very easy to talk to and stopped every time to hear what I had to say. She was not detached at all, and seemed to me very empathetic. She even gave me her cell phone in case I were to have any other questions. She did recommend that I get a lift because she said there was a little bit of sagging and she wanted me to feel happy with the outcome after removing the implants. I asked her if I was bottoming out and she said that I was not, that my implants were well positioned, but that my implants were a bit large for my frame. I will strongly consider going with her for my explant but I do want to see at least three doctors before I make my decision.