If you have been experiencing symptoms of chronic illness and had breast implants, you may be suffering from breast implant illness. Many women with breast implant illness experience chronic fatigue, sleep disturbances, and anxiety in addition to other symptoms. At EC Restorative, we can get to the root cause of your symptoms to help improve your health.
What are Symptoms of Breast Implant Illness?
Breast implant illness is not a common thing that you will hear about from your doctor or even in casual conversation with someone since it is not a recognized “diagnosis.” But this does not make it any less real. Hundreds of thousands of women undergo surgery for implants every single year, and the vast majority of them will eventually end up experiencing health symptoms as a side effect.
My Story And Why I’m Passionate About Helping Women
I, myself, am a breast implant illness survivor. I decided to get breast augmentation in March of 2016. It was the last time that I did not question something and just took someone’s word for it.
I was a young, single mom struggling with my self-image at the time. My breasts were deflated and saggy from breastfeeding my child for over a year. It seemed like every shirt or dress I tried on was made to show off big cleavage. It also didn’t help that the men I was dating all had a thing for large boobs.
I saved for years to get those dumb implants, thinking it would be life-changing for me and boost my confidence through the roof. When the day finally came to get them, I remember being so sure of my decision.
It took my body only 3.5 months to start reacting to the implants and symptoms to pile on~ starting with slowed thyroid function. I didn’t know that was the reason at the time, but as months passed, it became obvious that it wasn’t diet, lifestyle, exercise, or any other of the obvious things my Dr wanted to blame them on.
Bloodwork kept coming back normal; in fact, “it was perfect,” in my doctor’s words. And I couldn’t understand why all of a sudden I was gaining weight, getting mysterious rashes, unable to stay awake past 8 pm, and even needing naps throughout the day. Not only that, I had unexplained anxiety attacks and thinning hair.
I Took My Health Education Into My Own Hands
Frustrated and not feeling good, I started digging around and stumbled across a largely populated Facebook group about breast implant illness. When I started reading thousands of stories that sounded so similar to mine, it was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders, but also crushed me at the same time. I knew instantly this is what was causing my decline.
In December 2018, I had my implants and capsules removed (full enbloc) and felt some relief of symptoms immediately, but not the 180 turn-around I was hoping for that so many women claimed they felt. I knew that the implants were the original source of the issues, but the destruction that they caused needed further attention and detox.
After going through a few functional medicine doctors, I decided to return to school and get my Functional Medicine Practitioner Certification to further heal myself and help other women who were struggling just like I was. While education is purposeful and necessary, there is nothing like having someone guide and support you through healing than someone who has walked the road you’re on and gone through the same things. I am so passionate about helping other women feel their best and empowering them to live without limitations again!
My Approach to Treating This Illness
With my E.X.P.L.A.N.T. method, we focus on energy optimization through blood sugar balancing, nutrition counseling, sleep hygiene, intentional movement, boosting the immune system, detoxification of harmful pathogens/ heavy metals/ chemicals, rebuilding gut integrity, body image and self-confidence that is not dependent on breasts, and healing the nervous system. Everything is customized to you by integrating functional labs, root cause approach, and clinical correlation.
What Are The Symptoms of Breast Implant Illness?
Breast implant illness is different from breast cancer, and breast implant illness affects women who have had cosmetic enlargement or reconstructive surgery on their breasts. It’s not a well-understood condition by mainstream doctors, but according to this recent study on breast implant illness, individuals are suffering from breast implant illness.
There are over 75+ reported symptoms now reported to be associated with BII. How they show each individual person will depend on many different factors.
Most people will not associate the symptoms that they experience with their breast implants. Things like autoimmune disease, fatigue, hormone imbalance, weight gain, and rashes can often be brushed off as a cause of something else. The reality is, though, that implants have a black box warning, and most people do not have informed consent of the risks and complications that come along with them.
The chemical soup of ingredients they use includes a mixture of heavy metals, known carcinogens, neurotoxins, and heat-sensitive material. Even saline implants contain these chemicals since the shell comprises the same ingredients as silicone implants. These chemicals leach out into our bodies and result in health issues.
Some of the symptoms of breast implant illness include the following:
- Sleep disturbances
- Breathing problems
- Concentration and memory problems
- Muscle and joint pain
- Chronic fatigue
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Hair loss
- Headaches
- Brain fog
- Skin rashes and other problems
- Dry eyes and mouth
Symptoms can appear any time after the surgery where the implants are placed in the body, but some people begin to develop symptoms anywhere from immediately to years later. There is an overlap of symptoms that are linked to breast implant illness as well as connective tissue disorders and autoimmune disorders like scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, or lupus.
If you have breast implants and have been dealing with chronic symptoms for a while, you may have breast implant illness. At EC Restorative, we evaluate your symptoms and develop a protocol to help restore your health.
Commonly Asked Questions About Breast Implant Illness
Women who are searching for whether they are being affected by breast implant illness often ask these questions:
Do Doctors Believe in Breast Implant Illness?
The short answer is no; not all doctors believe that breast implant illness is real. However, here at EC Restorative, we have met with many individuals who are dealing with unexplained symptoms and have learned that their breast implants are the root cause of their condition.
How Long Does it Take After Breast Implants to Experience Symptoms?
Symptoms associated with breast implant illness can begin at any time after surgery. Some individuals may begin experiencing symptoms immediately, while others do not develop symptoms until years later.
Call Us To Schedule
When you are a patient of ours, you know that we don’t just treat symptoms, but we get to the root cause of your symptoms. We dig deeper, take a thorough health history to see what’s happening and help develop a plan to restore your health.
Call us today to schedule an appointment with EC Restorative. Don’t suffer anymore; we understand what it’s like to have strange symptoms without answers. Give our office a call today to schedule your first appointment. We look forward to working with you!