My Story about Breast Implant Illness

 

Background

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I decided to share my health journey and be transparent with my personal experience and healing from breast implant illness. Women out there might have similar symptoms, in pain, and struggling to find an answer to their multitude of symptoms. It all started back in 2008 when I started getting lethargic, having no energy, and feeling little or no motivation. I experienced chronic fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms, and joint pain. Also, I had been suffering from cognitive dysfunction (brain fog), depression, mood swings, head and neck pain, cold hands, and feet. I went from being active and able to juggle many tasks, to struggling to complete a simple everyday task.

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My annual physical exam turned up normal, and through the years, the symptoms got worse. I suspected it was just hormonal issues; after all, it is inevitable as I was getting older. Doctors had prescribed antidepressants and sleeping pills. Experiencing all of these debilitating symptoms, I felt I am slowly dying. I struggled to complete my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and later abandoned my pursuit. As the years progressed, I had to reduce my working days to relieve stress in hopes to improve the quality of my life but to no avail. I lost my zest for life!

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My Treatment Journey

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Upon a friend's recommendation, I went to a doctor who specializes in hormones in Carmel, CA, back in 2008. Since then, I have been a patient of a handful of integrative and naturopathic doctors. I have been diagnosed with insomnia, Hashimoto disease, hypothyroid, adrenal dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, and depression. Doctors prescribed custom-compounded bioidentical hormones (pills, patch, cream, suppository). I had taken countless of premium supplements, IV vitamin therapy,  along with endless and expensive blood work, and saliva tests. I endured painful hormone pellet, cervical cell biopsy but all these modalities only gave me temporary and mostly hormonal relief. 

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Unable to find the answers, I sought out traditional Chinese medicine and removed all dental amalgams and replaced them with porcelain. I was looking at all dimensions of treatments and long term healing; unfortunately, my symptoms for the unknown illnesses persisted for over ten years throughout every sort of multiple modalities I went through.

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The "Aha!" Moment

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Last year, after endless research for a cure, I was so grateful I came across a website called Healing Breast Implant Illness.  I joined their Fb group, along with Dr. Chun's support group and other helpful Fb groups. The amazing stories I had read and the photos shared by brave women helped me uncovered that my experience and health symptoms are one shared by hundreds of thousands of women with breast implants illness. It was at that moment when I connected the dots, and suddenly a light bulb brightened up. It was then that I truly believed that the root of my illness was my breast implants. Most of the symptoms I’m suffering from, generally refer to the condition as Breast Implant Illness (BII****). The signs and symptoms were all about my body and immune system response rejecting the breast implants.

 

Click here The Doctors - Risks and Complication of Breast Implants

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Click here What the FDA says about breast implant illness (BII). 

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Flashback

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My 13-year old first breast implants ruptured, so I had my second set of saline breast implants replaced in 2013. Two years later, I ended up with painful grade-4 capsular contractures**. For years, I kept convincing myself and hoping that someday they would heal and soften along with the horrible symptoms would go away in time but to no avail. I finally made an appointment and had my explant and mastopexy surgery with Dr. Chun in Newport Beach CA, on July 3, 2019. I chose Dr. Chun because he is a very skilled surgeon in En Bloc/Total Capsulectomy*** and an expert microsurgeon.