It took me 3.5 years to get to this point of desperately wanting to remove my breast implants. Out of those 3.5 years, 2.5 were spent feeling exhausted all of the time, weak, having low energy, low motivation and drive, unexplained joint aches, anxiety and depression on and off, and never being able to take a deep breath.

Seemingly unconnected, at the beginning of the summer in 2019 I came to terms with the fact that I had always hated my implants, but had tried to convince myself that I loved them. 

They were way too big for me and made me feel self-conscious, which was the opposite of what I had intended to feel. I thought they would help me feel more self-confident.

I started doing research on removing them, and soon came across information and websites for Breast Implant Illness (BII). I was shocked and had no idea that it could be my implants making me sick all that time.

You can read more about how I came to the decision to remove (explant) my implants here. Read on to hear my explant surgery story and recovery.

Days before explant surgery

My surgery was in Montreal, Canada and I’m from Ontario, so we had a 7-hour drive each way. I didn’t want to make that long of a trip right before or after surgery, so we drove 2 days before and booked an Airbnb for 8 nights. I also wanted to be close to my plastic surgeon in case there were any complications in the first week. 

I think where you stay has a huge impact on your recovery, and I’ve written a separate blog which you can read here for some tips on choosing a great Airbnb.

When we arrived we drove around the area a bit to find the local pharmacies. We also found a great health food store that we went to a couple of times for some things to help with healing. We had a chance to get some groceries for the week and we had a nice dinner at a Greek restaurant. 

The night before surgery my husband and I slept separately because I tend to have a really hard time sleeping before any big event. It turned out to be a good decision because I was able to sprawl out and not worry about waking him or being woken up, and I had a great sleep. 

I was only allowed to eat up until midnight, and I made sure I had something to eat at 11pm so that I wouldn’t be starving the next morning. When you book your date I really recommend asking your surgery center if you can be the first or second surgery of the day so that you’re not crazy hungry! 

I packed a bag with the things I wanted to bring with me to make sure I wasn’t rushing in the morning. I packed Tylenol, some snacks for my husband to eat while he waited for me, and for me to eat on the car ride home if I was hungry. I also brought a bottle of water, rubbing alcohol (smelling it helps to take away nausea!), chapstick, ginger lozenges (helps settle the stomach), and a small thin pillow for the drive home to put between my chest and the seatbelt.

Day of explant surgery

I woke up feeling fairly rested, which was a huge relief. I was a bit hungry but not too bad because I was nervous as well. I was extremely thirsty and wanted a drink of water so badly. What I found helpful was to swish  water around my mouth and then spit it out. Don’t swallow it because you can’t drink anything! This really helped my mouth to not be so dry and (helped) with the urge to drink. 

We mapped out the route to the surgery center the day before and drove it as well to make sure we knew where we were going. Surgery was booked for 10am and we left around 8:30 to make sure we got there in plenty of time. 

Not surprisingly we got there early, and I was glad to have the extra time to sit and relax and wrap my head around what was coming up. I had just sat down in the waiting area when a nurse came to get me. I found out the surgeon was ahead of schedule and asking for me to be prepped.

I had to quickly say goodbye to my husband and go upstairs where I was given a gown to change into. I stayed in the room longer and pretended I was still getting ready so I could send a couple of last messages to my husband and catch my breath.

Prepping for surgery

After I changed I was taken into a room with about 4 hospital-type beds side-by-side with no extra room around them. Just a curtain separating each one. 

Everything was happening so fast, and it felt a little chaotic and stressful. I wish I had been a little more prepared for that. A nurse tried to put an IV in my arm but couldn’t get the vein. She left it for the anesthesiologist to do. 

My surgeon (Dr. Nicholaidis) came in and marked me up for a full lift, and I totally forgot to take a photo of it ☹ I was able to ask him a couple of quick questions. He joked with me a little which helped me to feel a little less stressed.

The anesthesiologist came in next and I reminded him that I have a hard time waking up out of anesthesia. I told him I usually get nauseous after and he told me to think about being hungry as I went under because that tends to make people feel less nauseous when they wake up. It wasn’t hard to think of that on my empty stomach! He was also friendly and jokey which I appreciated.

Surgery time

I was walked into the surgery room and was asked to lie down on the bed. I had some compression type thing put on my legs to help avoid blood clots, and the anesthesiologist put a needle into a vein in my wrist (yuck) since my arm wouldn’t cooperate.

They were all rushing, and I remember commenting that everything shouldn’t be so rushed because it makes people feel more stressed. I must have gone under right after that.

I woke up back in the prep/recovery area with the side-by-side hospital beds, feeling very groggy and out of it. I was wrapped up in bandages and gauze so I couldn’t see too much, except that I was definitely smaller. It was a huge relief to see my implants were gone and I never had to deal with them again!

It must have been a busy day with a lot of surgeries booked between the 2 surgeons who worked there, because there weren’t enough beds and one of the patients was sitting in a chair. It happened to be a male, and he happened to be pretty much right at the end of my bed area which I found a little uncomfortable since I was feeling a little exposed.

I laid down for a while trying to get my bearings, and then a nurse helped me to get up to use the bathroom. I felt lightheaded and nauseous after that, and she gave me alcohol pads to sniff which helped to take away the nausea. These were a life saver! I was given a pain pill and an anti-nausea pill shortly after.

They seemed to want to get me on my way, and the nurse helped me to get my clothes on. I felt so dizzy after going to the bathroom and getting dressed that I laid back down to rest more. I didn’t care if they needed my bed, I wasn’t going to be rushed out before I was ready!

I asked to speak with the surgeon so that I could find out how things went. I had a lump in my right breast that was found a couple of months before surgery and biopsied, but the results were inconclusive. My surgeon was able to remove the lump and send it to pathology along with the implant capsules. 

They took photos of the removed implants with my phone so I could also see I had a total capsulectomy. He removed the entire capsule and attempted an enbloc procedure (removing the capsules all in one piece) but there were a couple of small tears where the capsules were most likely thinner in areas.

The full capsules were removed, which is what he guaranteed he would do. This is very important so that you don’t remain sick afterward, with leached silicone remaining in your body. 

It was about 2 hours after surgery, and 1.5 hours after waking up, when I felt ready to leave. I brought some alcohol pads and a plastic barf bowl with me in the car for the ride home. We had about a one hour drive from the surgery center to get back to our Airbnb (downtown Montreal traffic is crazy!). The drive wasn’t too bad since I still had the pain medicine in me, and our SUV is pretty comfy.

Settling in

It felt good to get back to our Airbnb and be able to climb into bed. We got my “nest” made with my pregnancy pillow, bed pillows, and small cushions to support my body in a semi-sitting position. We made sure I had everything I needed close by. At night I kept a bowl of necessities right on top of my legs so that everything was easily to reach since I couldn’t move my arms far at all.

For the first 3 days I alternated between napping and hanging out in the living room watching Netflix and other shows on the Roku Streaming Media Player we brought (see my packing suggestions here for tips on how to pass the time). 

I was so thankful that I wasn’t in as much pain as I anticipated I would be in, but I was still feeling very sore and tender. I couldn’t get in and out of bed by myself at all. My husband needed to help lower me and pull me up like a drawbridge. 

It was even hard getting on and off the couch for the first couple of days. After a bit of time you get a rhythm and figure out ways to use other muscles and parts of your body to help you maneuver better. If you can buy, borrow or rent a power recliner I would recommend it. That would have been a dream!

Sleep was the absolute hardest time for me after surgery. I am a side sleeper, and lying on my back for around 8 hours a night is torture. I had to get up each night around 2:30, and then again around 4:30 to use the bathroom and stretch by walking around a bit. 

Backaches have been just as bad as the soreness from surgery. It’s really helpful and important to get up at least every hour to walk around your house for at least 5 minutes at a time. It helps with the aches and to avoid getting blood clots.

I only had 1 or 2 of my pain meds in total after surgery, because I found I was okay with extra strength Tylenol. I took 2 of those at a time, every 4-8 hours (when I felt the need) for the first couple of days, then went down to one Tylenol at a time.

Around day 4 I stopped taking the Tylenol, except the odd time when I needed it. I found I was sore, but not in too much pain, and I think it’s good to feel some soreness to help you know if you are moving in a way you shouldn’t and to help you to not overdo things.

I struggled with feeling so helpless and useless while I was unable to move my arms, but I think that’s something most women struggle with. We are doers and used to being on the go much of the time. 

At first I was so excited at the thought of not being able to work, clean, chauffeur my daughter, etc., but when it came time and it wasn’t my choice, it was really hard. I also felt guilty that my husband had to take on so much. 

Not only was he doing his usual list of work, stuff inside and outside the house, and taking care of our animals, but he was also doing my share of responsibilities, and on top of that also taking care of me. 

I had to learn to let go, let myself heal, and let him take care of me, which he was more than happy to do. He has been so amazing and has made me feel so loved and cared for through my recovery.

So the big question was – how did everything look after surgery? I continue my story in part 2.