Post Explant Recovery – Life Without Implants

It seems so crazy to be writing my six month post explant recovery update (If you’re new here check out my initial post about deciding to remove my breast implants). I know it’s a total cliche, but the time really has flown by, especially when I think about how long the lead up to the actual surgery was. But, it was, without a doubt worth the wait and I’m so thrilled about how my life has changed in such a short space of time; and I’m excited for what this could possibly mean for my future. So let’s get in to it…….. I can’t talk about post explant recovery without first talking about the actual explant.

*WARNING – This post contains graphic medical photos*

Admission/Pre Op

The morning of my operation, I arrived at The Spire Murrayfield Hospital in the Wirral at 7.30am. I was promptly taken to my room where my vitals were checked (heart was beating pretty quickly by this point), I had a pregnancy test, and changed in to my gown and very glamorous DVT stockings. The anaesthetist came to meet me and we had a chat about how I would be anaesthetised (explant and uplift surgery requires a general anaesthetic) and monitored throughout the operation. I got to ask any questions and express my concerns and it honestly was incredibly helpful and calming. Then my surgeon came in to see me and marked me up which actually took quite a while, she is a perfectionist after all and I am very thankful for that. We took some before photos and then I had just a few minutes to make some calls to my family. Being first on the list for theatre really does mean that everything happens quite quickly. In a way, this was probably good for my anxiety because I just didn’t have the time to really worry or panic. It also meant I didn’t get too hungry or thirsty – I had been advised to stop eating at midnight, the night before and to only drink water up until an hour before my admission.

At around 9am, a gentleman came to my room to collect me. I put on my slippers and dressing gown and we walked down to the operating theatre. Moments later I was on the table and the hustle and buzz of being in an operating room with lots of staff checking that you’re ok, checking you’re the right person. It can feel pretty intense and overwhelming. I think this was the point where I was probably closest to having a little cry. But the staff were excellent. A couple of deep breaths later and the canula was in and I was told I was about to feel “very drunk.” They weren’t kidding. The ceiling literally started swirling before my eyes and Wham Bam……. I was out.

Recovery/Post Op

When I awoke, the first thing I remember feeling was hot. My vision was blurry and I had yet to be reunited with my glasses, so as I looked at the clock on the wall, I mistakingly thought it said 9am and I was honestly so convinced that my surgery hadn’t been done. Therefore the first words I uttered, in a most disappointed, doped up tone were “have they not done it?” The lovely nurse who was taking care of me in recovery assured me it was all over and that the operation had been a success. It was actually almost four hours later. What a mind fuck anaesthetic is. Once I was convinced that my implants had actually been removed I took a deep breath, the kind of breath I have read about in all of my explant research, and my God; I had forgotten what a deep breath actually feels like. It was a moment I hope I never forget. I knew, right then, that I had 100% done the right thing. I’m not sure I’ve ever had any kind of clarity or such a genuine feeling of certainty before.

During the process of waking up and coming round, I really wasn’t feeling any pain at all and absolutely no nausea. Just dizziness, confusion and my throat was very sore from being intubated. I kept asking for tea, this will be absolutely no surprise to anyone who knows me, and I was promised I could have a cup once I was back in my room. The photographs above were taken at the moment they delivered on that promise. I cannot even begin to express how good that first cup of tea tasted.

The next couple of hours were a mixture of dozing in and out of sleep (where possible with those post op dvt compression devices attached) and being monitored. I remember being so tired and really just wanting to close the door and turn off the lights but this just isn’t possible when on two hourly observations. My blood pressure was quite low and I was advised to keep drinking but of course, this only made me need the bathroom more and getting to the bathroom was A TASK!! During my surgery I had had drains inserted, which I was now carrying around in a pillowcase. I was on an IV drip of pain killers and fluids and I also had to be detached from the DVT devices. So yeah, bathroom breaks were not fun.

About three hours after my surgery I was served my late lunch/dinner and this is when I really started to feel a lot better. I had been advised to have something light so opted for a jacket potato. I didn’t manage to eat all of it but just getting a little bit of nutrition in definitely gave me a boost. I may have also snaffled a few biscuits with another cup of tea – the tea lady was one of my favourite people.

Later that evening, before she went home, my surgeon came in to see me and to talk me through what she had found during my explant surgery. It turns out that my scar capsules were very fibrous and parts of them had actually adhered to my ribs and my muscle. So whilst the implants did come out in tact and were not ruptured, the scar tissue then had to be picked off. Samples of the scar capsules were then sent off for testing. One of my implants was slightly discoloured but there was no sign of any gel bleeds. Both of my chest muscles had to undergo extensive repair and my surgeon reported that they had the texture of thin paper. She confirmed that my temperature had dropped quite considerably whilst I was on the table and that she had been quite concerned about the blood flow to one of my nipples. I later found out (two weeks post op) that a leech was brought in to aid with my blood flow. To be honest, I didn’t ask too much about that. I trust in the science and the less I know about having my blood sucked, the better. But either way, I’m thankful. Both of my nipples are still around. In fact they are also now 7cms higher 😉

I had a pretty restless night, nothing to do with pain by the way, hospitals are just notoriously difficult places to sleep in. My blood pressure had also dropped overnight and remained fairly low until I was discharged. But I felt pretty damn good and I was honestly just so excited to go home and to be in my own bed. My drains were removed in the early afternoon. I was super worried about this but it didn’t hurt at all, just felt really weird. My dressings were checked and my follow up appointments scheduled. Just the two and a half hour journey home to get through then. My advice to anyone who is having this surgery and who chooses to do so in a hospital that isn’t close to home; book yourself in to a hotel for the night that you are discharged. The ride home was the worst part of the whole experience. I was sitting in the back of the car because my son Charlie is autistic and will not relinquish shotgun for anyone or anything. We also got diverted due to an accident on the motorway and the windy, bumpy A-roads were just a nightmare. It was so uncomfortable and it honestly seemed to last forever. But once I was home and tucked up/propped up in bed, I felt so much better.

The next few days really weren’t tough at all. Despite having to get up and down carefully, the DVT stockings and not being able to drive, there really weren’t many inconveniences. The pain was minimal and remained so. I think I stopped taking paracetamol on day 3 or 4 and I didn’t touch the codeine I had been prescribed. The post op bloat that you hear/read about most definitely was real and I think I actually struggled on and off with this for about five weeks. Staying hydrated and eating as healthy a diet as possible is really the only thing that’s going to help in this department. But with a history of food intolerances and a bit of a lazy digestive system, I knew it would be an issue, I just dont think I had prepared myself for quite how much of an issue.

And my new girls? I got my first proper peep at them during a dressing change at 7 days post op and then all of my dressings came off completely a week later. It can be quite an ordeal viewing your breasts for the first time after an explant or an explant and uplift. I was very bruised to begin with. Dark blue bruising which then turned a lovely shade of yellow. But my scars looked so incredibly neat from the get go and I was over the moon with my shape. Again, if you asked me for advice I would say not to get too obsessed with how they look right away. They change SO much. Like literally, every day they looked a little different. I did have a couple of moments in those first few weeks where I worried about stitches, about aesthetics but I just kept reminding myself not to get hung up on it. Like, even now, after 6 months, I still think they’re settling and changing. Take lots of photos so you can compare as you go through your healing journey (my phone is full of boob photos and food photos) and remind yourself that this IS a journey. I didn’t go in to having this surgery expecting to have picture perfect boobs immediately after or even at all. My body has been through a lot. The fact that they look as good as they do; I’m blown away. And they’re soft, and they’re warm. Sometimes I just find myself holding them and it makes me smile because in the months before my explant, they couldn’t be touched at all. Even brushing them against something was painful. Which reminds me, I have so much more sensation, post explant. I could barely feel my nipples at all with the implants in and my surgeon had already informed me that the sensation may not come back. Reader, it has.

The Biggest Improvements

First and foremost, at my two week post operative appointment I was given the most amazing news. The pathology report showed that there was no evidence of ALCL, the type of cancer that is associated with breast implants. So yeah, cheers to that! If that was the one and only postive from having my explant surgery then that’s one hell of a positive.

But in terms of my physical transformation, right away the first thing I saw an improvement in, and that others commented on, was my skin.  I have had a real battle with my skin for 3+ years and overnight, there was a noticeable difference. It was no longer dry. In fact, it was the opposite. When I touched my face it was slick, it was oily. I thought perhaps this was just due to the drugs given to me during and after my operation but this super moisturised, glowing skin lasted for around two weeks, then it begin to reduce slightly and has now stablised to what I hope is “normal” for me. I realise that skin can take a long time to repair and I’m happy to give it as much time as it needs. I did say pre op that if my skin only improved 5% then I would be happy, and at this point I’d say it’s 80% better. The rash type blemishes that were a permanent feature on my cheeks have reduced massively and the overall condition of my skin is just worlds apart from where it was.

Secondly, the pain I was experiencing in my chest was obviously due to my capsular contracture and my muscles being stretched upward. Therefore, once the implants were gone and my muscles were repaired, that pain was instantly gone. But along with it, my heart palpatations. This was MAJOR for me. Sometimes I would have palpatations for hours in the evening and they were often so bad that they made me nauseous. 6 months post op, I think I’ve had the odd palpatation maybe five or six times. It has had such a huge impact on my day to day life and my mood. This along with no more phsycial pain has just made everything about life more enjoyable. Exercise, day to day activities, even sleep. I had gotten so used to the chronic pain that I had forgotten how amazing it is to exist without it.

Another big improvement – energy levels. I was constantly exhausted before my explant surgery. I literally woke up feeling tired and almost hungover. So it was hugely noticeable to me when I was making it through an entire day without feeling like I needed to sit and rest, or I could sit down without my eyes automatically closing. It’s allowed me to feel more like my old self again and that alone makes all of this just so, so worthwhile.

There are many, many more improvements. If I go back to my list of breast implant illness symptoms pre op, 75% of my symptoms have disappeared completely. 10% of them have improved dramatically. This is absolutely insane in just 6 months. I wasn’t expecting such incredible results so quickly but I am here for it and I can’t wait to report back after 12 months and 18 months. I have absolutely no regrets about choosing to remove my breast implants. It’s one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself and for my health. Every day I continue to see improvements and I’m so grateful for every little positive change that occurs. I’m optimistic that the healing will continue as my body detoxes and repairs. I will continue to love it for everything that it is, for everything it has been through and for everything that it allows me to do.

Going Forward

If you’ve made it this far, thank-you for reading about my explant experience and my post explant recovery. I really hope that by sharing all of this, I may help someone else out there who is either considering explant surgery or who has it booked and is now anxiously waiting. I also want to say at this point that I probably wouldn’t even be this far in to healing had I not discovered all the BII research and forums when I did. I am so incredibly grateful to every single woman who has shared her story, her experience and paved the way for myself and so many others. Whilst the support and belief of the general medical professionals may still be lacking, there are hundreds of thousands of real life testimonials out there. Eventually this will pay off. Shouting our truth and insisting that we are heard, sharing our healing, educating others, it’s all helping; bit by bit. Long term scientific studies showing the risks asscoiated with breast implants WILL be published and things WILL change.

If you have any questions at all about anything to do with my surgery, pre op, post op or any part of my recovery and you don’t wish to comment publicly on this post, please feel free to drop me a private message on here. You can also message me on Instagram or Twitter and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

As always, thank you so much for being here.

Beth Anne xoxo