My Explant Surgery Story

Deciding to get my breast implants removed was one of the most empowering and life-changing choices I’ve made, and I’m excited to share that journey with you! After years of dealing with mysterious health issues, I began to suspect that my implants were playing a role in how I was feeling. Spoiler alert: I was right! Three years ago, I took the plunge and said goodbye to them, and I haven’t looked back since.

In this blog post, I’ll walk you through the ups, the downs, and everything in between – because let’s be honest, this wasn’t just a physical change, but an emotional and empowering one too. If you’ve been curious about explant surgery or just want to hear more about my journey to living a healthier, more holistic life, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive in, shall we? You can read the full story below!

Breast Implant Illness

I never really paid too much attention to Breast Implant illness because well, naively I was so excited to have “boobies”! As time had gone by I have felt the below symptoms get significantly worse:

My Breast Implant Illness Symptoms

Low Energy + Fatigue even after a long night sleep

Sleep disturbances

Shoulder/Back/Neck Pain that never seemed to go away

Skin Inflammation

Hair Loss / Thinning

Anxiety & Panic Attacks

Hot Flashes ( I had some last for weeks 24/7 )

Hormonal Imbalance

…and the list goes on!

When it comes to my fertility, it just makes sense to remove them as well. This is my personal opinion and decision, please know that you have to be comfortable with whatever decision you make. For me, having implants causes more inflammation in your body. For someone like me who already suffers from two inflammatory diseases, multiple sclerosis and endometriosis, I can’t imagine having these foreign objects in my body is a good thing.

What’s the deal with implants

When an implants are inserted into your chest wall, your body immediately starts to attack it to get it out! It then forms a “capsule” around the implants, which is scar tissue. Inside of that scar tissue, is where your implants hang out…year after year the capsule grows and thickens. This is where toxins from the implants leak out to, chemicals and metals. Which in end result causes more inflammation and your body on overdrive using it’s energy to get rid of these things!

As far as fertility goes, how can my eggies breath with so much inflammation? How can they grow if they’re not getting the attention they need to mature in a healthy environment? This is why I have taken charge of advocating for myself. I’ve tried most of what Western medicine has offered me, and for my case…it didn’t work or get me pregnant. Changing my lifestyle and diet to an anti-inflammatory one to equip my body not only for a higher chance of fertility but also my health overall.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Gluten Free & Dairy Free ( on occasion ) diet

**Met with a integrative doctor doctor to check my hormones, balancing everything out with new supplements to begin taking and eliminating toxins, metals and viral load.

Not a Medical Pro, But I know My Body

I’m being real with you because I know so many of my friends here are struggling with getting pregnant or just feeling awful without understanding why. If you have implants, it’s something worth considering. While I’m not a medical professional, I do know my body, and you know yours better than anyone. My hope is that this can inspire you to take a step toward feeling better and living a fuller, healthier life!

Soon to be returning to the itty bitty small committee and proud of it.

Post Surgery Tee’s

The Night Before Surgery

The night before surgery, I drank water all day until I couldn’t. I had to stop all water and food before 12 at night so I made sure to drink up to stay hydrated because I knew for the next day I would feel extremely out of it if I didn’t, plus easier to find a vain for IV placement. I showered that evening with anti-bacterial soap by DIAL the clinic recommended, dried my hair, took all jewelry out and didn’t apply any lotion.

And I went to bed, the last night of having these bags inside of me. Goodnight titties, farewell and good riddance.

Surgery Day

I woke up, brushed my teeth, still feeling thirsty but unable to drink anything. My mom, my husband, and I headed out, arriving at the hospital by 10:30 am, with surgery set for 12:45 pm.

Once I got registered, slipped into my gown, and settled into my room, the jitters hit. I found myself nervously cracking jokes with the nurses – because that’s just my go-to when anxiety kicks in. Humor is my shield! Thankfully, my mom stayed by my side during the prep, which helped ease my nerves a bit. But let’s be real, the worst part? The waiting. Sitting there, just anticipating. Then, it’s go time. he Anesthesiologist came in and went over everything with me, and about an hour later, the nurses came to roll me out. They wheel you into the surgery room, switch your “hydration juice” to “sleepy juice,” and boom – you’re out like a light! See ya boobies!

Time For Surgery

“I love you mom, see you on the other side” …as I nervously said my goodbye, by the time I heard the nurse changing my IV tube to something different, I knew I’d be out soon.

Literally what felt like a eye blink later, I was up and talking gibberish. I felt a nurse feeding me a cup with ice and my husband Lucas with my mother trying to speak to me. They rolled me out to the car, and I was pretty drugged up and a little nauseous. Nothing too crazy though, thankfully! And off to home I went, and straight into bed.

How long does the surgery take?

My surgery took around almost 2 hours. I had a capsulectomy en bloc done with implant removal. My implants were 300cc’s on each side, silicon by Mentor. I was a double A prior to implants and a small C with implants. The scar tissue was removed, as you can see below. Warning, if you get grossed out scroll by fast, haha.

My actual implants!

You can ask your doctor if you want your implants, of course they sterilize and clean them before giving them back to you in a little bucket. It’s nuts how heavy they felt!

After Surgery

After surgery initially you’re going to just sleep a lot, elevated with this handy pillow I found on amazon. It truly helped, otherwise I’d have to stick about 30 pillows underneath me to prop myself up. I highly recommend purchasing if you’re going to get an ex-plant surgery. Have your antibiotics and pain medication ready to take when you’re allowed, you will need it for the first day and possibly second but by post OP Day 3 I was only taking 2 Advils to take care of the pain. I can’t believe these were on my chest. Almost weighing in at 2 lbs all together! Wild!

Post OP Day 2

Wow, the changes I’ve already experienced are incredible, and I can’t wait to see how much more transformation is ahead. Breast implant illness is real, and I’m beyond grateful to my amazing Dr. Rotatori, who supported me every step of the way, without an ounce of judgment. Now, it’s all about healing and embracing this new chapter. I’ll never look back or regret the decision to remove those silicone bags – it was the best choice for my health and my future!

Comfort Gear Finds

After Surgery & Healing

Take it easy – seriously, now is the time to relax and binge-watch all the Netflix you want. Your only job is to chill and let your body heal. Hydrate like crazy and try to sneak in naps whenever you can – sleep is when the magic of healing happens! Focus on eating lots of protein and greens to fuel your recovery, but hold off on any detoxing – your body needs nourishment right now. Make sure someone’s with you for the first three days, especially since you’ll feel a bit lightheaded and wobbly when standing up, even just to use the bathroom. Trust me, anesthesia can do a number on your system, so by day two, grab something like Metamucil to help get things moving.

By day three, I started taking short “adventures” around my living room – nothing major, just a few laps from my office to the kitchen and back to bed. Moving around a bit helps with circulation, and every little bit counts. On a pain scale from 1 to 10, I’d give the explant surgery a solid 5 or 6. It’s definitely not as painful as getting implants, but let’s be real – it’s not a walk in the park either. But the discomfort? Totally worth it.

Here’s a heads-up though: if you decide to sneak a peek at your chest after surgery (or in the days following), brace yourself. Honestly, if you can, wait about five days. If you look too soon, it might be a bit shocking. I sure had a moment – I got emotional, cried, and felt waves of guilt, thinking, “Andi, why did you do this to yourself?” My breasts looked smaller, deflated, and one even had a dent. The change hit me hard, and it’s normal to feel all the emotions. But, I promise, it gets better. And just like when you got implants they “drop and fluff” toom it took about 3 months for my breast to re-round themselves the dents to go away and look normal again.

Scared of Explant Surgery?

Your worth and beauty are not defined by your breasts. Yes, they might look different now, but you’ve made a bold, brave choice to prioritize your health by removing those toxic implants. Give yourself the grace and time to heal, and don’t beat yourself up for getting implants in the first place. We all make decisions that don’t always turn out how we expect – but that doesn’t define us.

I get it – implants may have boosted your confidence, but remember the pain, the risks, and the sadness they brought. Now, they’re gone! That’s a reason to celebrate. Small boobs, flat chest – who cares? Health is everything, and I am so much more than the size or shape of my breasts. My beauty and truth come from God, not some man-made silicone! Boom, mic drop. 🎤

I’m excited for this fresh chapter in my life and health journey. I can already say – just five days after surgery – that my shoulder pain and tendinitis are gone! My eyes are brighter, my brain fog has lifted, and that constant fatigue? Completely vanished. Oh, and those daily hot flashes I was suffering from? Not a single one since the surgery. The healing is real, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

Please be sure to reach out to me if you have any questions and I’m here to help! Follow my journey and more on instagram. Check out more of my Wellness posts here!

Love and God Bless you on your journey! Don’t be afraid! The Good News: Take your fears to the Lord and He will transform your life.