My Explant Story & Breast Implant Illness

My Explant Story & Breast Implant Illness:

I'm not even sure where to begin this story of mine.  Let's just start with SURPRISE!!!  I've had breast implants for over 13 years!  I got them in December 2009, 6 months after I stopped breast feeding my youngest and had lost a ton of weight really fast.  I literally weighed 105 pounds and nursed her for 13 months, so I was FLAT chested!!! I did some research about implants and did not find much except that saline was the safest option versus silicone.  All I knew was that this was due to if there was a leak or rupture, saline would not be harmful to my body.  They make you feel all safe about things and say they have a lifetime warranty, but that's only on the bags themselves if they rupture.  They also say that they are pressure tested and very unlikely to rupture.  So the only thing past that, that I was concerned with was finding the best doctor to do the job and to not die during surgery since it was elective!  I did consultations with 5 doctors and chose Dr. Buckspan in Green Hills, right outside Nashville, TN.  He was wonderful and did a fabulous job and I was very happy with them and the look even up to my explant surgery!  To be 100% honest, I did not want to have them removed at all!  But the reason I chose to was 100% for my health.  If you've been here since I started this blog then you will remember that I have had lots of health issues for many years.  In the beginning they were all a mystery and I was on a mission to find answers and feel better!  When I targeted my gut health and blood sugar balance I started feeling so much better and really felt like I was good to go for many years.  Then some things started creeping up slow at first that were a bother but I could deal with it!  I first heard of breast implant illness in 2018 when Dani Williamson was interviewing one of her patients who had just explanted on her instagram channel back when it was IGTV.  At the time there weren't many symptoms associated with BII and I didn't have any of those listed, so I dismissed it and moved on.  Then in May 2020, I got this really dry spot on my face between my eyes and it would not go away no matter what I did!  Then it became more like a rash and then it spread on my face.  Then in November I had a spell of high blood pressure out of no where.  I managed to get it under control with breathing techniques for about a year and then my kidneys started hurting and the BP was so high I felt like I was going to stroke out!  I saw a cardiologist and he ran every test on me with no answers.  He sent me for a CT scan with and without contrast of my kidneys to look at the renal arteries and adrenal glands. Everything looked and appeared normal.  He referred me to an endocrinologist and she ran more tests and labs and again, all normal.  After dealing with this for 6 months, I started having bad join pain in my feet.  This was so miserable because I am a fitness instructor and a health coach and here I am falling apart even though I am doing all the things to be healthy.  BUT... I had these toxic bags in my chest that had been there for 13 years.  A friend of mine came on instagram and shared that her implants had been recalled linked to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.  She shared the link to find out more, so I of course clicked it to read about it.  As I was reading I went to find my info to see if mine were on the list.  They were not but I did have the same brand, Natrelle, made by the same manufacturer, Allergan.  You can read more about that here: https://www.breastimplantcancer.org/blog/allergan-implant-recall/

So with that information, it was close enough for me to know that due to my family history of breast cancer, I needed these things out!  So then I began my research to chose the right surgeon to remove them.  When you get implants your body starts to form a capsule around them because they're a foreign object and the body does this as a way to protect itself.  This capsule is very vascular and must safely be removed as a whole with the implants inside.  Once the capsule with implants inside are removed then the capsule can be removed from the implant.  This is call a total en-bloc capsulectomy.  If you are in the Nashville area, Dr. Nicholas Tarola in Murfreesboro is who I used because my original surgeon had retired. It's also important to have a surgeon that believes in BII, because it is not yet recognized as a medical diagnosis.  

This is me on the way home from surgery.  Looking a little pale but feeling pretty good actually!

These drains were with me for 8 days and let me tell you, they were NOT fun!  But necessary to get all excess fluid out of my body so that it didn't get infected or make me really sick!

Found this on another gals social media and thought it was pretty funny!  

Day 2 post op, I've showered and got all wrapped up again!  These boho overalls were the best!

These are ingredients of the silicone shell which all implants have!  Even saline!

I had about 28 of these symptoms on this list here!

I still have the drains, but have moved into a soft surgical bra here!

Not sure why but the rash on my face seems to be coming back.  Can you see the bruising on my chest?

This is where the drains are inserted and they bothered me so bad because they felt like they were up against the rib bone.  I went back to the wrap to hold them more in place because even to breathe deep hurt because it moved them and pulled on the stitches.  These suckers were about 12" inside of me!

This rash on my face seems to fade at times and then flare back up at times.  I guess it's part of the detox.

Ok, so here are the capsules around the implants after they were removed, and then implants removed.

Another list of symptoms

Finding encouragement from other women who have also explanted like this on social media is the best!

As of today writing this I am just shy of 4 weeks explant date!  Can't wait to see how things are improving at the 3 month mark!  

Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions and I will do my best to point you in the right direction, or answer them to the best of my knowledge!  I am in no way saying that you NEED to explant if you have implants, just sharing my story for anyone who has been sick and has been told everything is normal and you feel like you're crazy because you don't feel normal at all!  The FDA agreed to put a black label warning on all breast implants in 2018 I believe, but the problem is that most patients never know about this warning.  New laws today are trying to be passed that requires the Doctors to inform all patients about the risk so they can actually give an informed consent to have the surgery performed.  

I encourage anyone interested in learning more about the history of breast implants and their known problems and health risks and issues since the 1960's to watch the documentary "Explant" with Michelle Visage.  You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount +, and YouTube (primetime subscription).

 

Momma's got a new Biz

Actually it's two businesses in one!  First of all I am happy to announce that the reason I have been MIA lately is because I have been studying, learning and getting certified in Health and Wellness coaching.  I got this certificate from Dr. Josh Axe, after taking his 8 week course, Institute for Nutritional Leadership.  Then I had to build a website and find a product that I would use for my clients.   So without further ado... I present to you my new businesses... (drum roll please)

Feel free to visit my website and check out the new business!  aliciatrottercoaching.my.canva.site

 Now on to the second business that is also part of the Health Coaching biz as well...(another drum roll please) the product I chose to use with my clients is Plexus Worldwide.  Why did I choose this company?  Well if you know me, then you will know that I do not do anything without researching and really looking into every possible aspect of it.  This company is top notch first off, and secondly they have a product that is all natural, non GMO and gluten free.  Their prices are reasonable and even cheaper than some brands that I have used in the past.  The thing that makes me the most happy is that the products combine several things I was already taking which made me really happy because I'm all about simple.  And since my business name includes the word "simple" in it, I needed a product that was simple as well. For example the probiotic they have also has digestive enzymes in there too!  A great product in one that supports digestive health!  Want to find out what other products they offer, visit my product website where you can shop and order today.  There are 3 ways to buy, retail, preferred and wholesale.  Retail is full price, preferred is like setting up your Amazon auto monthly ship where you get a bit of a discount for doing so, and wholesale is like being a member of Costco.  Pay a cheap yearly fee and buy products at wholesale.  So visit the website and cruise around to see what products you think might work for you!  I'll also be writing more articles on the products and what I have seen them do in my life and those family members and friends who also use the products!

aliciatrotter.myplexusproducts.com

I'd love your feed back too so let me know what you think! 

Are you "weight loss resistant"?

What is "weight loss resistance" you may be wondering?!?  It is basically where you can NOT loose weight no matter how hard you try.  You are eating right, working out, and nothing is happening, in fact you may even be gaining weight instead!  This is a problem that affects about 70% of the population and it is under the umbrella of Auto Immune. 

I wrote a post a little bit ago about Auto Immune and what it even is.  http://trottingthrulife.blogspot.com/2014/09/autoimmune-problems-what-does-it-even.html
I talked about my ups and downs with health and eventually becoming weight loss resistant.  At the time of the post, I was doing a SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) detox.  What this did was KILL off all the bacteria in my gut, both good and bad.  It was pretty intense as I was very limited to what I could eat because carbs and fiber feed all kinds of bacteria and make it multiply and grow.  How did I know I had bad bacteria in my gut?  I had previously worked with a Nutritional Therapist and she did a stool sample on me to see what was going on in there.  This is how we initially found out.  I took an all natural anti-microbial for 3 months to kill the bad guys off, but they just came back.  So after learning more about bad bacteria and how it grows, it was necessary to eliminate the carbs and fiber and take the supplements all together in order to truly get the bad guys gone!  Some people can rid their bodies of this in 15 days, however my body was stubborn and it took 30 days.  After those 30 days were over, I was able to reintroduce carbs in the form of veggies.  I did this in very small amounts and did not take the extra supplement of fiber this time!
Also while doing this 30 days of detox, I made sure to consume plenty of healthy fats. I did this in the form of "bulletproof" coffee and "fat bombs".  http://trottingthrulife.blogspot.com/2014/09/eating-fat-to-burn-fat.html  Which believe it or not, my body actually started burning fat again and I lost 11 pounds! 
Now I am on the phase of healing the individual cells through a "CORE cellular healing" program.  You can look this up by doing a Google search of Dr. Pompa.  He's the guy who developed this program.  There are plenty of you tube videos also where he explains everything in great detail.  It really does make sense! 
So as of today...I am on my second round of the CORE supplements, feeling great, and working towards healing my individual cells.  My heavy metals test revealed that I still had some in my system that were in the yellow, Aluminum & Mercury to name the top 2.  There were some other ones too but not commonly known.  I have 2 silver fillings and I am meeting with a holistic dentist on Nov 17 to have a consultation about having those properly removed and replaced.  This will help because those fillings are constantly leaching out into our system making our cells inflamed and when the body is inflamed that's when diseases thrive!  This doesn't happen over night, but over a LONG period of time.  Also there is Mercury in our mascara, and aluminum in our deodorant, so considering our skin is like a big sponge, we are absorbing toxins by simply using beauty products.  I don't mean throw out everything you have and go buy new, but you can check out  what you have by using www.cosmeticdatabase.com.  They rate products on a scale of 0-9 with 9 being highly toxic! 

I know this is a LOT of information and you may be feeling overwhelmed, trust me I know!  I did not begin to feel sick over night, nor did I begin my healing journey in one step.  Feeling sick came on over the course of 4-5 years and I baby stepped into this healing journey which I am still on that started about 2 1/2 years ago.  I don't have all the answers nor do I claim to, however, writing this blog I am hopeful that through my transparencies I can encourage others to take control of their health and begin their own journey to healing! 
*Please consult you health care practitioner before going off any meds or taking any supplements.  I am not a Doctor nor do I claim to be one.  (I just play one on TV!  LOL)

Jello Jigglers

 This is the brand of gelatin that I use.  I order it on Amazon.  This is the only brand that I am aware of that is from grass fed cows.  Gelatin has protein in it and also has many beneficial properties that we should be consuming daily!  www.hollywoodhomestead.com  has lots of interesting info on gelatin and the benefits for you.

 Using juice such as this, is low in sugar and tart cherry has beneficial properties as well for reducing inflammation.  Juice that is not from concentrate is the best choice. 

I heat 1 cup of water to boiling and then remove from heat.  I then add 5 TBSP of gelatin sprinkled over the top and let dissolve.  Once it is dissolved, I add 2 cups of the juice and 1/2 cup of raw honey and whisk until combined.  Then I pour into a glass 8X8 casserole dish and put in the fridge until it is set up.  Cut into squares and eat!  Store in a container in the fridge!

Autoimmune problems, what does it even mean?

If you have been following my blog since the beginning then you know I have been struggling with my health on and off for the past 6 1/2 years.  I have discovered a few things along my journey and most have given me knowledge, power, and relief from my symptoms.  Some on the other had have only given me relief for a limited time.  I have tried may different things, chiropractor, yoga, nutritional therapist, western medicine, all kinds of testing, labs, procedures, you name it, I have had it done.  Now, I know what you must be thinking about now...this girl is crazy and a hypochondriac.  Let me defend myself first of all by saying, I may be crazy, but these symptoms are REAL!  And I am not alone in how I feel!  The symptoms are all encompassed under the umbrella of "Autoimmune Disease".  Now what is autoimmune?  It is basically where your body starts to attack itself because it thinks of itself as a  foreign substance.  Scientists have found out that almost all of these diseases begin in the gut.  Due to the highly toxic world we live in, our guts can get these tiny holes in the lining and we get "leaky gut" which is what causes the attack on self.  You may be thinking, I don't think I live in that toxic of a world, but let me point out a few things here. 
~chemicals in pesticides from non-organic foods we eat
~pesticides in GMO foods we eat (this means genetically modified and that means the seed contains the pesticide in it so that bugs and pests won't eat the produce)
~Beauty products
~water
~medicine
~cookware
~plastic storage containers
~aluminum foil
~bad oils used for cooking
~pollution in our air
The list could go on for ever! 
So if bugs and pests wont eat GMO grown produce, then why would we want to?  It's like eating pesticide!  Products that are most heavily GMO, corn, soy and rice! 
What can you do about all of this?  Buy local from your farmers market where you can talk to your farmer and ask these questions.  Buy from Trader Joes who's mission is to always sell NON-GMO foods!  Whole Foods, Kroger, Wal-Mart and Publix also carry a variety of non-GMO foods, just look for the label on the product! (most always found in the organic section)

Most recently my adrenal fatigue symptoms started sneaking back in a little bit.  The ones of feeling like I was spinning and going to pass out, and the inability to cope with the issues of daily life.  It was not as debilitating as it was, but now I can recognize the symptoms and get to the bottom of things in the beginning instead of letting them get me DOWN!

So I attended a health speaking engagement that one local chiropractor put on for the community for free.  He talked about leaky gut, inflammation, heavy metal toxins, thyroid issues, and weight loss resistance. 

Things I knew I had were, bad bacteria in my gut from the stool samples the NT had discovered and how baffled she was after 3 months of antimicrobials that some were killed , but even more came back.  Also I was always in pain in my back!  I have scoliosis and have since I was 11, but I have had severe back pain since I was 22.  That's been 15 years of suffering a bad back that flares up from simply mopping my floors.  I occasionally had a metallic taste in my mouth, but never thought much about it, and over the past 6 months, I had began gaining weight at a rapid rate.  I was eating like I always do, paleo/primal, and working out 5-6 days a week, so this continual weight gain was so discouraging! 


I decided to do the initial testing with this chiropractor and was shocked to find I had the highest level of inflammation you could have and that I failed all parts of the heavy metal toxin test.  This immediately brought concern to my mind.  I know that diseases LOVE to live in an inflamed environment, especially cancer!  With my family history so strong on both sides of cancer, I do not want to take any chances!  So I told him I wanted to do his CORE cellular detox program. 

In the beginning of the plan I had to make homemade beef broth from grass fed beef bones and could only consume broth and water with salt and coconut oil for 4 days.  This was SO hard!  I did not feel well at all and (sorry for the details), I felt like I was prepping for a colonoscopy for all 4 days.  During this time I was also taking supplements to kill of all the bacteria in my gut, good and bad, along with any yeast, and fungus.  Then a binder to flush all the dead stuff out.  After the 4 days, I could introduce beef, lamb, venison or chicken as long as it was wild, grass fed or free range.  It had to only be seasoned with salt and could be topped with real butter or coconut oil.  I could also eat eggs.  I followed this all protein for 11 days, still drinking broth and taking the supplements.  On day 16, I was allowed to introduce fiber and carbs in supplement form and through veggies and more healthy fats in avocados.  I was reinnoculating my gut with the good bacteria though kefir drinks and whey water along with fermented veggies and probiotics.  The fiber and carbs feed the bacteria so this good bacteria will flourish and grow!  After about 4 full days of this part of the plan, I began to feel very bloated and miserable!  I contacted the Dr. and he said that I should stop all carbs and fiber and back up to the protein again. Apparently I had not killed off all the bad guys and the fiber and carbs were also feeding them.  I have been back on the protein now for 5 days and the killing supplements again for 3.  I am feeling better, so I feel very confident that he was right about that being the problem.  Here's the crazy thing...when I started this plan my weight was about 12-15 pounds more than my normal.  The first 4 days on the broth it went up 2.5 more pounds, due to the fluid volume overload.  Then once I was on the protein for a week, I had lost 6 pounds.  When the carbs got reintroduced, the weight shot back up 3.5 pounds.  Then once I went back to the protein, I lost the 3.5 pounds in 3 days.  To me that was crazy how much weight can fluctuate from bloat caused by bad bacteria growing in the gut and taking over.

I am such a strong willed person that I do plan to stick this out all the way to the end no matter what!  I am hoping and praying that this will be the solution to my leaky gut.  Heal and Seal it!  That's what I am going for! 
I have not had any pain whatsoever in 24 days, which is huge for me!  And my belly is flat again without having to try so hard to hold it in all the time!  I have tons of energy and  I am sleeping better than I have since before I had kids! 
I can tell by taste and smells that my body has detoxed the heavy metals, but I will have those checked again once I am done with the fast.  You may wonder how I was so toxic...mercury, titanium dioxide, aluminum, are all found in beauty products, medicines, cookware, foils, and gum.  Read your ingredients and you'll be shocked!  (mascara, "natural" gums and toothpaste, mineral makeup)
I also had my thyroid checked, which is more than just the typical TSH test.  My TSH was always normal, however my reverse T3, was off the charts.  That's a whole other blog post, talking about the many tests for thyroid that are not being performed! 
So...stay tuned for more results and hopefully a cure to the autoimmune problems I suffer from!  One that will last forever!