Pixie's Story by Pixie I am a 41 year old mother of two, and grandmother, yup, that's right, grandma of two sweet boys! I've had implants for 20 years. They are saline filled 200cc's. Not big, but not small. The reason I got implants is because after two children at such a young age, I lost all of what little breast tissue I had. I had been really lucky and had been trouble free until the last year. I experienced several infections that my doctor could not find a cause for. They included multiple sinus infections and yeast infections, a lung infection, a toenail fungus. I also experienced slight hair loss, dry eyes and nose, cough for no apparent reason, fatigue, irritable bowels and a multitude of other non-descript aches and pains. Are they all from the implants? Well, I can't really say for sure yet. But this story will be edited as my saga unfolds. I decided to get my implants removed because I thought one of them was leaking. My original pHs (plastic surgeon) told me there is no way they could be leaking, he also told me there is no way they have any bacteria or fungi in them so that is not the reason I am ill. We'll see... I am scheduled for explant on March 20th/2002 with Dr. Feng. I have gone through a myriad of emotions since scheduling my appointment. At first I was excited then frightened and now, as the day draws near, I am terrified that I will not like being small again. I think it is because when I think about how I was before augmentation, I remember small saggy empty sacks of skin. I have enjoyed my implants and although they are not perfect, I have loved having the shape they afforded me. So, why don't I just re-implant you ask? Well, because I believe that all the infections are from the implants. Also, I don't want to have to go through more surgeries as I get older... if you get implants you will have more surgery. I just don't want to go through the pain and financial strain of it all, not to mention the fact that I may not be as lucky with implants a second time around. So explant it is. I did decide however, that I did not under any circumstances want to do the explant without getting "fixed up" so, I opted for a breast lift (mastoplexy) They may be small after, but at least they should look perky ;) Explant and mastoplexy done! Yeah!! I arrived at Dr. Feng's office terribly nervous. I sat in the beautiful waiting room with my Mom and sister and had to keep wiping the sweat from my palms. Finally they called me in, Mom and Lynda came with me for support. Dr. Feng instantly made me feel relaxed and free to discuss my concerns. We talked about why I got the implants, how I felt about the experience and why I want them removed. It was then time to undress and let Dr. Feng examine me. She was so completely down to earth that in no way was I at all nervous or modest. After quite a lengthy examination, Dr. Feng informed me that I would be a "B" cup after explant and lift...I almost cried I was so relieved. I still had my doubts of course but trusted her and didn't think about it again. Dr. Feng then drew on me with her surgical marker and I knew then that I was in good hands. Her markings were so steady and precise. I remember thinking "wow! if she takes this much time just to get the drawing right, I know she's going to do a beautiful job during surgery. Mom and Lynda were equally impressed and we all talked and laughed during the consultation. After the drawing was complete, I got dressed and Dr. Feng showed us photo's of explant and mastoplexy that she has done. There was such a huge difference in the before and after photo's and each and every woman looked better after... that was enough for me...now I was positive I would be happy with the outcome. The day of surgery Wed. March 20, I arrived at 6am. My blood pressure was through the roof since I was still nervous about going under. The nurse started my IV drip and then the anesthesiologist came in and asked a bunch of questions. My sister, being a nurse herself, had a lot of questions for him as well. She was very impressed and assured me then that I was in good hands and would get top of the line medications here. I said goodbye to Mom and Lynda and walked into the surgical suite with the nurse. Everyone there was all big smiles but I still had tears in my eyes as I climbed up onto the operating table. I didn't have to wait more than a few seconds before the anesthesia began to kick in and I was overcome with a sense of peace and then ... out. I awoke to the soft voice of the nurse calling my name. I instantly began crying, not because of pain, but because of relief that it was over and I was awake. I drank too much as I was so thirsty, and paid for it by getting sick. I was soon ready to leave and Mom and Lynda helped me into the car and off we went. I felt really weak and tired by the time we got to the hotel and ended up getting sick once more before I could finally rest. I needed several pillows to prop me up as laying flat hurt too much. Thank goodness for percocet. Day two came and went finding me already feeling 100% better. I'm sure I'd have hardly been in any pain had it not been for the drains. By Friday afternoon my left side was already well under the 30cc's of drainage, my right side was just slightly over, but they called and said I could come in to get them out. I couldn't get there fast enough! The nurses explained that my breasts would look smooshed and misshapen because of the tension bandages. I didn't want them to take off the bandages, it was like a little security blanket keeping me all snug and safe... but I wanted the drains out more, so off they came. I didn't look. I was a little surprised when she began taking off the steri strips because I thought what will hold me together? But there are internal stitches so I guess that's why it was okay. The nurse was wonderful about explaining everything she was doing and when the drains were pulled out, oh what a relief! instant relief, I no longer hurt at all. Dr. Feng then came in to look and told me they were beautiful. Then she made me stand up and look in the mirror. Good thing they'd told me it would look funny or I may have burst into tears. The bottom of my breasts were completely flat and they were very wrinkly. Dr. Feng assured me that they would smooth out and fluff up in time. I got to trade in my surgi-bra for the sport bra I'd brought with me and then I was free to go home. 7 days after surgery, I was in more pain than ever. I found out that this sometimes happens because after surgery and before you wake up, they give you a steroid shot, oh, that explains my sore butt cheek. By day 6 or 7 that shot wears off and that's why I felt more pain, not to mention that it just happened to be the day before I began my cycle. So I'm sure that affected it too. Daily since then it's been better. On day 14, the tegaderm plastic wrap and gauze pads could come off. I stood in front of the mirror. Carefully peeled back the tegaderm, closed my eyes and peeled off the gauze. Slowly opening my eyes, there they were, all cute and perky like. The bottoms were still a little flat, the right side more than the left, but I could see a huge difference already since that Friday at the office. Three days after taking off the bandages, I finally took photo's and posted them. I can't begin to tell you how incredibly pleased I am with how they look, and especially knowing they will still smooth out and fluff up over the next few weeks. It was the best decision I could have made. As far as the implants go, they came out with very little "stuff" in them. Dr. Feng said they were not leaking, so I guess he was right. She believes that the sensation I felt was from the implant pressing a nerve. The outer shell was beginning to deteriorate however and it was only a matter of time before they would have deflated spreading whatever was in the implants throughout my body... so I guess I just beat the bullet. My scar capsule was very thin, which was good considering I'd had them for 20 years. There was a concentration of calcium buildup on a small textured patch of the implants. I wondered, since the implant was fairly clear, if all the symptoms I had could still be related. The answer was YES, since the shell was deteriorating and is made of silicone, it is very likely that it was causing a deterioration in my health as well. I'm so glad I got them out when I did. Pixie, with Implants, Front Pixie, with Implants,Side Pixie, After Implant Removal Pixie, Side View, after explantation Well, this brings us up to date as of today, April 6/2002, I'll post more as time goes on, as well as some up-dated photo's to show the improvements of my breasts. If you have any questions please feel free to email me: pixie@implantremoval.com