2 months post explant

[Guest guest]

Hi Ladies,

I haven't been posting much lately, as my hubby has been gone again --

but I have been trying to keep up with all the messages. I have to

tell you all how much it means to know others are dealing with a lot

of my same issues. Tomorrow I am two months post explant, so I wanted

to give everyone an update on how I am doing.

I can honestly say that I am REALLY thankful to have my breast

implants gone. One of the first things I have had relief from is I

now wake up every day and no longer have to deal with tender breasts.

It was one of those lovely side effects that I dealt with thinking it

was all part of a day with perfect breasts. It is also so nice to be

able to move without having that extra weight and pain in my chest. I

never really noticed this part until I had my implants out. It is

nice being me again. )

About 6 months after I got my implants I started having bouts where I

felt like I had the flu. This got worse as time went on. The last

year with implants I felt like I was in a fog. I now feel so much

better and haven't had one flu-like episode since I got my implants

out. I kind of relate it to pregnancy. You feel sick for 9 months,

then you give birth and you feel better again.

I am still battling with joint problems. I have had some days with

relief which gives me hope, but then things will get bad again. I get

burning sensations, especially in my ankles. I also will have days

where I am REALLY stiff. Everything cracks and the aches and pains

get worse. I am hopeful though that I have had some days without. I

also had arthritis show up everywhere on my x-rays that I had done

this past year, so I suppose that explains some of my problems. I am

30 years old with arthritis. (

I also am really battling with the fatigue. It has been rough,

especially when my husband is gone. My 3 kids keep me hopping!! But

not having that constant flu feeling has REALLY helped.

Here is what I have been doing since explant. I have really made an

effort to eat healthier. I try to eat organic whenever possible, but

have found that it isn't always as convenient. Eating organic has

also been hard on our budget, so I have been focusing more on buying

certain foods. I am taking Primal Defense -- 2 a day. I also have

drank the vinegar a few times. I was doing the epsom bath, ginger, or

vinegar soaks daily up until a few weeks ago when I got my sauna. I

love it and have used it every day since I got it. I am excited about

the benefits from using a sauna and have also noticed how good it

feels when my joints are flaring up. I still try to do a couple of

soaks a week. I have also started to do brisk walking. I am usually

pushing kids, so I feel like I get a good workout. It is hard though

to muster up the energy some days when I am fatigued or in pain.

The emotional part of this whole ordeal has been tough. Some days are

better than others. I totally feel for the ones that post about

having a hard time with their appearance. My husband has been really

supportive, so that has been huge for me. I too feel very self

consious at times and find myself covering myself up. Easter weekend

was especially hard for me. We went to visit family. First of all

the trip/drive (several hours) took a lot out of me then we stayed at

a hotel with a pool. I brought my one piece swimsuit along thinking

it would work. WRONG!! It actually flipped over on the top, so the

seam was hanging out. It was horrible and I felt just crushed. I

felt sooo unattractive and I missed the attention I used to get when I

walked into a pool area. I have locked the door when bathing, quickly

covered up if I heard my husband coming in while I am changing, I even

worried about his walking in while I was using the sauna and kept a

towel around me. I also have very large scars that go down quite a

ways under my breasts. I don't scar pretty either, so it doesn't help

matters. It has just been recently that I have started to feel better

about my self image. I feel like if I am confident then others will

view me that way. I have a good friend who is a size A, so she has

been really supportive. She has given me some good advice on what to

wear that is flattering when flat. Like halter top swim wear. It

does wonders. It is funny how people assume things -- like now because

I am small they assume I am athletic. I want to say, " trust me looks

can be deceiving " -- ha ha!! My father who works at a college told me

about 2 woman who work with him that have had their breasts removed

due to cancer. I remember meeting one of the woman a few years back

in passing. She has battled cancer twice now. Both woman have such

an awesome outlook and could care less about their chest size. I try

to find strength from individuals like this. It is hard though as we

are an appearance driven society.

Thank you for reading my post. Also thank you all for your posts and

sharing. It keeps me going!!!

Love and hugs, Marcy