By Alyce Collins
THIS WOMAN had no idea that her BREAST IMPLANTS were the reason for the endless list of symptoms that made her feel like she was DYING – even her doctor was stumped and suggested she take ANTIBIOTICS FOR LIFE.
Arbonne district manager, Sandra Luesse (37) from Berlin, Germany, who is now living in California, USA, felt that society valued large breasts and that they were seen as beautiful, so after years of toying with the idea, she got 250cc breast implants on July 1, 2016.
Sandra had a desire to look ‘perfect’ and hoped going from a B cup to DDD would grant her that, however as soon as she had them she began to regret her decision. With the implants, Sandra’s breasts felt disproportionately large for her petite shape, making her feel top heavy.
Around 18 months after getting the implants, peculiar symptoms started cropping up in Sandra’s day to day life, including yeast infections every day, regular urinary tract infections, a white film on her tongue, pain in her breasts, numbness in her hands, thin hair, foggy memory and mood swings.
Before getting the implants, Sandra had always been very healthy so when these relentless symptoms were happening, she was terrified that she could be dying as she didn’t know what else it all could have meant.
Sandra went to see numerous doctors but none of them could explain her problems, and one doctor even suggested putting her on antibiotics for the rest of her life to mask the symptoms. This was distressing for Sandra to think there was no way of ridding her of the problems she battled daily, until her friend suggested it could be down to her implants. Sandra initially laughed off the idea but when she read about breast implant illness (BII), she related to the endless list of symptoms other women faced before explanting.
Sandra knew she needed to get rid of her toxic implants and on July 1, 2019 – three years to the day after they were put in – Sandra had her implants removed and noticed an immediate improvement in her health.
“I was always on the fence about getting implants, but I pulled the trigger in 2016,” said Sandra.
“I thought bigger breasts are what society viewed as beautiful and I just wanted to look ‘perfect’. I had my implants on July 1 and I went from a B to a triple D cup!
“I felt like they were a little too big for me though. It made me feel top heavy because I’m such a petite woman. I was also a bit frustrated because the scars were so prominent from the surgery and they never went away. I thought to myself, what have I done?
“I had perfect boobs before and I was left with implants and scars, all because I wanted to follow what society viewed as beautiful.
“I noticed the strange symptoms starting around the year and a half mark after getting my implants.
“I experienced chronic yeast infections every day for 18 months, chronic UTI’s, candida overgrowth in my body, dry mouth and a constant chemical taste in my mouth – it was so bad that when I woke up I could barely swallow. A lot of the time, I woke up in the middle of the night choking because my mouth was so dry.
“I had a thick white film on my tongue, heavier periods and cramps, sharp excruciating pain in both my breasts, numbness in my hands and arms – I felt like I was getting arthritis. I had an increased urge to urinate, I had mood swings and lower energy, my hair was thinning, and my memory was foggy.
“The worst was the chronic yeast infections because it was every day for months and months. It became my new normal. It was awful having to deal with it and so embarrassing, especially in a relationship!
“I also really struggled with the dry mouth and chemical taste in my mouth because my tongue changed colours from pink to then having a thick white film and spots on it.”
After having her implants removed, the white film and chemical taste Sandra had been experiencing disappeared on the same day as surgery, much to her amazement. It took just over a month for the rest of her symptoms to vanish, but now she relishes her health and doesn’t take it for granted.
Now a happy size 34B again, Sandra shares her experience on Instagram to enlighten other women who feel as lost and hopeless as she did.
“Before getting implants, I was super healthy and hardly ever got sick so experiencing all these symptoms on a daily basis was very unusual for me,” she said.
“I literally thought I was dying because I went to so many doctors and specialists who couldn’t diagnose me. I had one doctor who wanted to put me on antibiotics for life!
“After a year of going to all these doctors and specialists, a friend of mine asked me if I thought it could be my implants. I laughed at her because I couldn’t imagine them being the problem since most of my symptoms were not in my breasts.
“She sent me a link to read about BII. Once I read it, my heart dropped because I started realising that this could be the reason! I found a private Facebook group called Breast Implant Illness and healing by Nicole. There are about 80,000 women in this group sharing their experiences. Most of them have explanted or are about to explant.
“I introduced myself to the group and shared my symptoms. I had so many girls commented on my post who were going through the same symptoms. It was the first time I’d found other people who could relate to me and what I was going through. I felt like a chicken with my head cut off when I was going to all these different doctors trying to see what was wrong with me and I finally connected the dots!
“Explanting was the easiest decision in the world because I wanted to get those toxic bags out so I could feel like myself again. I started understanding that my body was working overtime to fight the foreign objects. I knew I was doing the right thing for my body.
“I explanted exactly three years after getting the implants, and the chemical taste in my mouth literally disappeared the day I explanted. That was the most noticeable because it was so immediate.
“It took about a month and a half for all my symptoms to completely go away. I knew that my body was detoxing after surgery, so I was patient, but I was already feeling 10 times better right after explanting.
“I am a proud 34B again and couldn’t be happier with my breasts. The difference in my health now compared to with the implants is like night and day. I feel like myself again, I’m full of energy.
“To anyone experiencing BII, I would get your implants out immediately. What breaks my heart is that there are women who have had them in for years and are suffering with all kinds of chronic symptoms like autoimmune diseases, cancer, not having energy to get up in the mornings, having lost their identity and zest for life.
“If you’re on the fence about getting implants, it’s not worth losing your health over. Embrace your beautiful body. Implants are ticking time bombs!
“I know from experience what it feels like going day to day and feeling like something is terribly wrong with you, so it’s my commitment to help others now.”
To see more, visit www.instagram.com/sandraluesse
