NOTE: If you don't know what I'm talking about, please go back and read my previous BLOG: TICKING-TIME-BOMBS.
Thank you for joining me on this journey of discovery from now, through the March 2nd surgery, to the recovery and healing. I'm excited to see what life can be without having boob-ticking-time-bombs housed inside of my chest. Think about it. Forty-years sharing my body with implants next to my heart and lungs. The heart and lungs are obviously pretty vital organs that I use daily. The implants have affected everything about me:
The births of my children and lives of my children : I was always fighting being tired
My grandchildren's lives : I am always struggling to have more energy
Work and Play : Recovery times were brutal; twice as long to do half as much
Hope and Despair : A roller coaster of emotions
Relationships : Always a disaster from poor choices
Athletic Events : Recovery times brutal
Vacations : Never able to relax
Church : Not able to relax or slow down
Breathing : Sometimes I forget to breathe, or cannot take deep breaths
LIFE : I love it. How do I slow it down a bit? How can I enjoy the journey, more?
WHO WAS I THESE PAST FORTY YEARS?
To say I don't know who I am without boob-bombs is an understatement. How much of all the decisions I've made over the past forty years were affected by this decision to implant? How much are we affected by each choice we make? I'm sure some, more than others.
Since I decided to go "transparent" and talk about the nightmare in my chest - I've had some fantastic conversations with others. I love how women support each other now. This wasn't always true:
1. "I have ALL your symptoms, and I don't have implants."
This is true. Breast-Implant-Illness may not have "caused" all the dis-eases, but they definitely cause severe issues with our immune systems. The immune system becomes weakened by the heavy metals being leached into the body from the second the implants are implanted. This makes staying healthy difficult and healing even more of a burden. We can't have a robust immune system when our body is having to fight this invader 24/7.
Here's a little known fact about healing, per the Medical Medium https://soundcloud.com/medicalmedium/breast-implant-illness
Every day, the liver releases enzymes into the body. They are like the military. They search for invaders, things that shouldn't be there, and then they destroy them. If they can't kill them, they build containers or pods around them (cysts, etc.) to encapsulate them and lower the danger. The enzymes never let go and are joined by more enzymes as each day progresses. A fortress is formed.
\When the enzymes find implants, they attach themselves to the "capsules" already housing the implants, and constantly try to remove the danger. This is an exhausting and impossible task. The enzymes end up making these capsules, porous. Not a good idea since this capsule is keeping the implants from leaking into the body.
Modern medicine unknowingly refers to this loving body-phenomena as "autoimmune." The body is always trying to protect us from alien dangers - it does not attack us. Isn't that good to know? Because if you have the enemy living inside the body, where can you go to be safe? There is no where - ergo the danger of implants.
Now we have a "leaching" problem. The implants and the capsules are loaded with strange, unrevealed toxic materials. You cannot find an implant manufacturer who will admit or reveal the ingredients. Go ahead and try. I have. We can join together and FORCE the FDA to require these ingredients be revealed. That is taking place right now as there is a huge movement to black-box and outlaw implants. Will you still be around when this happens. I for one do not want to wait. I want my health, now.
Over the years, these toxic materials leach or leak into the body. An individual living on planet-earth is always dealing with viruses, bacteria, heavy metals, immunizations, bad food choices, stress, bad air and water, toxic foods, etc. The body can't be successful in getting rid of the toxic waste from our world because it's working hard to get rid of the implants - a more imminent dangerous danger. It is distracted by the ticking-time-bombs.
2. "Thank you for talking about this. I'm sure it's going to help many others."
That's my goal. Personally, writing about this is cathartic because I know that someone out there will benefit from this information - including me. I wish I had discovered such a BLOG before I went down this path, or at least earlier in my forty-year nightmare. Perhaps, I could have made life easier and better for the ones I love. Now the reality is all too real. It is what it is. If I can stop someone from getting implants - then my life experience has value. If I can help someone remove or explant them - this also has extreme value. I've saved a life. It's my life I'm saving, first.
3. "They were an incredible confidence booster."
That's why I did them too. And this needs to be massaged and evaluated in great detail. Why do we take such extreme steps to have our confidence boosted? Can't we find a better way than by cutting into the body to permanently implant something that is obviously going to cause health problems. Some women have even died because they did not remove the implants soon enough. At some level, I believe each one of us knows implants cannot be good for us.
And then why do we pay such ridiculous high prices? Just to boost our confidence? Yes. That's what we do. Why is that? I really want to hear from you about this. I know why I did it. I was depressed. If I had just waited a few days, this depression most likely would have gone away. But I live life like Action-Jackson. In the fast lane.
"SLOW DOWN," I often have heard through life. The words to this song describe the person I want to be:
4. I've never known you to back down from anything unpleasant."
The greatest thing I felt about this statement? I felt proud. Perhaps considering these words might even create an appropriate "confidence booster?" Greater than the one made from boob-bombs? We need to find better ways to help us feel better.
I felt proud that honorable, special people see me in this light. WOW. Thank you Carol. Sometimes I worry I am too passionate about many things: Abortion, Freedom, Guns, Politics, Religion and Spirituality, Family, Protecting those who can't, Health, Boob-Bombs, etc. I NEVER want to hurt or offend anyone, but I feel strongly about many things. Health is probably my greatest concern.
When I was learning to fly helicopters, my mentor/instructor said, "If you read helicopter books as much as you read health books - you would be the greatest helicopter pilot who ever lived." He might be right. But that's another story, for another day.
In the meantime, did I hear "Boob-bombs?" How did they affect my passion? On a good note: Perhaps at some level I knew I had better stay as healthy as possible. Is there a good side of a bad decision? I believe we make dumb mistakes and if we are still kicking (breathing) we have the opportunity to turn stupid into valuable.
We can only surmise. I didn't allow feeling bad/tired to hold me back, but I know being toxic on the inside keeps us from being as active and vital on the outside as we could. When we screw up, who gets hurt? Who gets cheated? You know who. Obviously us, but just as important: the ones we love. What can I say to my children and the failed relationships? "I'm sorry. I did the best I could. I didn't know I wasn't dealing with a full deck because I chose to implant. Just know you deserve better. You are awesome and there are better ways to deal with your pain. I love you so much."
5. "Luckily I don't have any of your symptoms."
A recent implant comment. I could write a book on this one. Just suffice it to say: I hope you never do, but you will. This lady is one of the most healthy, beautiful, smart, talented, loving and athletic ladies I've ever met. Her immune system is outstanding because of the way she lives.
So was mine.
The best I can do is plant a seed, so when she does start seeing symptoms of what the medical world refers to as "autoimmune" mysteries, she'll know where to look and what to do. The sooner you look and the sooner you do something, the less damage you will have and the deeper you can enjoy life with the least amount of down-time. May I use some of the words of Charles Dickens from his famous character Scrooge:
“And it was always said of [her], that [she] knew how to keep [life] well, if any [wo]man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!’’
TO BE CONTINUED ....
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