Not hockey related but health related, and very important conversation to have if you are considering implants or have them already. Hundreds of thousands of women have breast implants and now thousands are coming forward claiming they are making them ill. I am one of those women and this is my story.
Three years ago, I was very lucky to be a part of the EveryBody Campaign. This was the brainchild of two extraordinary women who were so taken back by how women perceive their own bodies that they decided to do something about it. They came up with the Everybody Campaign and they selected women who wanted to share their stories with others. How beautiful is that? Women supporting women. We all don't feel comfortable in our own skin from time to time, realizing we are not alone is so empowering. This was the second year of the campaign and the outpouring of support they have received from boss babes all over the area was heard loud and clear. We need more of this. I decided to submit my story as I never really thought I would get picked. To my surprise, they picked it, along with 7 other amazing women that I was so blessed to meet and share this experience with. We all have a story, and every story is unique, we empower each other when we can share our stories. Please go read these stories; on Instagram @theeverybodycampaign or @organictanpembinavalley. Also, on their Facebook page; Organic Tan Pembina Valley! The EveryBody campaign ran while I still had implants and was waiting for surgery to have the removed.
I decided in May of 2017 after competing in March that I would get implants. At the time I was pretty excited by maintaining a lean physique and looked forward to getting on the stage again. I had always had a healthy bust line, a 32 C for years, competing I had dropped to a very empty B cup. I had asked for some feedback following my show from the judges and one of the comments had come back as I would have benefited from more padding in my top. I was starting to become very self-conscious as my body got back to a healthy weight, my chest did not come back the way it was. My husband stood behind my decision; he had come with me to the consultation. In hindsight I wish I had gone way smaller, most of the information I had read suggested most women wished they had gone bigger. I should have trusted my gut. I had chosen to go with 475CC Mentor silicone implants and scheduled the surgery.
The recovery was fairly quick, I tend to bounce back pretty quick after things. But as time had passed by and the hockey got more intense, I did not have the time or desire to devote to the gym. As I put on some more weight my chest got bigger. My husband thought I looked stellar, but my self-confidence was never lower. The implants had the opposite effect for me. I would say that my health has started to noticeably decline in May of 2019, approximate 2 years after getting the implants. At first, I noticed my speech was off, I sometimes have trouble making sense with my words as they come out of my mouth, my brain knows what I want to say but my mouth doesn't always cooperate. Then I started waking up foggy, like a hangover but the brain fog doesn't go away. Some days are better than others for sure. The biggest thing was my libido, it had dropped so low that it has added strain to my marriage. I was so tired that most days I went to bed at the same time as my youngest child. I would get pains in my chest and joints and driving any long distance my hips hurt so badly I would bring pain relievers with me for the ride home. I somehow added 20 pounds to my frame in a span of 3 months. Some days my face was so swollen I hardly recognized myself, my eyes and skin looked awful. I have never felt worse in my entire life and I had no idea what the hell was wrong with me.
I did not connect the dots until August when a fitness trainer had posted her story on Instagram. As I sat there watching I had to replay it a few times to make sure I was actually hearing her correctly. I immediately reached out to her and she sent me a ton information, invited me to some groups and needless to say, I was blown away. This had a name, BII, breast implant illness and others had it too, lots of us. I am so grateful she took the time to do that, which is why I am sharing my story today with you. I went to a naturopath who ran blood work on me. The numbers that came back were shocking, my white blood cell count was very low and my cortisol level was off the charts. She said it was like my body was stressed out and it was as if it was fighting an infection. I told her about my implants and she wanted to more research, she believed me. It didn't take me long to reach out to my surgeon to book an appointment for removal. The problem is, many of these surgeons do not believe in BII and removal is not covered. By the time I had them out in June of 2020 both implants had ruptured and were leaking. Intracapsular rupture means the implant has ruptured inside the tissue capsule which the body has formed around the implant. I had no idea. It is important to note that I had the capsules (like scar tissue) removed as well.
This surgery I did not bounce back right away from. For the first 2 weeks I ate a clean high protein diet and juiced to aid my body in recovery. My incisions became badly infected when I went back to work and I had to take extra time off to heal. It was a miserable start to summer but the best decision I made for my health ever. The difference was clearly noticeable within 24 hours, a week later my eldest son was staring at me and commented "Mom, you look 10 years younger". Need I say more? As the months have gone on I am back to my happy and healthy self. I have more energy, I have lost some weight, my mind is clear and I can drive any distance again with 0 pain. I have my life back and I have me back, as does my family. My husband has always been my greatest supporter, lucky bastard, now I will be around even longer to annoy the ever-loving shit out of him.
I am sharing this story because someone was brave enough to share hers. Thank you to @meagan_hamilton_ for being so kind and taking the time to share with me so much information. If you are on Instagram and enjoy health & fitness, give her a follow. This Canadian girl is a beauty but in the gym she is a beast. If you have any questions at all feel free to drop me a comment or send me an email or reach out to me on social and I would be happy to share some groups or answer any questions you may have.