My Boobs Tried to Kill Me: An Honest Guide to Breast Implant Illness

Let’s rewind to six years ago. I was sitting in Tel Aviv, sweaty and exhausted after a long flight, and of course, I’d left my iPad on the damn plane. Desperate for something – anything – to entertain me, I grabbed a random magazine. One of the only articles in English was about Breast Implant Illness (BII).

At first, I rolled my eyes. Breast Implant Illness? Sounded like another internet woo-woo thing to blame for all life’s problems. But as I read it, my stomach dropped faster than my boobs eventually would.

This article listed every symptom I’d been experiencing for years:
✅ Debilitating fatigue
✅ Brain fog so bad I’d forget what city I was in
✅ Daily muscle pain, joint pain, and weird nerve tingling
✅ Seizures (yep, actual seizures)
✅ Anxiety and depression
✅ Insomnia
✅ Hair loss
✅ Inflammation
✅ Miscarriages
✅ Basically, feeling like a 90-year-old in a 30-something body

I’d spent nearly 5 years thinking I just had an autoimmune disease that hated me specifically. I was living and working all over the world – NYC, Zürich, Hong Kong, Singapore – burning myself out in high-powered jobs, blaming stress, blaming travel, blaming my genes. But never blaming my boobs.

Until one day in Tel Aviv when it became crystal clear I had done it to myself. 

When I got home, I fell down the Breast Implant Illness Google rabbit hole. Women everywhere were saying the same thing: I felt like I was dying until I took them out.

So, I did.

The explant surgery was brutal. I won’t sugarcoat it – your chest feels like it got mauled by an angry bear for a few weeks. But almost instantly, things started improving. The seizures stopped. The brain fog lifted. My body felt like it could breathe again.

It’s been six years since I yeeted those toxic sacks out of my chest, and while a few things still linger (thanks, autoimmune issues), I feel so much better. Like myself again.

Here’s what I want you to know:

✔ Breast Implant Illness is real. Even if your doctor rolls their eyes.
✔ Not everyone gets it. Some people have implants for decades and feel great. I'm thrilled for them.
✔ If you’re sick and nothing makes sense, consider it. Google “BII symptoms” and see if the puzzle pieces fit.
✔ Your body is not lying to you. Ever. Listen to her.

And if you’re wondering if you’d ever regret taking them out, let me tell you: I only regret not learning about it sooner. It stole 5 years of my life from me.