‘My fake boobs nearly killed me’

Her pregnancy was quite traumatic, but nothing could have prepared Bianca Weintraub for the agony she’d be in after giving birth.

“My pregnancy was great, but I struggled through it,” the persona’l trainer says. “I felt exhausted and had crushing anxiety. I lost so much hair while pregnant and I had trouble coping with what it felt like to be pregnant,” she added.

Although initially relishing motherhood, Bianca still wasn’t feeling well. “The lack of sleep, exclusive breastfeeding, poor nutrition and stress of motherhood pushed my body to a point of no return. I began to feel worse and worse but chalked it up to new motherhood.”

However blood tests later revealed obscure germs in her system that were caused by breast implant illness (BII). The shocking discovery forced Bianca to have her 300-cubic-centimetre implants removed.

The 33-year-old, from New York, had increased her breast size by one cup in April 2014. She says doctors never warned her of any risks besides that her implants could rupture.

“I opted for smaller implants as my goal wasn’t to have huge boobs to flaunt,” she says.

“I did like them and how they looked. I can’t say that they ever truly felt like mine though. They always felt like an intrusion to my body, like a fashion accessory I couldn’t take off.”

The first symptoms started showing a year later. Bianca developed cystic acne, had irregular periods and night sweats, but doctors insisted she was fine.

In 2016 she discovered she was pregnant with her first child. But her excitement quickly disappeared when the agonising pregnancy-related health issues started.

Bianca found she was often exhausted and suffered from anxiety and hair loss. In January 2017 she and her husband Craig (37) welcomed their daughter Siena.

For a year Bianca brushed off her lack of sleep and poor eating to postpartum symptoms. In February 2018 she became sicker than ever before – with a fever more than 40 degrees Celsius, swollen lymph nodes, joint pain and breathing problems.

Some days she couldn’t get out of bed, but doctors insisted it was just an infection. She eventually turned to a holistic practitioner who did blood tests.

“I felt dismissed by the medical professionals who waved me off because I’m young and looked healthy. I felt betrayed by conventional medicine, so I decided to try the holistic route.”

The tests highlighted some unusual pathogens in Bianca’s system, low platelets and a low white blood cell count.

“My holistic practitioner found some pathogens running rampant in my system, a severely taxed adrenal system and an immune system that had given up,” she remembers. “I had chronic active Epstein Barr virus, candida, mycoplasma pneumonia, chlamydia pneumonia, adrenal fatigue, low platelets and low white blood count,” she explained.

“For eight months following the diagnosis, I worked with the holistic doctor to treat my illnesses. At this point I had heard of breast implant illness (BII) and wondered if that was my problem, but every doctor assured me my implants were unrelated.”

But after trying numerous holistic remedies for eight months, Bianca opted to have her implants removed in October 2018. She noticed immediate changes to her health and all her symptoms have since disappeared.

“The treatment plan included taking supplements, following a clean diet with minimal processed foods and minimal sugar, no dairy, no alcohol or caffeine,” she says.

Bianca had to follow this regimen in the months following the removal of her implants.

“I did weekly acupuncture and had to sweat toxins out through cardio, sauna or a bath.”

Bianca and Craig have since discovered they’re expecting again, but the pregnancy has been much easier this time, without BII ruling over Bianca’s body.

“Last year I was constantly sick, but since surgery I barely got sick all winter. I got pregnant two months after surgery and I’m having a much healthier pregnancy this time and I feel amazing compared to my first one. I feel like my old self again.

“It took me having fake breasts which almost killed me to finally love and appreciate the ones that I was given naturally. Self-appreciation and confidence come from within, not from a plastic surgeon.”

Source: Magazine Features