I had another post op appointment today, 4 days after my produre. My surgeon said everything is looking great. He was able to remove the implant and the capsule in its entirety as well.
I had saline implants, but the capsule was made of silicone. Many doctors don’t remove the capsule because it is a longer, more invasive surgery- especially for a surgeon not experienced with performing a capsulectomy. The surgeon I chose is a micro surgeon and this type of removal has become his speciality. The capsule is the protective barrier your body naturally begins to create after getting breast implants. It’s a funny thing how our bodies know something foreign and harmful is there and it gets to work fighting that foreign object. In that fight, it is unable to keep up, and that is suspected to be the reason for other symptoms to be occurring- what we are now calling breast implant illness.
Although my surgeon felt my capsules did not have abnormalities for 16 year old breast implants, you could visually see the work my body did trying to protect itself from the toxic bags. Pathology has been known to show bacteria, inflammation, mold, and even cancerous cells. This is to be expected as it is the first line of defense for the body against the implants. After seeing my capsules, I was so glad I opted for them to be removed. (picture below- fair warning if you are squeamish).
With capsule removal, there is a pocket left that fills with fluid. Drains are used to help relieve the fluid from buildup. I am still draining quite a bit of fluid, so the drains will stay in a few more days.
Regarding recovery specifically, I am basically on bed rest (but in a recliner) because anything I do that raises my heart rate will increase fluid production. I feel great so it seems weird staying to still. This is definitely a longer recovery than getting my implants. I remember going out to dinner 3 days after getting them.
My next appointment is 1 week post op! Hoping to get those drains removed!
Capsules and implants from my removal.