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Things You Should Know Before Getting Breast Implants
Have you ever considered getting breast implants?
Are you aware of the potential risks and side effects associated with breast implants?
In this episode of me&my health up podcast, host Anthony Hartcher interviews Kathy Ozakovic, who underwent breast augmentation at the age of 21 due to her struggles with body image and an eating disorder.
Kathy shares her experience with getting breast implants, including the types of implants available, the decision-making process, and her eventual decision to undergo explant surgery due to breast implant illness. She discusses the dangers of breast implants, including the body's natural immune response to foreign objects, the risks of scar tissue, and the potential for micro-leakages of silicone to cause breast implant illness. If you or someone you know is considering breast implants, this episode is a must-watch.
About Kathy Ozakovic
Kathy is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Founder of NuFit Wellness. Her speciality is in Holistic Gut Health. Kathy stepped away from working in hospitals to focus on guiding clients in proactive health and disease prevention. Through research, Kathy found her passion for gut health and focused on understanding the relationship between the human gut microbiome and wellbeing.
With personal and professional experience supporting individuals with Metabolic disease, Gut Health Issues, Performance Nutrition and Eating Disorders, Kathy has noticed that focusing on gut health helps these individuals improve physically and mentally.
Connect with Kathy Ozakovic:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nufitwellnesspro
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathy_ozakovic/
Email: hello@nufitwellness.com.au
Website: https://www.nufitwellness.com.au/
About me&my & Anthony Hartcher
me&my seeks to enhance and enlighten the well-being of others. Host Anthony Hartcher is the CEO of me&my wellness which provides holistic health solutions using food as medicine, combined with a holistic, balanced, lifestyle approach. Anthony holds three bachelor's degrees in Complementary Medicine; Nutrition and Dietetic Medicine; and Chemical Engineering.
Podcast Disclaimer
Any information, advice, opinions or statements within it do not constitute medical, health care or other professional advice, and are provided for general information purposes only. All care is taken in the preparation of the information in this Podcast. [Connected Wellness Pty Ltd] operating under the brand of “me&my health up”..click here for more
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I'm still not loving my body. It was after seven years of struggling with an eating disorder and my breasts just never grew. And my mom tried to reassure me that she was flat chested when she was my age, and she tried to reassure me that when I have kids, they'll come through and it was just something that from a very young age, I really noticed it. Even when I was in year six, year seven, when my best friends when their breasts started to grow, mine didn't. And I was always very, very athletic. I trained athletic. So I was a runner, and I was quite lean, but I just felt like I was missing out and growing up being 18 ,19, 20 years old. I was very uncomfortable going to the beach. I was very uncomfortable going into a rational.
Anthony Hartcher:That was Kathy Ozakovic and you've landed on the Me&my health up podcast I'm your host Anthony Hartcher. I'm a clinical nutritionist and lifestyle medicine specialist. The purpose of this podcast is to enhance and enlighten your well being and today we have back on the show Kathy Ozakovic. She is a dietician and gut health expert. We've done two previous episodes together on gut health and they've been a great hit so you can visit them in the library of Me&my health up podcast, which has over 150 episodes. Woohoo. So Kathy's back on the show to share her very personal experience and journey with breast implants and breast explant surgery. So she sharing both sides, both the benefits and the not so good side of breast implant surgery, she shares what it's like to experience breast implant illness. And so she has a very open discussion with me about what it is like and what you're not told when you go to get a breast implant. So without much further ado, I'd love Kathy Ozakovic to enlighten you on the truth about breast implants. Welcome back on this show, and welcome you into this episode I'm having with Kathy Ozakovic. Welcome back on the Me&my health up podcast show, how are you doing, Kathy?
Kathy Ozakovic:Thanks for having me. Again, I'm really excited to be here again and share with you everything that I've learned in the meantime,
Anthony Hartcher:it's fantastic. You've been on quite a roller coaster in terms of a learning experience.
Kathy Ozakovic:It's been a wild ride it has.
Anthony Hartcher:And for the listeners where we're talking about breast augmentation, and what you're not told, essentially, when you go in for it and and Cathy's going to be sharing her own personal experience about breast augmentation and the illness associated with it, and then the explant. So the removal, we're going to cover all the nooks and crannies, if you want to call it that, but or dust off the cobwebs, and it will all will be revealed in this episode. So Kathy, you want to share with the listeners in terms of your journey with breast augmentation when you started?
Kathy Ozakovic:Yeah, so I was 21 years old when I made the decision to get breast implants. And this came from a place of not loving my body. It was after seven years of struggling with an eating disorder. And my breasts just never grew. And my mom tried to reassure me that she was flat chested when she was my age, and she tried to reassure me that when I have kids, they'll come through and it was just something that from a very young age, I really noticed that even when I was in year six, year seven, when my best friends when their breasts started to grow, mine didn't. And I was always very, very athletic. I trained athletic. So I was a runner, and I was quite lean, but I just felt like I was missing out. Growing up being 18 19 20 years old, I was very uncomfortable going to the beach, I was very uncomfortable going into a bra shop with my mom or even just to the bra section at Target. And at 21 years old, I started talking to my mom about getting breast implants and that that is something that I really want to do. And like I said she tried to reassure me to wait a little bit and I think also she had a lot of empathy because she had gone through similar experiences. So she was very supportive of my decision.
Anthony Hartcher:And in terms of what were you told when you went in for breast augmentation, the breast implants, what did you know what what was made available to you as to what to expect and experience and what was shared?
Kathy Ozakovic:It was very quick. So I'm 28 years old now. I was 21 years old. I had made this big decision, and it was plastic surgery. I was told I'll be under for about two hours, and I was told, I will wear this compression bra for a while, I think it was about four weeks, and I'll be recovering for about six to eight weeks no exercise, just some walking. I remember my mom asking a question that I was really concerned about as well about breastfeeding, will I be able to breastfeed with breast implants? I was reassured that I will be able to breastfeed and that made us happy. I do remember that my mom also asked, Can you do a fat transfer for her rather than the breast implants. And I remember the plastic surgeon really having a bit of a chuckle and saying, Where from because I was very lean, there was not much else that was said, really, in terms of the risks. What I've learned about now about breast implants, I was actually told the breast implants are safe. Many, many women go in to this day and get breast implants, being told that having them is very safe. And that is simply not the truth.
Anthony Hartcher:And obviously, you've learned a lot since that first surgery and operation and you've lived with them and really keen for you to share what the experience is like post surgery and the experience afterwards. But just for a naive male in terms of never inquiring about this sort of surgery and plastic. Yeah, I guess change or transformation in the body? Do you go and choose like the size? Or are they recommended to you as to what would be suited for your body? Or you actually get to actually select from a model as to what you would like? Like, how is the process? Yeah.
Kathy Ozakovic:So I had my consultation with my plastic surgeon went in and met him and he on his table had all these breast implants. So there are different types in different shapes. There are rounds, breast implants, and there are teardrop breast implants, what shape you get will depend on how much breast tissue you have naturally, and how it is shaped. So for me, I was very lean, and I had upper breast tissue but no lower breast tissue. So for me, it was recommended to get teardrop shaped breast implants, there are also smooth and textured, smooth meaning they are basically just smooth surface texture there a little bit of a rough surface. So textured implants actually stick more, and they stay in place more in the body. And then there's the decision of over the muscle or under the muscle, it's recommended to go under the muscle if you want more permanent results and more natural looking results. And just for the safety of them as well. So again, when it comes to that safety there is they say a small chance of ruptures and putting them under the muscle decreases the risk of those ruptures. So does having textured implants in terms of choosing it is a joint decision between the client going in and the surgeon and what he's working with. He's gonna he or she is gonna give their professional opinion. And obviously they have experience in that given that they've done so many surgeries before and actually don't know if you're going to show this but I've got my breast implants here. When I took them out, I get them back I requested them. So here you can see that most of it is down the bottom and that's what creates that teardrop shape. So these ones are yellow, they do not start off yellow, so they were actually more of a coffee latte color. When they went into my body. They came out yellow. Not sure exactly why but I do assume that it is related to my liver because over the years that I had these breast implants in my body, I had deranged liver enzymes, elevated liver enzymes and elevated bilirubin, which is related to jaundice. And I actually had and still have a bit of jaundice on my skin which is slowly resolving now that I've taken them out, that's one of the side effects that you can have and not all women when they take out the breast implants. They're not always yellow, some of them when they get the explant surgery. So taking the breast implants out of your body is known as explant surgery. Not all women experience what I have with them turning yellow, but I've also noticed the more research that I've done that all implants that are ruptured are very yellow. So that yellow color that my implants have turned might also be a sign that they were very close to rupturing in the body
Anthony Hartcher:and what's the material do they use?
Kathy Ozakovic:that there are different types the ones that I got are silicone and there are also saline. So the difference is what is inside. They are both actually made up of Silicone on the outside. Even if you get, saline implants, they are no safer than silicone implants because they are made up of silicone on the outside to keep the sealant inside of them. And that silicone is made up of so many ingredients that I don't know off the top of my head. But if you actually look up ingredients of a breast implants, there are just so many toxins in them like heavy metals, like mercury and tin, and what it's composed of it's incredible. Like I was not told any of these things, and you just don't think about them as a 21 year old you going in and fixing your body, you want to feel more comfortable and confident in your body. They did that for me. They did. Honestly, at 21 years old, it was the right decision for me, it helped me grow my confidence. But over the years and looking backwards, I can see that I was suffering from breast implant illness at a slow rate, but it was there and I was not told about it. So I didn't know what to look for. I remember going over the paperwork recently before my explant, because I was curious. I was curious to read about where did they tell me the risks. And I only found two sentences, the two sentences that were written was some women may experience adverse effects, which means that they need to take out the breast implants before the recommended 10 to 15 years. So when you go in for implants, they do tell you, these are not lifetime devices, you're going to have to change them over at about 10 to 15 years. Again, at that age, you just don't think like now I've got all these red flags going on in my head? Why do I need to change them over at 10 to 15 years? What's the difference between 10 and 15 years? Why is it such a big range? What am I looking for? How will I know that it's time to take them out? And the biggest question, what is the process of taking them out? And what if I don't want them back in? What happens? No one talks you through that.
Anthony Hartcher:And that's the I guess what you don't see at that young age or no matter what age you're at, you're just looking at the upsides, you know? How's it going to make, you know, boosts my self esteem, I won't have this worry and social anxiety when I'm going to go down the beach with my friends or go to buy a bra at the shops. It's, it's well that will go away. So you know, my problems will disappear. Again, your mind is not thinking well, what is the downsides of having them? You know, how's it counterbalanced? It's essentially just looking at all it takes away this problem. But in actual fact, yeah, you remove that issue, but then introduced a new one, which, which you're now sharing and giving, I guess, people that are maybe looking into this the full perspective of hey, yeah, there's upsides benefits, you know, I felt amazing, I felt a lot more confident. However, now I'm experiencing this other side of it, and it's making me question whether I ever want to do it again, or was it worth it? And in terms of like what you share, and we do show a video, so this is shared on YouTube. So you know, the listeners can go to YouTube and see what you're showing, are they actually inflated or
Kathy Ozakovic:they go in like this? They are filled with silicone.
Anthony Hartcher:right
Kathy Ozakovic:my particular type, some of them are filled with saline. And when you go in for surgery, you're under anesthesia. And they because mine was under the muscle. My pectoral muscle was cut, and the implant was slipped under the pectoral muscle. And what he did was stitched me back up, and my scars were relatively small when I went in for the implants. So they were about not not too big at all mine, you could see some women have natural breast tissue, and then they get the nice underboob. And it's just the scar is in the underboob and you can't see them. But because I had no natural breast tissue, my implants, even though they were this teardrop shape, they tended to sit a bit higher, and my scars were exposed, but there weren't too big. And again, it's not something that I thought about because suddenly I had breast and I could go by a bra. So I went from my left, my left breast was a small double a cup and my right breast was non existent. I had no breast tissue in my right right side. So I went from basically absolutely nothing, not fitting a bra size at all to attend double date. I was overjoyed. Until i think it was about three years ago when I started getting really annoyed with them. And then because I started getting into lifting weights more seriously and they're just getting in the way all the time. I think it's been about three years that I haven't even worn a bra. I just lived in crop tops. And I know women who lift weights are going to appreciate this as well bra's just don't go out comfortable and you get so used to living in the crop tops in the sports bras that are much easier to deal with. That was Yeah. So when I went in for the surgery and
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Anthony Hartcher:Just in terms of the estimated sort of cost that someone's looking at when they go into this, what's the
Kathy Ozakovic:Interesting question is, because when you rough range? hear about the explants, going in for getting the breast implants, it was $8,800 that was covering everything. That was the cost of including it was only a day surgery. So including the hospital costs, it was including the breast implants, the surgeon and the anesthesiologist as well, the whole lot. And it doesn't take long, you literally I still remember, I caught the train to the private hospital. I walked in, they prepped me I was under I woke up. And I think it was within an hour later, my parents came and picked me up with the car. And I was home. And it was all about recovering at home
Anthony Hartcher:Wow. And so essentially, if you look at the from that. 10 year old make the math easier in 10 year lifespan, then it's about 880 a year which in terms of that feeling of confidence and feeling like a woman, then that's a no brainer, right? But then, then you've seen the other side. So then you've seen that, you know, you had to take it out earlier than the 10 to 15 years. But what so what's the explant? Because that's what people need to factor in as well in terms of the I guess what, what is the cost over a 10 to 15 year period?
Kathy Ozakovic:Absolutely. Before we get into the cost of the explants, I want to highlight what happens when you go in for this surgery, the part that they don't tell you. So when you put these breast implants into your body, like I said, they're not yellow, they are a latte color when they go into your body. And they look more beautiful than these yellow things that I'm holding up right now, when you put this into your body, your body's natural response is that the immune system attacks them. They are foreign objects, and they are rather large foreign objects. These are 410 CC, which also means that they weigh 410 grams each they have rather large foreign objects that I have placed into my body, my immune system straightaway attacked to them because it's foreign. And what happens is the immune system creates a capsule of scar tissue around the implant, which is why the shape also changed over time. So this scar tissues thin scar tissue film is created over the implants, encapsulates them and compresses them. And I actually have photos of my Explant surgery. And if you type into Google explant of breast implants or breast implant capsule, you'll see it kind of looks like meatballs because of that scar tissue. But the implant itself is compressed, which is what actually contributes to the change in the breast shape over time because they always say they're not going to settle for a few months, you're not going to know your actual size for a few months. Again, thinking back I'm like Why? Why am I not going to know my exact size straight away what is happening in the body, this scar tissue was created to protect you from the implant which has so many toxins in it. The other thing is these implants, they are permeable over time micro leakages of silicone occur even if there is no rupture, which is why that scar tissue is so important. It is protecting your body and your system from the mercury and silicone, all the yucky stuff that are in them. Now, you imagine when I was 21 years old, and I put these into my body, my immune system went into overdrive my immune system attacked them created the scar tissue but it doesn't stop there. The immune system continues to work in overdrive the whole time you have these breast implants in your body. So for me in particular, I noticed that last year I think it was about August or September when I had COVID. That's when my symptoms of breast implant illness exacerbated. I had COVID. I dealt with it really well. It held me for about 36 hours, I thought nothing of it had a bit of a chesty cough, I got over it. Within a few days, I thought nothing off COVID, honestly, but it was the aftermath, chronic fatigue set in mood swings, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, temperature regulation was stuffed up. There were all these things that were happening that I thought what is going on here. So that was my really first kind of inclination that something's not right. My body's not feeling right after COVID. But I want to highlight also, years before this, I'll go backwards from when I put the breast implants in when I didn't know about this happening in my body didn't know about the immune system going in overdrive didn't understand much. I had just started to study at university. So I had no knowledge of anatomy and physiology the way that I do today. I had no knowledge about nutrition and fitness that I do today. I really want to highlight that, you know, I had no knowledge about mindset work that I know now a lot of people get confused about Kathy going in for breast implants. And they get confused about you know, I live wellness. Now, I didn't know any of this. I was 21 years old. I didn't have the competence that I have now. And I didn't have the knowledge within about four months of having breast implants. I had a major panic attack. I didn't think anything of it. I thought it was stress related University. Okay, circumstances were there as well. I'll give you that, that I was stressed at uni. However, within about two years, I went to my doctor and I asked, Why are my hands yellow? Why do I have this yellow tinge around my mouth? So we checked my liver enzymes, they were elevated. My bilirubin was elevated. And my doctor said let's do an ultrasound and check whether there is any scarring on the liver. Now I don't drink, nor did I drink then I don't do drugs. I eat very healthy. And I was always conscious of living a healthy lifestyle. The ultrasound came back, there was no scarring on the liver. And my GP just said it is what it is. There's no scarring, you don't have to worry about it. So this yellow tinge continued, and I noticed that it actually increased when I was particularly stressed as well. Now think back to what I told you about the immune system again, right? Kicking in overdrive stress, it exacerbates everything, and my cholesterol was high as well. Again, I eat so healthy, why is my cholesterol high? So personally, I think it's also related to genetically as well. My Liver took a big hit when I had these implants in my body. And I know that both my parents have suffered with high cholesterol. So I am predisposed to high cholesterol. And then my immune system was in overdrive, my liver took a big hit. Then also I had what's called raynaud's disease, which is an autoimmune disease that my hands the fingers in my hands went completely white. It was a temperature regulation thing. And again, auto immune. And I asked the doctor, why is this happening to me? I'm 22-23 years old. I've never had this before. And he said it's Raynaud's disease, and there's nothing you can do about it. Okay, I have to deal with it. Alright, something that's just popped up. Now, back then I didn't know that it was an autoimmune disease. I've only just recently learned that and I've only just recently identified it as one of the symptoms of breast implant illness. And I had already experienced this two years into having breast implants. It was about two and a half or three years into having breast implants that I had chest pains. That's when I really freaked out. I went to my GP and I told him I have breast implants. I'm having chest pains in my right side. I want to check whether there is a rupture what is going on throughout this time. I also had exacerbated anxiety, and prolonged periods of low mood as well. And my GP said, MRIs are too expensive. I asked him for an MRI. He said they're too expensive. Let's do an ultrasound. So we did an ultrasound and it didn't show any rupture or anything. So there was no concern he said there's no reason for concern. Now what I know today is an MRI. A ultrasound does not necessarily show whether there is a rupture. In fact, it is recommended for women who have breast implants to do an MRI at three years post implant surgery at five years, at seven years on going to do an MRI not an ultrasound but an MRI because an MRI is more detailed and there is more chance that it will show whether there is a rupture. Now I say more chance because I know of reported cases where even an MRI did not show a ruptured implant in the body. So then you start to get a little bit scared. So I straight up told my GP I have breast implants, I'm concerned we did an ultrasound he reassured me there is nothing to be worried about with what I know now, it is very clear that my general practitioner was not well informed, and he does not have the knowledge that I have now microliters of silicone can occur even when there is no rupture. It is like having a tea bag in cold water. Eventually you are going to brew tea, even if the water is cold, these micro leakages of silicone are happening. The immune system is constantly in overdrive. When you have these implants. I also suffered from joint pain. So I had jaundice, I had joint pain, I had mood swings, I had panic attacks, I had elevated enzymes in liver enzymes, I had elevated cholesterol, my iron has been low for a very long time, my vitamin D has been low for a very long time during the time that I had the breast implants. So I was not absorbing nutrition very well, from my food, I had gut issues. I will also say that I did have an eating disorder in the past, and I was probably still healing from that as well. And there were definitely gut dysbiosis. However, I had intolerances throughout my 20s, which I can now also relate to having the breast implants because it is one of the signs and symptoms of having breast implant illness. So there's all these symptoms that I was having that my GP knew nothing about. And once again, he probably learned that breast implants are safe the way that I was told that having breast implants are safe, so I don't blame him. I think that the way we talk about it, we are not informed enough GPs are not informed enough. And women who undergo breast augmentation are not informed enough. There is no full disclosure there about what is happening in the body. And what you could experience later down the track. Some women experienced this straightaway. Once you start looking into breast implant illness and reading women's stories. There are women that experience symptoms within three months within waking up after surgery, the symptoms get worse, they have skin issues, acne, chronic fatigue, all these things happening. Some women it's a slow development like it was with me until I got COVID It was a very slow progress symptoms here and there things that I could live with things that I learned to deal with, until COVID came around and my immune system just went to shit basically. And then I was getting chronic fatigue and exacerbated symptoms. Some women experience it after having a pregnancy and after breastfeeding and also increased stress. So being through a traumatic events, or an abusive relationship. increased stress can also trigger breast implant illness symptoms to occur earlier. Again, genetics plays a role as well and the symptoms are limitless. There is literally nothing that you cannot relate back to having the breast implants because when you think about the body again and that or the immune response and the immune system working in overdrive, you're putting your body under so much pressure to work. So lymph nodes, that was another one that I had. My lymph nodes have been inflamed prior to the explants for about six months. That was one of the things I really noticed. And I really didn't like it. I work with a fitness coach. And we do we do skin folds. So I openly complained and I said hey, like my neck when it's so swollen. It got to a point that I couldn't feel my trachea and I started to form like a goiter looking thing and I was really concerned and we were monitoring it and I didn't know why. What is going on. And I remember when I went in for the consultation with my next surgeon, my explant surgeon Dr. Eva nagy in Sydney she checked my lymph nodes and she was feeling under my armpits and she was asking me is that not painful for you? And I was like I thought that was normal. I just thought that that hurts. Usually I didn't even think that my lymph nodes were so swollen. I didn't even think I didn't know as soon as I woke up post explant surgery To my lymph nodes shrunk straightaway, I felt my trachea for the first time in like six months, I was amazed at how quickly my symptoms had started to reverse. My body was going back to its natural state, and it was able to do what it's meant to do because the body is constantly getting rid of toxins, especially in the day and age that we live now, in an industrialized, urbanized city like Sydney, we have constantly being bombarded by toxins from cars, from people, from cows, from industries constantly all around us. And I had these implants in my body that my that my body was trying to fight against as well the toxins there. So once I removed them, my body was better able to deal with everything and my pathology results. So once the explant was done, the scar tissue that I talked about the capsule, and the breast implant itself got sent off to pathology. It showed micro leakages of silicone severe inflammation and a bacterial growth in one of my capsules. Some women find fungi or bacteria in the capsule course that's going to make you sick. sounds horrible. It is horrible, right?
Anthony Hartcher:Absolutely.
Kathy Ozakovic:And yeah, it was amazing to see all those symptoms start to reverse as well.
Anthony Hartcher:How about your liver enzymes? How are they?
Alisa DiLorenzo:We'll be back after a quick break.
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Kathy Ozakovic:So it's been a tomorrow I'm seven weeks post explant surgery. One of the things that I've noticed right away was the lymph nodes. I haven't had any rhino's disease since there's no chronic fatigue and more energetic. And this is only seven weeks post op I'm still recovering. My muscles are still recovering my pectoral muscle because I went under the muscle as well. My surgeon had to cut my pectoral muscle, the scars are rather large because they need to take out the implant in one vote with the scar tissue intact. Otherwise they are risking because they don't know for sure whether it's ruptured or not. So if they don't take it out in one go all together, they're risking silicone going all over your body. So she told me straightaway she said, you know, we might have to take some of your muscle as well to make sure that we've taken the whole capsule out as well to be safe, because also research again, things that you're not told only a few months prior to my explant surgery, which was end of November 2022, the FDA in America had released a report that said if you take out the implants, but don't take out the scar tissue, the capsule you are cooking cancer in your body. So if you want to get healthy again you need to take out the implants and the scar tissue. Not every surgeon does this because it is a lengthy and tedious surgery. During my explant surgery I was under for six hours. You can imagine how worried my parents were for those six hours that I was in surgery and my whole family lives in Perth. My dad flew over to Sydney to be with me. My mum was still in Perth, there was nothing they could do. I was in the hands of the surgeon if it was a six hour procedure, cutting the muscle getting out the scar tissue and the implant in one go. Reconstructing the muscle, reconstructing the breast as much as possible. And some women have also a lift, which is what I have which is moving the nipples up as well. I was I was really lucky and I think my recovery was pretty there weren't many things many hiccups at all The only hiccup that I had was back pain because coming out of surgery you want to be sleeping a bit upright than flat. But because I was so fit and young and generally healthy other than the breast implant illness symptoms. I was very fit into weightlifting I had actually grown a lot of pectoral muscle. My surgeon said that that helped a lot Hot. And she emphasized this more than once. You know, people thought I was obsessed with my pec muscles. She actually said, in theater, she got everybody to stop to come around and have a look at my pec muscles. She was so happy that she had something to work with because, and again, I want to highlight this for the women that are planning to have an explained it's going to happen sooner or later. If you have breast implants, you're going to be taking them out sooner or later carving well developed pectoral muscles, chest muscles, helps with the outcome of surgery, because the surgeon can clearly distinguish between the scar tissue and the muscle itself and makes that reconstruction so much easier for the surgeon. And also because I was so fit and healthy, it made my recovery so much better, so much easier to deal with. In fact, I had no pain, which is unheard off. My surgeon did use a block something to help with the pain. But apparently it wears off after about anywhere between 24 to 48 hours, and I was just waiting for the pain to hit me I had no pain. The only painkillers that I took was Panadol because my surgeon said take this as a minimum though I took Panadol for 510 years, as a minimum listening to my surgeon. But I was very, very lucky. And this is very different to the stories that I have heard from other women. Sometimes there is excruciating pain. And I went home with all the painkillers I had strong opioids prescribed to me both slow release and fast released, just in case when this block wears off, if I am in such huge pain, soon as I woke up from surgery, the nurses did give me painkillers. And I was still a bit woozy wasn't able to really make many decisions. And I thought, you know, just do what they tell you. And I did not go in opposed to painkillers. But I knew from previous experience that they don't sit well with me. So from my first surgery, when I was on enjoying post surgery, I actually did a lot around the house because I couldn't feel the pain. And that actually risks the stitches breaking and going into this surgery, there was much more risk, there was much more involved. And the PEC muscle and the scars. It's all much more involved. So I knew I had to be very serious about it. So I went in open minded if I need the painkillers, I'll take the painkillers, however, I think it was about it was about two o'clock when I woke up. And I think it's about 230 when they gave me my first painkillers. And then around seven o'clock in the evening, they wanted to give me painkillers again in hospital. And I said, No, I don't feel any pain. I don't want them. They make you feel drowsy. And you know, for some women, this is really good. They make you relax. However, I had done a lot of mindset work going into the surgery, and I felt at ease, not taking any painkillers. And I had advised myself with my surgeon, the very next day, when she came to visit me in hospital. I had told her, you know, I'm not feeling any pain, I feel good. If I can, I want to stay off the heavy painkillers. Because if I don't feel my limitations, I'm going to go out and do something when I need to be resting. So that's where we agreed, okay, at a minimum, take the Panadol. Again, very, very lucky for me. Going back to the cost that you mentioned before as well. Do you remember how much it cost to get a breast implants?
Anthony Hartcher:Yeah. 8,800 Yeah.
Kathy Ozakovic:8,800 To get them in. You go home, you don't stay overnight in hospital. Now. It was a bit costly for me because I also don't have any insurance. I don't have private health at all. I have Medicare and Medicare gave me back about$500 from this surgery, which ended up costing $30,000
Anthony Hartcher:Oh, wow.
Kathy Ozakovic:Yeah, that's the cost of also one night stay in a private hospital. The surgeon and the anesthesiologist and the nurses obviously the hospital costs the whole lot. Also, I had this. It's I forget what the name of it is called this medicine. That helps you get the drains out sooner. And I haven't even touched on drains yet. So as soon as I heard about the need for drains, I want to be getting these drains out of my body as soon as possible. So when Dr. Eva said this actually helps women half the amount of time that they have the drains in their body. I said yes. Sign me up for that.
Anthony Hartcher:What What do you mean by drains?
Kathy Ozakovic:What do I mean by drains? So literally post surgery in order to prevent the accumulation of fluids in the breast and anything like blood and fluid coming out of the breast, you want to drain it, you don't want that circulating in your body, because your body's already working so hard to heal. So these drains actually help your body more, because it's taking out that excess fluid. Otherwise, it's just moving around your body and your lymphatic system is going to be working overtime again, to give yourself the best chance of a healthy and quick recovery by getting the drains. Some surgeons don't use drains, however, me being me and having the knowledge that I have now, knowing that they actually helping me recover. Absolutely, I was up for it. I wasn't up for the discomfort, which is why I agreed for the medicine as well. And if I can take them out at five days, rather than 10 days, yes, I'm going for that there is no guarantee the medicine didn't cost an additional I think was two and a half grand. And I've got my drains out at six days, post up these drains literally they're like thin tubes, thin plastic tubes that are situated underneath the breast and come out the side of your body. And I do have some photos on my social media as well on my Instagram and Facebook posts. If you want to have a look. Also, you can just look it up on Google breast drains that are common in women who undergo a mastectomy as well after cancer. So I had these drains, the drains are more uncomfortable than anything else to be honest, because I also had these like little two bags over my shoulders when I would go for a walk because they're very, very long tubes. And little bags, which were the drains blood and fluid was it's very natural for one side drain more than the other. It's very natural for the color of the fluid that's being drained to change goes from a dark red, more of a blood looking color to more of a yellow looking color. And there is a certain amount you want to get below. I think it was around 30 mils, and then you can take them out. So you go back to the hospital and the nurse takes it out for you. And as soon as the drains were out six days post op, I was moving so much better already. I was more comfortable. Definitely. Yeah, that's what the drains are. Do you get told about these drains when you're going in for implants? Absolutely not.
Anthony Hartcher:Sort of it's a bit contradictory, because they're supposed to like, you know, when you're in the medical profession, give full disclosure, right and allow the patient to provide informed consent, informed consent. And I'm thinking, you know, in terms of what you went in with the plastic surgeon and what you were taught, you know, told and then gave is not really informed consent. And like, then I'm thinking, well, if they gave you fully informed consent, they'd probably lose some sales. And I'm thinking there's a bit of a conundrum the plastic surgeons in is how much information do I give, and I need the business to earn an income like so I find it a bit bizarre that the whole setup is really sets them up for giving away the bare minimum they can get away with and so that they get the sale, they know that they're going to get returned business 1015 years, you're going to come back and that's where the gold is essentially, you know, when when you come back, it's a much longer surgery, much greater sale, the income or
Kathy Ozakovic:the x plan. So some women, sorry to break you off there, but some women might go in for that second surgery to change the breast implants over right so might not be aware of breast implant illness yet they might not have any symptoms yet. They just know that they're due for changing the breast implants in saying that so many women keep the breast implants for way more 2030 years about what like literally that's not recommended. What I find even more bizarre is the fact that the FDA in America banned breast implants between 1992 and 2007. Because of the increase in illness in women and cancers, I was never told this I had no idea that breast implants wherever banned, I was told that they are safe. I did a little bit of research into it most likely that they were brought back in 2007 because there wasn't enough research to actually prove that association between the illnesses and the cancers and the breast implants themselves looking more into that they ask the manufacturer to do the research. So who are you going to believe the manufacturer of the breast implants or the women that are going through these experiences and also keeping in mind that so many women after an ex plans have all their symptoms reverse? It's insane. Wow, wow, closure. Hey, like that's the other thing. I haven't looked into the policy about full disclosure and how much they act We have to disclose but I was reading a book the other day that was published in 1990. It actually said that Australia doesn't have a policy of full disclosure. Oh, wow. So how much improvement have they actually made? Not only that, but there are so many different categories. Now within the medical system as well, making sure that plastic surgeons also provide full disclosure is one thing to making sure that the GP provides full disclosure when recommending a treatment. So this book in particular that I was reading was all about mental health and stress. Again, there's that fine line of how much do I tell them? How much do I not tell them? Well, hang on a minute, I would like to know everything.
Anthony Hartcher:And I'm just seeking, then how can you actually give informed consent when you're not given full disclosure? Like, how does that work?
Kathy Ozakovic:21 years old, I wasn't thinking so much about it. But had someone sat me down and said, Kathy, this is what your body goes through, it's going to create a scar tissue capsule around the implant, because your immune system is attacking it, it's a foreign object. And whenever you get sick, have a cold, your immune system is going to be working even more. And when you want to get them out, it's going to be a six hour surgery, and you're going to have to have drains and their recovery is going to be longer. And these are all the symptoms in the meantime, that you may have to deal with, you know, there's no guarantee that you will experience any of this. However, if you go onto Facebook, and look into breast implant illness, you will find groups with above 150 300,000 women that are members of these groups that have been through this process that have experienced breast implant illness, or women that have breast implants that are still experiencing the symptoms and are preparing themselves for an ex planned surgery, because there is no full disclosure, there is no one else to talk to about this in the medical system, other than the women who have experienced it,
Anthony Hartcher:thank you for sharing those words of wisdom experience, you know, to the listeners to say that they've got a more informed decision that they can make, essentially around breast augmentation. So for the listeners, if you know of anyone that's contemplating this surgery, or this operation, please share this episode, please get them more informed. Because for me, it's sounding like that sort of smoking sort of issue is you can sort of, you know, disclose that you may get cancer, you may you may experience this, you may get this, but the person at the time is then thinking well, but the pleasure, the pleasure I'm getting from having a cigarette is just well, you know, why is the possibility of getting something down the track. And
Kathy Ozakovic:the thing exactly what you said there, there was a time that we thought smoking wasn't harmful. This is the same, there was a time that we thought breast implants were not harmful. We know better. Now, however, the FDA in America has not admitted that yet. As soon as they make that change, there will be changes globally, because we know that America leads the way Australia follows what America does. So we just need to start talking about it more in increasing the awareness. And you know, this is just part one of me going in for getting the breast implants, what's involved in the costs. And then part two is getting out the implants and the recovery process and what's involved I have learned so much more about my body and the process of detoxing because like I said, I had so many symptoms, which are now slowly resolving. And during these last seven weeks, I have been supporting my body with a nutrition and detoxing program to help my body heal better to help circulate these things out of my body faster. And I know that for me, one of the facts that I always remember is that in seven years time, every cell in my body will have regenerated they all regenerate at different rates, our skin cells regenerate after two weeks, our intestinal cells regenerate turnover after two to three days, our bones and our muscles regenerate turnover after about seven years, so to our fat cells. So in seven years time, I can be completely certain that my body has not been touched by silicone and I have no toxins in my body anymore. But between now and then I'm going to do what I can to support it on that journey as well. And the other piece of research that no one tells you you know, I was so worried about breastfeeding. Yes, you can breastfeed when you have breast implants. However, when you have breast implants and you have toxins circulating in your body and you're growing a baby, your baby is being exposed to these toxins. as well, when you are breastfeeding and you have micro leakages or silicone, your baby is being exposed to these toxins as well. And that is scary that no one talks to you about this, you know that, that makes me very emotional now.
Anthony Hartcher:And so just Rewinding back to the 21 year old Kathy about to make this decision if she hadn't known what Kathy was about to endure, would have Kathy went in for breast implant,
Kathy Ozakovic:you know, I can't know. Now, I can't know for certain whether or not I would have carried through with that surgery, knowing what I know. Now, I would like to say, No, I wouldn't. But also I didn't have the mindset that I have. Now, I was in a very different place. Thanks. I know now that there are better ways I know the work that I've put in having had the guidance that I've had, from my coaches, having gained the knowledge that I have some of the things that I would have recommended to my 21 year old self is clear out your social media, follow women who are flat chested, who have small breasts who are very successful, because they are there, there are so many actresses and so many people of influence, Women of Influence, who have small breasts, look at them. Be careful what you listen to, uh, be careful what you look at, be careful who you look up to affirmations, learn to love your body, instead of spending all this time Hating Your Body, learn to love your body, seek out a coach who's going to help you talk to someone more about it, talk to someone who's been through the experience, you know, because I didn't know any of this. And now I know better, I can do better. And I can I think I can help so many women that are going through what I've been through.
Anthony Hartcher:Absolutely, Kathy, and you're doing this and thank you so much for being so open and honest and revealing all and letting the listeners know of what they can expect if they're, you know, in terms of that full disclosure, in terms of the journey that you have shared with the listeners today. So really appreciate you being so open and honest and and also being so open and honest about that reflective hindsight, you know, hindsight is a wonderful thing that hey, that 21 year old girl who's looking for confidence that that, you know, really wants to be part of and fit in. It's a lot different to a 28 year old girl with all the education and university knowledge and coaching and life experience that you've you've gathered over that period. So you're absolutely right, you just don't know. And that's what life's about is us going through and making decisions and learning from it and, and and the learnings you're sharing with others so that they could potentially make a more informed decision. But they may not. They may not choose that, but at least they're aware of what's potentially in front of them.
Kathy Ozakovic:Absolutely. And for any women that have breast implants, I would recommend joining the breast implant illness, Facebook groups and staying aware of the symptoms. And just if you don't want to do so much research into it don't because it can get into your head, but being aware of it is important. And as you get closer to that explant surgery, it will help you so much to have a community of women supporting you. Absolutely you can ask any questions there as well and learn more also, they can contact me in terms of detoxing as well, because it is a process it is a slow process. It's not recommended to detox straight out of recovery, you need to give your body time to heal. It's all very raw, talking about the fact that things are going to look different after an explained things are going to feel different. There is going to be numb for a while as well. My breast tissue is still numb and it's still tight and still doesn't feel like me and the look changes daily. There are so many things that happen I'm still not comfortable having a shower without my little tea towel. So I put a tea towel over my chest because it makes sure that the water is not hitting me directly and it still all feels very raw to me and very sensitive clothes are gonna fit differently, or at least things that are going to happen along the way.
Anthony Hartcher:Kathy, for the listeners that would like to connect with you or find out how they could properly detox post explants. How can they best connect with you
Kathy Ozakovic:they can find me on Instagram or on Facebook or email me you fit wellness is my business name. So www .new fit wellness.com.au is my website and all my contact details are there as well.
Anthony Hartcher:Fantastic. And for the listeners. I'll include those links in the show notes so you can just go directly to the show notes and connect with Kathy and Kathy I really appreciate this so opens and just very raw authentic discussion that we've had. Really appreciate you coming on just wanting to help others and so very much appreciated and all the best with the recovery.
Kathy Ozakovic:I would also just like to say that breast implant illness is real and so is the ill healing from it is very possible and very real.
Anthony Hartcher:Thank you for those words of hope and also thank you for sharing that the cells of our body rejuvenate and there is hope for those that have breast implants that are considering having a explant. So I thank you for sharing that Kathy,
Kathy Ozakovic:thanks for having me. Thank you.
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