Retired NASCAR driver Danica Patrick posted on Instagram that she had her breast implants removed earlier this week after suffering from numerous adverse health effects.
Patrick said she got implants in 2014, and everything was fine at first. But, nearly four years later, in early 2018, she began noticing her hair wasn't looking healthy and was breaking off. She also noted that she gained weight and couldn't do anything to lose it.
Her symptoms only got worse, and by 2020, she was experiencing a dry scalp, swollen lymph nodes around her neck, a severe leaky gut, achy hands, unexplained weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, and a myriad of other issues. She also noticed that the shape of her face had changed.
She underwent a battery of medical tests and went to multiple doctors to identify the issue. It was eventually determined that she had breast implant illness and made the decision to have her implants removed.
Patrick shared a side-by-side photo of her before and after the surgery and noted how much better she looked just hours after they had been removed.
"Within hours after surgery, this is what I noticed - my face had more color and less dark circles (no food before the second pic), my face started producing oil again, I could take a 30% deeper breath into my chest already, and I had so much energy when I woke up," she wrote.
Patrick went on to provide more details about the condition and urged women who may have similar unexplained symptoms to speak to their doctors about breast implant illness.
"My belief is, it's not if but when you develop symptoms. Some are right away, others are over 15 years later. Silicone is a foreign object and leaches chemicals (look up that huge list!) that's why the body produces a capsule around it," she wrote in a follow-up comment to her lengthy post.
She said that she hopes her post will raise awareness about the issue and promised she will continue to keep her followers about her condition.
"If this post helps just one get to the root of their issues, it did it's job. I will share my progress as I go along."
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