Hi my name is Emily Schwartz. I am 30 years old and 5 years ago I got breast implants. Things were great at first. I had a new found confidence boost and was living my best life… until I wasn’t. I was not made aware of the possibility of getting very sick from them. This has been physically and emotionally devastating.

Symptoms were very mild at first, it started with some GI issues and food intolerances, and as time went on I noticed a lot of my hair coming out in the shower. I’ve had terrible headaches on almost a daily basis for over a year now, some days having to call out of work. I’ve also been dealing with chronic fatigue that is continuing to get worse. Because I don’t have a lot of energy most days (especially days I work at all) I haven’t been as social as I used to be. I spend most of my time in bed or on the couch, it’s extremely isolating.

These last 6 months have been the hardest so far. The inflammation and joint pain have been severe… I can’t physically work as much as I used to, therefore obviously my income has taken a hit. I stopped going to the gym also from the pain which is quite upsetting as it’s an important thing for my physical and mental health. The scariest part of all of this is the neurological symptoms. I have been extra forgetful. I have short term memory loss and brain fog.. I have trouble putting thoughts into words. I forget what I’m talking about literally as I’m talking. Recalling words has been difficult.

Insurance is not much help and will not cover any of this. Trust me when I say I would NOT be getting this surgery if I didn’t need to.. I love how I look right now. But the suffering is not worth it. My quality of life is suffering. I’d also like to note that I have had bloodwork and tests done and everything comes back “normal.”

It is hard for me to ask for help this way but I don’t know what else to do. With work being limited, and needing at least 2 weeks off after to recover from the surgery, funds are definitely limited. I don’t really expect much out of it, I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. Anything helps, even if it’s just sharing the link, or telling someone you know who is thinking about getting breast implants about my story.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. If you’ve actually read all this, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

xo, Emmie