Danielle Watts, from Castleford, West Yorkshire, was initially pleased with the result of her implants – but soon began suffering a series of unexplained symptoms such as colds, headaches, fatigue
A woman who lacked body confidence spent £5,000 to have a boob job – but was left with major complications after surgery left her “poisoned from the inside”.
Danielle Watts, 32, forked out thousands to undergo a breast augmentation in 2020 after years of feeling insecure about the shape of her boobs. Danielle had previously lost four stone and said the weight loss had taken a toll on the firmness of her chest, prompting her to undergo a boob job a year later.
Danielle said: “I was always really self-conscious about my breasts. When I met my partner, I wouldn’t really let him see them because I felt that bad about them that I went and had the surgery done. I wasn’t confident, even though I was comfortable with him. It would depend on the environment – if it was dark I felt okay.
“He was very reassuring but I still felt adamant I wanted them done. They weren’t full at the top and I hated the way they looked. I wanted to do it for my confidence. When I lost four stone, I noticed they were really sagging and wanted to get them done.”
Danielle, who lives in Castleford, West Yorkshire and works as a compliance officer, was initially pleased with the result of her implants – but soon began suffering with constant colds, headaches, fatigue, unexplained rashes, sinus infections, and other mysterious illnesses.
After visiting the doctor more than 20 times across four years, Danielle was left baffled over the cause of her deteriorating health, until she stumbled upon a forum online about Breast Implant Illness (BII). Although the condition isn’t formally recognised by the NHS, the term is used to describe a range of symptoms that some people with breast implants experience including: chronic fatigue, brain fog, memory loss, muscle aches and pains, joint pain, hair loss, dry eyes, mouth, hair, skin, and more.
Danielle said: “I was just getting really bad sinus infections, nosebleeds, migraines, and headaches. I was then diagnosed with chronic rhinitis and sinusitis and suffering from persistent sinus infections. Every other week my body would feel like I had the flu even though I didn’t. The common cold would take me a lot longer to recover from than normal. I have had ringing in my ears and vision problems.
“I felt zapped of energy all the time. My immune system was so suppressed. I then developed an autoimmune rash which shows randomly on my face and chest then goes. I have suffered from constant inflammation showing in my bloods but with no clarification of where this was coming from. After years of suffering and being so sad I started to think could it be my implants? As a foreign body, my body could be fighting against them constantly and this is why I am suffering.”
Exasperated with her debilitating symptoms, Danielle opted to spend another £9,000 to undergo an ‘explant’ last month, in the hope her health drastically improves after the removal of her “toxic” implants. Since the removal op she has already felt like she has more energy and now feels like she can “start to live her life again”.
She explained: “I just thought I need to be me again. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt like myself. I stopped going out with friends because I didn’t have any energy. I retracted myself from friends. I was getting poorly so much. I just thought it can’t be anything else. I regret ever getting them in. Since getting them out, I feel like I’ve got more energy already.
“I feel like I can start my life again and I haven’t physically got that weight on my chest anymore. It’s not worth it. I’m not bothered about what they look like, I just don’t want them inside me anymore. It’s everyone’s own choice to get their boobs done but people should bear this in mind. You never think you’ll end up with this.”