Extol December 2019 - January 2020 | Page 39

SALLY HUGHES In the end, however, it wasn’t a doctor who saved me from the hell I couldn’t seem to escape. In June 2016, I came across an article in People magazine about Hugh Hefner’s wife, Crystal Hefner, who’d had her breast implants removed because she said they were causing her debilitating illness. I was sitting in the waiting room of a doctor’s office as I read through the article, which described an experience eerily similar to mine. When I discussed my concerns with the surgeon who performed my breast augmentation, he dismissed them immediately. I told him my hormones were out of whack, and I was having all kinds of pain and looked to him for a response. The surgeon looked directly at my husband and me and said, “Well, bitches be trippin‘.” Immediately, I was on a mission and began asking every doctor who’d listen, “Could breast implants really be causing this?” The general consensus was no. I even contacted the manufacturer of my implants and asked if they’d ever had complaints like mine. They told me via phone no one had ever complained of any of these symptoms in relation to their implants. Still, I made the decision to have my breast implants removed in October 2016 with nothing to go on but my own instincts and the hope that there was a way for me to get my life back. There wasn’t a single doctor offering me a solution for my condition, but there were three who acknowledged that it was possible my symptoms were, in fact, being caused by my implants. That was enough for me to take a chance. What I would potentially gain was worth way more than what I would definitely lose. Within four weeks of having my implants removed, I knew that they were the source of my misery, and I continued to make improvements over the next six to eight months. My anxiety and joint and muscle pain went away almost entirely, and my fatigue was reduced by at least half. The ringing in my ears went away, and my heightened sensitivity to loud noises disappeared. My body odor and acne went away. My hair stopped falling out. As more time passed my periods and bowel movements became normal again; my short-term memory improved; and I was eventually able to go to work full-time. Today, I have some of my life back, but not all of it. My marriage suffered a lot of damage, and we eventually divorced, leaving heavy consequences for the whole family. I still have to take hormones and constantly work to keep them balanced. I still struggle with debilitating chronic fatigue that seems to strike out of nowhere. My body has a noticeable physical reaction to almost any medication or chemical. I do not tolerate alcohol well and a night of celebration can set me back for a week or more. And I have not been able to run again, which is an activity that I loved dearly. I estimate that the entire ordeal cost me about $50,000 so far and continues to cost me every month. I see doctors who don’t take insurance It’s Your Life... Live it in Health! Chiropractic Care Nutritional Counseling Corrective Exercises Spinal & Postural Screenings Lifestyle Advice Physiotherapy WELLNESS CARE FOR ALL AGES Adults | Children | Newborns • Drive-thru Window Service • Breakfast & Lunch • Espresso, Catering • Boxed Lunch & Delivery Available • Wireless Internet RASMUSSEN CHIROPRACTIC LLC Since 1985 7613 Old State Road 60, Sellersburg, IN 47172 - 812.246.9339 2652 Charlestown Road, New Albany, IN 47150 812.949.2273 | www.rasmussenchiro.com Hours: Monday through Friday 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM Saturday 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM www.cricketscateringcafe.com EXTOL : DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020 37