A mother-of-three and former Mrs Virginia claimed doctors misdiagnosed her ‘breast implant illness’ that left her suicidal due to agonizing pain.
Brandi Pope, 38, from Virginia, had silicone implants to replace her problematic saline implants in 2009.
In the following years, her health spiraled, beginning with shortness of breath and muscle pain and leading to nausea and chest pain.
She had various medical procedures, including ovarian cyst removal, with doctors diagnosing her with gastroparesis and PCOS.
But with constant pain and anxiety, she began to feel a burden to her husband and guilt for being unable to get out of bed to care for her young children.
She has returned to full health since having her breast implants removed in 2017, taking her from a 34D to a 32B, on the advice of a friend.
Brandi Pope, 38, from Virginia, had her silicone breast implants removed, taking her from a 34D to a 32B, believing that they were causing her years of illness
Mrs Pope said her health spiralled, beginning with shortness of breath and muscle pain and leading to nausea and chest pain. Pictured, before having her implants removed
Mrs Pope, who won Mrs Virginia in 2011, said: ‘I had everything from shortness of breath, muscle and joint pain, chest pains and chronic reflux to being diagnosed with
‘I had colonoscopies, ovarian cyst removal, many blood tests, five endoscopies and carpal tunnel testing due to constant numbness in my hands, all because of the implants.
‘I had anxiety, constant pain and nausea. I started to have suicidal thoughts because my health had gotten so bad.
‘Explanting [the removing of the implants] was almost like a rebirth for me.’
The freelance hairdresser and makeup artist saw numerous different specialists about the strange symptoms she was experiencing.
But throughout the many procedures, not a single doctor considered that the issue might have been her breast implants, Mrs Pope alleges.
In 2011 she was diagnosed with gastroparesis, and in 2016, she was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
But Mrs Pope still had no reason for why her body was in such decline.
The countless unexplained symptoms crippled the mother who began having suicidal thoughts due to her ill health.
Mrs Pope convinced herself that her husband and three children would be better off without her as a burden upon them.
Formerly a swimsuit model, Mrs Pope first underwent a breast augmentation in 2004 after two pregnancies and gaining seven stone left her hating her breasts.
Despite originally only wanting a breast lift, doctors insisted on Mrs Pope having implants for volume so she had saline implants put in too.
The freelance hairdresser and makeup artist first underwent a breast augmentation in 2004 after two pregnancies and gaining (and losing) seven stone left her hating her breasts. Pictured, after her weight loss and before her implants
Mrs Pope, pictured on the left before her ‘explant’ and on the right, after, was left suicidal and bed-ridden due to the agonising pain she was feeling
Mrs Pope had her implants removed after a friend advised her to. Since, she said she feels like she has been ‘reborn’ as her health has improved
Mrs Pope said: ‘I was a fit 24-year-old who just wanted that area to look “normal” again.
‘Two pregnancies with a combined weight gain of over 7st 14lb left me with, what I call, empty tube socks.
‘I originally wanted a lift and the doctor told me I wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t get implants for volume. I trusted him and went through with it.
‘When I had my augmentation, they did a lift to remove the skin and put implants in, so I ended up with the same size [staying at 34C],’ Mrs Pope said.
However, the saline implants caused persistent issues through the years and in 2009 Mrs Pope had them swapped for silicone implants instead after her third baby.
Mrs Pope said: ‘I never liked my first set because I had issues with capsular contracture, rippling and the implants not settling. It was a mess and they never felt “real” – relatively speaking.
‘Initially I felt great and I was happy to have the girls where they used to be. But it didn’t take long before I became more self-conscious than before.
‘I didn’t ever want them to bring attention to me. I never wanted people to question me about getting implants.
‘After my revision in 2009 the doctor went with a bigger implant to fill out the loose skin from having my third baby and I went to a 34D.’
After her breast enhancement, Mrs Pope was glad to have them looking how they had done years prior.
But her health started to show negative signs a year later.
Mrs Pope, who won the title of Mrs Virginia in 2011, was diagnosed with gastroparesis in 2011, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in 2016, having ovarian cysts removed
Mrs Pope said she felt like a burden to her husband and three children. She was so ill she often was unable to care for them, she said
She said: ‘The hardest part of breast implant illness was not being able to care for my own kids when I was in the deepest darkest moments of my illness.
‘Those times when I was convinced that my husband and kids would be so much better off without the burden of my health will be etched in my mind forever.
‘There were times when I couldn’t even get out of bed because of the pain, so my oldest daughter would have to care for her siblings and fix dinner for them. I felt such guilt and shame for that.
‘Every day I would wake up and pray that I could make it through another day for the sake of my family. The closer I got to my explant the more I could feel the life being sucked out of me. Every day was a struggle to get through.’
In 2017, a friend told Mrs Pope about someone she knew who’d had her implants removed and found out they had been making her sick for years.
‘Breast implant illness’ is not a recognised condition, however side effects can occur after a breast augmentation.
Mrs Pope said: ‘A friend reached out to me after watching me suffer with debilitating sickness and told me about her friend who had her implants removed because she was sick, and she got better. It planted a seed in me and I began to research.
Mrs Pope’s implants after they were removed in 2017, seven years after they were implanted
Mrs Pope, pictured now, is sharing her story to warn other women
‘I knew then that I had to explant. I had such peace that this was going to be my path to healing after all these years.
‘I had been so sick for so long, I was ready to do whatever it took to find relief. For me, explanting was a no brainer as it was a life or death decision.’
On October 30, 2017 Mrs Pope had her implants removed in a decision which she believes saved her life.
Since her explant, Mrs Pope is now a 32B and ‘feels reborn’ as her life has returned to healthy and normal.
She said: ‘I was seeing so many specialists that I lost count. I had so many procedures and surgeries that I felt like a human pin cushion.
‘Not once did a doctor tell me it could be my implants causing me to be sick. None of them could give me answers as to why I was so young and living such a healthy lifestyle, yet my health continued to decline.’
Mrs Pope had a complete capsulectomy – the removal of scar tissue – and a lift after her explant.
She said: ‘Sharing my story on Instagram opened up a door of opportunity to help so many women. Just when I thought I was alone, I realised that there is an entire community of women suffering and they need hope from a survivor to keep them going.
‘I want to prove to doctors that the sickness isn’t in our heads.’
You can follow Brandi’s recovery by visiting @theglambelle.