October 1, 2024 • 30 mins
What if you could alleviate the anxiety surrounding your explant surgery and face the procedure with more calm and confidence? This journey is as much an emotional one as it is physical.
Join me as I share essential strategies to mentally prepare for explant surgery. This episode equips you with powerful yet simple tools to ease your nervous system, boost your confidence, and harness the mind-body connection for a smoother recovery.
Links and resources:
- Get Your Free Explant Planning Checklist:
checklist.empoweredexplant.com - Download 44 Healing Affirmations:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fSH8BTY8qoxiDWa3wozj0AaeQlvJSRW2/view?usp=sharing - Empowered Explant Website Resources
www.empoweredexplant.com/resources - For coaching and support before or after surgery, email me!
darnah@empoweredexplant.com
Please help us be heard and raise awareness:
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Let's connect!
Join the Empowered Explant Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/empoweredexplant
Connect with Darnah on Instagram: @darnahmercieca
Interviews and sponsorships email: podcast@empoweredexplant.com
Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/ilya-kuznetsov/anticipation
Disclaimer: This podcast does not constitute medical or mental health advice. Darnah is not a medical practitioner. She shares from personal experience, research, and conversations with other people. If you are experiencing symptoms, pain, post-surgery complications, or mental health concerns, please seek care from your medical provider or surgeon.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Darnah Mercieca (00:03):
If you're a woman getting ready for explant
surgery and you want to feelcalm, clear and mentally ready
going into it, then stick withme.
In this episode, I'll share theexact steps that I used and
have recommended to other womento help mentally prepare for
explant surgery.
These tools and exercises canhelp reduce anxiety, improve
(00:24):
recovery and keep you groundedthroughout your entire journey.
This is Empowered Explant thepodcast helping women ditch
their breast implants withconfidence.
I'm Darnah Mercieca, boardcertified health and wellness
coach and explant warrior.
If you've hit play on thisepisode, you might just be
stepping onto the emotionalrollercoaster, or you might be
(00:46):
well into the ride.
Either way, I'm so proud of you.
You are so, so brave.
This really is an emotionaljourney, and before your surgery
there are so many emotions.
And, if I'm to be honest withyou, the emotional ride
continues after explant surgerytoo.
(01:07):
It just gets different, and soI believe it's super important
to mentally prepare beforeexplant surgery and have the
tools to support all these bigemotions you'll inevitably be
feeling along the way.
By the end of this video,you'll have 10 actionable steps
to mentally prepare for surgery.
(01:28):
No fluff, just practical tipsyou can use right away.
So if you're ready to face yourexplant with less stress and
more calm.
Let's dive in A quickdisclaimer.
Please know I'm not a medicaldoctor and this podcast does not
constitute medical or mentalhealth advice.
(01:48):
I share from my personalexperience, research and
conversations with other people.
If you're experiencing symptoms, pain, post-surgery
complications or mental healthconcerns, please seek care from
your medical provider or surgeonconcerns.
Please seek care from yourmedical provider or surgeon.
And please make any medicaldecisions in consultation with a
qualified and experiencedhealthcare professional.
(02:12):
First up, I highly recommendtaking a moment to write down
your why.
Why are you choosing to explant?
Maybe it's for your health, tofeel more comfortable in your
body or to reclaim your sense ofself.
Maybe it's more about wantingto get pregnant or be a healthy,
(02:34):
energetic mom to your children.
Whatever it is, go deep.
It could be for yourself.
It could be to improve the wayyou show up for others.
There is no wrong answer here.
The main thing is that writingit down helps you stay connected
to your reason for explantingand this will be your anchor
(02:59):
when the nerves or doubts creepin and it'll remind you of
what's important for your future.
You know this was really helpfulfor me because, as we get close
to our surgery, we can start tofeel shaky, we can start to
have doubts Are we doing theright thing?
(03:20):
Do we really want to go throughwith our surgeries?
I know some women, you knowsome women pick up the phone and
cancel their surgeries becausetheir fears are too great and
other women think about doingthat.
Fears that really consume usand take over and make us change
(03:50):
our minds and stop us frommoving forward on this journey.
And fears that we feel and werecognize and we acknowledge and
we work through.
But we continue with ourjourney and our decision to
explant and remove our implantsis the strength of our why and
how connected we are to that.
And you know there was so muchfear running through me and so
(04:13):
many concerns and worriesrunning through me before my
surgery.
But continuing to come back tomy why really just kept me
grounded in knowing that I wasdoing the right thing ultimately
for my life and for myself, myfuture self, and I would think
(04:37):
about my why and I would thinkabout my health and I would
think about my goals for myhealth and the goals that I have
for my life and knowing thatthere was no way that I could
possibly feel the way that Iwant to feel or achieve what I
want to achieve in my life.
Feeling the way that I was, andso really writing down my why
(04:57):
and staying true to that andstaying connected to that kept
me feeling strong throughout andreally pulled me out of those
emotional anxiety fear-drivenspirals.
Now let's talk about mindset.
One of the best ways tomentally prepare is through
(05:17):
visualization and positiveaffirmations.
So you've got your why andthat's great.
But you have to take it a stepfurther to really work that
mental muscle.
And look, this is not evenwoo-woo, I promise, it's pure
science.
I want you to picture yourselfhealthy, strong and healed after
(05:41):
surgery.
So often we become so fixated onthinking about the worst
outcome that we begin to believeit into existence and we turn
into an anxious mess, and thatreally doesn't help any part of
this.
But visualizing a positiveoutcome can help calm anxiety
(06:06):
and boost your confidence, andwith better energy you actually
start to attract better outcomesand also handle challenges in a
more calm, optimistic way.
So visualizing a positiveoutcome isn't just about like
toxic positivity, where we'retelling ourselves everything's
(06:28):
going to be fine.
There is never anything that gogoing to be that goes wrong,
your breasts are going to beperfect, like it's not about
toxic positivity or tellingyourself things that may not be
true, but it is aboutvisualizing what you can see.
You can see yourself healthy,you can see yourself strong, you
(06:49):
can see yourself healed on theother side of surgery, you can
see yourself pregnant.
You can see yourself runningaround with your children and
giving them the most biggest hugand feeling their heartbeat
right up against your heartbeat.
So it's not about so muchvisualizing the aesthetic
outcome.
It's more about visualizingyour why coming into existence
(07:14):
and your words and your thoughtsmatter as well and speaking
kindly to yourself will createthe mental strength that you
need for surgery and it'll helpyour body heal too.
It's crazy how what we speakactually takes, it manifests in
(07:37):
us physically.
I often will refer to LouiseHay's book how to Heal your Life
.
I'm sorry, you Can Heal yourLife and it's because there's
that connection, that mind-bodyconnection, and so often I'll be
feeling ill in one area of mybody, one area of my body, and
(07:58):
I'll refer to her book tounderstand what is it in my
mental processing.
What is it?
What could I be thinkingnegatively in my life?
What beliefs toxic beliefs,negative beliefs might I be
carrying in me that aremanifesting in my body
(08:20):
physically, and it's actuallyquite amazing how, when you
start rewiring your words andthen that rewires your brain and
rewires your thoughts, how thatthen shifts your body and how
you feel physically.
It's amazing stuff really howyou feel physically.
(08:43):
It's amazing stuff really, andI've created a list of 44
affirmations that can inspireyour new loving vocabulary and
the link is in the show notes orthe description below for that,
and I hope it's helpful.
There's a lot of affirmationsthere and you can pick and
choose what resonates with you.
But what's really important isthat you start to speak loving
(09:03):
words to yourself and you startto truly visualize the positives
that are going to come throughyou being on this journey and
coming out the other side.
All right.
Next I'm going to dive intofocusing on gut health, eating
well and removing toxins,because what we put into our
(09:24):
bodies affects our minds too.
Gut health plays a huge role inmental health.
In fact, about 90% of ourserotonin is produced in our gut
.
Isn't that crazy?
And poor gut health is oftenassociated with breast implant
(09:47):
illness symptoms, so it's nosurprise we have increased
anxiety, depression and moodissues.
It's all connected.
So, before surgery, focus onnourishing your body with
anti-inflammatory nutrient densefoods and improving your gut
health and, if you can reduceyour exposure to toxins in your
(10:10):
environment as well.
Cleaning up your diet andlifestyle will help your body
feel its best, or at least asgood as it can right now, while
the implants are still in yourbody.
And when your body feels good,your mind follows.
Think about it when you wake upon a good day feeling energized
(10:31):
and your body feels good, maybeyou're not in pain, maybe your
symptoms aren't flaring up,maybe your head feels clearer
than usual.
All of a sudden, your mood islifted.
Right, you feel better.
Or think about, after you'veeaten a really nourishing meal,
how good it feels and it kind ofcomes through in your energy.
(10:53):
Now number four is toincorporate gentle movement.
I know exercise can feeldaunting and like the last thing
you want to do, especially ifyou're dealing with BII symptoms
, but movement is important forboth physical and mental health,
which is why it's on this list.
I talked about this in way moredetail in last week's podcast
(11:15):
episode.
It was literally all aboutexercise before explant surgery.
So I really recommend checkingthat episode out after this, if
you haven't already, but gentlemovement like walking,
stretching or yoga can reallyhelp ease stress and anxiety and
actually improve energy levelsand sleep quality, which is just
(11:36):
a huge factor in how we feel.
So listen to your body and dowhat feels right for you.
Movement can just help you feelmore in control and mentally
prepared for what's to come.
Plus, I don't know about you,but after a workout, after
exercising, just the way itmakes my body feel makes me feel
(11:59):
better, makes me feel better,makes me feel brighter, makes me
feel more confident.
You know, I do a little coreexercise.
All of a sudden, my coremuscles feel tighter.
Once again, this isn't abouthow I look in the mirror as much
as it is about how I feel in mybody.
My posture feels better.
My, you know, I feel stronger.
My legs feel better.
(12:20):
My butt feels better.
I feel stronger, my legs feelbetter, my butt feels better.
Whatever it is, you just feel alittle tighter, a little
lighter, and all of a sudden youfeel a little lighter.
I don't know why.
I felt compelled to rhyme allof that, but I did.
That was definitely kind ofweird.
I'm going to own it.
Number five one of the biggestways to ease your mind before
(12:44):
surgery is to be prepared inadvance.
Where are my planners at?
Where are my planners at?
I'm a planner.
It really adds to the mentalload when I'm not organized and
leaving things to the lastminute.
I don't deal with that verywell.
That's when the stress kind ofbubbles up inside me.
(13:06):
The anxiety rises.
So you know, planning inadvance is, for sure, something
I recommend.
You want to make sure you haveall your recovery essentials
ready so you're not going to bescrambling or stressing close to
surgery or worse, after yoursurgery like wondering if things
(13:27):
are going to be delivered ontime.
I remember leaving a couple ofthings to the last minute and
being like, oh my gosh, is thisgoing to get delivered?
Like before I even have surgery, is this going to get delivered
before I even have surgery?
So have your list, buy what youneed in advance.
And it's also wise to plan foremergencies.
(13:48):
I know we don't like to thinkabout it, but I think ignoring
these things actually causes waymore anxiety.
There are things that can happen.
There are risks with majorsurgery.
So there's a lot of fear with alot of women around um, around
(14:12):
going under anesthesia and likewhat if something happens to me,
like I've got my children andmy family and all of these
things and and those fears arewarranted, right like they are
legit fears and this is a majorsurgery and we all want to make
sure that our families are goodand that our kids are good.
And then there are also, youknow, those things that could
(14:34):
happen after surgery, like, um,you know, typical risk like
developing a seroma, developinga hematoma.
What happens if that happens?
If you don't know what I'mtalking about, then you should
speak to your surgeon and askthe questions, make sure that
you have all of your questionsanswered by your surgeon, so
(14:54):
have your insurance andpaperwork in order, okay, and
make sure you understand yoursurgeon's protocol for
emergencies and then take all ofthat information and share it
with your support person Because, my love, you are about to be
out.
If you are going under generalanesthesia, which is typically
(15:17):
common for this surgery, you'regoing to be asleep and you want
to make sure that your supportperson knows what's up, and when
you wake up, you're going to begroggy Quite often.
The surgery clinic will thengive your support person
instructions.
So just keep them in the loop,keep them involved.
(15:38):
Also have a place where you'vegot all of that documentation in
a folder, easy access for yoursupport person, so your health
insurance and life insurance, ifyou have it, and just all of
those pieces.
(16:01):
It's horrible to think aboutsomething happening, but I think
that preparing for the worstcase scenario, facing that and
being prepared for it is a hugerelief, just knowing that.
Hey, if something happens, ifthere is an emergency, if
something happens after surgery,everyone's everything's taken
care of.
Everyone knows where everythingis and someone has the
(16:21):
passwords to my computer, likewhatever it is, someone has my
boss's contact in case I can'tcome into work, like whatever it
is.
All of that you can feel atease because you just know that
everything's taken care of andyou haven't left any loose ends
or burdens on anybody.
(16:43):
The other thing I think isworth mentioning here is to
create a budget so you know whatto expect financially,
including any post-surgery careor supplements.
That can just be such a hugeweight off your shoulders to
know what you have to budget for, how you're paying.
And then also, even on thetopic of supplements and all of
(17:06):
that, don't forget to ask yoursurgeon.
Make sure that they've givenyou a protocol in advance of
when to stop taking certainsupplements, what you can take,
what you shouldn't take, likeall of those things your surgeon
should have a protocol for.
So make sure that you have allof that information in advance
(17:27):
so you can mark it on yourcalendars and, like I said
before, you know, ask yoursurgeon all the questions you
have, whether it's about theprocedure, recovery or any
potential risks.
The more you know, the lessyou'll have to worry about.
Number six is have realisticexpectations for recovery.
(17:48):
Knowing what to expect aftersurgery can help reduce anxiety.
For sure, the thing is,recovery looks different for
everyone and there are somethings you just can't plan for.
But there are things you canplan for.
Knowing your surgeon's recoveryprotocol, understanding how
(18:12):
your body might feel, how muchdowntime you'll need and things
like what to eat, what to wear,what supplements to take and so
on can help you mentally prepare.
And things like what to eat,what to wear, what supplements
to take and so on can help youmentally prepare and reduce some
of the fears you might haveabout the unknown.
Now there are going to beunknowns, especially around how
(18:33):
your results are going to lookaesthetically.
That requires some more of theinner work and, like I mentioned
earlier, those mental reframing, the positive affirmations, the
visualizations, the self-talkand kind of.
There's an element of surrenderto this as well.
(18:55):
But when I say having realisticexpectations for recovery, I'm
really talking about the piecesthat you can control or at least
be aware of and be prepared for.
So for more on this, I do talkabout all of this in podcast
(19:15):
episode 45, that's called whatto expect in recovery and that
should be really helpful to getsome clarity around all of that.
Number seven is to make sure youhave a solid support system in
place before surgery.
So you know, while you are inthe early stages of this journey
, are you isolating yourself andhiding and late at night on
(19:39):
your computer and stressingabout this all on your own and
carrying the weight of thisdecision and this journey and
all of this on your ownshoulders?
Because if you are, you don'thave to be, you shouldn't be.
This is a lot and you know,especially if you're not feeling
(20:00):
well, it's just it's a lot tocarry and so you know, I really
recommend having someone thatyou can talk to, and this could
be family friends, it could beyour partner.
If you have a loving,supportive partner, that makes
you feel really held throughthis.
I have seen it.
It does exist and it is abeautiful thing when that is the
(20:23):
case, but it's not the case foreverybody, unfortunately.
For me, my mom was my supportperson and it meant the world to
me to have her by my side.
Maybe you have a, a best friendor someone close to you, or even
a therapist or coach who canhelp talk you through emotions
(20:46):
and concerns.
I think that that is a reallyunderutilized opportunity on
this journey.
Scheduling time with aprofessional to work through any
pre-surgery anxiety can be sohelpful.
A lot of my explant coachingclients come to me for more
(21:06):
practical planning topics, youknow, prepping for surgery,
recovery, detox, like thosekinds of things but they end up
saying how it was actually sucha huge support emotionally.
There are also communities likethe Empowered Explant Facebook
group, which can be helpful tojust surround yourself with
(21:27):
women who understand yourjourney, who are on the path
themselves, who have alreadyhealed and recovered, who can
really hold space for you.
And another cool thing to docould be like to find some women
in a community who are havingsurgery around the same time as
you.
This is what I did on myjourney and then you just stay
connected with that small littlepod of women who are really
(21:51):
going through this at the sametime as you, so that you can
talk about your experience andyou can all just really hold
each other through it andcelebrate each other as you each
of you have your surgeries andcome out on the other side.
I absolutely love the group ofbreasties that I went through
(22:11):
this journey with.
There were about I don't knowabout eight of us, all
explanting with Dr Dev in Miamiand we all connected a few
months before our surgeries andwe went through the journey
together in a Facebook group.
In fact it was the originalEmpowered Explant Facebook group
.
From there it just grew andgrew and blossomed into this
(22:34):
beautiful community.
But it started out just withthis few of us and it was just
so special to see each of us,one by one, go through our
surgery, face our fears, bebrave and come out the other
side and celebrate each other.
So, yeah, that's somethingreally special and it might not
be a group, it might just be oneperson that you meet who is on
(22:56):
this journey at the same time asyou, but it can be really
therapeutic for both of you.
Number eight is scheduleself-care time, and I mean it,
schedule it.
Put it on your calendar andmake it happen.
Surgery is a big deal andhaving some quality you time is
so important to keeping yourmind calm and creating
(23:18):
intentional space for yourselfto work through all of these
emotions.
Whether it's meditating,reading, stretching, taking a
bath, spending time in nature,whatever it looks like for you.
Take moments to recharge andcenter yourself before your big
day.
Recharge and center yourselfbefore your big day.
(23:41):
Seriously, even just fiveminutes each day of undisturbed
breathing can regulate yournervous system.
Plus, you know, going intosurgery and recovery, you're
going to have some downtime.
You know life isn't going tolook exactly as it does now for
a little while, which for somepeople like me, that was kind of
a relief because I needed abreak.
I was like can I please just goon to anesthesia and take a
(24:04):
long nap and wake up and rest,because my life felt really
chaotic at the time and I kindof just needed that pause.
But for others, that downtimecan feel really taxing.
It can feel really burdensomeon your life and even during
(24:25):
that not being able to takebaths or not being able to take
long hot showers.
You just kind of take forgranted those moments that you
can really lean into right now.
So take full advantage of everychance you get to just be with
yourself and do something nicefor yourself.
(24:47):
Number nine is to lean in toyour faith-based or spiritual
practice.
This is a big one for me.
It really guided my journey,but I understand this might not
resonate for everyone.
If you do have a faith-based orspiritual practice, now is a
(25:09):
great time to lean into thateven more, really getting into
prayer and praise and gratitudeand ultimately trusting in a
plan greater than your own,believing that God or the
universe or that higher powerhas the best plan for you, even
if it looks different than whatyou had planned for yourself,
(25:32):
which quite often this does.
I mean, who planned for this?
I know I didn't plan for thisin my life.
So you know, really justleaning into that surrender,
that trust in God's plan for you, bringing your faith into this
journey, can bring so much peaceand comfort as you prepare for
(25:57):
your surgery day and as you facewhatever comes next on this
journey and there may bechallenges that arise, but I
found that the more I had faiththat these challenges were
presenting a lesson for me, thatthese challenges were
presenting an opportunity for meto get closer to God, to
(26:23):
surrender more, to trust more,to impact other people's lives.
Whatever that was, my faithcarried me through.
And if the topic of faith orspirituality feels new to you
but you kind of feel cold in thedirection of exploring it, I
encourage you to listen to thatlittle nudge because there are
(26:45):
so many miracles waiting for youon this journey.
I've linked to my pre-surgeryprayer, which you can listen to,
you can download as well, whichyou can listen to, you can
download as well, and it's just,it's so helpful to bring you
peace as you get closer to yourday, and I really recommend
(27:07):
putting that on the night beforeyour surgery for sure, and just
feeling really grounded inknowing that you're protected,
you're safe, feeling reallygrounded in knowing that you're
protected, you're safe and thatsomething magical is in store
for you as you come out theother side of this explant
(27:27):
journey.
Lastly, number 10, the grandfinale.
As a final send-off, I suggestwriting a goodbye letter to your
implants.
This is an emotional step, butit's so, so powerful.
Most of us have complicatedfeelings about our implants.
(27:47):
I find they typically representa significant time in our lives
, whether it's a divorce orchild rearing or cancer survival
, there's usually a story there,and now we're letting them go.
Writing a goodbye letter canbring light and closure to this
(28:08):
part of your life, allowing youto process whatever emotions
could be stuck there.
Episode 33 of this podcast iscalled the most powerful goodbye
letter you can write, and itreally is, and so in that
episode you can hear all aboutthis exercise and how it helped
me and how you can also writethis letter for yourself.
(28:32):
Okay, that's my 10.
And, like I said earlier, someof them seem simple.
They work.
So if you find yourself feelinganxious or overwhelmed with
emotion, I want you to come backto this episode and choose
something from this list tofocus on.
Preparing mentally for explantsurgery can feel overwhelming,
(28:53):
and it's quite often justsomething we push aside because
we're like we really have to dothat work.
You know it sounds kind ofsimple, maybe.
Maybe I don't really need that,but I'm telling you these steps
will help you approach this,this whole journey, with more
clarity, calm and confidence, ifyou're ready to tackle number
(29:14):
five now, which was preparing inadvance, and you're ready to
tackle number five now, whichwas preparing in advance.
Then you're ready to getorganized for your surgery.
Download my free 33-stepexplant planning checklist at
checklistempoweredexplantcom.
Trust me, it will be a mentalrelief to just have a to-do list
that's already been created foryou.
You are welcome.
(29:35):
Thanks for joining me today,breasty.
If you found this episodehelpful, please share it with as
many Breasties as you can whoare prepping for their explant
day, so that we can create aripple effect of calm together.
You got this.
You are not in it alone.
You are so, so brave and I amhere if you need support.
(29:56):
I'll see you here next week,rusty.
If you're a woman getting ready for explant
surgery and you want to feelcalm, clear and mentally ready
going into it, then stick withme.
In this episode, I'll share theexact steps that I used and
have recommended to other womento help mentally prepare for
explant surgery.
These tools and exercises canhelp reduce anxiety, improve
(00:24):
recovery and keep you groundedthroughout your entire journey.
This is Empowered Explant thepodcast helping women ditch
their breast implants withconfidence.
I'm Darnah Mercieca, boardcertified health and wellness
coach and explant warrior.
If you've hit play on thisepisode, you might just be
stepping onto the emotionalrollercoaster, or you might be
(00:46):
well into the ride.
Either way, I'm so proud of you.
You are so, so brave.
This really is an emotionaljourney, and before your surgery
there are so many emotions.
And, if I'm to be honest withyou, the emotional ride
continues after explant surgerytoo.
(01:07):
It just gets different, and soI believe it's super important
to mentally prepare beforeexplant surgery and have the
tools to support all these bigemotions you'll inevitably be
feeling along the way.
By the end of this video,you'll have 10 actionable steps
to mentally prepare for surgery.
(01:28):
No fluff, just practical tipsyou can use right away.
So if you're ready to face yourexplant with less stress and
more calm.
Let's dive in A quickdisclaimer.
Please know I'm not a medicaldoctor and this podcast does not
constitute medical or mentalhealth advice.
(01:48):
I share from my personalexperience, research and
conversations with other people.
If you're experiencing symptoms, pain, post-surgery
complications or mental healthconcerns, please seek care from
your medical provider or surgeonconcerns.
Please seek care from yourmedical provider or surgeon.
And please make any medicaldecisions in consultation with a
qualified and experiencedhealthcare professional.
(02:12):
First up, I highly recommendtaking a moment to write down
your why.
Why are you choosing to explant?
Maybe it's for your health, tofeel more comfortable in your
body or to reclaim your sense ofself.
Maybe it's more about wantingto get pregnant or be a healthy,
(02:34):
energetic mom to your children.
Whatever it is, go deep.
It could be for yourself.
It could be to improve the wayyou show up for others.
There is no wrong answer here.
The main thing is that writingit down helps you stay connected
to your reason for explantingand this will be your anchor
(02:59):
when the nerves or doubts creepin and it'll remind you of
what's important for your future.
You know this was really helpfulfor me because, as we get close
to our surgery, we can start tofeel shaky, we can start to
have doubts Are we doing theright thing?
(03:20):
Do we really want to go throughwith our surgeries?
I know some women, you knowsome women pick up the phone and
cancel their surgeries becausetheir fears are too great and
other women think about doingthat.
Fears that really consume usand take over and make us change
(03:50):
our minds and stop us frommoving forward on this journey.
And fears that we feel and werecognize and we acknowledge and
we work through.
But we continue with ourjourney and our decision to
explant and remove our implantsis the strength of our why and
how connected we are to that.
And you know there was so muchfear running through me and so
(04:13):
many concerns and worriesrunning through me before my
surgery.
But continuing to come back tomy why really just kept me
grounded in knowing that I wasdoing the right thing ultimately
for my life and for myself, myfuture self, and I would think
(04:37):
about my why and I would thinkabout my health and I would
think about my goals for myhealth and the goals that I have
for my life and knowing thatthere was no way that I could
possibly feel the way that Iwant to feel or achieve what I
want to achieve in my life.
Feeling the way that I was, andso really writing down my why
(04:57):
and staying true to that andstaying connected to that kept
me feeling strong throughout andreally pulled me out of those
emotional anxiety fear-drivenspirals.
Now let's talk about mindset.
One of the best ways tomentally prepare is through
(05:17):
visualization and positiveaffirmations.
So you've got your why andthat's great.
But you have to take it a stepfurther to really work that
mental muscle.
And look, this is not evenwoo-woo, I promise, it's pure
science.
I want you to picture yourselfhealthy, strong and healed after
(05:41):
surgery.
So often we become so fixated onthinking about the worst
outcome that we begin to believeit into existence and we turn
into an anxious mess, and thatreally doesn't help any part of
this.
But visualizing a positiveoutcome can help calm anxiety
(06:06):
and boost your confidence, andwith better energy you actually
start to attract better outcomesand also handle challenges in a
more calm, optimistic way.
So visualizing a positiveoutcome isn't just about like
toxic positivity, where we'retelling ourselves everything's
(06:28):
going to be fine.
There is never anything that gogoing to be that goes wrong,
your breasts are going to beperfect, like it's not about
toxic positivity or tellingyourself things that may not be
true, but it is aboutvisualizing what you can see.
You can see yourself healthy,you can see yourself strong, you
(06:49):
can see yourself healed on theother side of surgery, you can
see yourself pregnant.
You can see yourself runningaround with your children and
giving them the most biggest hugand feeling their heartbeat
right up against your heartbeat.
So it's not about so muchvisualizing the aesthetic
outcome.
It's more about visualizingyour why coming into existence
(07:14):
and your words and your thoughtsmatter as well and speaking
kindly to yourself will createthe mental strength that you
need for surgery and it'll helpyour body heal too.
It's crazy how what we speakactually takes, it manifests in
(07:37):
us physically.
I often will refer to LouiseHay's book how to Heal your Life
.
I'm sorry, you Can Heal yourLife and it's because there's
that connection, that mind-bodyconnection, and so often I'll be
feeling ill in one area of mybody, one area of my body, and
(07:58):
I'll refer to her book tounderstand what is it in my
mental processing.
What is it?
What could I be thinkingnegatively in my life?
What beliefs toxic beliefs,negative beliefs might I be
carrying in me that aremanifesting in my body
(08:20):
physically, and it's actuallyquite amazing how, when you
start rewiring your words andthen that rewires your brain and
rewires your thoughts, how thatthen shifts your body and how
you feel physically.
It's amazing stuff really howyou feel physically.
(08:43):
It's amazing stuff really, andI've created a list of 44
affirmations that can inspireyour new loving vocabulary and
the link is in the show notes orthe description below for that,
and I hope it's helpful.
There's a lot of affirmationsthere and you can pick and
choose what resonates with you.
But what's really important isthat you start to speak loving
(09:03):
words to yourself and you startto truly visualize the positives
that are going to come throughyou being on this journey and
coming out the other side.
All right.
Next I'm going to dive intofocusing on gut health, eating
well and removing toxins,because what we put into our
(09:24):
bodies affects our minds too.
Gut health plays a huge role inmental health.
In fact, about 90% of ourserotonin is produced in our gut
.
Isn't that crazy?
And poor gut health is oftenassociated with breast implant
(09:47):
illness symptoms, so it's nosurprise we have increased
anxiety, depression and moodissues.
It's all connected.
So, before surgery, focus onnourishing your body with
anti-inflammatory nutrient densefoods and improving your gut
health and, if you can reduceyour exposure to toxins in your
(10:10):
environment as well.
Cleaning up your diet andlifestyle will help your body
feel its best, or at least asgood as it can right now, while
the implants are still in yourbody.
And when your body feels good,your mind follows.
Think about it when you wake upon a good day feeling energized
(10:31):
and your body feels good, maybeyou're not in pain, maybe your
symptoms aren't flaring up,maybe your head feels clearer
than usual.
All of a sudden, your mood islifted.
Right, you feel better.
Or think about, after you'veeaten a really nourishing meal,
how good it feels and it kind ofcomes through in your energy.
(10:53):
Now number four is toincorporate gentle movement.
I know exercise can feeldaunting and like the last thing
you want to do, especially ifyou're dealing with BII symptoms
, but movement is important forboth physical and mental health,
which is why it's on this list.
I talked about this in way moredetail in last week's podcast
(11:15):
episode.
It was literally all aboutexercise before explant surgery.
So I really recommend checkingthat episode out after this, if
you haven't already, but gentlemovement like walking,
stretching or yoga can reallyhelp ease stress and anxiety and
actually improve energy levelsand sleep quality, which is just
(11:36):
a huge factor in how we feel.
So listen to your body and dowhat feels right for you.
Movement can just help you feelmore in control and mentally
prepared for what's to come.
Plus, I don't know about you,but after a workout, after
exercising, just the way itmakes my body feel makes me feel
(11:59):
better, makes me feel better,makes me feel brighter, makes me
feel more confident.
You know, I do a little coreexercise.
All of a sudden, my coremuscles feel tighter.
Once again, this isn't abouthow I look in the mirror as much
as it is about how I feel in mybody.
My posture feels better.
My, you know, I feel stronger.
My legs feel better.
(12:20):
My butt feels better.
I feel stronger, my legs feelbetter, my butt feels better.
Whatever it is, you just feel alittle tighter, a little
lighter, and all of a sudden youfeel a little lighter.
I don't know why.
I felt compelled to rhyme allof that, but I did.
That was definitely kind ofweird.
I'm going to own it.
Number five one of the biggestways to ease your mind before
(12:44):
surgery is to be prepared inadvance.
Where are my planners at?
Where are my planners at?
I'm a planner.
It really adds to the mentalload when I'm not organized and
leaving things to the lastminute.
I don't deal with that verywell.
That's when the stress kind ofbubbles up inside me.
(13:06):
The anxiety rises.
So you know, planning inadvance is, for sure, something
I recommend.
You want to make sure you haveall your recovery essentials
ready so you're not going to bescrambling or stressing close to
surgery or worse, after yoursurgery like wondering if things
(13:27):
are going to be delivered ontime.
I remember leaving a couple ofthings to the last minute and
being like, oh my gosh, is thisgoing to get delivered?
Like before I even have surgery, is this going to get delivered
before I even have surgery?
So have your list, buy what youneed in advance.
And it's also wise to plan foremergencies.
(13:48):
I know we don't like to thinkabout it, but I think ignoring
these things actually causes waymore anxiety.
There are things that can happen.
There are risks with majorsurgery.
So there's a lot of fear with alot of women around um, around
(14:12):
going under anesthesia and likewhat if something happens to me,
like I've got my children andmy family and all of these
things and and those fears arewarranted, right like they are
legit fears and this is a majorsurgery and we all want to make
sure that our families are goodand that our kids are good.
And then there are also, youknow, those things that could
(14:34):
happen after surgery, like, um,you know, typical risk like
developing a seroma, developinga hematoma.
What happens if that happens?
If you don't know what I'mtalking about, then you should
speak to your surgeon and askthe questions, make sure that
you have all of your questionsanswered by your surgeon, so
(14:54):
have your insurance andpaperwork in order, okay, and
make sure you understand yoursurgeon's protocol for
emergencies and then take all ofthat information and share it
with your support person Because, my love, you are about to be
out.
If you are going under generalanesthesia, which is typically
(15:17):
common for this surgery, you'regoing to be asleep and you want
to make sure that your supportperson knows what's up, and when
you wake up, you're going to begroggy Quite often.
The surgery clinic will thengive your support person
instructions.
So just keep them in the loop,keep them involved.
(15:38):
Also have a place where you'vegot all of that documentation in
a folder, easy access for yoursupport person, so your health
insurance and life insurance, ifyou have it, and just all of
those pieces.
(16:01):
It's horrible to think aboutsomething happening, but I think
that preparing for the worstcase scenario, facing that and
being prepared for it is a hugerelief, just knowing that.
Hey, if something happens, ifthere is an emergency, if
something happens after surgery,everyone's everything's taken
care of.
Everyone knows where everythingis and someone has the
(16:21):
passwords to my computer, likewhatever it is, someone has my
boss's contact in case I can'tcome into work, like whatever it
is.
All of that you can feel atease because you just know that
everything's taken care of andyou haven't left any loose ends
or burdens on anybody.
(16:43):
The other thing I think isworth mentioning here is to
create a budget so you know whatto expect financially,
including any post-surgery careor supplements.
That can just be such a hugeweight off your shoulders to
know what you have to budget for, how you're paying.
And then also, even on thetopic of supplements and all of
(17:06):
that, don't forget to ask yoursurgeon.
Make sure that they've givenyou a protocol in advance of
when to stop taking certainsupplements, what you can take,
what you shouldn't take, likeall of those things your surgeon
should have a protocol for.
So make sure that you have allof that information in advance
(17:27):
so you can mark it on yourcalendars and, like I said
before, you know, ask yoursurgeon all the questions you
have, whether it's about theprocedure, recovery or any
potential risks.
The more you know, the lessyou'll have to worry about.
Number six is have realisticexpectations for recovery.
(17:48):
Knowing what to expect aftersurgery can help reduce anxiety.
For sure, the thing is,recovery looks different for
everyone and there are somethings you just can't plan for.
But there are things you canplan for.
Knowing your surgeon's recoveryprotocol, understanding how
(18:12):
your body might feel, how muchdowntime you'll need and things
like what to eat, what to wear,what supplements to take and so
on can help you mentally prepare.
And things like what to eat,what to wear, what supplements
to take and so on can help youmentally prepare and reduce some
of the fears you might haveabout the unknown.
Now there are going to beunknowns, especially around how
(18:33):
your results are going to lookaesthetically.
That requires some more of theinner work and, like I mentioned
earlier, those mental reframing, the positive affirmations, the
visualizations, the self-talkand kind of.
There's an element of surrenderto this as well.
(18:55):
But when I say having realisticexpectations for recovery, I'm
really talking about the piecesthat you can control or at least
be aware of and be prepared for.
So for more on this, I do talkabout all of this in podcast
(19:15):
episode 45, that's called whatto expect in recovery and that
should be really helpful to getsome clarity around all of that.
Number seven is to make sure youhave a solid support system in
place before surgery.
So you know, while you are inthe early stages of this journey
, are you isolating yourself andhiding and late at night on
(19:39):
your computer and stressingabout this all on your own and
carrying the weight of thisdecision and this journey and
all of this on your ownshoulders?
Because if you are, you don'thave to be, you shouldn't be.
This is a lot and you know,especially if you're not feeling
(20:00):
well, it's just it's a lot tocarry and so you know, I really
recommend having someone thatyou can talk to, and this could
be family friends, it could beyour partner.
If you have a loving,supportive partner, that makes
you feel really held throughthis.
I have seen it.
It does exist and it is abeautiful thing when that is the
(20:23):
case, but it's not the case foreverybody, unfortunately.
For me, my mom was my supportperson and it meant the world to
me to have her by my side.
Maybe you have a, a best friendor someone close to you, or even
a therapist or coach who canhelp talk you through emotions
(20:46):
and concerns.
I think that that is a reallyunderutilized opportunity on
this journey.
Scheduling time with aprofessional to work through any
pre-surgery anxiety can be sohelpful.
A lot of my explant coachingclients come to me for more
(21:06):
practical planning topics, youknow, prepping for surgery,
recovery, detox, like thosekinds of things but they end up
saying how it was actually sucha huge support emotionally.
There are also communities likethe Empowered Explant Facebook
group, which can be helpful tojust surround yourself with
(21:27):
women who understand yourjourney, who are on the path
themselves, who have alreadyhealed and recovered, who can
really hold space for you.
And another cool thing to docould be like to find some women
in a community who are havingsurgery around the same time as
you.
This is what I did on myjourney and then you just stay
connected with that small littlepod of women who are really
(21:51):
going through this at the sametime as you, so that you can
talk about your experience andyou can all just really hold
each other through it andcelebrate each other as you each
of you have your surgeries andcome out on the other side.
I absolutely love the group ofbreasties that I went through
(22:11):
this journey with.
There were about I don't knowabout eight of us, all
explanting with Dr Dev in Miamiand we all connected a few
months before our surgeries andwe went through the journey
together in a Facebook group.
In fact it was the originalEmpowered Explant Facebook group
.
From there it just grew andgrew and blossomed into this
(22:34):
beautiful community.
But it started out just withthis few of us and it was just
so special to see each of us,one by one, go through our
surgery, face our fears, bebrave and come out the other
side and celebrate each other.
So, yeah, that's somethingreally special and it might not
be a group, it might just be oneperson that you meet who is on
(22:56):
this journey at the same time asyou, but it can be really
therapeutic for both of you.
Number eight is scheduleself-care time, and I mean it,
schedule it.
Put it on your calendar andmake it happen.
Surgery is a big deal andhaving some quality you time is
so important to keeping yourmind calm and creating
(23:18):
intentional space for yourselfto work through all of these
emotions.
Whether it's meditating,reading, stretching, taking a
bath, spending time in nature,whatever it looks like for you.
Take moments to recharge andcenter yourself before your big
day.
Recharge and center yourselfbefore your big day.
(23:41):
Seriously, even just fiveminutes each day of undisturbed
breathing can regulate yournervous system.
Plus, you know, going intosurgery and recovery, you're
going to have some downtime.
You know life isn't going tolook exactly as it does now for
a little while, which for somepeople like me, that was kind of
a relief because I needed abreak.
I was like can I please just goon to anesthesia and take a
(24:04):
long nap and wake up and rest,because my life felt really
chaotic at the time and I kindof just needed that pause.
But for others, that downtimecan feel really taxing.
It can feel really burdensomeon your life and even during
(24:25):
that not being able to takebaths or not being able to take
long hot showers.
You just kind of take forgranted those moments that you
can really lean into right now.
So take full advantage of everychance you get to just be with
yourself and do something nicefor yourself.
(24:47):
Number nine is to lean in toyour faith-based or spiritual
practice.
This is a big one for me.
It really guided my journey,but I understand this might not
resonate for everyone.
If you do have a faith-based orspiritual practice, now is a
(25:09):
great time to lean into thateven more, really getting into
prayer and praise and gratitudeand ultimately trusting in a
plan greater than your own,believing that God or the
universe or that higher powerhas the best plan for you, even
if it looks different than whatyou had planned for yourself,
(25:32):
which quite often this does.
I mean, who planned for this?
I know I didn't plan for thisin my life.
So you know, really justleaning into that surrender,
that trust in God's plan for you, bringing your faith into this
journey, can bring so much peaceand comfort as you prepare for
(25:57):
your surgery day and as you facewhatever comes next on this
journey and there may bechallenges that arise, but I
found that the more I had faiththat these challenges were
presenting a lesson for me, thatthese challenges were
presenting an opportunity for meto get closer to God, to
(26:23):
surrender more, to trust more,to impact other people's lives.
Whatever that was, my faithcarried me through.
And if the topic of faith orspirituality feels new to you
but you kind of feel cold in thedirection of exploring it, I
encourage you to listen to thatlittle nudge because there are
(26:45):
so many miracles waiting for youon this journey.
I've linked to my pre-surgeryprayer, which you can listen to,
you can download as well, whichyou can listen to, you can
download as well, and it's just,it's so helpful to bring you
peace as you get closer to yourday, and I really recommend
(27:07):
putting that on the night beforeyour surgery for sure, and just
feeling really grounded inknowing that you're protected,
you're safe, feeling reallygrounded in knowing that you're
protected, you're safe and thatsomething magical is in store
for you as you come out theother side of this explant
(27:27):
journey.
Lastly, number 10, the grandfinale.
As a final send-off, I suggestwriting a goodbye letter to your
implants.
This is an emotional step, butit's so, so powerful.
Most of us have complicatedfeelings about our implants.
(27:47):
I find they typically representa significant time in our lives
, whether it's a divorce orchild rearing or cancer survival
, there's usually a story there,and now we're letting them go.
Writing a goodbye letter canbring light and closure to this
(28:08):
part of your life, allowing youto process whatever emotions
could be stuck there.
Episode 33 of this podcast iscalled the most powerful goodbye
letter you can write, and itreally is, and so in that
episode you can hear all aboutthis exercise and how it helped
me and how you can also writethis letter for yourself.
(28:32):
Okay, that's my 10.
And, like I said earlier, someof them seem simple.
They work.
So if you find yourself feelinganxious or overwhelmed with
emotion, I want you to come backto this episode and choose
something from this list tofocus on.
Preparing mentally for explantsurgery can feel overwhelming,
(28:53):
and it's quite often justsomething we push aside because
we're like we really have to dothat work.
You know it sounds kind ofsimple, maybe.
Maybe I don't really need that,but I'm telling you these steps
will help you approach this,this whole journey, with more
clarity, calm and confidence, ifyou're ready to tackle number
(29:14):
five now, which was preparing inadvance, and you're ready to
tackle number five now, whichwas preparing in advance.
Then you're ready to getorganized for your surgery.
Download my free 33-stepexplant planning checklist at
checklistempoweredexplantcom.
Trust me, it will be a mentalrelief to just have a to-do list
that's already been created foryou.
You are welcome.
(29:35):
Thanks for joining me today,breasty.
If you found this episodehelpful, please share it with as
many Breasties as you can whoare prepping for their explant
day, so that we can create aripple effect of calm together.
You got this.
You are not in it alone.
You are so, so brave and I amhere if you need support.
(29:56):
I'll see you here next week,rusty.
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