A SCOTS mum has said she feels like she's “dying a slow death” due to her breast implant, amid warnings hundreds of women are suffering the same issue.
The 57-year-old says she has been left suicidal because of breast implant illness (BII) - an umbrella term for health prob-lems associated with implants, which is not a recognised medical diagnosis in the UK.
She spoke out as a Scots cosmetic surgery expert told the Record “hundreds” of women are facing the same ordeal with little NHS support.
BII sufferers say symptoms include brain fog, joint pain, fatigue and anxiety, with S Club 7 star Hannah Spearritt previously revealing her own battle.
But some medics still question whether it exists.
The mum, who had breast reconstruction on the NHS 20 years ago after having lumps removed, told the Record she only learned about BII last year after suffering since.
But she cannot afford to have her implants taken out privately and fears a long wait for removal surgery through the NHS.
The carer, from Glasgow, said: "I have chronic fatigue, I'm aching from head to toe and my anxiety is through the roof.
"I feel like an old woman. I can hardly walk I'm so weak and my back is so sore. It's affecting my memory.
"I had a 17cm cyst down near my ovaries and even though it's been removed my belly looks like I'm pregnant.
"I didn't think for one second it would be down to my implants until six months ago.
"Because nothing shows up on my blood tests this isn't a proven thing and I feel like I'm not being taken seriously.
"I phoned NHS 24 and the Samaritans the other night because I felt I can't go on like this. I feel like I'm dying a slow death. I just want them out."
The mum, who does not want to be named due to her poor health, had breast reconstruction in 2005 and when her symptoms began she put them down to her age.
They became more severe and during lockdown her stomach swelled up, leading to the cyst being found.
Six months ago she found an online support group with almost 200,000 members worldwide and said stories shared there were strikingly similar to her own. She said:
"Not one person over the years has told me it could be BII. My doctor hadn't heard of it. Apart from Facebook groups there seems to be no direct help or support and no one to talk to about it.
"Before the implants I was totally healthy and never needed a doctor."
An NHS Lanark-shire breast surgeon has now written to the mum agreeing to remove her implants but the consultant said they "won't be able to prove or disprove" BII because there is "no diagnostic criteria or test".
She is now waiting to find out how long she will wait.
She said: "I'm crying on the phone to the doctor nearly every ...
The 57-year-old says she has been left suicidal because of breast implant illness (BII) - an umbrella term for health prob-lems associated with implants, which is not a recognised medical diagnosis in the UK.
She spoke out as a Scots cosmetic surgery expert told the Record “hundreds” of women are facing the same ordeal with little NHS support.
BII sufferers say symptoms include brain fog, joint pain, fatigue and anxiety, with S Club 7 star Hannah Spearritt previously revealing her own battle.
But some medics still question whether it exists.
The mum, who had breast reconstruction on the NHS 20 years ago after having lumps removed, told the Record she only learned about BII last year after suffering since.
But she cannot afford to have her implants taken out privately and fears a long wait for removal surgery through the NHS.
The carer, from Glasgow, said: "I have chronic fatigue, I'm aching from head to toe and my anxiety is through the roof.
"I feel like an old woman. I can hardly walk I'm so weak and my back is so sore. It's affecting my memory.
"I had a 17cm cyst down near my ovaries and even though it's been removed my belly looks like I'm pregnant.
"I didn't think for one second it would be down to my implants until six months ago.
"Because nothing shows up on my blood tests this isn't a proven thing and I feel like I'm not being taken seriously.
"I phoned NHS 24 and the Samaritans the other night because I felt I can't go on like this. I feel like I'm dying a slow death. I just want them out."
The mum, who does not want to be named due to her poor health, had breast reconstruction in 2005 and when her symptoms began she put them down to her age.
They became more severe and during lockdown her stomach swelled up, leading to the cyst being found.
Six months ago she found an online support group with almost 200,000 members worldwide and said stories shared there were strikingly similar to her own. She said:
"Not one person over the years has told me it could be BII. My doctor hadn't heard of it. Apart from Facebook groups there seems to be no direct help or support and no one to talk to about it.
"Before the implants I was totally healthy and never needed a doctor."
An NHS Lanark-shire breast surgeon has now written to the mum agreeing to remove her implants but the consultant said they "won't be able to prove or disprove" BII because there is "no diagnostic criteria or test".
She is now waiting to find out how long she will wait.
She said: "I'm crying on the phone to the doctor nearly every ...
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Daily Record (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 17, 2025