09: Cut Me Wide Open.... Confronting Vulnerability, Vanity, Near Death and Breast Implant Illness w/ Talia Maddock

Implant Illness and the importance of being your own advocate<br /> <br />This week’s guest is someone incredibly important, her spirit and soul will warm your heart and her story will open your eyes to something you may never have heard of—her name is Talia Maddock.<br /> <br />In this week’s episode, we get real about a subject many people have judged or tried to quiet us about—our boobs. We go deep into the topic of implant illness, health issues both of us faced, the incredulous doctors who for years could not tell what was wrong, the nagging intuition that told us we were right, and in the end, the near-death trauma and health implications that made us realize the truth.<br /> <br />Coping with perfectionism<br /> <br />We open this episode talking about both Talia and my health crises—how we were both at rock bottom, our health deteriorating with no explanation, planning our own funerals praying we could figure out what was happening to our bodies. We talk about the coping method of perfectionism and how this was rooted in Talia’s home life at a young age, dealing with alcoholism and addiction with the ones she loved.<br /> <br />This perfectionism fueled her to overanalyze her appearance, eventually leading her to get implants. Within three months of getting implants, Talia knew something was wrong.<br /> <br />Being her own advocate<br /> <br />She talks about her warped new reality, hooked up to machines, struggling to breathe, begging doctors to find out what was wrong. For ten years people thought she was crazy, her family worried, and she ignored her gut feeling—until a friend mentioned implant illness, forever changing her life.<br /> <br />When you are faced with your own mortality, your insecurities and vanity go out the window. We talk about the impact of our explants, aftershock, and the emotional trauma and healing it took to recover.<br /> <br />Use your voice<br /> <br />It’s crucial to use your voice, to share what you went through, to reach others who are experiencing the same pain, so they