For 8 months, Tilly was told her symptoms were 'in her head'. Then a doctor found the true cause.

Before agreeing to the procedure, Tilly Whitfeld questioned her surgeon.

"I told him, 'I'm overly sensitive. Everything I do goes wrong,'" Tilly shared with Mamamia about her decision to get breast implants.

But the Big Brother alum was assured she had nothing to worry about. And, in fact, a spot had opened up a week earlier! She would have her dream boobs before she knew it.

"His desk girl was like, 'By law, we have to leave you for three weeks to make this decision, but a spot's come up and we might just pull you in a week early,'" the 25-year-old RESAYtube host recalled.

Just 22 at the time, Tilly's desire to get implants was born out of insecurities. 

"I just felt like I didn't fit in with society's standards," she said. "I actually wanted a BBL (Brazilian Butt Lift), but the risk of dying is like one in 3,000, so I'm just gonna settle with that. Honestly, it sounds so stupid, but that was my 22-year-old logic."

So, Tilly signed on the dotted line and entered the operating room. She didn't know it at the time, but the decision would cost her a lot more than money.

"As soon as I got out [of surgery], I was just so ill," Tilly said. "My healing process was so bad. I found it odd, because everyone else said it was such a breeze, but I struggled with it so badly."

This was just the first sign that her body was rejecting the implants. What followed was a range of symptoms that included rashes, fatigue, hot flushes, and more.

Watch: Mamamia Well: Three men experience period pain. Article continues below.

"The rashes were so bad," Tilly recalled. "I ended up in the hospital from them. It was not just the outside of my skin — the inside of my skin was itching, my whole body was just on fire.

"And my period stopped. I didn't have a period for that whole time, my temperatures were fluctuating. Honestly, I thought I was going through menopause."

"My whole face, the inflammation was absolutely crazy. I looked like a completely different person. Every symptom, I had it."

Tilly searched for answers, undergoing blood tests and returning to her original surgeon.

"He was very dismissive. He just said, 'Take some oral steroids and be on your way.'"

But the steroids made no difference, and it wasn't until Tilly ended up in hospital that the medical staff confirmed a diagnosis that she had stumbled upon online; Breast Implant Illness (BII).

Although it's not yet a formally recognised medical diagnosis, BII describes a range of symptoms believed to be related to breast implants.

"They were like, 'Look, that's probably the only explanation for [the symptoms],'" Tilly recalled.

It had only been eight months since Tilly had spent $15,000 on her breast implants. But, even though it wasn't guaranteed that her symptoms would cease, she knew they had to come out.

"It triggers an auto-immune response in your body," explained Tilly. "But it was a risk that I had to take. I knew I had to do something for my health, because I couldn't live like that. I was willing to spend another $15,000 to take them out."

Initially, Tilly returned to her surgeon for a consultation. But when he told her that the explant would only take 20 minutes per boob, her guard went up.

"That just didn't seem right," she said. "And I didn't want to go to a plastic surgeon; some people will put more fat into your boob, like fat grafting. Somebody told me, 'We'll take 10 kilos of your fat out, like, we'll put it into your boobs, we'll fix them up, because they're going to look bad'.

"Another surgeon told me, 'We're going to have to give you a lift, because your boobs are going to look so bad. We're going to cut them in half, sew them together, make them look good again'. I would have spent a couple of thousands on consults."

Eventually, after speaking with women who had also experienced BII, Tilly found Dr Mary Ling, who specialises in breast care.

"She was the first person to be like, 'Okay, can you please get an ultrasound? Can you do this?' We found that my lymph nodes were so swollen, the implants were literally covering the part of my body that removes toxins."

Meticulously, Dr Ling removed the implants and cut out the entire capsules that had formed around them, so no traces of silicon were left in Tilly's body.

While the implants took just 30 minutes to insert, the explant process took four hours. But the difference was stark.

After eight months of symptoms, Tilly decided to get her breast implants removed. Image: Supplied

"I had drains in for a week, but your body is so thankful to you, the second you wake up," Tilly said. "Obviously, I was on heavy drugs from being put to sleep, but the second I woke up, I could breathe again. It felt like a weight was lifted off my chest; that tightness had left. I felt I didn't feel claustrophobic anymore."

Of course, her breasts will never be the same as they were before. But Tilly knew there would be risks when she chose one of the larger implant sizes.

"Now I have no feeling in my nipple, no feeling in my skin, like it's completely dead, which is a symptom of having such a big implant. They do look a bit deflated and botched, and the muscle is cut in half in one spot, so it looks like I have two boobs on one side. But that's what you pay for health, it's all up from here."

Throughout this journey, Tilly's relationship with her body has completely changed.

"It's just disappointing to me that I felt the need to do that, because that's what society said. When I was influencing, that's what I was told. People make comments on everything in your body; I felt that I had to look a certain way."

Now, Tilly says, she has gone on to make "more natural changes to [her] body".

"I eat so clean every day. I go to the gym every single morning. It's a very slow process. I've had all my filler removed. I'm having my tattoos removed. I have looked at my self-image as an image of health. I'm like, 'Is my body functioning? That's all that matters.'"

As for advice for anyone considering undergoing a breast implant, Tilly admits that there's nothing someone could have said to her at 22 that would have changed her mind. And that, in itself, is not necessarily her goal.

"So many people told me not to do this. It's very hard to listen. But I think my best advice is, if you are unhappy with yourself, make a change in your lifestyle," she said.

"There is so much potential in the gym. There is so much potential in what you're eating, maybe even the people that you're hanging out with. Look at other factors before doing these surgeries.

"I am not judging anyone that gets them done. If they work, great, I'm so happy for you."

And if you do decide to undergo surgery, Tilly stresses the importance of choosing the right surgeon.

"Be an advocate for your health, advocate for what you want, make sure you come out happy."

Tilly Whitfeld and her fellow 'Big Brother' alum Marley Biyendolo have teamed up to host @RESAYtube. The YouTube channel is now expanding to create its own original clickable content; it's flirty, it's fun and the content flips the switch on conventional — it's conventionally unconventional.

Always consult a medical professional with any health concerns.

Feature Image: Instagram/@tillywhitfeld