Mother, 28, has double D breast implants removed because the silicone 'was ...

A mother-of-three paid to have her breast implants removed after five years because she became convinced they were poisoning her.

Erika Ritschard, from Long Beach, Mississippi, claims her implants made her lose weight, become fatigued, get depression and develop skin rashes.

Mrs Ritschard said the implants made her look middle-aged and she shaved her head because her hair became brittle and dry.

She even claims breast implant illness – which is not officially recognised but is widely reported – caused heart palpitations and left her feeling suicidal.

Mrs Ritschard paid $5,000 (£3,850) – more than it cost her to put them in – to have the implants removed and says her symptoms all disappeared within eight weeks.  

Mrs Ritschard said she was at her wit's end after multiple doctors turned her away, saying she was the 'healthiest sick person they'd ever seen' when she asked for help.

But after stumbling across a Facebook group of women who had been through similar things, she decided her crippling symptoms were caused by her breasts.

And the photograph editor made the decision to have her silicone implants removed in February last year.

'It's horrifying to think that what I had chosen to put into my body was making it wither away,' she said.

'I wanted to cut them out of myself. During my worst times, I even contemplated suicide.'  

Mrs Ritschard had decided to get implants in March 2012 after breastfeeding left her unhappy with her body, despite protests from her husband, Jonathan, 30, an electrician in the navy,

Mother to Jaylea, 11, Jonathan Jr, eight, and Eli, five, Mrs Ritschard said: 'I had had pretty large breasts in high school.

'After breastfeeding two babies and losing some weight, I wasn't really into the appearance of my breasts.

'My husband told me I looked perfect but I was really set on getting implants. I felt like I had given my body to my kids and this was something just for me.

'You had to be 22 to get silicone and I got them the day after my 22nd birthday.'  

She paid $3,800 (£2,925) for the procedure and claims that almost immediately she felt depressed and inexplicably anxious.

'Within three months, I was dealing with anxiety and depression,' she said. And soon other symptoms developed.

'All of a sudden my heart was racing for no reason. I got a kidney infection in the summer. After that, it was constant.

'I had recurring yeast infections and respiratory problems. I went to ER several times with migraines.'

In 2017, the symptoms became even more severe with Erika's weight plummeting from a healthy 140lbs (63kg) to a skeletal 100lbs (45kg).

She said: 'I lost 40 pounds in a year. I was so fatigued in my body, I wasn't able to concentrate, I thought I had ADHD and my mood swings were outrageous.

'My doctor sent me to a psychiatrist who said I had bipolar tendencies.

'I would have extreme lows and manic highs. I had brain fog and insomnia. My muscles were in so much pain that I lived on a heating pad for months.

'I would be extremely cold, sitting in my house in August with a coat, gloves and a beanie on. But then I'd have a hot flush and I would be dripping in sweat.

'I developed dry patches of skin on my legs that made me look like I had alligator or snake skin. There were stabbing pains in my chest and ringing in my ears.'

Mrs Ritschard even resorted to shaving her head in the summer of 2017 when her hair suddenly became extremely brittle.