A woman in Sydney, Australia is opening up about the devastating impact she says her implants had on her mental and physical health - and why she chose to have them removed.

Taking to Instagram, Alivia Celio explains that she underwent breast augmentation in December of 2018. But the months following her procedure were more difficult than she could ever have imagined.

Alivia revealed that she experienced the following symptoms: brain fog, debilitating fatigue, nausea, blurred vision, severe hormone imbalances, gut health issues, joint pain, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties and rashes.

The symptoms began to take their toll and Alivia, who had previously been a happy, outgoing person. She now felt that she "couldn't cope with life".

"I’ve been distant with those closest to me, but never knew why I felt the need to push people away to be alone," she explains.

When the symptoms became unmanageable, Alivia decided to visit her doctor, who told her that her blood results were normal and that she should work on managing her stress levels. However, when she gradually began to feel worse, she had further testing, after which it was revealed that her body was in "autoimmune response".

"Antibodies were attacking my healthy cells as a defence mechanism for illness," Alivia explains. "I was also told that my lungs were functioning as if I was 20 years older than I am!"

"I had the exact same symptoms as thousands of women worldwide (some of which I’ve attached), linked to a term called ‘Breast Implant Illness’," she continues.

In the post, uploaded last month, Alivia explains she is now four days post explant surgery, adding that it feels like she can "finally breathe again".

She continues:

"I’m forever grateful for my family and their unconditional love during my darkest times when I needed it the most. If it weren’t for them I wouldn’t have taken the steps to recovery. I’m learning to love my body, embrace it and not be so critical of myself."

The young woman then urges others who have had the procedure and are experiencing the same symptoms to seek help.

A woman in Sydney, Australia is opening up about the devastating impact she says her implants had on her mental and physical health - and why she chose to have them removed.

Taking to Instagram, Alivia Celio explains that she underwent breast augmentation in December of 2018. But the months following her procedure were more difficult than she could ever have imagined.

Alivia revealed that she experienced the following symptoms: brain fog, debilitating fatigue, nausea, blurred vision, severe hormone imbalances, gut health issues, joint pain, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties and rashes.

The symptoms began to take their toll and Alivia, who had previously been a happy, outgoing person. She now felt that she "couldn't cope with life".

"I’ve been distant with those closest to me, but never knew why I felt the need to push people away to be alone," she explains.

When the symptoms became unmanageable, Alivia decided to visit her doctor, who told her that her blood results were normal and that she should work on managing her stress levels. However, when she gradually began to feel worse, she had further testing, after which it was revealed that her body was in "autoimmune response".

"Antibodies were attacking my healthy cells as a defence mechanism for illness," Alivia explains. "I was also told that my lungs were functioning as if I was 20 years older than I am!"

"I had the exact same symptoms as thousands of women worldwide (some of which I’ve attached), linked to a term called ‘Breast Implant Illness’," she continues.

In the post, uploaded last month, Alivia explains she is now four days post explant surgery, adding that it feels like she can "finally breathe again".

She continues:

"I’m forever grateful for my family and their unconditional love during my darkest times when I needed it the most. If it weren’t for them I wouldn’t have taken the steps to recovery. I’m learning to love my body, embrace it and not be so critical of myself."

The young woman then urges others who have had the procedure and are experiencing the same symptoms to seek help.