A woman's 10-year mystery illness turned out to be a result of mould in her breast implants.
Melissa Lima, the ex-wife of the late baseball player Jose Lima, turned to TikTok with her harrowing story to spread awareness of breast implant illness (BII).
Symptoms of BII include, but are not limited to, "fatigue, problems with memory or concentration ('brain fog'), joint and muscle pain, hair loss, weight changes, and anxiety/depression," according to the FDA.
Captioned "this is your sign", Lima opened up about how her body insecurities prompted her to get a breast augmentation in 2002 in a TikTok post.
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Eight years after Lima's cosmetic procedure in 2010, she started feeling "sick with severe joint pain, depression and unexplained inflammation".
The viral clip, which has racked up 5.3 million views, showed a montage of Lima's swollen face and ankles.
"After 100's of doctors and still no answer, I just gave up," she added. "As a single mom, I couldn't get out of bed to cook for my boys and would often wonder if they would be better off w/o me."
@melissalima713This is your sign. #breastimplantillnes
Lima finally had her breast implants removed in 2020. She recalled how her "face and eyes literally changed within hours" and how she felt like herself again.
Thousands of fellow TikTokers flocked to the comments section, with some thanking Lima for sharing her story.
One said: "I’m soooo glad you shared your story when you did! Made me think twice and now I will never get mine done! So glad you're doing so much better!"
Another person claiming to have worked in a pathology lab said they'd witnessed "enough horror stories to keep me from ever getting them".
Meanwhile, one woman said she went through a similar experience. She said: "Got mine out 3 years ago. No more BII since I did. It’s much worse than woman still know or understand."
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