Story of Florida teen who died after breast surgery hits home for one girl who survived implants gone terribly wrong.

Before Implants	After Implants	After Removal

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 244,124 procedures were performed on patients ages 13 to 19 in 2006. After a cheerleader died from elective breast implant surgery last weekend, Kacey shares her personal story of the debilitating effects plastic surgery has had on her own life.

Mom•Logic: At what age did you start thinking about having breast implants?

Kacey: During my teens, I didn't develop when I thought I should. I didn't really have a complex about it and I knew I could never afford breast implants anyway. But when I was 19, my friend's mother--who worked for a plastic surgeon--told me if I wanted to get implants, she would set up a payment plan for me. I thought it was a great opportunity, so I went for it.

Mom•Logic: When did things go wrong?

Kacey: I was 5' 9" and went from a 34B to a full 34C. After the surgery, I was happy with the results. Just like all girls, it was great to have something new. Two or three months after my breast augmentation, I had shooting pains in my arms. The pain would be severe, and it went from one arm into the other. It became more frequent, and I was really tired. I slept 16 hours a day, Within two years, I was completely disabled. The pain throughout my body was so bad, but my breasts were the last things to hurt, so I never connected it. At the end, they started burning. That's when I knew.

Mom•Logic: What did your Mom do?

Kacey: After getting sick, my Mom thought all along it was associated with the implants, but I didn't want to hear it. I guess it's a mother's intuition. Of course, I just thought she was blaming the implants since she disagreed with them to begin with. My Mom stood by me and helped me throughout my ordeal. My Mom took me to over 60 doctor's appointments in a year to try and figure out what was wrong. Nobody understood why my joints hurt so badly. I was young and they didn't understand.

I went to a top surgeon who only did implant removals. I was skeptical, and I didn't know if I was going to feel better, but when I woke up, I felt amazing. I hadn't felt that good in two years. I was expecting intense pain like when I had them augmented, but I was ready to go and felt great. I immediately looked healthier. I could barely walk into the surgical center, but I walked out of there feeling better than I had for a while. 

Mom•Logic: What would you tell other young women after hearing about the teen who recently died after undergoing a breast augmentation procedure?

Kacey: It's devastating because it's not a necessary surgery, it was elective. How sad to lose such a young life over breast implants. When you're young, you don't know these bad things can happen to you. It's hard to believe at 18, kids really know the gravity of what they're doing. I know I didn't. I wish someone would have told me to wait until my breasts stopped growing to even think about getting the surgery. If someone would have told me all of these things could have happened to me, I would have listened. Now I hope other teens will listen to me.