I had breast augmentation done in October 2016. Absolutely love, highly recommend Dr Paul Schembri & his staff. He is amazing at what he does and ensures you get what you’re looking for. Didn’t take to long for a consult and appointment:)
Doctor Schembri is my hero! He gave me my confidence back and I’m so glad that I seen him to do my breast surgery. I have so many amazing things to say about him! He did a perfect job on me, made me feel so comfortable, took his time to explain everything to me in detail, and made every appointment enjoyable! I’d recommend him to anyone and everyone. Thank you my wonderful doctor for everything
I’m a post mastectomy patient. I lost my breast to cancer and was sent to Dr.schembri by my previous surgeon. He has been amazing so far. Makes you feel very comfortable heading into the OR. I’m still an ongoing patient with one more surgery but his work so far has been nothing but amazing. He has given me something very special back. Would recommend him in an instant
I always thought I wanted to be "voluptuous." Then it happened all of a sudden when I was about 15, and I realized it comes at a cost! For 10+ years now my neck, shoulders, and back have been under constant strain that's caused pain, unpleasant tingling and numbness, and abnormal curvature in my spine/neck. Especially in the summer, the skin between my breasts and underneath them also gets irritated and itchy. Plus I have to wear two bras every day - one underwire/full coverage one for basic support, and another sports-type one to keep them from bouncing around everywhere and causing pain and/or unwanted attention. Currently I wear a 32G or 34F depending on the manufacturer. I'm only about 5'2", so I feel like my bust overwhelms my body, and it's HEAVY. The welts in my shoulders from my bra can attest to that! Exercise is also painful. Even trying to do something like yoga is hard, because the weight of my breasts makes it hard to breathe in so many of the poses. My main reasons for getting a breast reduction is to reduce my back and skin problems, which is why it's covered by my health care, but I'm also hoping this will be good for my emotional health. My bust size makes me feel very self-conscious. It's hard for me to find clothes I feel comfortable in - either things just don't fit because my proportions are weird, or they show an awkward amount of cleavage, or they look bulky and unflattering because the size that fits my chest is way too big for everything else. I've developed a formula of loose, stretchy dress + big scarf that I feel okay in, but it's hard to find anything outside that "uniform" that works, and summer is always hard. I finally asked my doctor about my back pain, and whether a breast reduction might help, a little over a year ago. He agreed that it would take the strain off my back and referred me to a plastic surgeon, and I had my consultation with my surgeon a few months later. The surgeon agreed that my breasts are too large and heavy for my body, and estimated that he could remove about 3 lbs altogether. I was initially going to have my surgery in August, but since Dr. Schembri operates on a lot of patients with active breast cancer it got bumped to October to accommodate women who needed help more urgently. I finally go in for my procedure tomorrow. I'm hoping that they can reduce me to a full B/small C cup, or in other words make my breasts about half the size they are now, but we'll see how much of a reduction is realistic once they get in there. Even a D would be better than what I have now! Overall, as long as I feel physically more comfortable I'll be happy, but I'm also really looking forward to feeling more at ease with my body and having more flexibility in what I can wear... and also being able to find bras that aren't $100 each. Updated on 29 Oct 2016: I feel great! I've had almost no pain, my drains are out, and I feel about a hundred times lighter. I held my old bra up to my chest and couldn't believe the difference. The only less-than-pleasant thing is that everything is very itchy, but I can live with that. I'll get some pictures up as soon as I can get them transferred to my computer. Updated on 29 Oct 2016: I find they even look a little bigger in the photos than they do in person... so excited to go pretty bra shopping once they heal up!
Hello all you lovely and brave ladies! I'm new to this and was just looking for advise on anything that may help prepare for a rummy tuck. I've read a lot of stories looked at so many before and afters and can't wait to do it. I have a consult Aug 25 and hope to book my surgery that day. Wish me luck! Thanks in advance!! : ) Updated on 19 Jul 2014: I thought I should tell you a little about myself, so here goes... I'm a 48 year old single mom of two grown kids, my daughter is 23 and my son is 20. I raised them both on my own and had many struggles throughout the years as any single parent would know, actually any parent would know. Anyway, they are the absolute joy of my life and wouldn't trade in one stretch mark for them. As they have matured into adults I enjoy them more everyday and we are best of friends today. Raising them was a struggle and a joy. To support them I had many different jobs and enjoyed most of them. But in the past 14 years I went from running an over head crane in a lumber mill to going back to school to become a graphic designer then onto a nail technician and lastly my most loved job now a mobile crane operator. Which I'll stay at until I retire (hopefully in about 7-8 years) I have always struggled with my weight since after having my kids. I did the yoyo thing a lot. My heaviest being 198. Oh I'm 5'8". I lost that weight doing WW and kept it off for sometime. Right now I sit at 173 and and an ideal weight for me is 150-155 so I'm in the process of getting rid of that before surgery. I feel that's manageable. But as we all know having babies is hell on the ol'bod and I too have the saggy bag hanging off my gut and I'm so sick of trying to hide it! So this is for me and only me. Of course the bf says he loves me as I am but he doesn't have to pack it around, try to hide it, squish it into spanxs or wear a one piece to the beach. But he is supportive to what I'm doing. Last night he even said he was happy for me for getting what I want, I said he will be happy with the new me. I've saved my money and am so ready for this! Like I said in my earlier post I have yet to see the PS for my first consult but reading about him and having knowing someone who had his work done (my sister had a breast reduction) I think and hope he's the one. I go Aug 25 and can't wait! I've been watching YouTube videos, reading reviews, looking at b&a pics, watching actual surgeries of the procedure, you name it I've been doing my research. Even the recovery doesn't scar me. I had back surgery a few years ago and that was not so bad. I was up waking that day and healing process was about 3 weeks and got the go ahead to go back to work 5 weeks out. So I'm hoping for the same with this tt. Ok I've rambled on enough so might share my thoughts once a week as time and research goes or if something comes to mind. Oh and I must say I admire and respect every woman on this site and wish them all the best in their personal journey. Updated on 2 Aug 2014: My last post was July 19th and I was at 173, today I'm at 168 so it's coming slowly but surely. It's coming off at a healthy rate I feel, an average of 1.5 - 2lbs a week which works just fine for me and I should have shed it all by surgery time, which I'm hoping will be Oct or Nov. My consult is in 23 days and I can't wait to hear what he has to say and hope I'm a good candidate for the tt. Fingers crossed. Happy healing everyone and have a great weekend everyone! Be back in a few weeks. Updated on 6 Aug 2014: Hi everyone. Just a quick update, my consult was changed from the 25th to the 19th of this month so that makes me happy and closer to setting a date for surgery. Yay!! I just know he will be the doctor for me, if my sister was happy from his work I'm sure I will be too. On another note, I have all my money saved for this and then some for while I'm off work and I even paid off all my credit card debt yesterday so that's not hanging over my head. So all I have for debt is my mortgage and boy does that feel good! Happy healing ladies and, like me, welcome all just starting this journey. Updated on 19 Aug 2014: Well had my consult today and it went very well. I'm happy to say I booked my surgery and put down a deposit. My date is November 7th, and I'll be the first surgery of the day. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. This is real it's going to happen. Omg! Updated on 19 Aug 2014: I wrote the wrong date, it's actually the 6th of November. Updated on 6 Sep 2014: Hello RS ladies! Well today marks the 2 month pre surgery day. So far I'm not excited or nervous, maybe because it's still a ways off but I know it will be here quick and I know I'll have emotions as the day gets closer. Probably more excitement than nervous. I've been quite busy with work so that keeps my mind off of it, just my big concern is my house. I'm in the middle of renos and for some reason I feel I need it all done before surgery, highly unlikely that will happen. Just a few things I'm wanting done before surgery are new carpet upstairs, the spare room painted and decorated (for my mom as she will come stay with me for a few days) the whole house inside repainted, my garage roof reshingled, and I need a new garage door and opener and a major cleaning! I'm the type of person who loves renovating so most of will be done by me. After I'm all healed I'll be getting a new kitchen and redone bathrooms, can't wait for that! I need a magic wand! Anyways that's were my mind is mostly. I'm off for 4 days starting next Friday so I'm going to go and pay for my surgery that day and it will be no turning back then. WOW! I've gotten the time off work, taking 3 weeks off, then light duty for 2 weeks. Hope that's enough time. I'm actually looking forward to the time off, even if it is just laying about. I haven't had a holiday in over 2 years so this will be good. I've rambled enough so happy healing everyone. Updated on 16 Sep 2014: Thought I'd share a few more pics. Yuck! Gross! TT day please hurry up and arrive! 50 days and counting. Updated on 26 Sep 2014: Time is flying by! I have only 2 more shifts to work +2 days (I work 10 days then have 4 off) and then it will be my turn to be on the flat side. Today I pick out and order carpet so the house is coming along slowly but surely. I want the carpet in and done by mid October then I can concentrate on cleaning and organizing before surgery. I'm very excited and surprising not nervous or scared. Happy healing ladies! Updated on 29 Sep 2014: So last night I was on RS looking at the "Not Worth It" posts. Why? I guess just to see what could possibly happen, well not a good idea. Scared the crap out of me! Sure is an eye opener to see. There is some pretty scary stuff out there. So I promised myself not to rush my recovery and take it totally easy for 3 weeks and do all my doc says. I know it's possible complications could still arise but I'll do all I can to avoid them. I feel so bad for the women struggling with healing and pray they recovery completely and quickly. Happy healing ladies. Xo Updated on 6 Oct 2014: Yup! Count'em ... 30 days to be exact! Wow time is just flying by. Tomorrow is my pre op appointment, I really hope he draws on me, would love to see how low my scar will possibly be. Surprisingly I'm not nervous or scared, just getting a bit excited. I have lots to do to prepare. Oh and my carpet is being installed on the 23rd so that's exciting! Well happy healing ladies. And take care of yourselves ???? Updated on 8 Oct 2014: Only 28 days left! Woohoo!! I had my pre-op yesterday and all went well, I'm cleared to go, I have zero health issues and..... My weight is down to 162. I'm not overly worried about my weight getting down to 155, I'll get there eventually. Unfortunately he didn't draw on me but I have total faith in my Doc. I have all my persriptions filled and so nice to see they were pretty cheap, only paid $10 for all three. Gotta love good health benefits from work. Well that's it for now just excited for thr BIG day. Happy healing everyone. Updated on 16 Oct 2014: Wow only 20 days left til I reach the flat side. It's coming so fast!! My new carpet is being installed as we speak, pretty excited about that. So all I have to do to be ready is make sure my house is clean and sock my fridge. That being said what is everyone eating after sx? What's a good diet to follow? Suggestions please : ) Happy healing ladies. Updated on 19 Oct 2014: Well I got a call from dispatch and I'm off to a camp job tomorrow for a week or so. This will really help the time zip by. I'll be home and done work by the 3rd and then it will only be 3 more days to the flat side. So excited to get this done and relax and heal. Happy healing lovely ladies! Updated on 22 Oct 2014: I'm 2 weeks away from the flat side today!! Im away working for a week or so so time will fly. As time gets closer I'm actually too busy to even think about being nervous or scared. Excited yes! I found out the the other day my dad didn't know about me doing this. I had told my mom that I was thinking about doing this and then when I finally decided to do it she was happy, but I asked her not to tell anyone, I thought for sure she would tell dad as she tells him everything. So the other day we were all talking and I mentioned my surgery and he's like "what?! What surgery?!!" Haha I told him I was getting some big ass boobs (no offense to anyone getting ba) then I said no dad I'm having plastic surgery, a tummy tuck, his reaction was "oh ok" then he carried on watching the football game. Oh Dad. Man of not so many words but I know he's supportive. Too funny. I am a bit bothered by the support of my boyfriend. He says he's supportive and happy for me but why when I even mention or show excitement or try to talk about my upcoming sx he clams up and looks at me like a deer in headlights. When he does that I stop talking about it. I feel very little support from him and my feelings for him has change because of it. Believe me I have asked him about his actions but he still stays he's supportive. Sure has a funny way of showing it. Anyone else's bf or husband not show the support you want? So frustrating but I tell myself I'm not doing this for him, I'm doing it for me and if you don't like it then stay out of it. Happy healing ladies. Updated on 31 Oct 2014: I'm 5 days away from my TT and guess who gets a cold?!! Just my luck. Well that being said I came home early yesterday from work and took today off. I am NOT missing this surgery for a stuffy nose. I'm resting and taking it easy and fighting this cold with all I have. Updated on 6 Nov 2014: It's 10 to 6 in the morning here and I'm about to leave for the clinic. This is it! Not nervous at all or scared. Must be doing the right thing I guess, it all feels good. I'll try to check in later on if I'm feeling up to it. Cheers ladies and see you on the flat side. Xo Updated on 6 Nov 2014: I'm on the flat side!! Yay. Surgery was at 7am this morning, all went well. I was home by 11am and went straight to bed and have been resting comfortably. My daughter has been a God sent looking after me. love her to pieces. Anyways just wanted to let you all know I'm doing great, just tired. So that being said another nap is right around the corner. Happy healing everyone. Xo Updated on 7 Nov 2014: Well I went for my first post op and PS said all looked great. I'm having some burning sensations around incision but he says that's all normal and will subside. I get to have a shower today so I think I'll do that just before I retire for the night. Be all refreshed for my sleep. IF all goes well I'll have my drains removed next Friday, fingers crossed but honestly if they have to stay in longer then so be it, don't want to rush anything. Added a few pics. Might take more after shower but I'm very pleased with what I see so far. Happy healing ladies. Updated on 9 Nov 2014: Yes my butt is sore from being on it for so long. I'm usually a back sleeper but being propped up is different and not liking it too much. I had my second shower tonight, did it all on my own and sure feels good to be clean and have clean Jammie's on. I do have a question..... During my first shower I had some gauze come out of my bb, I didn't replace it with new gauze, do I need to? And should I keep bb covered up? I have been haveing minimal leakage from one of my drain incisions and after my shower a bit from my bb. All normal I'm hoping?? Updated on 14 Nov 2014: Well made it a week plus one day and feeling good. I got my drains out early this morning, I had to drive myself which was no problem. But wow what a weird feeling having the drains pulled, there was no pain just felt strange. Can't tell you how nice it is to have them gone, almost feel free. Other than that things are good, ps took off tape and to keep CG on for 24/7 for 3 weeks then just at night for another 3 weeks. I'm good to sleep any way I'm comfortable. He even said I won't need to do light duty when I go back to work, he sees no issues with me climbing in my crane by then, which will be first of December or so. This is great, just wish I could go back to work now because I'm so bored!! Attached a few photos, sorry they are not the best. My incision is nice and low and straight, so far I'm very pleased. Happy healing ladies Updated on 15 Nov 2014: Omg!! I'm so itchy it's driving me nuts. Ps took the tape off so I have nothing on my incision so that's not it. Most of the itch is internal and at the ends of my incision. I'm sure it's just the healing process but....What can I do to relieve this insanity? Was considering an allergy pill. I'll take any advise dished out to me. Thank you in advance. Updated on 20 Nov 2014: Well made it to two weeks. I'm having no issues as of yet and hope I dont. Knock on wood. LOL. I'm loving my results so far, scar is nice and low and looks like it will be nice and thin. Happy so far. Updated on 18 Dec 2014: It's been awhile, I think I'm six weeks now and doing well. Just a quick update for now. IVe been back to work now 3 weeks and it's going well. I'm pretty swollen by the time I get home and then in the morning it looks so nice. Been busy with work and Christmas stuff mostly. Well just wanted you all to know I'm still around and reading stories. I'll post new pics soon hopefully. I'm very happy with my results so far. Later ladies. Happy healing to all.
I have finally booked my surgery date... I am extremely scared of the anaesthetic as I have never been out to sleep before. Hopefully I can come to terms with it by reading some reviews. Doctor is recommending 400cc Inspira Natrelle. My next consult is April 24th. So hopefully more precise after that Updated on 23 Mar 2017: Not too long to go! Getting more comfortable with thoughts of anaesthetic. For people to compare I am 35 years old, 5' 2", 120 lbs, 2 kids. I have not found many reviews at all with people that have my current size- 32 D... but not nice and buoyant as they once were! I will add photos in the next week or so :) Updated on 17 May 2017: I am still scared of my upcoming surgery. So many thoughts cross my mind... But I am trying to stay positive! I have my prescriptions filled, support pillow for back and neck, arnica, Tylenol, icy hot, wipes, sanitizer and cold packs all ready to go. I have attached photos. You would never guess I am a 32D... they are deflated/ flat...
I was always a small, slender girl growing up. My breasts developed normally, maybe even a little bit slower than everyone else's my age. I was most happy with my breast size in about Grade 9 or 10, when they were hovering between a full B/small C cup. I was about as tall as I would get, but my breasts were not done yet. Grade 11 saw them continue to grow and was the first time I remember feeling a little out of control and embarrassed of the chest situation. Not believing it was happening, I stayed in a C cup for about a year and kept moving up band sizes. I remember at one stage, when I was 16, wearing a 36C bra that did not fit at all. At the end of that year, I broke up with my first serious boyfriend and took up running. It was hard (read: impossible) to find a bra that contained the girls enough to feel comfortable running. I too went through the double-bra-for-athletics stage and eventually found one in a sports store in a D/DD size that sort of did the trick. I remember paying what I thought was a whopping $50 for it, and when I showed it to my mom, her jaw dropped open and she said it looked like a surgical bra (how ironic). I'll never forget that. In Grade 12, it was time to go grad dress shopping, and though I was about 5'5 and maybe 130lbs, I feared I'd not find a dress that fit my chest. The day I went dress shopping was the first day I ever got properly fitted for a bra...I was a 30F! While the new letter embarrassed me to no end, finally having my breasts separated, supported, and under control elated me, and I was so excited about all the clothes I could now wear (including a beautiful strapless gown I ended up wearing to my high school graduation). Enter: the university years aka second puberty? Residence life, binge drinking, and eating greasy food caused me to gain the classic Freshman 15, but for every pound my body gained, it felt like my breasts gained 10. By the end of second year, I was fed up with feeling out of control of my breasts again and went in for another bra fitting. The verdict? 30H, and $100 for every bra I'd ever buy from then on. I've since lost lots of the weight I gained during those first crazy years in post-secondary, but my breasts have stayed the same size (if not continued to grow). For the past two years, I've hovered between a 30-32 band and worn between a G-H cup. Too. Damn. Big. I've been through it all, ladies, every #hugeboobproblem you can possibly think of. Disgustingly expensive, ill-fitting lingerie. Stretch marks on the girls. Constant aching back pain. Stabbing pains when standing for long periods. Embarrassment/self-conciousness during exercise. Shirts that never fit properly. Terrible posture. Looking WAY bigger than you actually are. Inappropriate remarks directed at the boobies. Size never carried in regular stores. Impossible to purchase bathing suits. Buttons popping open. Sagging, unattractive breast appearance. Chafing, bleeding, scarring on the ribcage. Irritation between the breasts. Industrial-looking, 4 hook bras. I'm not sure if this is common, but I've personally always felt self-conscious letting men anywhere near them (though no man has ever raised a concern...). Most importantly (to me), I am an avid runner (4x half marathon finisher) and outdoor enthusiast, and my breasts are impeding my ability to enjoy physical activity and stay fit and healthy the way I need to be. The list goes on, and I have a million stories to tell about how horrible it is to have breasts this size, but it's only now that I've decided to do something about it. After many years (years!) of research and consideration, thinking and re-thinking, and trying to convince myself that I was meant to have these breasts and they were here to stay, I got fed up. A few weeks ago, I finally went to the drop-in clinic at my university (to a doctor I've seen before), to see what could be done about this. When I told him I had been experiencing chronic back pain since 11th grade, he didn't flinch. When I continued on to say that I think a breast reduction would alleviate these symptoms and many others, he looked shocked. "Are they really that big? Sit up straight...let me see...wow, they are enormous. What size do you wear? WHAT?! A 30G? Do they even make that?! Oh my god. Let's get you to a surgeon." Needless to say, I cried my way through that visit...but all embarrassment aside, my doctor was very supportive and wrote a letter to a local PS making my case for me. I just received a call last week, and though my initial consultation isn't until Dec 4th, I wanted to get a head start on sharing my story here with fellow well-endowed women who might just understand. And as a side note, if I have one more small-chested woman say "poor you" when I raise complaints about my large chest, I am going to lose it. Updated on 25 Oct 2013: My consultation got moved from the 4th of December to the 17th of December. Apparently my Dr is operating on people that day! Still running, staying active, and biding my time until the consult rolls around. Updated on 12 Nov 2013: The consultation got pushed back another day to the 18th. I want to be mad, but if my surgeon is in the OR so often, that can mean nothing but good things for me, right? I am getting so so so excited to see how this all goes down. Thinking/dreaming about being free of this burden all the time lately. Will post pics soon! Updated on 16 Nov 2013: Finally took some photos to give people a better idea of what I'm dealing with- hoping someone out there will find it helpful! Hoping to get some photos of what I look like in clothing, too. My doctor told me (and I already knew) that my collarbones are swayed inward from the weight of my breasts and my shoulders/delts are waaay overdeveloped and rounded for the size of girl I am. I hope they flatten out when they no longer have no much work to do! Feeling those classic, sharp, tight shoulder pains as I type this. Way too fun! ... Updated on 28 Nov 2013: Just under three weeks til consult #1. So excited to find out when the big day is. Updated on 4 Dec 2013: Trying to stay motivated during this long, long wait for the process to get moving. Updated on 18 Dec 2013: Finally got in for my consultation today and we are going ahead with the surgery as planned! I am still waiting to hear back from the office as to the exact date of the procedure, but it's expected to be sometime at the end of March as of right now. The office manager put me on a cancellation/extra operation day list as well in case something changes and I could go in on shorter notice. I have to admit that it's a longer wait than I was hoping for, but at the same time my consultation got pushed back TWICE due to extra operating days so a) I feel somewhat confident that it could get moved closer, b) I'm busy and the time will pass quickly, and c) I know I am one of the younger candidates for this surgery so I'm just happy to be in there at all. The consultation itself was very painless. My surgeon was RIGHT ON TIME (this has never, ever happened to me in any medical setting before). He already knew my name and was familiar with my history (without looking at his chart). He asked me some questions about my symptoms, medical history, and goals for the operation. He looked at my breasts and took some measurements (for a grand total of Updated on 18 Dec 2013: (half of my last entry just disappeared?) :(. Anyway I'll paraphrase: >60 seconds), and then explained the procedure to me in detail. He's young, but I'm confident he'll do a great job. My only concern is that he seems to lean toward wanting to leave women bigger rather than smaller. Because my reasons for having the operation are mostly centred around back/shoulder pain and improving my ability to be physically active, my priority is functionality, not aesthetics. I want to be able to strap these puppies down and will be very disappointed if I'm left with a size that still requires me to buy specialty bras. He said we will talk about it again on the day of surgery, and I'll make sure he knows how I feel. He did also mention that he's fairly confident that I will be required to formula feed any children I do decide to have in the future. This is one of the primary reasons I have put off scheduling a surgery for the past 4-5 years: I am very adamant about breastfeeding and always thought I could wait. It makes me feel sad and selfish that I would have this procedure knowing that it's not in the best interests of my (future) children. I've struggled with this for years now and will likely continue to struggle with it in years to come. Ultimately, though, this is the right thing to do for my health and happiness, and so I am continuing on with the procedure as planned albeit this feeling quite heartbreaking for me. With all that said, I'm VERY excited and can't wait to see how the rest of the journey unfolds. Until next time!
