A Plastic Surgeon Who Really Cares

In 1991 I had a breast tumor on my left breast the size of a 1.5-inch ball that needed to be removed. I went to a plastic surgeon who told me after removal of tumor I would need implants because I would look bad. I trusted his advice and did the surgery. 24 years later the implants failed. I went to multiple doctors Dr. Anureet Bajaj, Dr Timothy Love, Dr Jaun Brou and asked them these questions; what type surgery they would recommend replacing implants and would they recommend removing them instead. All three recommended replacing them. All of them warned me not to just remove them, or I would look terrible. I choose Dr Brou to do the surgery because he had the best bed side manner and seemed to know what needed to be done. Upon further appointments I stressed I did not want to be bigger; I wanted to be the same size. The problem was I had no idea what the previous surgeon had put inside me. To my surprise Dr. Brou also recommend I also do a breast lift. I wasn't so sure of this, but I told him I didn't do the original surgery for cosmetic reasons, I was not an expert in this area, and I trusted him to do the right thing. The only stipulation I had; was that he put the same size implants in that I had originally. On surgery day I told him I wasn't comfortable about the breast lift and wasn't sure I wanted it. He told me I had no choice I was getting a breast lift. Again, I reminded him that I wanted the same size implants. He asked me if he didn't have the exact size would I like to go up a size of down a size. I said up, thinking of the breast sagging would do better going up. He removed old implants and saw they were 250cc. He had brought into the surgery 275cc, 300cc, and 350cc not knowing which one would be right. He decided to place the 350cc in me. After surgery I was in horrible pain. The breast lift is sooo painful. When the dompression garment was removed I was horrified to see I was huge. He told me that was the swelling. I questioned what size he put in me and he said 350cc. He said he did that because I answered bigger to his question. I answered 350cc is not going up one size if you didn't have a 250cc. The right breast without the original tumor had a very sharp pain in the 11 o'clock position. After suffering for the first weeks Dr Brou decided that I needed shots in that region to stop pain. This ended up being a horribly painful procedure in which he did multiple shots. I was literally shaking in pain and tears rolling down my cheeks. Also, it also became obvious that the implant on the left side was slipping down my chest. More appointments and more pain shots. The swelling went down, but my breasts were huge. Exactly what I didn't want. One breast was in the right position but shaped light a brick because the implant was bigger than then my chest. The other implant was Slipping down the chest "bottoming out". Dr Brou said this was because he cut the muscle more to make a bigger opening for the large implant. Apparently, it was cut too much and there is no way to fix that. Also, the pain from the breast lift was not going away. My husband wouldn't look at me or touch me for almost a year because he said I looked like an accident victim not woo-hoo, she's gorgeous as I had hoped. I was in despair. Dr Brou sent pictures of me to other plastic surgeons to ask them what they recommend he do to fix it. The replies came back with no great way to fix it. I went to some of the plastic surgeons I saw before and even Dr Lisa Taylor, but none of them had a good idea how to fix me. So, I seeked national help. I searched every doctor in the nation to look for help. Dr Donald Revis, in Fort Lauderdale FL, advertised that he developed an internal surgical bra that would hold the implant in the correct position. So, I went to him. Upon seeing me he told me I was a difficult case, but he could fix it. I told him of my desire to be my original size and have these huge implants removed. He said no problem he could fix it all. He told me he was not the kind of doctor who used the same implant size on both sides but will try different sizes to make both sided the same. I didn't realize this was a concern for most women, but I was glad he a stickler for getting it right. I asked if removing them was a choice, and he discourage that saying I would look horrible. So, I had him do the surgury. Upon waking up he said he lowered the right breast implant to a size 290cc. but the bottoming out right side he could only go down to 325cc. I started crying. I felt violated twice now. Dr Brou made me a monster and now Dr Revis made me go through all this expense and I was no better off. The worse part about this was the extreme pain I was feeling. The internal bra is the most painful torture device ever created. I went back home to heal with the instructions of not to call the doctor only email him. I was to take pictures of my recovery and send them to him and he would respond. When I removed the compression bra for the first-time horror and shock filled me. The right breast (the breast with the pain that was shaped like a rectangular brick) now had huge sewn down area indented fold. My breast was not round; now it was shaped like a backwards "C". The left breast that was bottomed out and now had an internal bra was still lower than the other breast, and now was bigger the the right breast. It also hung over saggily over the stitched down line of the internal bra. I tried emailing Dr Revis with my concerns, but he did not address them and kept saying I looked great. For four months I suffered in excruciating pain, looking like a monster. I tried hard to wear garments that somewhat hid my problems but often failed. I couldn't sleep because the pain was so bad. I was in a very dark place. Finally, after many months, Dr Revis admitted that I had a problem. He said the indent was caused from sutures and he hadn't made that mistake since he was in residency. He admitted that the size of the implants was clearly wrong also and he would agree they needed to be replaced. But he would not agree to remove the torturous internal bra that I would have to live with. He offered to do all this without charging me for his time, but I would have to pay the hospital and all other expenses. It was about this time after more than a year of torture and violation that I decided I didn't want to do this anymore I wanted the implants out. I was already a monster how bad could it be? I needed the pain to stop. Dr Revis discouraged my decision and said he would charge me to remove them. So, I went back to Dr Brou. To this point I still believed that Dr Brou was truly disappointed with my surgery outcomes and that he ultimately cared about me as a patient and wanted the best for me. He was very anxious to see what I looked like after Dr Revis "fixed" me with the internal bra. When I told him, I would like him to remove it and remove the implants he became disinterested. He said he did't feel comfortable doing that because he didn't know what an internal bra was made of. I told him it was just stitches weave back and forth and showed him the paperwork stating that. He acted like he was willing to do the surgery and directed me that his patient coordinator, Dee, would call me to set up the surgery. But instead, as I was still driving home, Dee calls me to tell me Dr Brou will not do the surgery. I tried to explain that she was mistaken, but she made it very clear that Dr Brou will not work on me after another doctor had done work. As the conversation continued it became obviously clear that Dr Brou just wanted to look at the internal bra method of Dr Revis's and really didn't care about me at all. Again, I was filled with despair and the feeling of violation. No doctor I had meet so far care about me and the nightmare I was going through. I started searching the internet again. Then I saw Dr Jeanette Padgett's name and remember when I first visited Dr Brou's office during a open house event I talked to a pharmaceutical representative that was there. He asked me if I had gone to Dr Padgett and suggested I go to her because she is a good doctor. I ignored his advice then but not this time. I researched her and found she didn't have much for reviews. This was scarey, but I decided to go to her anyway. When I went to her office, I felt like running back out. The office waiting room was empty with no other patients, just like Dr Revis's was; and I knew how that turned out. But I had no other options, so I went through with it. Upon meeting her I thought she is very nice, but she isn't giving me any reinsurances. She was laid back and didn't spout off how wonderful she was like Dr Revis did. She didn't even try to upsell me anything like Dr Brou or Dr Love did. When I asked if she could remove the implants; she replied with a smile, "We could try that". Which seemed to be the common answer to most of my questions; not a real confidence booster. When asked if I would look okay, she wouldn't say one way, or another, but instead said if your unhappy with them out we can always put smaller ones back in after you heal. She professed she had no idea what she was getting into with the internal bra removal, but she would try. I remember hearing the words "I will try" and having those words going over and over in my mind. Words Dr Brou or Dr Revis would not give me. I remember thinking this doctor isn't promising me the world, but she is promising she will really try an help me even if it takes multiple surgeries to make it right. She wasn't all pompous as Dr Revis was who called himself the Boob King. She wasn't upselling me on extra procedures I didn't really want like Dr Brou did. She just truly cared that I was in so much pain and was violated so badly and was willing to try and help me. No promises that I would look good after all three surgeons had done their handy work on me and there was no way of really knowing all that she was getting into. She even offered me a price for the surgery that was way cheaper than Dr Revis's discounted price. I had her do the surgery and I am so glad I did. She said she had a very difficult time removing all the sutures that Dr Revis and Dr Brou had put in me. Some of them were attached to the ribs (I.E. the internal bra) which was why I was in incredible pain. The sutures were not the kind that is normally used on the breasts of muscles. I remember looking down wondering what I looked like. I was bound with the compression bra and wrap. I looked very flat. I felt a sick feeling about it, but she said some people will fluff a little. The most amazing thing was most of the pain was gone. The one amazing sensation I remember feeling was I could breath. I hadn't realized it, but I never felt like I could take a big breath for such a long time; probably 25 years. But not only could I breathe but I could stand more upright. She should me pictures of all the stitches she took out and explained the difficulty with removing them. As I took the bandages off for the first time and looked at myself, I remember thinking, hmm I don't look bad. All the doctors said I would look bad. I look small but I do not look bad. My husband looked at me and smiled for the first time in a very long time and said I got my wife back. I felt like crying. After 25 years of implants I finally got me back. The problem was I had a tiny indent at the 11 o'clock position with pain on the right breast. One thing I had learned from all this was that was stitches hurt and there was one still in there. I told Dr Padgett one stitch was missed of the many she did removed. She said she looked hard and was certain she got all of them. But upon further healing and on a future follow up appointment I insisted I had to have it removed. She really did feel she got them all and that it was just scar tissue, but she relented and agreed to open me up again. She also said she would do it for free which is still so amazing. When she did the surgery, she dug and dug. she did her very best to find the stitch she didn't believe was there. It was far from easy, or obvious. it was buried deep into the muscle, but she did indeed find it. When I woke I was truly free. All my pain caused from those sutures was gone. I hadn't realized that I was feeling discomfort from the time I received my first implants. I had gotten use to the feeling. I also had been having many doctor appointments for years because of strange aliments now they were suddenly gone. I felt many years younger. I felt strong, full of energy, and beautiful. Being small busted is fantastic. I am so pleased with my results. One thing is true though; all the surgeons were not lying to me. I will never look like God made me, because when they put implants in you, they do not stress to you that they will be slicing the pectoral muscle from the rib cage where it is attached to place the implant in you. They will call it "releasing the muscle". That cut muscle goes up like the old spring-loaded window shade and can never be attached back again. You will lose some of that muscle’s strength (they will tell you won't notice it, but you will). So, when the implants are removed there is a small shelf like line that is the now the new bottom line of the cut and bunch up pectoral muscle. This makes the breast tissue look like it sinks in a little below that shelf line. Although this is not significant it is a fact. Sad, but true. All those who have implants will never get the full use of that muscle again and will have that muscle line where it does not naturally go. We stupidly paid doctors to do that to ourselves. But this is a time of healing and forgiving ourselves for being stupid. This is a time for learning to love ourselves and rejoice for what we are. I also want to note that scars Dr Padgett left are barely visible. She removed the scars that were under the breasts that Dr Revis and Dr Brou did and did a line that is very hard to see. She removed excess skin to give the now smaller breast a very nice shape. As a skilled surgeon the work she did if far superior to the other two surgeons. The scars that are caused from the breast lift that Dr Brou did are very large and ugly. The pain around the nipples from the breast lift have never gone away. So, the very reason that women have the lift, so they look more attractive is worthless because if anyone touches them it hurts so bad you won't enjoy it, and that has never gone away. I can't thank Dr Padgett enough. She will always have my true gratitude for caring about me and saving me from a very dark and lonely place. Her surgery skills were above all the others and I am very pleased with how I look.