Consultation with Dr Jake Lim - Castle Hill, AU

Wow my first contribution to real self- how exciting! So I've been umming and aahing about whether to write this review about dr Jake lim for quite some time now, since I was wary about hurting his reputation and what not, but considering how much I've learnt from real self and you ladies out there, I feel like I owe you girls the truth... So here goes...

I've wanted a BA for as long as I can remember now, and about three months ago, after a solid year of serious research, I plucked up the courage to see dr lim for a consult. I was excited because be had great photos of BAs he had done, his receptionist was really friendly, his prices were very reasonable and he's pretty close to home. So I went in, excited and armed with my list of questions and my trusty boyfriend, for support. I have a complicated medical history and so this was one of the main things I wanted to discuss with dr lim, along with all the usual issues Im sure we've all agonized over- how will they feel, what size would suit my chest dimensions, how's the condition of my skin and what are my chances of good scars etc..
Sadly, dr lim was more closed-minded than helpful. As soon as I told him my medical history, he was reluctant to answer any of my questions properly. Now I understand the gravity of my medical situation and his responsibility to manage patient expectations and risks for surgery- I was in and out of hospital up until a few years ago (history of a mini-stroke, which has potential complications for anaesthesia, corrective heart surgery for congenital heart disease and mild scoliosis so my chest is slightly uneven... My health issues are serious... I know!) so I know first-hand just how important it is to prioritize my health over everything else.. But I just wish dr lim had been a little more open minded and sensitive, rather than bluntly shutting down all my questions and hopes for surgery. At one stage, dr lim suggested I should just wear padded bras, which really upset me and showed me that he wasn't taking my case seriously. My bf could see that I was getting upset that all I was getting was "no", so he attempted to ask my questions for me by opening with a disclaimer along the lines of "I understand that she can only have the surgery if her specialist clears her, but in the case of her being given clearance....[insert question]..." However dr lim interpreted this, once again, as us not understanding the risks of surgery. I was upset to have been made to feel as if I was jeopardizing my health for something vain, "unimportant and silly" (quote, unquote), and that BA surgery was something I should just forget about- afterall, it's not as if I had decided I wanted a BA on a whim the week before, I have been self-conscious about my chest ever since my early teens and my insecurity only got worse once I had a zipper of a scar down the middle of my chest following heart surgery. I've wanted a BA for a long, long time...
I was also annoyed that I wasn't getting any of the information I was after and made to feel like I was wasting his time, even though I was still having to pay the consultation fee.
Needless to say, I left that consult feeling depressed, stupid, irritated and hopeless. I couldn't be bothered to follow up with my specialist, since dr lim had made it sound as if my chances were slim to none anyway, and probably wouldn't have if my bf hadn't pushed me to at least try.
And man, am I glad I listened to the bf because I am stoked to announce that... I was given medical clearance!!!! Yayyy!! So I went on my merry way researching other plastic surgeons and came across dr Alex Phoon. And guess who has a consult for next Wednesday booked and ready to go?! :D Can.Not.Wait! Dr Phoon has great photos and all his reviews are glowing about his warm bedside manner and artistry.. Plus he has these information videos on YouTube that I found really helpful and his office uses this machine called a "Vextra" which means I'll get to see what each sizing option would actually look like on my body through a virtual sizing machine-thingymabob :)
I'll let you know how it goes with dr Phoon :) wish me luck!
Also, Im sorry if I've offended anyone with my review about dr lim, I know he's a great surgeon and has helped so many of you lucky ladies out there (that's why I went to see him, afterall!), but like I said, I wanted to add my experience with him to the body of knowledge on real self so that we can all have as much information at our disposal as possible during this important process which is often chockablock with scary unknowns.

Anyways thanks for taking the time to read this much-longer-than-intended post.. It seems the start of my BA journey has officially begun! :D (and Wowsers, who ever knew posting on here could be so therapeutic! Hahaha)