Breast Implant Removal Via En Bloc...Just Want to Feel Healthy Again! - La Mesa, CA

This office deserves all the great reviews and 5 stars; it is well-earned!You know how we go see a doctor and come home, call our girlfriend and complain about the negative attitudes, the long waiting times, and the office assistants were total b*tches? Well, you can't say that about this office! Every single nurse and / or office assistant in there had a smile, was super helpful and makes you feel you are important. It didn't feel fake at all, either; they genuinely treated me with respect and kindness with smiles all around! It was wonderful for someone like me who is very shy with huge social anxiety.I've sent emails to the office and had a response within a day addressing my concerns or trying to find out answers to my questions. They bent over backwards to make sure I was completely satisfied.The La Mesa office is busy and for good reason. This doctor and his office staff are top-notch and never made me feel "less than"...by that, I mean, there is an assumption that you will be treated better than another patient if you are coming in there with tons of cash to spend. They treat you very well, regardless. I'm not money-rich and I don't dress "up" very much so I always tend to feel a little frumpy in places like that, but never felt that way in that office.It is a busy place and he always has patients but I never had to wait long to see Dr. Pousti and he never tried to rush me out of there when the place was full. I wanted to be able to talk at length about my concerns and he definitely took the time to talk with me and answer any questions I had.There were a couple times when I was feeling very emotional about removing my 22 yr. old saline implants, but each time, they helped me by talking, comforting and reassuring me. I didn't want to replace the my implants or get a "lift" and nobody ever pressured me to do so. You must remember that everyone is different and every BODY is different so we each have different concerns. A plastic surgeon has to take on each patient on an individual basis and not do these procedures on a cookie-cutter basis. I also realize that you can't please everybody 100% all.the.time but Dr. Pousti reassured me that he would take care of me and do everything he could to do what I requested. Later on, when I realized there were different methods of breast implant removal...I wanted to have my implants removed "en block"; i.e., en masse and intact with capsules and all...I again voiced my concerns and desires to Dr. Pousti and he looked me in the eye and reassured me that he would do what I needed. I have thin skin and he knew the capsules would be thin and that he's have to carefully look at everything going on inside of me to make sure there would not be a massive amount of bleeding. We talked about what he might find once he opened me up, and he let me and was very up front to tell me that in order to do this implant removal via en bloc, the scars would be bigger and even that didn't scare me...the fact that he was willing to discuss this so openly with me made me feel reassured.Dr. Pousti is awesome; you will not regret going to see him. Because I had my implants removed and did not get them replaced OR get a lift, I didn't want him to feel like I had the opinion that breast implants are bad for you or that you shouldn't get them or that they are dangerous. I am 53 and I have a much better opinion of myself now than I did when I was in my 20's...the reason I got them in the first place was to gain confidence, to look a bit more polished and feel more like a woman rather than have a flat chest. I'm not as concerned about my looks now, but I do want to feel healthy. My implants were giving me pain and I couldn't sleep on my stomach and they were heavy to the point where I was walking stooped over. I also couldn't run without having these heavy, floppy things flying up & down. And I didn't like how they felt...all sloshy & ripply. I don't look down on other women who have implants; I don't think less of plastic surgeons because of what they do. He does a great service for women, things have improved over the years since 1994 when I got my Mentor saline implants. I thought I might have mold in mine because of how I was feeling...fatigued all the time, foggy vision, ringing in my ears, bilateral breast pain, gut issues...so Dr. Pousti sent the implants to a microbiologist to have them tested. Thank goodness they came back negative and having that question answered is a HUGE RELIEF to me!!! I want to be healthy as I get older, I want to feel as good and as natural as I can. I will never forget the help, kindness and professionalism I received in his care.The office staff gave me two different names of previous patients who had gone through this procedure and both women were very helpful in reassuring me that Dr. Pousti would take care of me to the best of his ability...that I was in good hands. That made me feel better and more than ready to do this.The day of surgery I was ready, not scared, but still a bit emotional. The surgery center is also a very nice, friendly place, full of very helpful nurses and smiles. The anesthesiologist discussed what I needed, at length, about what I needed. Before going in, Dr. Pousti drew his lines on my chest and very nicely talked to me about being positive because that would help me heal faster...he's right! The mind is a very powerful thing! He wanted me to think about what made me happy and think on that as I drifted off into never-never land. It's a very scary thing to think about what could happen when you're put to sleep! He kept looking in my eyes and all the nurses comforted me and just before drifting off, he said to everyone there "She's on her motorcycle riding right now" (my happy place).I wanted pictures and a video made while in surgery and they complied with no problem!Took me awhile to wake up after surgery but the nurse was johnny-on-the-spot helping me, giving my husband answers, getting me water, etc. As I left, I asked if they had any crackers for my stomach and, sure enough, they had that too! (The crackers were a bit old but still...how helpful was that?!)Post-op appointment, I was given a really nice vase and flowers to take home...how many doctor's do that?! I was very touched and thought, wow, how NICE! And they were beautiful...with my favorite color, purple, and even had roses in the bunch! I have no idea if it's just a standard arrangement of flowers they provide and it really doesn't matter....it's the thought that counts & I thought it was awesome. So typical of this office...going that extra mile for you.Leaving the post-op appointment, I realized I had no cash for the parking ticket. Normally, they will validate the ticket but they had no validation stickers that day. Without question, the girl at the desk opened her wallet and gave me cash so I could get through the gate!!!!!!! Are you reading this?! How cool, how thoughtful and awesome was that?! I will pay her back next time I'm in there.Now, it's a week post-op, and these girls have called me every.single.day asking how I'm doing and answering any questions or concerns I have. THAT'S GOOD SERVICE, PEOPLE!!! So, that's it, in a nutshell. Definitely giving 5 stars all around for both the doctor and his office staff!!!