lndlnp - Stony Brook, NY

I am a 40 year old mother of 4, who breastfed her children. My breasts were small and sagging and I was deciding on a breast augmentation. I went on several consultations. Dr. Epstein’s was the most intriguing. I am very active and have little down time in my life, so the promise of a 24 hour recovery was very appealing to me. The other piece that I was impressed with was the sizing of my implants. Dr. Epstein sizes the implant to your body and breast tissue with a series of specialized measurements. During the surgery itself, Dr. Epstein and his staff were all wonderful. They are caring and sincere and made me feel very comfortable. The office is beautiful and it certainly did not feel like I was in an operating room. After I went home, I was only taking ibuprofen. I was comfortable, but a little sore. Not in any real pain. I was lifting my arms over my head fairly easily. Later in the evening, Dr. Epstein called to check in on me and I told him I was feeling great. That night, after showering I noticed that my left breast seemed larger than my right and more tender. Since I went in with uneven breasts, I thought that this must be normal and that the left side just got more swollen. The next day the swelling and tenderness on the left worsened. When Dr. Epstein’s office checked in on me with a phone call I advised the nurse of the difference in the breasts. She told me to come down to the office immediately where Dr. Epstein was waiting for me. He told me I had a hematoma on the left and that I needed to be admitted through the emergency department and I would need another operation that evening. Obviously I was very upset. This apparently only happens less than one percent of the time. That night, I underwent a second surgery where the hematoma was removed and bleeding controlled. I was discharged from the hospital the next day. The recovery from the second surgery was more difficult. I had substantial bruising and tenderness on my whole left side. I was told to stop the ibuprofen. I did not require any pain medication, but I was sore. Within 4 days I was feeling much better and returned to work the following week.
I was a little disappointed at the setback, but now it has been 4 weeks since the surgery and I am more than pleased with the results. I was not the typical case, and was disappointed that I was not myself in 24 hours, but even with the complication and repeat surgery, I was never in any real pain. I needed help caring for my kids for about a week, but other than that I was caring for myself fine.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Dr. Epstein to anyone. He called me daily for a week and even gave me his cell number when the weekend came. His staff is equally as wonderful and caring. The outcome is beautiful and I am very happy.