Stories of failure

[merrix]

Stories of failure popping up more than usually lately.
Moron docs leaving open holes in the scrotum, destroying urethras, causing unbearable pain by installing too long cylinders, diagnosing with infection and wanting to take the whole thing out when there is no infection, reservoirs in the leg (!), curved penises due to incorrect cylinder length, floppy heads due to too short cylinders, infections.

The list is long.
None of them has been caused by one of the top docs.
And still, every time I or someone else give the advice to go to one of the best, a shitstorm of replies will say that
"not only the top docs can do this surgery"
"if you fly to X or Y you will overfly a lot of good surgeons"
"there are a lot of low volume doctors who are just as good as the famous ones"
"the high volume docs do not have time to treat you as passionately as the local doc"
Bla, bla, bla.

Well, no, not only the top docs can do the surgery. But since we know they can, and we know a fair percentage of the rest can't, why risk going to someone else and be the unlucky one to find a crap doc?

Yes maybe you overfly a couple of good ones. But you will overfly a couple of idiots as well. And you don't want to take the risk of ending up under their knife. Mostly you will overfly a whole lot of mediocre/average ones, who might get you a decent result at an increased risk compared to the top ones. And why take the risk with any of them?

No, there probably are not many low volume docs as good as the famous ones. Maybe good enough if you settle for average. But not if you want the best possible outcome with the minimal risk of a horror show.

Seems nobody is complaining about the responsiveness and passion of e.g. Eid or Kramer...

And as I have linked before, there is research clearly showing the strong correlation between number of surgeries the doc performs and a low infection rate.

I understand there will always be poeple who cannot for some reason go to the top docs. Insurance/financial maybe the obvious one.
But stop giving me the crap that the top 2-4 are not better. Because they are.
Finding another one who is good is possible. But it is simply a matter of risk. Going with them eliminates the risk of you choosing the wrong doc. And that is a bloody good start of getting good results from your implant surgery.

[Agfa13]

Well said, merrix.
In my case, and I am sure in others, NOTHING replaces experience!
For me, I did not think twice about the Dr's experience, 6-10 years experience, until after the fact, when I was having problems.
Bottom line, as long as everything went well, he knew his stuff, if not, he was like a fish out of water and did not know what to do.
Dr. Kramer is fixing his fuck up (21+ years experience)! I wish I knew Dr. Kramer and got my 1st surgery from him, and more then likely, would not be going through this issue and have to put off my dreams of becoming a port star, lol.

[Mrtomcat1957]

Fortunately for me, Merrix, I live within a 2 hour drive from Eid or Kramer, so my decision will be based on which one my insurance will pay...I know Garber is in network so at least I'll have a reputable Dr. for my surgery in 2020!!

[WhiteCane]

^^ same situation! I had those choices or there was even a guy in Philadelphia Who I liked that retired before I got the chance LOL 20 minutes in a car would’ve been a lot nicer… very pleased with everything so far though…

[random255]

Stories of failure popping up more than usually lately.
Moron docs leaving open holes in the scrotum, destroying urethras,

Oh hey, it's me!

[oneperson]

I would have wished one of those doctors at my range. But I live in Spain, at least 8 flight hours and for sure, not less than 500 € flight go and return. Plus 20 or 25 thousand dolars the surgery and hospital, plus at least one month in hotel. And if something like what has happened to me, i.e a pump malfunction after two months, another 500 € flight plus hotel. And again in each revision.

Unfortunately, I don't have so much money. I have to assume I can't afford the top ones.

[Lost Sheep]

Merrix, you are quite correct, but with care and effort, the risk can be managed.

"if you fly to X or Y you will overfly a lot of good surgeons"

That is the phrase my surgeon used when I spoke of going to the Maryland V.A. where I could (with a lot of bureaucratic effort) have had surgery with Dr. Kramer.

Dr. Eid advised me in my email exchanges with him, "Find a surgeon in love with his craft."

Yes, there is a higher risk when you allow a surgeon of lesser repute than the famous ones, but you can lessen that risk considerably by interviewing surgeons and prior patients. For those unable to access the famous surgeons, the choices may have them excluded. For those men, advice on how to find lesser known but still capable surgeons is very helpful.

I interviewed Drs Kramer, Eid, Allen, Posey, (and Dr Brisbane, a resident under Dr Ostrowski - who trained under Dr. Walsh in Seattle WA) and Shaw in my search for a surgeon. I settled on Dr. Shaw when I learned that he had taught the procedure, listened attentively (and responded) to what I had to say, and the final clincher was, when he told me, "If I was in private practice, this would be my specialty." (Dr Shaw is active duty U.S. Military).

To each their own.

Going to Dr. Kramer was possible for me, but would have required followup with a local physician (Dr. Allen) but staying local provided a continuity of care that is reassuring.

[Gt1956]

I don't think there is any doubt that there is a lot of good surgeons. Finding one of the many is the trick.
Just thinking about the number of implants that are installed every year. It would be impossible for Eid & Kramer to do all of them.
I see the real need lies in finding enough skilled, caring up & coming surgeons. Then getting them state of the art training to supply the need for them.
Some insurance reform wouldn't hurt along the way. It's a multi faceted problem in my opinion.

[jump.ship]

I guess the issue is that for some people this isn't the biggest issue in their life. For me, this shot at having a normal working dick is everything to me. This could give me a window into what almost every other man takes for granted. It's existential I would say!

For others it's not like that. Some men have had a fully working dick for 40 years and then develop ED. This is not even remotely the same.

I have even seen someone on here write "Like we used to be" when talking about men being normal or typical in bed, clearly assuming everyone on the forum has had their stretch of normal functioning!

If this is your number one priority (and you have the means) you will go to a high volume Doc, simple. If its not a big deal to you or you have other priorities... then you're probably open to taking a risk with a local surgeon because you are not as invested.

[Gt1956]

If this is your number one priority (and you have the means) you will go to a high volume Doc, simple. If its not a big deal to you or you have other priorities... then you're probably open to taking a risk with a local surgeon because you are not as invested.

You're getting close to the issue in my opinion. You need to balance many factors into your decision. I can only speak for myself.
I live in the Intermountain west. Travel to the east coast while not out of the question, would be a hassle. My search went to northern California instead. An 800 mile road trip is fairly easy for me. I've talked to the doctor in person. He has a good reputation here on FT. Actually, I've yet to find anything negative about him here. There are at the very least 2 members implanted by him in the last year or so.
He told me that he does around 100 per year. I've seen posts that claim he does 200. So might vary by year.
So how do we as a group define high volume? How are we to factor skilled successful outcomes into the decision? These are real questions that new members are baffled by. Just automatically saying the need to go to so & so high volume guy isn't serving them very well in my opinion. The popular high volume guys can only do so many surgeries a year. It's just that simple in my mind. Another approach needs to be found.
As for members that are not in North America. My heart goes out to them. They don't seem to be served by their health insurance or the doctors very well.