My Story: Implanted Titan 22cm - Dr Tariq Hakky (Pics)

[silverdude]

Wow, what a story, thanks for sharing! All you fellows have inspired me, and thanks to all of you!!!

[indusvalley]

Peaceofpain, I understand what you mean. Not everyone can afford it, and it’s not just the surgery cost but also cost of flying, the cost of staying in a hotel over here, ordering food twice a day, and other misc costs. It can all add up pretty quickly. It’s not easily affordable by those living in South Asia. I am lucky to be able to afford this and I am grateful to Allah for that.

I am not aware of the Dr who does it for Bollywood actors but I do know that my local Dr said I should expect to lose about an inch or two and I noped the hell out of there. He also only did 3 or 4 inflatable implants per year because ppl can’t afford it so I thought to myself that’s an inexperienced urologist but not his fault though. That’s when I started looking for options in the US.

[Batman12@]

Hey indus congrats for the implant and future journey with it. I just send you a message pls check your INBOX.

[Gt1956]

Peaceofpain07. I don't normally suggest surgery anywhere but a better EU country or North America. But I can understand the plight of the friends that you mention. Whether we like it or not. Healthcare around the world is rationed. Different countries ration it differently but it is still a form of rationing. It is a valid strategy to try to "move up" a level or 2 in the healthcare system.
I cannot explain why, but Dr. Kramer did some teaching in Turkey. A fellow member here on FT had his implant surgery done by Kramer in Turkey. To the best of my knowledge, Kramer does not have family or ancestral ties to Turkey. I bring this up in this manner to suggest that there are indications (in my mind) that perhaps someplace in Turkey might be developing implant skills.
I am not recommending Turkey. Just that there is a chance that some of your friends that are living in south Asia might benefit by investigating surgeons in Turkey. Travel might be a bit easier than to the USA. The structure of the local society might be easier for them to understand.
Just a thought to consider if you feel like you want to offer advice to them. All standard FT warnings apply as to selecting your surgeon & facilities.
Best of luck to you & your friends. Please let the forum know if you learn anything of value.

[Gt1956]

I forgot to mention your price goal of the $13k range. Many medical things are priced according to the country where they are sold. So by keeping this in mind & looking at the potential total price savings of Turkey. I wouldn't be very surprised to see $1k saved on the implant. The cost difference between travel to Turkey vs the USA & in the USA could easily be $2k. Hospital might be $1k cheaper, or even more. Hotel rooms & food savings could add up the quite a bit of $$. So the total cost could in effect balance out to around $13k in the USA.

[indusvalley]

Gt1596 is correct! That brother is Proctor who got it done from Turkey and they’re using a new brand called Rigicon. Dr Kramer implanted him in Turkey for I think $12K. You can confirm from him the exact cost but it is definitely cheaper than coming to US.

[proctor]

Yes, Dr Kramer operated in Turkey in August on some sort of promotional European trip for Rigicon. It was $13k all inclusive 3 day deal. The doctors in Turkey are pretty busy operating on Middle Eastern patients, so they are definitely upskilling themselves and part of Dr Kramers mission was to teach them a few tricks. I am overall very satisfied with the outcome. I am sure Rigicon is a product that would ultimately be in US market as well.

But if you can’t wait till then Turkey could be an option. You can check with Rigicon customer service, they can definitely tag you with their regular doctors over there. For any further information, feel free to PM me (though I am less frequent visitor in FT for obvious reasons, as I am busy with other things now).

The only problem I faced in Turkey was the language barrier, as my Turkish language skill is 0. But Rigicon local staffs were super friendly, so I survived.

PS. Getting Dr Kramer operating on you for $13k is probably the ultimate bargain price, but I am sure RIgicon compensated him in other ways.

[PeaceofPain07]

Thank you all. When did Dr. Kramer teach in Turkey? Surprised it was allowed. I can only assume he was paid very well to teach there. Teaching in Turkey will compete with how much he can make in USA, so I assume he did this either because he's retiring soon, or he's made enough money and wanted to make it more affordable for those who can't afford it. Great to know such patients may have options soon. Anyways, I think my post is starting to go off-topic from what this thread is supposed to be about, so just tell me to stfu

[Gt1956]

Doctors are businessmen. Kramer, in my opinion, just broadened his potential number of interns. I don't know for sure, but he likely makes some money off of the interns. Maybe he gets a slice of their surgery fee when they get to the level of doing surgeries alone for him.

[proctor]

Hmmm....may have misspoke. I don’t mean he taught in the traditional sense (using board and chalk in a classroom setting) but rather let them watch live how he performs, see how he overcomes any obstacles and ask any questions they may have.