Time for a decision..inputs welcome

[Captain1117]

Time for an update.

On the cash front I have got a medical financing company that just approved 35K ..to be repaid over 7 years ..with option to prepay the balance before the tenure. That translates to around 700 CAD per month..which is ok with me.

During the initial phone call with the Toronto surgeon, he mentioned to me that he has to "order" the implant for me.

After reading in detail through Dr.Eids site and some other resources he specifically mentions that he has several sizes of both brands readily available. An accurate decision of implant sizing is possible only after the corpora is opened and measured...if I understand it right.

Also reading through Merrix's journal..Dr.Eid discarded the first implant and tried RTE and then used a different size implant.
My assumption is a low volume surgeon will order one implant and will try to add RTEs and or somehow try to fit that one implant to my anatomy since he has only one implant to try. That itself sounds like a risk of suboptimal result.

Also I luckily came across another member from Toronto..who is also scheduling with Dr.Eid.
Looking like I am aiming for the best..fingers crossed.

[Agfa13]

Well, yes, he has to order, but the order is not so much for you, but a guesstamite of what you might need. Still, I would be leery about the whole thing, so glad you are going with Eid. When he said 'for you', that would perk up the ears and ask WTF about someone else who has been here.
Is he experienced in dealing with implants?
High volume?

[Gt1956]

Just an opinion. If this surgeon doesn't have a good enough relationship with the implant company. That the company rep won't show up on the day of surgery with a briefcase full of all the sizes & models to chose from. I would suggest that he is not the guy to go to. Just an opinion.

[FreddyFree]

Got mine done in Ottawa. No cost out of pocket. Happy with it.

[Charlie2019]

Time for an update.

On the cash front I have got a medical financing company that just approved 35K ..to be repaid over 7 years ..with option to prepay the balance before the tenure. That translates to around 700 CAD per month..which is ok with me.

During the initial phone call with the Toronto surgeon, he mentioned to me that he has to "order" the implant for me.

After reading in detail through Dr.Eids site and some other resources he specifically mentions that he has several sizes of both brands readily available. An accurate decision of implant sizing is possible only after the corpora is opened and measured...if I understand it right.

Also reading through Merrix's journal..Dr.Eid discarded the first implant and tried RTE and then used a different size implant.
My assumption is a low volume surgeon will order one implant and will try to add RTEs and or somehow try to fit that one implant to my anatomy since he has only one implant to try. That itself sounds like a risk of suboptimal result.

Also I luckily came across another member from Toronto..who is also scheduling with Dr.Eid.
Looking like I am aiming for the best..fingers crossed.

London Ontario, which is only a couple hours from Toronto, has one of the finest and talented implant surgeons in North America..His reputation is what prevented me from going to the states. Dr. Gerald Brock. He is the past president of the Canadian Urological Society.

[SW0110]

I researched a lot. I could have went to anyone in us with my healthcare. I ended up using a surgeon about 3.5 hour drive away. I ended up at week 3 having to visit the doc as my implant was up and I could not get it to deflate. Long car ride.

No local urologists barring a medical emergency, would touch it, literally. They did not implant it they wanted no part of it. Moved forward but developed a hernia right above the reservoir.

10 months later, hernia had to be fixed. Way to much pain. After hernia repair, implant no longer worked. Now what. Implant surgeon is 4 hours away. I have to get implant fixed. Reservoir is popped just under hernia repair. So went with a local urologist with a local general surgeon within an hour of my home. Any issues, I have both to go back to.

Hopefully there will be no issues with the surgery but if there is be aware of where do you go for help.

On my revision they pulled the titan out completely. After hernia surgery I still had pain in the reservoir area. So it all had to come out. I had a great outcome with my local surgeon on the revision but had little choice. I needed a team available to work on different things. Local was my only way to go this time. It worked out great thank goodness.

[Charlie2019]

Got mine done in Ottawa. No cost out of pocket. Happy with it.

[Gronnos]

Of course, our health care is not really "free". We pay it through taxes.
But you are sort of stuck in the system you are. It's a bit of a stretch to have a moderate salary, pay 40% taxes, and then skip your already-paid-for health care and go overseas and pay the total cost. That means you literally pay twice for the surgery.
Of course, if one have the money, like I luckily had, then fine.
But if those 40% taxes have meant you have nothing saved (which you in some way don't need in Scandinavia, since schools for kids, universities, health care is all "free" (i.e. tax paid)), then you are stuck with using the services you have paid for all your life.

So my advice is still the same. If you can afford it, then go to Eid (rather than Kramer).
If that would wreck your financials for decades, then go domestic with the absolutely best you can find.

Finally, since we are discussing tax systems here, In my country people with high salary literally pay the surgeries of low salaried people.
People with high income pay the universities for the kids of parents with low salaries.
Our tax system is heavily progressive.
Back home I would pay 55% income tax on my salary, and then 25% VAT on most goods and services bought.
A guy at McDonalds would pay less than 25%.
55% of a lot is 5 times more than 25% of a little. So I literally would pay 5 times income tax every month than the McDonalds guy. Plus the VAT difference from my higher spendings.
But that is a political discussion which I should refrain from giving my opinion of any preferences on.
All I will say is that I think it is sort of ok with a high total tax burden if the country is doing great. If schools are top class, health care is fast, available and high quality. Infrastructure is great. Criminality is low. Then that high cost was maybe justified. But if not - then what the F am I paying all those taxes for..?

Merrix: I also live in Scandinavia and I am a happy tax payer. We get so much for the taxes that I would never change the system to anything else. Everybody can read and write here. Nobody lives on the streets. If you want high education your parents don't have to pay all their lives for it. Plus million other positive things. I pay a lot of taxes and there are poor people that benefit for that. Of course I pay also their bills but I am happy to do it because I know that the system will also help me if I get into trouble.

To get an implant here is a little risky as the top local doctor does only 5-10 implant surgeries in a year. The number of cases in the whole country is less than 30 in a year. Eid and Kramer do bigger number every moth. But if I never go for it I will do it locally.

and what are the taxes?

[ViaSwiss]

Captain1177,

There are very reputable implanters in the US that will finance for half of 25k. Karpman, Hakky, Blick, Tatem, etc.

[wunhunglo]

If you can afford it, Eid would be my recommendation. IMHO, he is one of the best, if not the best in the world. Are there other very good surgeons? Sure. But why take a chance.

As @merrix accurately pointed out, there is NO FREE LUNCH. Someone ALWAYS pays. In the US medical system, the self-pay patients make up for the ridiculously low reimbursement rates by major insurance companies. Dr. Eid, because he was in-network, received the allowable amount, not the amount he billed the insurance—10% of what he billed.