How did you make an informed decision in choosing your surgeon?

[Tryin2hard]

Hi guys. I am committed to having implant surgery. The Dr. I am seeing now does not instill confidence so I am searching for a new surgeon. My question is how did you make your decision? I am leaning toward going to NY and Dr. Eid simply by reputation but it will be inconvenient and more expensive. Just don't want to go to the extra expense and trouble if there are comparable surgeons in the metro Detroit area that have the same level of experience and skills. Anyone have
any advice? I find it impossible to specific info on any of the Urologists in my area regarding number of surgeries and real experience in penile implants.

[Lost Sheep]

My surgeon said to me, "If you go to the East Coast, you will be overflying a lot of very good surgeons."

How to find which ones are good is another question. In my searching, I exchanged emails with both Dr Eid and Dr Kramer who were ver helpful and kind. Dr Eid did advise me that there is no substitute for experience and to "find a surgeon who is love with his craft". When you do make your"short list" and begin interviewing, make that one of your questions

Also, ask your Doctor to ask at least one of his former patients contact you.

What part of the country are you in? The name kf the closest large city miht prompt a member here to reconnend a good surgeon close to your home.

Goodluck.

[newbie443]

My search was not really all that long after I made my decision. I was seeing a local Uro that like you I was not that happy with. I went to Physician Finder at the top of this page and there was nothing in my insurance area. I checked AMS and Coloplast web sites for Doctors. A little more success in that. And I checked Health Grades with more results but I could find nothing I wanted to invest more time and money in where my insurance would pay part of the cost. My local Uro group doctors only do about 3 each a year of this surgery. I found one 200 miles a way that was listed as an implant specialist and was ranked 49% on Health Grades. I may have been able to spend a lot of time getting insurance to pay something but he had a bad review of killing a woman on a different surgery and was difficult to contact and very slow with appointments. For me to find a really good surgeon for an implant I would have to leave my area and pay out of pocket for this. All the local guys and one previous patient I talked to for the 200 mile away guy said the Uro's say up front that I will be an inch smaller. I was able to pay out of pocket for this. Really pissed me off to let insurance off the hook for this as I buy my own insurance. If I could have found a Uro in my area that I had confidence in I would have spent the time and had my insurance pay for part of it. I was not going to second guess myself after this was done that I should have gone with a better Uro. We all are different. Some will go and get the best they can local and be happy that they have something that now works VS. something that didn't. I simply wanted the best out come possible and chose to go to one of the well know east coast surgeons. If something does go bad I will know I did everything I could. I am positive that I will fly over many very good Uro's who could have done a great job for me. I just didn't want to wait and spend a lot of time and money searching.

Try looking at those places I have listed. See if you can find some really good implant surgeons near you and make a list then make another post and ask if anyone on this site has any information on them. Best of luck to you on your search. Send me a private message if you would like to talk and I'll give you my phone number.

[ThePlumber1964]

Go with a reputable and honest surgeon.

[dg_moore]

I was referred directly to Dr Kramer by my internist. I knew very little about implants and urological surgeons, but had great confidence in my internist and trusted his advice. It was not until 3 years after my implant that I found FT and read the many glowing reviews of Dr Kramer, his skill, and his many satisfied patients, among whom I include myself. Serendipitously, Kramer's office is only 25 minutes away so it's been all good for me (if you don't count the fact that I have never used the implant ).

[David_R]

I have had my urologist for about 20 years (he is the chief of urology at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, a suburb of Baltimore). With him I went through a vasectomy, a kidney stone, a prostatectomy, and an implant surgery. I talked with one of his patients before I decided on the implant (and on him inserting it). I don't want to offend anyone, but there are excellent prosthetic urologists beside Dr. Eid and Dr. Kramer (as wonderful as they both are, I understand).

(And no, this is not an ad and I am not being paid to post this or anything -- just in case you were wondering.)

[CTR5000]

Honestly, I really didn't do all that much research. I have a phenomenal Primary Physician who has referred me to some amazing specialists in most every medical field I've needed. I've been astounded how many know of this primary's reputation and expertise. Immediately upon meeting the urologist he suggested, I was as impressed with him as I've been with every other specialist to whom my primary has sent me.

A month later I was in the operating room, getting my new implant installed.

Living in Bucks County, PA, I'm close enough to NYC that I could be there in 90 minutes. I'm also a mere 35-45 minutes from Center City Philadelphia (in fact, some of our physicians are affiliated with University of Pennsylvania, HUP, and Pennsylvania Hospital.) I'm absolutely thrilled that I went where I did for my urologist/surgeon here in the 'burbs. I WILL have to find another to fill his shoes though, being as he's retired since doing my surgery.

In my search, I'll be including the Urology Department of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP). By coincidence during my healing weeks, that group had done a mailing to all the HIV-positive men in the Greater Philadelphia area, letting us know that ED treatments including implants are available and that they're performing them for us.

Times have changed since the days when nurses would refuse to draw our blood, or when my Infectious Disease doctor would get hate mail for prescribing Viagra and Testosterone to us... (equating this to supplying "guns" for our "bullets".)

Nice to know that our Quality of Life issues mean just as much as those of others!

[Xomanow]

"How did you make an informed decision in choosing your surgeon?"

My decision was based on picking the best surgeon in this field and I would have flown anywhere in this country even if I had to pay in full out of my pocket....I wanted my dick to work again without any botch jobs, issues, and regrets......fortunately for me the best is in my city and Medicare paid for it, so this time I figuratively won the lottery.......but I've read enough horror stories, and to me, it was not worth saving the money to chance a frustrating outcome that would have cost more money and time in the long run......

[Smetro]

Read his website, got my GP to check him out, had a Skype consult and let him choose the implant that best suited my physiology.
Watched zero videos and wasn’t on this forum.
Threw caution to the breeze and am as pleased as it’s possible to be with the outcome over 12months post op.

[Tryin2hard]

Thanks everyone for the response. Talked to a doctor in MI. He said he does about 7 per year. That was it. Called Dr. Eids office in NY. Phone consult next week. Assuming all is a go I will go bionic in May.Relieved and nervous at the same time.I have been preoccupied with my dick to the point of distraction for too long. Still nervous about traveling to NY by myself for surgery but I see some others have done it.Hell, I was ready to travel to Maylaysia for monkey gland injections if it would give me back my sex life.