Dr. David Ralph - Any bad experiences?

[SteveH]

I had my implant done by Mr Ralph's team
I was highly delighted with my result but someone I recommended the operation has had awful problems with Dr Ralph and his team
I wish I hadn't encouraged him as his life is constantly unhappy

[defiant]

I had my implant done by Mr Ralph's team
I was highly delighted with my result but someone I recommended the operation has had awful problems with Dr Ralph and his team
I wish I hadn't encouraged him as his life is constantly unhappy

Oh dear.

Was Mr Ralph the surgeon? Or one of his team?

[ED2013]

There was a guy that used to come on here frequently. I believe he was undersized and needs to use a ring with his implant. His username is irishguy.

[tomas1]

I had my implant done by Mr Ralph's team
I was highly delighted with my result but someone I recommended the operation has had awful problems with Dr Ralph and his team
I wish I hadn't encouraged him as his life is constantly unhappy

No good deed goes unpunished.
I usually find that to be true sadly.

[dawnoftime]

I had my implant done by Mr Ralph's team
I was highly delighted with my result but someone I recommended the operation has had awful problems with Dr Ralph and his team
I wish I hadn't encouraged him as his life is constantly unhappy

Did you go through the NHS or private? Can I ask how much you paid if it was private?

[dawnoftime]

Hi,

I'm would say from your first consultation with with a NHS doctor at the UCLH.(from my own experience)
You could be implanted within a year, three years sounds crazy.

As they would have to on the first meeting ask if you used any pde5 inhibitor like Viagra. Talk about your sexual history, see if you want to try a VED, arrange for blood work and look at your overall heath for things like sugar diabetes, state of your heart etc.

They would then if the Viagra wasn't working, look at doing a duplex ultrasound and a Sleep monitoring test (NPT).

If you do need an implant, the NHS will book you for in for surgery.
They will/should also offer counselling before the operation as well.
But you can turn this down and still get the surgery.

All this takes time, but even if you go privite you should be having all this done as well.
But by going private, instead of taking up to 6 months before the operation, you could get it all done much sooner.

This is because a private surgeon is more monetary motivated to get you operated on than the NHS.

You don't get to choose who does your operation, but you do get to save about £12000.

Hey. Thank you for the reply. I am not sure the NHS is as swift as you describe. I have waited 14 months simply to see a Urologist before! I am also quite far from London.. our system would not be the same. If I could get it done within the year, then sure I would very much consider the NHS, but I honestly believe it would be three years - and that is if I am lucky.

Picking the surgeon is one thing, but being a paying customer comes with some benefits. I am very worried about not being fitted properly. The issue would be that on the NHS they would not refit it if i was unhappy as they would say my concern was cosmetic. If I go private I feel I will be able to confirm these details beforehand - like "if I have a floppy head I want to consider this in need of a revision".

Am I being crazy thinking this? I would really love to hear from people that have went through the NHS.

Okay first off, let me just say for the record we have the single best healthcare system in the world and I’ll stand by that and argue with anyone who disagrees until the cows come home. And whilst NHS implantees may or may not have less say over who does what, when and how, it’s something that they’re even offered implants on the NHS, free of charge, as with all our healthcare.

But as amazing as it is at saving lives, preserving life and looking after the nation, on this, I would definitely recommend going private for an implant, if at all possible. If not, demand the very best surgeon. There are ways and means to get the one you want.

I really can’t see how it would take 3 years to get one. Yes it can take a while to see the consultant and then go through all the tests etc just to get to the implant stage but it should not take that long!

You are right though that if one were to get a floppy head, as you’ve seen with some of our younger fellow members here on FT, if done via the NHS, they would probably take a ‘well that’s good enough’ approach. If done privately though, there would be far more onus on them to do a top notch job, you would have more say over surgeon, it would be quicker and yes, I believe you’d have the right to state beforehand that if incorrectly sized, you would want a revision.

It’s such an important procedure, that really has to be done right. I plan to go through Mr Ralph, privately, as he specialises in implants, he’s is or at least has been the President of the European Uroligical Society, comes recommended by and has worked with Andrew Kramer and he’s one of, if not the highest volume implanter in Europe.

I am also pro the NHS. To say its the best in the world, i am less sure about. But having free health care for everyone from the state is the only society i want to live in. Its like water to me... everyone should have access. And I am more than happy to contribute tax to it. But like you I also think that if you have the means, its ok to go private for whatever reason, which I am keen to do here.

When I first starting taking Viagra over a decade ago I got it privately because the NHS were dragging their heels with it. They are more relaxed now because you can get it generic and its cheap but it used to be v expensive.

[redbullmaster]

Hi redbull...

Have you had any experience of Dr Ralph yourself? Have you been implanted?

We are fortunate to have the NHS but in this regard, for me, it’s not an option.

Not Dr Ralph, but i was implanted by Mr Christopher nim at the UCLH

[redbullmaster]

Hey. Thank you for the reply. I am not sure the NHS is as swift as you describe. I have waited 14 months simply to see a Urologist before! I am also quite far from London.. our system would not be the same. If I could get it done within the year, then sure I would very much consider the NHS, but I honestly believe it would be three years - and that is if I am lucky.

Picking the surgeon is one thing, but being a paying customer comes with some benefits. I am very worried about not being fitted properly. The issue would be that on the NHS they would not refit it if i was unhappy as they would say my concern was cosmetic. If I go private I feel I will be able to confirm these details beforehand - like "if I have a floppy head I want to consider this in need of a revision".

Am I being crazy thinking this? I would really love to hear from people that have went through the NHS.

I’m not based in London either, so getting referred to the UCLH is the first step.
As for waiting 14 months that sounds crazy, think you needed to be more assertive.

Think the longest i had between appointments was maybe 3 months, but once i was seen then it was normally a month between appointments.

If I'm you, I would start the possess to be seen by the ULCH, as you might be lucky and get Mr Ralph if that’s who you want to do your surgery.

If you got the money to spend and just want to have the operation, i do get that, as why wait.

But if you got to save up for the money, you might as well go the NHS route.
Then if your not happy about having the NHS doing the operation, you can change your mind and go private.

I will say I'm not happy with my implant, due to 5cm RTE's and tubing on the side of my penis.
If i had the money i would go private to sort out these issues, as they are a big issue to me.
As your right as they not considered issues for a refit, think if you did have a floppy head they would redo it though.

So I'm not saying the UCLH/NHS is the best way to go, but I'm sure lots of men are happy with NHS implants. I also had issues with going private and being £7000 out of pocket for a stage operation on my penis.

So going private is no guarantee of a happy out come ether.

[dawnoftime]

Hey. Thank you for the reply. I am not sure the NHS is as swift as you describe. I have waited 14 months simply to see a Urologist before! I am also quite far from London.. our system would not be the same. If I could get it done within the year, then sure I would very much consider the NHS, but I honestly believe it would be three years - and that is if I am lucky.

Picking the surgeon is one thing, but being a paying customer comes with some benefits. I am very worried about not being fitted properly. The issue would be that on the NHS they would not refit it if i was unhappy as they would say my concern was cosmetic. If I go private I feel I will be able to confirm these details beforehand - like "if I have a floppy head I want to consider this in need of a revision".

Am I being crazy thinking this? I would really love to hear from people that have went through the NHS.

I’m not based in London either, so getting referred to the UCLH is the first step.
As for waiting 14 months that sounds crazy, think you needed to be more assertive.

Think the longest i had between appointments was maybe 3 months, but once i was seen then it was normally a month between appointments.

If I'm you, I would start the possess to be seen by the ULCH, as you might be lucky and get Mr Ralph if that’s who you want to do your surgery.

If you got the money to spend and just want to have the operation, i do get that, as why wait.

But if you got to save up for the money, you might as well go the NHS route.
Then if your not happy about having the NHS doing the operation, you can change your mind and go private.

I will say I'm not happy with my implant, due to 5cm RTE's and tubing on the side of my penis.
If i had the money i would go private to sort out these issues, as they are a big issue to me.
As your right as they not considered issues for a refit, think if you did have a floppy head they would redo it though.

So I'm not saying the UCLH/NHS is the best way to go, but I'm sure lots of men are happy with NHS implants. I also had issues with going private and being £7000 out of pocket for a stage operation on my penis.

So going private is no guarantee of a happy out come ether.

You are for sure correct that going private does not guarantee success! I do, indeed, have to save up. I will see my urologist sometime soon and will tell him i've decided the implant is for me. I will see what he says; i will ask him flat about the benefits of going private and I will be able to tell from his reaction his thoughts on the NHS process.

What do you mean "5cm RTE's and tubing on the side of my penis"? Are you able to use the implant ok? Can I ask if your cylinders go into the glands?

[redbullmaster]

RTE are Rear Tip Extender, which means I have the hinge effect so my penis points down.
Also it means the tubing is at the base of my penis so you can feel it.
Think if I had a 22cm implant with one RTE, it would have hide the tubing better.

The penis works fine and I can have sex with it, cylinders do go up into the glands.
But because of the tubing issues I'm always aware I have an implant.
Makes me very self conscious of it.