Process & procedure: USA v Australia

[Reggieman]

Williamb

Egad, more guts that I!

[Smetro]

I got the idea for an implant from a local Urologist on the Goldy. He wasn't my flavour so didnt go back. I researched the web and found Chris Love in Melbourne. I then discussed the option with my GP who also researched. He wrote me a referral. I rang Chris's office and they set up a skype consultation because I am 2 hrs flying north of Melbourne.
6 weeks later i went to Melbourne for surgery.
I am a BUPA member (private insurance@ $2000/year)
2 nights in a private hospital, job done, out of pockets(paid by me) $6500 including airfare
At day 120 it works perfectly and keeps me and the gorgeous Miss H-Bomb smiling for hours!

[Eveready]

Tangerine - sex on day 19 implies a pretty good result, I'm thinking. For me that would be tomorrow. Hmmm. No, this will not be happening in our house.
Oldgoat - prostatectomy was mid-January and implant 22 May this year. Implant might, I suppose, have been a little earlier but the surgeon was overseas. I'm pretty sure, though that he wouldn't have done it within 6 weeks of the prostatectomy: "6 weeks" is some magical period that every surgeon I've ever seen (and there've been quite a few) gives as recovery time from any procedure.
WIlliamb - man of steel! I did read somewhere here of another guy's experience in catheter removal where, it seems, staff didn't properly deflate the bulb holding it in place. Just thinking about it makes me wince and press my legs together.
Smetro - I'm with BUPA too, which makes the hospital part pretty much fine - $250 excess per calendar year, no matter how many admissions. Interesting that your total out of pockets come in a deal lower than mine although I'm only 30 minutes walk from surgeon and hospital in East Melbourne: we're not exactly dealing with an informed competitive market here. Glad that your mighty sword is restored to fully dangerous - I look forward to the day when the bride (whose idea this was, I guess) cries mercy!

[Smetro]

Tangerine - sex on day 19 implies a pretty good result, I'm thinking. For me that would be tomorrow. Hmmm. No, this will not be happening in our house.
Oldgoat - prostatectomy was mid-January and implant 22 May this year. Implant might, I suppose, have been a little earlier but the surgeon was overseas. I'm pretty sure, though that he wouldn't have done it within 6 weeks of the prostatectomy: "6 weeks" is some magical period that every surgeon I've ever seen (and there've been quite a few) gives as recovery time from any procedure.
WIlliamb - man of steel! I did read somewhere here of another guy's experience in catheter removal where, it seems, staff didn't properly deflate the bulb holding it in place. Just thinking about it makes me wince and press my legs together.
Smetro - I'm with BUPA too, which makes the hospital part pretty much fine - $250 excess per calendar year, no matter how many admissions. Interesting that your total out of pockets come in a deal lower than mine although I'm only 30 minutes walk from surgeon and hospital in East Melbourne: we're not exactly dealing with an informed competitive market here. Glad that your mighty sword is restored to fully dangerous - I look forward to the day when the bride (whose idea this was, I guess) cries mercy!

Ever
I was $5000 plus a return airfare plus 3 night accomm..... I think i remember seeing paperwork that showed BUPA paid $9600..... and after all the money I have paid those thieves over the years it seemed like a good deal.
My girl paid about the same for her breast implants... Smiles all round!!
The longer time goes by the more comfortable i am getting
I have to remind myself of small idiosynchrices that distracted me over the journey but now my Titan has settled in and become 'part' of me.
So much better than blocked nose or worrying about which 3 nights of the week to use Caverject

[Eveready]

I couldn't contemplate the injection thing, not that it was seriously suggested as an option for me. Nerve-shredding RP served as a convenient pretext for going straight to the implant. Truth be told, the plumbing had been crap for years beforehand.

[Cnidium]

Im 27, from the states.

I have market place insurance. Costs $170 / month. It will cover $0 of my procedure. I will pay an estimated $24,000 out of pocket.

I will schedule the surgery date by directly contacting the surgeon of my choice.

I plan on going to NY or Baltimore the day before surgery and leaving ASAP when the doc okay's it. Then returning in 2 weeks for activation.

Perks of being young.

[Smetro]

I couldn't contemplate the injection thing, not that it was seriously suggested as an option for me. Nerve-shredding RP served as a convenient pretext for going straight to the implant. Truth be told, the plumbing had been crap for years beforehand.

Ever
Caverject is very effective and surprisingly, pretty much painless.
It does cause internal scarring that can affect sizing of an implant....that was enough for me to go to Chris.
The erection using Caverject was awesome but fairly dependent upon the choice of dosage.
I gave my remainder script to a mate who "Bulls" in his spare time, taking care of unhappily married women!!

[IJN1324]

Mate,
My local Urologist performed my surgery. I have fantastic insurance with Disney. Of my $94,000.00 bill for total services, I only had to pay $72.25 for 12 months. My implant alone was $21,000.00. Some blokes here pay nothing at all.
Happily Implanted,
Donnie

$94,000.00 !!! my implant only cost me $24,000.00 and i paid cash. Did the $94,000.00 include something else, cos that seems pretty steep

[Donnie1954]

Total hospital bill for all services including the device. Hospital charges are inflated then reduced dramatically if you have insurance. It's a racket.
Donnie

[Eveready]

Wow, Donnie! I'm beginning to understand why the US health system delivers so much less for so much more ...
I'll total up my expenses when all the statements have come in, but I'm estimating less than 1/3 of that cost, treating AUD and USD as equivalent.