Dr. Eid? Pros and Cons

[Nocturne]

Someone here recommended Dr. Eid in New York as a good local doc to see for an implant.
I was wondering if people experienced with him could offer some pros and cons to dealing with him.
Considering a consult with him after the summer is over.

[GoodWood]

There are a LOT of guys on here who have been implanted by Dr Eid. I’m one of them. He is decades into a high volume implant surgery career. I don’t know what numbers other surgeons have done but Dr Eid MIGHT have the highest number of implant surgeries in the world at this point. It doesn’t matter, he’s done a ton of them.

There is also a ton of info about him already on FrankTalk. I just searched the implant forum looking for “Eid” in topic titles only. 179 posts came up. So there is a lot for you to read.

His name consistently comes up when people mention high volume surgeons and I don’t recall hearing anything bad about him. But he is a human being and I’m sure SOMEONE has had a bad interaction with him at some point. He is renowned for having an extremely low infection rate but like every surgeon he has had infections. In fact, I spoke with one of them. Dr. Eid’s office gave me a list of prior patients who were willing to talk to guys about their experience and on that list was a guy who got a surgical infection. But even he had great things to say about Dr Eid and how he handled the situation.

If you are in the NYC area and your insurance will cover Dr Eid (or you have the resources to pay out of pocket) I can’t imagine why anyone would use any other surgeon.

But to answer your specific question: This first bit isn’t necessarily pro or con, but different surgeons have different techniques.
Dr Eid uses a peniscrotal surgical approach. His incision is low on the scrotum, vertical, on the natural seam. It disappears in a few weeks and is nearly impossible to see.
Some guys claim that peniscrotal is more painful and has a longer recovery than infrapubic but I had virtually no pain and a really fast recovery so I can’t see a problem. Infrapubic approach has a higher risk of damaging sensory nerves leading to some numbness of the penis which is usually recovered within a few months. The scar could be hidden in the pubic hair but there will be some scar.
Peniscrotal approach is easier for managing/placing/hiding the tubing than Infrapubic approach. Hidden tubing was important to me.

For some guys the surgical approach is a decision point between one surgeon or another. It wouldn’t have been a deal breaker for me but the peniscrotal approach with a vertical incision sounded best anyway.

Dr Eid seems to strongly prefer the Coloplast Titan with the classic pump. There are two newer generations of pumps with one touch capability (with those you don’t have to hold the deflate button, just push it for a second and it stays in deflate mode). He explained that the older, simpler design of the classic pump is more rugged and durable. Fewer failures and fractures of the tubing. He did have AMS products there but I was happy to let him choose. He is the expert. And since I had a large girth preop going with the largest cylinder diameter (Titan) made sense.

Pros:
Personable. Great bedside manner. Easy to talk to. Generous with his time. I did NOT feel rushed in any way. My first consult appointment was relaxed and we talked for a long time. He described his methodology, philosophy, and technique in great detail and answered all my questions and concerns.

Great staff. People don’t appreciate how important all the support staff around a surgeon are. But his front of office staff have been with him for years and years. Those are the folks that are handling the insurance documentation and forms. Those are the folks that are handling communication between anesthesia and the hospital.
The staff at the surgery center are all seasoned and have done a TON of cases with him. They know the routine and because they have done so many they have the process well tuned and that leads to fewer mistakes in sterile technique which should translate to a lower infection rate.

Exceptionally low infection rate. Dr Eid has developed a technique that minimizes touching the device and preserves sterility. He is clearly EXTREMELY focused on this. It comes up over and over in intersections with him. That’s a great thing.

His patients get activated (are able to cycle) on day 3. This is MUCH MUCH earlier than nearly any other surgeon. Most leave their patients partially inflated for several weeks before they are activated. Scar capsules don’t get a chance to form around the cylinders or reservoir before you start cycling. Those that activate later may have to work through the scar capsules that had begun to form. I also appreciated being able to be fully deflated so early. It made getting back to my routine easier. I returned to work on day 13 and it would have been more awkward if I was hiding an erection.

His patients can soak in a tub starting on day 3. Dr Eid closes the incision in such a way that he is confident that immersion in water will not lead to infection. Other surgeons instruct their patients that showers are OK early on but not to soak in a tub or a pool for a couple weeks. T seems like a minor thing but soaking in a scalding hot tub was REALLY soothing when first cycling the implant. It felt great and was easier to tolerate pumping/deflating early on in the warmth of the bath.

Great follow up and support. Dr Eid gives his patients his personal cell number and he and his staff are very responsive when contacted about questions or concerns. On Easter Sunday I deflated aggressively and it seemed like I pushed my left testicle up into the inguinal canal (my reservoir was installed up through there on the left side). I was concerned it wouldn’t come back down. I dialed his cell and Dr Eid answered. On Easter Sunday!! He told me what to do and it worked out fine. That really amazed me. I didn’t get an answering service or some lower level colleague on call for him. HE answered.

He does not leave a surgical wound drain in. His technique is such that the wound is dry and doesn’t require a drain. Less chance of bacteria being introduced into the wound that way. Less risk of infection. No drain to be removed post op. No drain hole to heal shut.

Cons:
I’m sure there are less expensive options out there. I’m sure some other surgeon’s fees are lower. And traveling to NYC is expensive. Staying here for a couple days is expensive as well. This is true of any of the high volume implant surgeons. They are pretty much ALL in major metropolitan areas. Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta. All of those places are more expensive than most of the country.

He leaves a urine catheter in for three days. You can go into his office to have it removed or you can remove it yourself on day 3. For some guys this is a big negative. It didn’t bother me. It wasn’t painful. He explained that he wants his patients flat in bed for the first three days as much as possible and a urine catheter helps facilitate this. You can drink a ton of fluid (good for healing) and not constantly get up to the bathroom. I removed it myself on day 3. It’s a strange, brief, intense unpleasant feeling when removing it but I wouldn’t even call it pain. So I didn’t mind the urine catheter (I’d even consider it a pro) but most people would consider it a con so I list it here.




I feel lucky that I live in the same city as such a great surgeon. I didn’t have to travel to get to him. Subway or Uber for me. Would I have flown across the country to see him? Probably? I’d hate to travel as a fresh post op patient but Dr Eid is so excellent I probably would.

If you are local to NYC (or coming here for an appointment or for some other reason) get an in person show and tell. In the months leading up to my surgery I met with three men who had been implanted by Dr Eid. It answered a ton of questions, some I didn’t even realize I had. And it put my mind at ease. They all had an excellent result, looked natural, and were really happy with their function. I’m happy to meet anyone who wants to talk about it and see the implant.

[ElbowRoom]

From my reading the only con of using Dr. Eid is price, he's more expensive than other surgeons. That's probably just a function of his location in NYC being a very expensive area for everything.

[Bandit]

Goodwood
Great post. Lots of great information regarding Dr Eid. I traveled from Rhode Island and had in person consult for my revision. So true that Eid is very personable and knowledgeable about implants. He spent as much time as i needed and answered all my questions. I had an appointment with my PC Dr and all the info was sent to Eid’s team. I am currently waiting to schedule my surgery. I feel I will be in good hands and am very confident it will all work out.
Bandit

[silver daddy 1960]

I agree with everything Goodwood had to say! My experience was great, and my recovery was far easier than I expected to the point of amazement. I am glad Goodwood mentioned the staff as they are overlooked but critical in the process. My results were as expected, no loss of size, yes girth but Dr Eid had warned me of this, and the tubes are well hidden as well, and it works.

[Nocturne]

Thanks for the very informative answer! One follow up question - I live in Rhode Island, so not a HUGE trip to NYC but it sounds like I’d want to rent a room for a few days afterwards. Do you know if he does any initial consults by phone or video call? I’m guessing yes in this day and age.

[Nocturne]

From my reading the only con of using Dr. Eid is price, he's more expensive than other surgeons. That's probably just a function of his location in NYC being a very expensive area for everything.

Is he a LOT more expensive, or just at the upper limit of average ($30k or so as I understand)?

[wolfpacker]

From my reading the only con of using Dr. Eid is price, he's more expensive than other surgeons. That's probably just a function of his location in NYC being a very expensive area for everything.

Is he a LOT more expensive, or just at the upper limit of average ($30k or so as I understand)?

He is the most expensive cash price implanter I've seen, but not by a massive amount. I'd imagine Clavell or Hakky would be about $5k less

[colev939]

I don’t know Dr. Eid personally, but I’ve heard a few good things—people say he’s pretty thorough and explains things well. Some mention his office can be a bit busy, so you might have to wait longer than expected.

[Handyman]

Eid sounds like he has a deserved great reputation. BUT 3 days w catheter? Wow
I had intrapubic no catheter.

Had a catheter for 10 days post prostate surgery. Never want one again if I can avoid it. Also was up and back to work in 2 days (taking it easy sure but not on bed for 3).

Find out what works for you. My guy was very experienced but not a factory. Be comfortable w surgeon.