Best course of action for newbie considering implant

[steveking]

I think I have a VL. Always get nightly erection. Sometimes soft penis when I wake up.
I recept pretty well to Cialis. Not so much to Sildenaphil. However, without the medicine I have a trouble keeping erection without constant stimulation. Probably due to jelqing technique.
Sometimes, i get random boners but i feel blood draining when i give manual stimulation.

I am so sick of this and thought about implant but at the same time, i do have some erectile fuction. What should I do? Should I talk to dr Eid and ask for the best course of action?

Also, what insurance should I have prior to doing this? I am on cheapo hmo plan now paying $200/month.

[Agfa13]

Talk to Eid! Something else may be going on and he will ask about your history.
We are not Dr. on here and your description is both good and bad, so get his opinion.

[Txagq8]

To answer question about insurance: you’ll have to read what they cover.

The CPT code for an implant is 54405.

Pretty much every policy is going to demand that it be “medically necessary.” Meaning it’s organic not psychological, and other remedies (pills, injections) have been tried and found to be unsatisfactory.

One thing you’ve got to be careful of: the bill at full retail price might be 45 - 55k. Iirc mine came to 53. The insurance carriers negotiate that down or enjoy a discounted price. My insurance paid 18 and that’s pretty typical. You need to make sure your insurance states that your copay is based on the insurance allowable, not what the health care providers billed.

Good luck. It can be tough to find insurance that doesn’t exclude a penile implant, unless of course you’re a transitioning FTM transgender.

[oldbeek]

Steve, how old are you?

[JP1977]

I’m having the same issues Steve.....similar anyway but it’s damage done from a 30 hour priapism and resulting shunt. Now I can get random boners, sometimes it’s good enough for sex, sometimes not. In fact I’m always a little hard. Dr Eid said it’s because I did damage and so my flow is erratic and never Actually gets soft. My situation might be ok if I was just having sex with my wife twice a month or maybe even a little more. But we are swingers and it’s a big part of our life, travel, social, everything. We are waiting until November to make a real decision and Dr Eid agreed with that.
I asked Dr Eid if it was crazy that i Am considering this since pills sometimes work. Maybe I’m asking for too much or being greedy and should just be happy I faired as well as I did after the priapism. He said no it’s not crazy. I should be able to have a working cock every time I want it at my age (47). Especially with my lifestyle the way it is. So there’s some insight that might fit your situation.

Have you had some kind of damage in the past that caused this?

[Flounder]

I think I have a VL. Always get nightly erection. Sometimes soft penis when I wake up.
I recept pretty well to Cialis. Not so much to Sildenaphil. However, without the medicine I have a trouble keeping erection without constant stimulation. Probably due to jelqing technique.
Sometimes, i get random boners but i feel blood draining when i give manual stimulation.

I am so sick of this and thought about implant but at the same time, i do have some erectile fuction. What should I do? Should I talk to dr Eid and ask for the best course of action?

Also, what insurance should I have prior to doing this? I am on cheapo hmo plan now paying $200/month.

The short answer is first get a medical diagnoses from a competent Urologist/ED specialist. Dr. Eid is a good one and there are others who won’t sell you an implant if there are better options for you. Start the conversation with; I have ED and seeking a solution NOT I’m here to get an implant and what’s the cost. Secondly read and read some more older threads here on FT. That will arm you with the knowledge to ask the right questions during your consultation with the doctor.

It sounds like your jumping to an implant solution without first having a competent diagnosis as to the actual cause(s) of your ED problems. Maybe pills and some life style changes is all you need - maybe an implant is inevitable. My point is, wouldn’t it be better to act on a competent Dr’s diagnosis and recommendations rather than what you think is the problem?

[steveking]

Steve, how old are you?

Mid 30

[steveking]

I’m having the same issues Steve.....similar anyway but it’s damage done from a 30 hour priapism and resulting shunt. Now I can get random boners, sometimes it’s good enough for sex, sometimes not. In fact I’m always a little hard. Dr Eid said it’s because I did damage and so my flow is erratic and never Actually gets soft. My situation might be ok if I was just having sex with my wife twice a month or maybe even a little more. But we are swingers and it’s a big part of our life, travel, social, everything. We are waiting until November to make a real decision and Dr Eid agreed with that.
I asked Dr Eid if it was crazy that i Am considering this since pills sometimes work. Maybe I’m asking for too much or being greedy and should just be happy I faired as well as I did after the priapism. He said no it’s not crazy. I should be able to have a working cock every time I want it at my age (47). Especially with my lifestyle the way it is. So there’s some insight that might fit your situation.

Have you had some kind of damage in the past that caused this?

I did jelqing. Did dr eid do all that doppler test?

[JP1977]

Dr Eid did not yet, if I go forward he will. Another urologist did do the Doppler test and I did not have any leakage according to him, though those tests can be very subjective. I did have low flow in on one side. Dr Eid said I had some damage to the spongy tissue in there which is why I never go fully flacid anymore. I am starting to be able to see the damage done though it’s very slight looking. I’m not where I was anymore for sure. I would certainly suggest you talk to Dr Eid. Problem is that since most urologists don’t typically do implants, they are somewhat afraid of them....or not afraid but see them as a last resort. They have less success than Dr Eid does because that’s basically all he does...therefore his perspective is different. I do believe he will point you in a different direction if he sees you could be better served with another method. Like injections maybe. I can’t do those as I’m very sensitive to them. I’ll end up with another priapism.

[Gt1956]

Lots of good advice has been given here. I'll make a post on my feelings on several of them.
Txagq8 is correct. Insurance companies can be very clever. I have been billed for a drug co-pay that was more than buying it for cash. Btw, it was a common generic drug. The difference wasn't much but none the less I felt it was improper. The clerk questioned me why I was paying the co-pay when I could pay less.
As he says, make sure that your deductable is based upon the actual paid fee. My wife had a surgery that the insurance was haggling over covering. They finally agreed to cover it but at a very significantly higher co-pay. They have all the power. I think I paid most of the procedure rather than the normal low fee. At least they were there to cover any treatment that might of went over the original cost.
Several members point out how important selecting a doctor is. I can't emphasize just how important that is. Its not a matter of finding the best so much as finding a well skilled one. I went to a urologist in 2013 for treatment for phimosis. My erections had been suffering but I felt it was the phimosis that was causing it. I did ask him if he did implants. He replied that due to his age. He wasn't able to perform implants cause they took too long. I accepted what he said. YouTube has proven that it doesn't take no where as long as he implied. Simple answer is that he just didn't have the training or skills.
As for which insurance to have if/when you need an implant. We've talked about that many times here. You'll need to become very good at reading your policy. Be sure to look for exclusions. One employer might ask the company to exclude a few things to bring the costs for the group down. If you build a relationship with a doctor that has a truly good staff. Their billing person might be able to guide you.
Btw, it sure would be nice to hear if any members had their implant done on an Obamacare marketplace insurance plan. I strongly suspect that they likely will exclude them but first hand knowledge would be great for us to have.
Good luck in your search.