Hey everyone. Im back. Im 23 yr old male suffering for 7 years now. Want to have surgery before I start medical school in July so this problem isnt a distraction from my studies and overall life experience in medical school as it has been so far.
Here is my background info and timeline:
2012-2014:
Active phase
2014-2018:
Chronic phase. 45 degrees down and to the left. Consult with Dr. Gelman, Dr. Lue, Dr. Lander in 2018. They identified a long and fibrous plaque causing ventral and lateral peyronies. Did traction (PMP) for 5 months. Didnt work. I wanted to do plication but I wanted to give stem cells a shot first.
October 2018:
Paid $9000 for Dr. Landers stem cell. This was a disaster and one of the biggest mistakes of my entire life. I documented everything here: Traction + Stem Cells. Will update on results. - Peyronies Society Forums (https://www.peyroniesforum.net/index.php/topic,10966.0.html). Dr. Lander stabbed my penis 30 times away from the plaque causing more curvature and pain that never existed before. He also caused me to have some penile torsion. He severely damaged my penis and made me very depressed. Moreover, he rushed every visit. Avoid him at all costs. I repeat, stay away.
February 2019:
Consult with Dr. Levine. Increased to 60 degree curvature due to Dr. Lander. Said I have more of a Chordee problem instead of peyronies. Treatment is the same however. He wants to do plication in May. I am concerned about my problem from Dr. Lander not healing yet but he isnt too concerned and says keep doing traction until surgery.
April 2019:
Plan to have consult with Dr. Lue and Dr. Gelman
I am 100% sure going to have plication. Here are my questions:
1. Who should I go with? Dr. Gelman or Dr. Levine? Why?
2. Has there been any bad results on this forum with either of these doctors?
Dr. Levine
-Had a better diagnosis. First one to tell me I had Chordee and not necessarily Peyronies. Did ultrasound and measured curvature. However, Dr. Gelman seems to have more experience with Plication than Dr. Levine.
Dr. Gelman
-Short visit. Not a good diagnosis. Only physical exam to see if he could feel plaque which he couldnt. Didnt do ultrasound or measure curvature. Shorter visit. However, he seems to be regarded as "the best" when it comes to plication.
That is a big decision for you. Sorry to hear of your negative experience thus far.
I have not used either Doctor for surgery (yet) so these are only outside impressions. I think both are competent. Here are a few observations:
1. Dr. Levine - my issue with him is that all roads seem to lead to the most expensive treatment. Sort of felt that he looks at each patient in a "how can I make the most money from this individual" instead of what is best for the patient. He also accepts a substantial amount of money from the pharmaceutical and medical device firms, which makes you wonder how impartial his judgment is (see "Is Your Doctor Impartial"? thread in the implant topic.) However, I've read several positive results of his surgeries. So your probability of a positive result is still probably very good.
2. Dr. Gelman - he does not have a strong "bedside manner" but I'm beginning to think he is the foremost US surgeon for plication. Have read multiple positive reviews of his skill and results. As our moderator has stated, you want to choose the best Doctor. Not the one you like the most. Dr. Levine is more personable but I'm not sure he has an equal surgical ability.
As far as negative results from either, you would need to research that yourself here on the forum. I've not read every review of both Doctors.
Both good Doctors but based on my limited knowledge I'd take Gelman for plication.
I have read a lot about these two doctors and my conclusion is that Dr Gelman has better success ratio as a surgeon. Levine admitted in one interview, that he rarely does re operation after first surgery with him. Dr Gelman has never had a patient who needed further surgery. No significant residual curvature too - I asked him about it and he replied me with their UC Irvine statistics database.
I don't know why some people tell about Dr Gelman bedside manners, because for me he was always nice and friendly (in e mails too). It is a fact that consultations are short and I think it is because Dr Gelman preffers to speak with his knife.
I was surprised how easy my healing was after redo surgery with him. My previous surgeon scared me that the healing after second operation is MUCH much worse, more complicated and unpredictable than the first one, but that was total BS. I was surprised in the first days after my surgery that I didn't have any Hematoma or even bruising. I have told it Dr Gelman, he smiled and said: "yeah, people usually tell me that." My penis looked very healthy and I felt like I didn't have any surgery.
He didnt make you ultrasound because it is a no sense if you had surgery in the past, because of the scar tissue.
I can guarantee that if you choose Dr Gelman, you can sleep very well.
Thanks guys for the information!
Any others with experience to share?
I'd also consider dr Edward Karpman if west coast is an option. Or Dr Lues residents.
I agree with Tony. If West Coast is an option, go to Karpman. If he was one of Dr. Lue's residents, there's a good chance he's fine.
Dr Lue is the best in the world, in my opinion, but he can't see everyone obviously, and I think Tony said once he is mostly just supervising residents now. And, he's getting older, so that's a factor.
I recall when I went to Dr. Lue in 2015. I had looked around and wanted the best. So, I found some guy at Stanford Medical Center, who specialized in Peyroines, but decided on Lue instead. When I went to Lue I mentioned the Stanford guy and Lue said, ,,Oh yeah. He was one of my residents." I'd prefer the teacher over the student myself, but that may not always be possible to get. But, if Tony says go with Karpman, I'd trust the recommendation.
It's always so hard to choose a right doctor because there are quite a lot and I don't know how to choose
When it comes to choosing a doctor for a surgery, it's important to consider their qualifications, experience, and the type of surgery you're having. According to https://www.onlytradeschools.com/medical-assistant/, a medical assistant is a trained professional who works closely with doctors and other healthcare professionals to ensure that patients receive the best possible care. They can assist with scheduling appointments, preparing patients for exams, and administering medication. It's important to remember that every patient is different and what works for one person may not work for another.
Sorry I'm late to this post. My plication surgery was performed by Dr. Joel Gelman in NOV 2022. I liked that he was confident, didn't exaggerate, clearness & conciseness, and very engineer-like (I'm an engineer). I'm slow to recover because 1) I got an infection that Dr. Gelman did not hesitate to prescribe strong antibiotics for, 2) was setback a few weeks by infection, 3) had an exceptionally significant Peyronies Disease curve, 4) experienced a relatively long surgery due to #3 (Gelman didn't quit until he was satisfied), and 5) prescription for a debilitating disease was substandard for months, recalled, & replaced (this contributed to slow recovery). Now, about 4 months into recuperation, things are getting to a nice place. It's going to be another 1.5 to 3 months for the extensive internal sutures to dissolve (I hope). I'll report more thoroughly about surgery success when I "get there." But, all this to say, I'm glad I went with Dr. Gelman, even though I paid for his services because he is not in my insurers covered network.