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Post by Skeptical One on Apr 21, 2011 15:22:29 GMT -5
I had a good conversation with Wade today and thought this thread was worthy of an announcement to clear up any rumors/misconceptions that have been taking place on our forums.
Wade told me definitively that Dr. Casavantes office is entirely private & independent and does not hire brokers and will not hire brokers. Wade told me that the volume was high and the need of a broker was virtually unnecessary.
It was also discussed that Dr. Camacho owns a separate practice in the same building and that Dr. Casavantes does not benefit from referral fees when members are directed to Dr. Camacho for lengthening/etc. They specifically refer to Dr. Camacho because of his demonstrated skill-sets.
It is possible that Dan has consulted with Dr. Camacho but there is no knowledge whether they have become affiliated beyond the exchanging of information.
As for Dr. Casavantes, the good news is that their office has rejected the need to have any of their procedures charged at a higher rate by an outside broker. Wade told me with certainty that there was no affiliation or association with Dan, and that it will remain that way.
While that is good news, what is alarming is the information we have received on this forum. According to Smartman's email, Phallocare is indeed advertising PMMA. And former member "lastime," (a friend of Dan's) confirmed that the Doctor performing PMMA was Dr. Casavantes. I informed Wade of this con-activity and it was alarming to say the least. Wade theorized that there are other clinics that do PMMA that Dan could have also communicated with, so there is no telling what the facts really are with respect to Phallocare. But what we do know for a fact is that Phallocare is NOT working with Dr. Casavantes. What we don't know is why Dan's email, or lastime would imply otherwise.
This tells me that Dan is getting desperate and a bit too ambitious for his own good. Anyone here with contact with Dan should remind him that he needs to reanalyze the direction he's going. Like Hoddle said, the PE business doesn't owe him a living. He's a surgical tech and that's a booming field, and if his locale doesn't provide him work, he could easily travel around the US to find openings. But treading into a new promising method only reeks of opportunism and greed.
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8ball
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Post by 8ball on Apr 24, 2011 16:18:52 GMT -5
Wow, I'm pretty disappointed to see something like this posted by an administrator of this forum. I actually learned about this forum a little over a month ago from Dan Salas, who had spoken highly of this place and wanted me to come over here and share my story (as some people here probably know, I had a disastrous PE surgery by "Doctor" Gary Rheinschild that was so bad I successfully complained to the CA Medical Board and he had his medical license yanked as a direct result of my case which I've posted about at length on other PE related internet forums).
The problems with Gary Rheinschild at the tail end of his career are well documented, so I won't get into all of those details here, but I will say that the guy butchered me and then abandoned me and refused to even take my calls and it was Dan Salas that helped me through the mess. I was only 21 years old at the time and had no one to turn to but Dan. I ended up having a very successful reconstructive surgery with Phallocare a few months afterwards, but before taking that plunge I was in an extremely desperate state; physically, mentally, and emotionally. I didn't tell any of my friends of family what I had done had literally had no one to turn to except for Dan. There were countless nights I called him depressed and even suicidal and he talked me down and told me everything would be OK (and he ended up being right about that). I'm not exagerating either. I literally came close to a nervous breakdown at one point during this period when I had my surgical incision split open several months after my initial surgery. I was 3000 miles away on the East Coast and even at the local emergency room no one was willing to help me. They told me I'd have to go back to Rheinschild, even though he refused to help me.
Refering to Dan as a "surgical broker" is very unfair and inaccurate, as are the statements scattered around this forum that imply he's only out for money and doesn't give a shit about his patients. He and I became very close friends as a result of everything above, but prior to that I came to him like anyone else did as a customer. When I had my reconstruction with Phallocare (by a great doctor named Richard Wineland), there were some complications (not due to any fault of the surgeon but just because it's very invasive to remove dermal grafts) and I ended up having to come back for a second surgery. Neither Dan, nor his doctor charged me a penny for the 2nd surgery so Phallocare actually ended up losing money on my case. Would Dan have ever shelled out his own money for a patient's hospital bill if he were just a broker?
Anyway, I just thought I'd tell part of my story in this thread. I'm still going to post all of it in more detail when I have more time, but I think it's important people can hear the other side of the story in regards to Dan as it seems almost like some of the moderators here have a personal verdetta against him. It's one thing to post your information about one of the high profile people in the PE business here, but this transcends all that when you have people who have most likely never even met the guy making all these assumptions and judgments about him.
Anyway, no hard feelings or anything on my end with anyone here. I still want to be a contributing member here at thsi forum so hopefully my post didn't piss anybody off but even if it did, I felt I had to give my own input.
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Post by Skeptical One on Apr 24, 2011 17:09:58 GMT -5
8ballWhat exactly are you disappointed in 8ball? Tell me? In what way did I assert Dan was being greedy or didn't care for his clients? The point of this thread was to clear up rumors with regards to Dan Salas's association with Dr. Casavantes's practice. If anything, I'm proud of having done so. As for Dan, what I did say was that if he chose to venture into PMMA as a broker, it would smell of greed, and I'm not sure anyone would disagree. I re-read my post and I simply can't find any sentence that bad mouths Dan. However, others have had complaints & doubts about Dan. Do you think that those who have expressed discontent with Dan have made it all up? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Dan helped you through your ordeal, but that doesn't mean he's always been a saint. I don't know the guy personally, and I am not saying he's evil or an angel. The very point of this thread was to point out that the information from the "Dan Salas Camp," was inaccurate. If you can somehow provide evidence to the contrary, it would greatly be appreciated. And even though Dan Salas is forbidden from engaging the dialog on this forum, I will permit him to respond to this specific thread (only), should he choose to. I believe that's fair. But the moment this turns into politics & posturing, consider this thread locked. I want rebuttal responses, and I think that's TOTALLY fair. 8ball, sorry to hear about your botched procedure with Dr. Rheinschild, as always feel free to use the forum to share your experiences.
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Post by sheldon on Apr 24, 2011 17:33:44 GMT -5
8ball, I am glad you posted and shared this information with us. SO is very open minded and brings balance to all sides.
I was hoping you would share your experience with us, even though you went through a traumatic experience.
You mentioned Dr. Wineland. Is he still doing phallopasty?
Thanks.
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8ball
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Post by 8ball on Apr 24, 2011 18:11:16 GMT -5
@skeptical One, We will have to agree to disagree. Your original post went way beyond informing your members that Dan doesn't work with Dr. Casavantes and was meant as an insult to Dan Salas, and a thinly veiled one at that. I'm not going to explain why because anyone can read what you wrote and it's already clear as crystal. As you claim you are not saying he is the devil, I also do not claim he is perfect or that he has no unhappy clients. I was merely giving my own experience, because someone could read this thread get what I consider to be a very biased and one-sided view of the man and his business. Dan is not a broker (and you used this exact phrase in this thread about Dan/Phallocare so I think it's clear what you were trying to say). It's well known that the success of a PE surgery depends as much on the training and the aftercare as the actual procedure itself, and the doctors are TERRIBLE resources in this regard. So if you work with Dan you get his personal help with the training along with his components which are the best available in my opinion and I've tried almost everything. I also think it's very debatable that Dan's presense in the PE industry has any impact on making the price higher. I know my specific situation of getting a follow up surgery at no extra charge and having Phallocare lose money on the transaction is not the norm, but Dan charged me less to begin with than Rheinschild did for the original surgery and I did my price dealings directly with Dr. Rheinschild. Both surgeries were at the same outpatient surgery center as well so the costs incurred by Phallocare and Dr. Rheinschild were the same. I know that with some doctors he's worked with in the past, they lowered their own portion of the proceeds when Dan was involved because he took a lot of the work off their hands with the aftercare and it allowed the Doctor and their clinic to focus their work on the actual surgeries itself. Again, I'm not trying to start anything here with the moderators, but I do believe some of you are stating your own opinions as if they were facts and I know some of your information is not accurate. sheldon, Thanks, I will be doing more posting about my experience in the near future. Dr. Wineland is no longer doing Phalloplasty but he still has his general urology practice last I looked.
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Post by Skeptical One on Apr 24, 2011 18:44:41 GMT -5
An insult to Dan? If being critical and skeptical is your definition of insulting, then so be it. What remains to be explained is why information coming from Dan Salas's "camp," states that he's working with a doctor who adamantly denied such affiliation? That might explain why my tone is harsher than normal, and if I come off as insulting, pardon me - it was not the intention. I just want answers because rumors are not looked highly upon here.
I have not stated anything about Dan that hasn't already been known. I mean all you have to do is goto Phallocare.com to see that he's in the business of Commercial PE. On his website there is pricing for surgery, are you telling me he doesn't profit/commission from referrals to any of his respective doctors (past or present)?? If not, please share, I'd be happy to set the record straight on Dan if facts have been misconstrued.
8ball, I've been more than fair, more than objective with respect to all things phalloplasty. I have given Dan Salas an invitation to this thread. I hope he is willing to address the forum on his current role at Phallocare, and the true nature of his relationship with Dr. Casavantes's practice. If I had an agenda against this guy, he surely would not be given the opportunity to offer a rebuttal. I think if you get a chance to review the forum more thoroughly, you'll come to appreciate the lengths I've gone to ensure an open, honest, & clean discussion.
Thanks,
-S.O.
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Post by Skeptical One on Apr 24, 2011 18:56:05 GMT -5
And in my defense, I didn't start this thread to bad mouth Dan, I started it to clarify a suggestion/rumor that Dan was brokering for Dr. Casavantes. Simple as that. It was more of an information announcement than anything else.
I'm also removing the Announcement tag, however this thread will remain active at the General Phalloplasty Discussion forum.
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8ball
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Post by 8ball on Apr 24, 2011 20:50:17 GMT -5
As I said, we will have to agree to disagree on the nature of your post. If you were simply announcing that Dan wasn't working with Dr. Casavantes...then you would have simply announced that Dan wasn't working with Dr. Casavantes, i.e. the post wouldn't have been 7 parapraghs long, you wouldn't have made insinuations that he's desperate and/or greedy, ect.
Also, you accuse me of putting words in your mouth (which I didn't) and then turn around and put words in my mouth. I NEVER said or implied that Dan doesn't make money from surgeries, that would be absurd. What I did say, is that he is not merely a broker who tacks on a free just for the sale. There is value added by going through Dan because you get his knowledge and expertise about post operative training as well as a set of his training components, complete with phone and e-mail support.
Anyway, I have said my piece. I didn't think I was going to change your mind, your response was exactly as I envisioned it probably would be, but the other people viewing here can read both sides and come to their own conclusions.
If you need to get the last word in, feel free.
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Post by Skeptical One on Apr 24, 2011 22:04:50 GMT -5
8ballI'm not going to sit here and defend my non-offensive statements nor will I retract them. I will put in the last word(s) since after all, I am sincerely passionate regarding the topic: Shills, brokers, and all those who are involved in the business of PE capitalize on our insecurities. Anything that involves enlarging our penis should be strictly scientific/medical in nature. I don't and will never buy this "educational" bull***. If someone wants to be educated, they can come here and/or visit a variety of other sources (including the doctor him/herself) to obtain free information, which is how it should be. The idea that a doctor needs someone without a medical background advising patients on post-op care because the doctor himself isn't capable of doing so effectively is ludicrous. And if Dan has now become an expert in PMMA as well as PMMA post-op care, it would be no secret that he has obtained the bulk of his data from this site. PhalloBoards has become the Wiki for Penile PMMA! But if a broker had his way, people would be charged, hundreds, if not thousands to obtain information that's free right here on these forums. What I still don't understand though is why no one has explained to me why Dan's information is in contradiction to the facts. Rather, I'm being accused of expressing insults and insinuations about someone I don't even know. It's like the only 2 people I know of who are supporting Dan are completely dodging the specific issue regarding brokerage w/ Dr. Casavantes. But I'm not surprised, all I hear is support for his work. You're right 8ball, people can read and draw their own conclusions. I am really not fond of seeing this thread spiral into a bickering match, so as you kindly offered, I put in the last word. If Dan wishes to post, however, he's welcome to. Maybe he can enlighten us into what his actual role is in both Phallocare as well as his relationship with Dr. C's office. That would clear up a lot. Thanks, -S.O.
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8ball
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Post by 8ball on Apr 25, 2011 19:46:51 GMT -5
OK I'm not going to get into anything specific involving Dan Salas or your original post in this thread...but I do have to respond to some new things you've said here of a different nature because you brought them up.
You think it's "ludicrous"to think that a surgeon who has probably NEVER once used a penis enlargement device in their entire life and NEVER had the surgery done themselves would benefit from having someone else teach their patients about post operative care? I'm sorry, but if you actually believe that then I think you need to get your head examined.
There is a huge learning curve for post operative training (or any form of PE really). If someone doesn't understand how their products work, or is having trouble using them, getting them to stay on ect. do you think the doctor is going to be willing to whip his dick out and personally demonstrate for the patient??? I know I don't think that's likely to happen. Or if the patient is having problems with bruising/blistering/ect from the products, do you think a surgeon who has NEVER used them will be able to guage their routine and offer appropriate advice regarding adjustments to the pressure or time being used?
Look, I don't know your whole story/history with PE, I don't know if you've even had a surgery yourself, or which doctors you've spoken with. But, I myself have had 5 surgeries by 4 different surgeons, and not a single one of them was any type of "informational resource" regarding PE training. I'm just curious, do you know of a single doctor out there performing phalloplasty who personally fields direct phone calls from his clients with questions about how to use penis enlargement equipment? If so, please tell me which doctor, because I know it wasn't any of the ones I've talked to.
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Post by Skeptical One on Apr 25, 2011 20:14:35 GMT -5
I guess I'll have to have my head examined.
Brokerages, shills, and virtually almost all of commercial PE capitalize and profit on male insecurities. It's the bane of the devil himself. If all these so-called "educators" did was just educate, there wouldn't be this discussion.
And keep in mind, it isn't me who's giving Dan the hardest time. Mrstone, who seems to possess incredible insight into the industry of PE shilling called out Dan Salas by name... Dan Levine didn't have great words for him either (another broker). A variety of members have expressed concern or distrust. NONE of this was from me. So quit your petty posturing and forget about placing me under the blame for Dan's problems.
Of course I can understand your issue with my posts as well as the posts of other members here. I mean, nearly 50% of your contribution to this forum has been to defend Dan Salas, and it was usually the only time you seem to show up. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems like your login activity tends to flare up when Dan's being scrutinized. This was also true for former member "lastime." Not sure what to make of it, but like we both agreed, members can read and judge for themselves.
;-)
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8ball
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Post by 8ball on Apr 25, 2011 20:23:17 GMT -5
I've been away due to work reasons, hence my absense from this forum. And I've gone around to a number of different threads answering specific questions asked to me by the members and interacting here in various ways. I was the one who bowed out on the discussion involving specifics of Dan Salas, so no, that's not the main reason I'm here at this forum. I responded to your post and not the other guy you mentioned because you're the Moderator here and would obviously have more clout.
If you could, I would like if you would let me know if you know of any Phalloplasty surgeons who personally field the calls and inquiries regarding training for post operative patients since you seem to think these doctors are great resources. Which ones are you referring to?
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Post by Skeptical One on Apr 25, 2011 20:31:47 GMT -5
8ballDr. Giunta does. I mean I've talked to him directly multiple times and I'm not even his patient. It's all about competency. If a doctor is going to issue post-op protocol that includes the use of a stretching device, than that doctor should be trained in the proper use of that device, just as he is trained in the proper use of all the devices he uses to actually PERFORM phalloplasty. The lack of doctors willing to take direct calls and inquiries in the field of phalloplasty only demonstrates the quality of doctors in that field. And I suppose it begins to make sense when you consider how often phallo-doctors have failed than have succeeded. They were driven into a specialty that is still not well understood because the dollar signs were so alluring. It's tragic to say the least.
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Post by Skeptical One on Apr 25, 2011 20:40:26 GMT -5
oh- and actually I misread your question, I thought you asked what doctors field direct inquiries at all... I'm not actually aware if Dr. Giunta or any other doctor for that matter fields the calls regarding training for post operative patients... but I'd imagine (or HOPE) that their nursing staff would at the very least.
Goes back to what I said about phalloplasty doctors in general. Not exactly the best models of medical practice lol.
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8ball
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Post by 8ball on Apr 25, 2011 20:46:59 GMT -5
8ballDr. Giunta does. I mean I've talked to him directly multiple times and I'm not even his patient. It's all about competency. If a doctor is going to issue post-op protocol that includes the use of a stretching device, than that doctor should be trained in the proper use of that device, just as he is trained in the proper use of all the devices he uses to actually PERFORM phalloplasty. The lack of doctors willing to take direct calls and inquiries in the field of phalloplasty only demonstrates the quality of doctors in that field. And I suppose it begins to make sense when you consider how often phallo-doctors have failed than have succeeded. They were driven into a specialty that is still not well understood because the dollar signs were so alluring. It's tragic to say the least. That's interesting, because in early 2007 I actually went to Dr. Guinta in person (he's only about an hour away from where I live in Maryland) and paid him for both a consultation and a contisone injection and I tried to have a conversation with him about training products and all he did was refer me to some person selling a noose-style all day stretching device. That's weird that he would blow off someone who actually WAS on some level his patient and DID pay him money but have a discussion with someone who didn't (I'm not calling you into doubt, I just had a very different impression when I met him). I guess I have to agree with you on the fact that the doctors doing these don't seem to be the best and brightest.
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