Good evening. I have seen references to Dr. Ankoff . on many posts on this site but am wondering if anyone knows of a doctor in the North East of the USA who is well regarded for performing bilateral orchiectomy in or near New England. Thank you very much for any input.

I'm going to be VERY blunt. If you cannot manage to get yourself from the Northeast US to Detroit, you're creating excuses.

While more doctors are coming online all the time, the chances of finding a legitimate doctor to help you with this and have them on your doorstep, are fairly remote.

f Hyperion92 is on a limited budget, finding a safe local option might be justified. The airfare, car rental and hotel expenses could easily add another $1500 or more to the cost and make the difference between getting this life changing procedure earlier and providing the relief or whatever goal he has from being delayed many years

Thank you both for your input. My budget has always been an important consideration and until very recently the added cost of traveling for the procedure posed a substantial obstacle. However, if the best doctor who is willing to perform the procedure safely is a long ways away, then it is what it is. I will find a way to make it work now that I could actually afford the cost.

Hyperion92 (imported) wrote: Mon Jan 01, 2018 8:40 pm Thank you both for your input. My budget has always been an important consideration and until very recently the added cost of traveling for the procedure posed a substantial obstacle. However, if the best doctor who is willing to perform the procedure safely is a long ways away, then it is what it is. I will find a way to make it work now that I could actually afford the cost.

As for travel cost the train mite be an option,you can even get a room. Trains offend go to the city you need to go or close to it. It could be a shot taxi ride to your distortion.

Losethem (imported) wrote: Mon Jan 01, 2018 4:17 pm I'm going to be VERY blunt. If you cannot manage to get yourself from the Northeast US to Detroit, you're creating excuses.

While more doctors are coming online all the time, the chances of finding a legitimate doctor to help you with this and have them on your doorstep, are fairly remote.

Doesn't hurt to ask. Not everyone has an easy time saving up. I can't even work for the time being, due to my health issues.

Origen22 (imported) wrote: Mon Jan 01, 2018 5:00 pm f Hyperion92 is on a limited budget, finding a safe local option might be justified. The airfare, car rental and hotel expenses could easily add another $1500 or more to the cost and make the difference between getting this life changing procedure earlier and providing the relief or whatever goal he has from being delayed many years

When I made the post, he had referenced Dr. Arnkoff. That was the point of my making the comment I did. Arnkoff's services seemed to have been considered, and dismissed. Hyperion is actually much closer to Arnkoff than a great many folks in the USA. As others have noted elsewhere, where there is a will, there is a way. Assuming a surgery cost of $4000, the following is an actual cost, for a surgery occurring in February. I'm going to calculate travel from Manchester, NH.

Surgery - $4000

Air Travel - $187 (assuming Feb 2 to Feb 5)

Hotel Stay at the nearby Embassy Suites (can choose cheaper hotel, others in the area) - $140 per night - Total $420

Basic Rental Car - $56 for a Toyota Corolla (probably twice that if you get the insurance)

And a guy has gotta eat, plus other miscellaneous sundries needed for aftercare, I'm guessing not too expensive to obtain.

Now if the patient has to stay longer, of course that cost will go up. If Arnkoff is able to release a patient to the care of the local doctor for the follow up, then this is possible. If you calculate, the total cost is about $4500. The vast majority of that is the surgery fee, and that's not going to change much if you find a local doctor.

Now you can see why I get a little grouchy when folks insist on the help being local. The surgery is often a lot more cost than everything else combined. So while Hyperion wasn't insistent on the help being local, it is often an artificial impediment people place to obtaining their goal.

Losethem, I love playing devil's advocate so bear with me here and don't take it personal:

He never explicitly stated he was dismissing Arnkoff.

Not all people can rent cars or drive.

Not everyone wants to go get surgery alone and take care of themselves after. (Additional 2nd person costs)

Money doesn't grow on trees, and people do have more important obligations.

I could sell my body and come up with the money in very short order, I could manufacture and sell drugs and have the money in short order, I could legally grow cannabis, then illegally sell it, and have the money after 4 months of loving care to a few plants. I could do all sorts of things, and be great at them, but those things are below me, and I wont do them. Not everyone has the means to obtain money easily, and many are not willing to sink low to obtain what they want. Many have familial obligations, and some people struggle to feed and house themselves. The world is not an oyster for everyone, not everyone has the privilege of well paying work.

For some, to save money is to starve themselves. Health, mental and physical, is at stake when one has to cut corners to save. Believe it or not, there is a large lower class that is stuck in minimum wage work because of prejudice against the poor. If your resume has nothing but minimum wage work, it doesn't matter how smart you are: climbing that ladder is tough, and hard work and dedication can only bring you so far. Nepotism and luck are much bigger game changers than even the hardest work. Reputation is also key.

One could work two full time jobs and save easily, but I know first hand how brutal that is. It's not something most people could sustain, and requires sacrifices.

A simple question isn't a statement of defeat and rejection. Think of it as trying to find an easier path on a map. If you've ever done long distance remote hiking, you can relate to that. Sure, climbing a 300 foot cliff with no safety gear is possible, but unlike my foolish and very lucky friends, I don't take risks without searching for a safer or easier path. Or I ensure I have a safety net.

Considering my distance from Detroit, I sympathise with you on your "but you're so nearby compared to others" point. That's for sure. But still, money doesn't grow on trees. As someone who used to make good money at a job they loved, who cannot currently work due to circumstance and health issues, I sympathize with anyone who is in a pinch in regards to saving money. Having spent much time with the lower classes, and having been part of them once myself, I sympathize further with the difficulty of "climbing the ladder" and even making ends meet.

I am not clear on this storm in a teacups origin, I just read it like a guys was asking if there were other options. As I see it no one has actually said "yes there are" or "no there are none" or even "we don't know". After all this the guy is no better off in terms of information and has no other option on which to base his decision. If he needs an "excuse" I am sure he will find one with or without the information he politely asked for.

tjstill (imported) wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 5:03 pm I am not clear on this storm in a teacups origin, I just read it like a guys was asking if there were other options. As I see it no one has actually said "yes there are" or "no there are none" or even "we don't know". After all this the guy is no better off in terms of information and has no other option on which to base his decision. If he needs an "excuse" I am sure he will find one with or without the information he politely asked for.

I'm clear on it. Here is how it usually goes down here on the Archive:

1. "Hey, Is there a doctor on my doorstep?"

I'd say for the vast majority no.

2. "Ok, thank you for your answer. Are you REALLY sure there is no doctor on my doorstep?"

Yes, I'm quite sure. Though if someone knows of one, I'll gladly hear about that option.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. The idea is if you want this bad enough, where there is a will there is a way. Because here's what happens next in this line of questioning, more often than not:

3. "Oh sorry to hear that. Well, I guess I'll never get it done then. I can't afford to travel more than 3 blocks from my house. Now, are you REALLY, REALLY, sure there is no doctor on my doorstep?"

The objection normally distance or money. Hey, I get it, I've been there. All I can offer is my blunt assessment of a situation and how to overcome it. The OP was demonstrating an ability to pay for the surgery, at least from how I took their initial post. The objection is location. With my later post, I went in, showed the costs associated to demonstrate the vast majority of it is the cost of surgery, which WILL NOT CHANGE simply being closer to home.

And really, If I can arrange it, I'd gladly be there to help the person when they go to their appointment. I know first hand how much help is needed after.

Now to directly answer the overlying question - at this time I do not know of a doctor in New England that does this on a voluntary basis. In fact, the only one I know that will cut a guys balls off without a letter is Dr. Arnkoff in Michigan. And that has not changed for many YEARS now. What has changed is other doctors are now willing to do it, but they need a letter(s). Those doctors are found in various places around the country, but I do not think there is one in the Northeast. So, back to Arnkoff.