“THE DIGITAL SEX INDUSTRY – A CURIOSITY INVESTMENT”

by Funnies, Lessons Learned, Misc, Sex + Dating, Spinal Cord Injury, Uncategorized •

I’ve always been curious by nature whether that be understanding the physics of a white dwarf star in our universe or diving into the world of neural plasticity to study how the brain can change itself or simply figuring out why human history always seems to repeat itself.  There is no topic to simple or complex that doesn’t intrigue me in some fashion.

Over this past weekend I took a few hours, as I often do on lazy Saturday mornings, to poke around the Internet to stimulate my intellectual curiosity on unknown topics.  Much to my surprise, I stumbled upon a short video clip produced by Business Insider Today on the topic of the Digital Sex Industry.  I must admit this is not a topic I have given much thought to, or ever for that matter, but it piqued my curiosity leading me down my proverbial inquisitiveness rabbit hole.

The wheels in my head started turning as I was thinking about sex, which many of you know I’m very open about and cannot understand why sex is such a taboo topic to discuss in public – much like money or religion.  In any event, I wanted to explore the rise in the digital sex industry over the last several years, and in particular, how the industry has changed over the last two months in light of Covid-19. Continue reading →

The Art of Health Insurance Appeals: My Battle for a Power Wheelchair Seat Lift

by Before the Accident, Lessons Learned, Medical, Misc, Spinal Cord Injury, Uncategorized •

As I was strapped into my electrical stimulation bike while simultaneously lifting weights I had my Bluetooth snuggly positioned into my ear listening to my “Rock it Out” music to keep my motivation over that next hour.  Pandora played a song by the black-eyed peas, which came out in 2010 called “I’ve got a feeling.” It’s an incredible dance song when you want to feel pumped up and I used to play it on repeat before my accident in 2010 when I was living at my home in the Bahamas…

… It was a time in life that reflected simplicity, clarity, and pure joy.  Life was so simple back then.  I was pumping myself up last week because I’m in another battle of a lifetime with Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) for a new power wheelchair…

… I started the uphill mission of working with my durable medical supplier, my physical therapist, and my general practitioner…

… Two weeks ago I did, finally, receive a letter from BCBS saying that they were denying me a very critical function of the wheelchair called the seat elevator.  This allows my power wheelchair to go up and down.  Most insurance companies do not think this function is medically necessary for folks in wheelchairs.  I then called all the parties involved and there was a complete disconnect among my medical providers.  So, in a very Ali fashion, I decided to take matters into my own hands.  The age-old saying “when you want something done right, do-it-yourself,” holds true 100% of the time …

… Without further ado, this is the appeal letter I sent into the BCBS appeals committee last week.  I will keep you posted on what their decision will be, but when you really want something, you’ve got a fight tooth and nail to get it.  Sadly, this is the reality we live in and the fact that we have to justify why we need certain items to insurance companies to, not only survive with the spinal cord injury, but to thrive with it is slightly disheartening.  However, this is the healthcare system we presently have to navigate within!

Read the rest on Push Living Magazine: https://pushliving.com/the-art-of-health-insurance-appeals-my-battle-for-a-power-wheelchair-seat-lift/