When Allegheny Health Network & Highmark Aren’t on Speaking Terms

lesbian hysterectomy

So I still have no date for my hysterectomy. My doctor, Lee Hammons, joined Allegheny Women’s Health in September 2017. They are part of the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) which is owned by Highmark. We have Highmark insurance. But Highmark has not yet approved Dr. Hammons to perform surgeries. At least, that’s what his office […]

I’m Having a Hysterectomy and Stigma Won’t Stop Me From Talking About It

lesbian hysterectomy

Why am I writing about my uterus? Stigma around menstrual health and reproductive health are rampant, even in 2017. Stigma kills us and keeps us locked in cycles of pain. Stigma increases our susceptibility to cancer and other life threatening conditions. Stigma erodes our quality of life and the quality of our sex lives. In early […]

Obamacare & Crowdfunding Help Wes, 46, Pursue His Authentic Life

Trans Man Pittsburgh

  This is Wes. He is a friend of mine whom I met just a few years ago in Pittsburgh. I mostly know Wes as a parent to his wonderful genderfluid child and co-parent with his ex and their respective partners. I admire his activism, his professional work, and his devotion to Game of Thrones. […]

Sad Birthdays and Separation From My Mother

Sad Birthdays and Separation From My Mother

My birthdays are sad. I fight this each year. I pingpong from frenetic planning for lots of autumnal things to despondent hopeless nothingness. It is exhausting and feels like something so primal in my psyche that I cannot escape. And that dramatic sentence reflects my post-birthday emotional reset. My plan is to work out via […]

Allegheny Health Network is the Donald Trump of Regional Health Care: A Saga

Dick Cheney Donald Trump

I’ve been a long-time patient of a UPMC primary care practice out of sheer practicality, but considered myself #TeamHighmark for political and personal reasons. We have Highmark health insurance through Ledcat’s employer which has caused numerous problems over the years over crap like UPMC levying a ‘facility fee’ because my PCP is housed in a […]

The Season of Depression Has Sprung

I’ve been depressed. For months. Long months, wearing down my mind and my soul and my heart. Months where I continued to take my prescribed medication and see my therapist and do all of the things. Sometimes I show up to do public things, sometimes I do not. If you wonder where, I’ve been – […]

Anxiety Doesn’t Always Win

Anxiety Doesn’t Always Win

I am seated at a table, two magazines clutched in my hand. I put my bag next to my chair and carefully stack the magazines on the empty table. Deep breath. The aroma of coffee fills my senses. The space is pretty empty, so it would simple for me to approach the counter to order […]

Forbes Hospital’s Inadequate Response to Transphobic Employees

Via KDKA TV, last night I learned about a developing story at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville. Some anonymous female employees at this Allegheny Health Network facility had voiced complaints about a trans woman employee being permitted to use the ladies bathroom. First, the good. Allegheny Health Network is following the law with regard to allowing […]

The Anxious Life, Part Two

Since I work up Sunday morning and read about the mass murder of predemoninantly Latinx LGBTQ people in Orlando, I’ve been in a perpetual state of terror. I read two or three articles to get a sense of what was happening and as I cried, my heart started to thump ominously. I felt the familiar […]

The Anxious Life: Part One

This morning, I woke up to hear one of the cats crying and I immediately thought ” He’s dying” and leapt out of bed to race down the stairs. Of course, Boris was fine, just hungry and a little grumpy. Boris is 20 and tough as nails for a 5 lb scrappy cat whose only […]