when your vibrator lets you down

Well, it happens. Sometimes our partners let us down sexually, but a vibrator should never fail, should never leave you pent up and stressed. The low end (under 100 dollars) vibrators are reliable because in the volumes they sell there must be quality control. But in SCI (spinal cord injury) we get the shaft. Small population of users, so highly priced equipment. The lower volume of sales, means the manufacturer requires higher margins — basic economics. The best solution is a mass produced device that works for everyone with simple adjustments, but that is asking for allot actually.

Reading about vibrator quality from a male quadriplegic seems a touch odd to you? Well, that is why I’m writing about it. After a spinal cord injury we really just want to feel normal, and the basic bodily functions are a always affected. Worse, some folks with spinal cord injuries simply cut off sexual activities because they don’t dare mess with Autonomic_dysreflexia (AD), or are embarrassed about the topic in general. (quads are strongly warned about AD in rehab)

The good news is that even long after in injury, the body can be retrained. With the right feedback, this can be done safely and gets easier over time. I’m almost 15 years into my injury and only getting a proper education now, and I’ve had to do much on my own because apparently this is taboo. Yes it may sound strange to overhear a few guys in chairs talking about their erections, volume and color of loads, but really… that is what much of our happiness and fears center around. Stay tuned on this thread and I’ll give advice on how to get away from relying on the blue pill on date nights. Think able bodied sex can be intimidating and nerve wracking regarding performance, well SCI adds a whole new level of complexity and potential risks (AD, embarrassment)

Enter the Ferticare: an over-priced vibrator that will let you down. At 800 bucks, this is a painful purchace and even worse thing to RMA. If you are used to the medical benefits of ejaculation, not having your device for a few weeks, or even months, is a real problem. It is not the motor, but some cheap battery and charger parts and charging issues. So, the warranty is up on mine, it won’t charge so… WE FIX. Because this is considered a “Medical Device” it can’t use power from the wall, but there is no reason to skimp on power — clearly more power is better? No, actually not. What makes this vibrator different is the ability to change both the frequency and amplitude to tune it to the signal that works for you. You should see your Doctor before inducing AD (see Boosting).

So, this page will hold the efforts to make a smarter vibrator for Quadriplegics, and I’ll give away a hint… controlling the speed of the device from Heart Rate and Blood Pressure is the key to being able to successfully ejaculate regularly. (must be on a regular basis to get the benefits). I will post my Heart Rate and Blood Pressure data here as I test if ejaculation is better than Boosting. In other words, does this routine help fitness? Most say it makes them tired, but what it does do is limit muscle spasm when I reach my max heart rate of 120 beats per minute. This lets me continue when I’d ordinarily get shut down. We already know that vibration stimulation can raise pressure in the arteries for a short time and this can mitigate OH (dizziness when sitting up, common in rehab). Also, regular ejaculation helps prevent “retraction” as well. Retraction really freaks people out because with AD setting in, the penis can be pulled right inside one’s body. In many cases this means the person’s condom drainage pulls off and they wet their pants — very embarrassing.

More info in this article on disaboom regarding SCI and Sexual function

Please share links to SCI forms on this topic if you have them,

Thanks.
Brad