For me personally, when I feel better, regardless of whether it's from breakthrough pain meds, or my spinal cord stim hitting exactly the right spot, or a wonderful meditation session, I'm happier and when I am happier I am more confident. But I don't think that my meds have anything to do with that really. In fact, when I'm on more meds I feel less confident because I know that my brain's a little fuzzy.

I think that these things are due to the relative anonymity that people have here. People say things that they wouldn't necessarily say to someone's face.

Also with the Vicc thing, I would just like to say that regardless of how long someone has been here, they still need to be kind and respectful of everyone here- newbie or not. I have a degree in neuroscience, and I have tried to share research and theories with Vicc. At first he was interested in me because of my scientific field, but the minute that he decided that I differed in opinion from him, he became very rude and hostile to me.This may be blunt, but some of the things that he was promoting were wrong, according to the knowledge that I have gained over 4 years of intensive study. I don't think that it does anyone a favor to disemminate information that is outdated and potentially dangerous. Vicc kept advocating the topical use of DMSO- DMSO is a very dangerous and caustic chemical. It's a known mutagen- it causes mutations in DNA. It is an industrial solvent that is used to strip paint.

By all means, if you think that anti-oxidants will help your pain, take anti oxidants! But to advocate potentially dangerous substances is not a good thing. To also shoot down dissenting opinions and imply that people's research is not valid because those researchers are "making things up" is not respectful at all. We're all in pain here, and we all have cranky days. But it was really off putting that Vicc seemed to think that he could say whatever he wanted to because HE wasn't feeling well and he was in pain. He said as much to me. We're all in pain, and if that were an excuse for lashing out this would be a really unpleasant place. I stopped commenting on anything because I was afraid of incurring the wrath of Vicc. No matter what I said, be it about the weather or how I was feeling, he had a way of belittling it because I don't think that his theories are correct. It made me sad, and I was turning to this forum for support, not to be attacked or called crazy.

That's just what I was feeling about this. I want to be an equal here with everyone, and not attacked for being new and "not knowing things". I hope that people can turn to me and that I can share my knowledge with others. Knowledge from personal experience and from academic experience. I just wanted to get that out because I know that I wasn't the only one that was on the receiving end of this kind of treatment.

Linnie