Dear Friends,

I am looking forward to learning, sharing, and having friendship with others who have suffered and continue to suffer as I have.

Although I am serving as pastor of my home church now, I served as Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Mission of Mercy in Colorado Springs, CO and prior as Director of the Southeast Asia Research Center (SEARCH) in Bangkok, Thailand for previous six years.

All that to say I am something of an intranet, forums, social media, online fundraising, extensive internet research, Twitter. Facebook etc. and have not had (until today!) the impetus to join these forums which I have observed quite often.

After 14 years of pain, brain surgery 2 years-four months ago, followed by a stroke, leading to intense Central Pain Syndrome, five years with a great neurologist, recently starting (finally) with a wonderful clinical psychologist, all these things.....

I AM NOT SURE I CAN GO ON. SAME PLACE I WAS LAST AUGUST.

I changed pharmacies this week because when I turned in a prescription for Cialis last week, the pharmacist at Safeway snickered, told a little Ciailis joke, embaressed his clerk ("I thought you were talking about me", she said), and didn;t even realize that his patient heard the whole thing and was ready to never come back.........not only to Safeway, what's the point of going on with this pain and disfunction (I guess I'm disabled?!?).

So, I need some folks who gets it, and have a heart for going on. I'm putting my feelings in a little novella. If that's published it will help a lot. Have a publisher, working on contract........encouragement right.

Good night! I'll be asking questions and helping wherever I can.

S. Scott Fontenot