Gosh, it was not my intention to make anyone feel as if they needed to banter religion or pro-life discussions. I was actually posting my personal "view". I was also trying to highlight that even in suffering beautiful and amazing things can happen for the person going through it and the ones that have been blessed to witness that life.

Regarding my views about God. This is my belief and I take no offense to anyone who doesn't believe in the same but, I shared my view without criticizing or trying to poke at anyone else's beliefs.. I just shared my thoughts that is it. Arguments come from those that speak against the one of differing views and I don't feel I did that in my post at all.

Shoot in this horrid condition I am happy for whatever belief a person has, if it helps them through it!!

Also, I wasn't judging anyone for anything whether that was religion, pro-choice or whatever again, I just shared my views and sadness that people do give up. My comment about weakness was regarding assisted suicide as there is no way to really compare one person's suffering from another so once we open the door to this (in my opinion) it breeds "an easy way out" instead of fighting to live or overcome. Shoot if people start giving up in big numbers then why would research continue for things?

Unwanted pregnancy, suicide and many other things that cause people to feel shame, guilt etc., is awful but, I don't think encouraging loss of life is the answer.. but.. that is my view not that I expect everyone or anyone to agree just my view. I like lifting people up, helping people find ways to overcome not give up.. that is just the way I am. Sorry if that offends anyone.

I am not one to encourage loss of life. I do believe that sometimes it is the lesser of two evils though. Like when someone is terminally ill and in pain or someone who can't afford a child they are carrying. I do believe that if there is anyway possible to preserve life that it should be done. But only if it doesn't cause pain and misery to that life. I don't think one is weak if they choose to prevent someone to not live in misery. I think it takes alot more strength to decide to stop a life from suffering than letting it continue in misery. And I don't think it's an wasy way out either. It's probably the hardest thing anyone would have to decide to do. But I do believe that everything that can possibly be done to preserve life should be done before a decision to end it is made. Because once that decision is made, it's forever. And it's something that the ones that are still living will have to live with everyday of their lives. It's certainly not something to take lightly. I undestand everyone's views, even though we don't agree on each others. I don't know if what I think is the right way to think. It's just how I feel with the experiences I've had in my life with my family and friends. I said I was offended, but I'm really not. It is a delicate subject and you are just as entitled to your beliefs as everyone else. I think its great that you are so positive about life. I guess I've seen so much bad, that maybe it's jaded me. I used to be like you, but have seen things that people have done that have made me very cynical of this world. Seeing the bad in people made me change my views on life. I still believe in a higher power and hope He understands my views. And if I'm wrong, I hope He forgives me. I've talked to my Priest many times about these topics. It's not an easy subject and I don't know how we got on it. If it was me who started it, I am sorry. I just wanted to talk about rsd. I'm glad we can all express our feelings and not judge though. I think we all learn something from each others opinions. That is definitely a good thing and I am glad for all of your points of view.

Very well put Renee.

Please don't anyone start apologising for their comments though! This is, for me, a really helpful and interesting discussion, and so far I think we have all trodden a very careful line with each other. I think we all know we have slightly different views - it would be boring if we all thought the same...but we know, I think, that we all respect each other's right to have those views. The is the essence and purpose of a debate - we each get to give our view, and talk about each other's arguments. But it's not personal, and I'm not going to dislike anyone just because they think something different.

Can we all sign up to that belief and just carry on with this discussion? I'm finding the free flow of thought here a really thought-provoking and healing thing. Knowing that you have all thought about this too makes it seem a lot less scary. Monsters in the shadows are always scary - monsters in daylight are far less so....

I know some earlier comments have been deleted or edited, so please bear that in mind when reading what was a response to something that has now gone!

Bram

I deleted some responses yesterday about my pro choice views on the right to die with dignity and terminating pregnancies before I realized that Bram had commented on them. I'm sorry about that Bram. I just want everyone to know that Bram was responding to my views on pro choice. And though I said at first that I was offended by some of the comments made about easy way outs and lack of respect for life, I want to say again that I'm not. What I meant to say is that I just simply don't agree. I took out those texts yesterday because I didn't want this thread to be an argument about prolife vs prochoice. I want to focus on rsd. But maybe I should have left them in. It seems to me that unfortunately the positions that we are in may make some of us contemplate this topic someday. I hope it doesn't but if I'm to be honest about it and the pain gets to be more than I can stand, the thought may cross mind. I don't mind continuing this topic as long as everyone else is okay with it. I do respect everyone's views and am not here to judge, but to learn as much as I can about how to deal with this disease. I don't want to offend anyone either. We are under enough stress as it is. PS - Bram, I put my texts from yesterday back in, but worded them a little differently because I couldn't remember exactly what I said, so if you want to remove your thanks to them, I will understand.

Don't fret about it Renee I haven't been upset by anything on this thread, far from it. I think reliable debate and discussion is perfectly possible, even about the most difficult topics, as long as everyone respects each other and doesn't take personal offence...

Hope you have a good day, I know you're having a tough time right now, but don't worry about how we're feeling about something you wrote - you are clearly a good person, and what you think doesn't change that

Bram.

I'm not offended by this topic at all. I think discussions are healthy even if the topic is controversial.
We DO need to lift each other up and much as we can. Sometimes that needs to be in the form of validating each others feelings.
Heaven (oops) knows that others in our lives without this disease tell us how we should or should not feel.
I for one agree with Bram & Renee that sanctity of life is important, however, IF or when it got that bad for me I would want the choice! Even animals get treated humanely.

It's amazing more people claim to have seen aliens than god and when a jehovahs witness said to me you can't prove god doesn't exist she was left speechless when i replied and you can't prove aliens don't wether there is a divine being or we are some sort of badly thought out failed alien experimentis irrelevant.
No one except possibly my MP can imagine the pain we live in and even he doesn't understand the effects of all the other symtoms we live with.
There have been 40478 trials looking for a cre for cancer and they haven't found one for CRPS that figure is 84 so there is no chance of a cure in my lifetime and probably not in this centuary.
I have been badly hurt had the condition made worse in 4 Hospitals one as the result of probably the second or third ranked specialist in the UK. Been treated by or spoken fave to face with 7 of according to him only 15 specialists in the whole country and realised everyone of them is 20 years behind the rest of the world. The total ignorance of even our best and the fact that any hospital s morelikey to make things worse than better lead e to amke a living will banning any emergency treatment even in life threatening situations. Being one f the 7 & 8% whose wounds may never heal something which might put a normal person in hospital could kill me
some of you talk about the positive impact but what about the negative, I've reduced my wife to tears so many times over te last 4 years I hate myself but despite trying to push her out she has refused to go even though she says she doesn't know what I'm capable anymore. My eldest grandaughter was for a long time to afraid to stay in the house alone with me and the other 2 are to scared to come and stay anymore.
it's spread twice and we all know it could go full body.after my first attempt my wife made me promise to never try again but after livng with this for a year she agreed that if it spreads to the other hand so I can nolonger go to the toilet on my own I can take my own life. I don't beleive in assisted, sorry no one should have to live with having tken anothers life and if they volunteer to take a strangers life most definitley should be barred, I have the pills ready and it will happen when she's away from home. Mst recently I have been wishing it would because I am geetig more and more fed up with having to fight for everything