HI Karen,

That is good news that your daughter is doing great. 10 1/2 years is a long time to be dealing with CAH considering that I have only been in the CAH "circle" for about 8 months now.  I'm glad that you like your new doctor. I'll have to ask my friend, Karen, who also lives in that area who her doctor is. Her son was having some issues with control and she was not too happy about it.

As far as if you think the workshop would be of benefit to you, I would say yes. I don't know how far of a drive it is to Houston but if it's not too long, I think it would be worth the trip. Why? Well, eventhough we can't live our daily lives "waiting" for a cure, Dr. New is going to be talking about the research she is doing for a cure. It's either a love or hate relationship with her but regardless, she is the only one, that I know of, that is doing research for a cure. That alone, for me, is worthwile. You can also bring any questions you may have to ask the doctors or other  parents. You can use it as a sort of second opinion. Of course, you might learn something you don't know and make some friends while you are at it. The CAH community is not as small as some may think but it is important to come together so that together we can make a difference when needed. Lastly, your experience will benefit other parents and sufferers. You also never know when you may need help or advice from a fellow CAH parent.  Yes, this message board is great, but sometimes it's nice to have a closer relationship with someone or others who are going through this "CAH" stuff too.

Have you ever heard of "bad labor stories". When I was pregnant with all my boys, that is all I heard. I, for one, had great labors. All fast, no complications, etc... Every time I saw a mom to be that was terrified of labor, I would tell her my story and she would say, "Hey, thanks for your story, I know it's not all bad" This is how I feel about the people that have written to me in the beginning of all my little one's CAH "nightmare" (not so much any more).

Anyway, if I haven't convinced you enough yet, :), then I think just having your support as a fellow CAH parent would be great! We are hoping to have these on a yearly basis and will probably be in your area next. However, without your support, we can't. Hey, do you like coffee, I got Starbucks to donate all the coffee we can drink! If that is not motivation, I don't know what is :)

In any case, I hope that when my son is 10 1/2 years old, I will be able to be saying the same thing you are, that he is doing great!!

Take Care,

Sandra