Sandra, Thank you for your  words.  Yes, my daughter has done very well for 10.5 yrs with CAH.  If you have read the CAHOOTS newsletter, the first issue has an article about my daughter - Katelynn.  Living with CAH was rough at first, and only rough because it was all new - and scary.  I can tell you now - my daughter is as healthy as any "normal" child, she is smart, funny, and beautiful.  She does get over heated more easily than others, and she sweats more than others - I have to make sure she remembers her water bottle when she plays sports.  I visited this board often a few yrs ago, but I found that many of the situations simply did not apply to me and frankly, sometimes reading some of this stuff scares me.  I once followed a few links straight to a memorial page about a CAH child - same age (at the time) of my daughter.  I did not sleep for days.  It made me just so sad.   My daughters CAH has been under control since birth.  I thank GOD everyday that she was born in TEXAS!   Where newborn screening began just a few months before her birth.  We had just moved back to Texas from rural Maryland.  I shudder to think what would have happened if she was not diagnosed and treated from birth.  My wonderful endocrinologist at her birth, Cassandra Matustik, treated newborns differently - she did not trust the liquid form of cortef.  She insisted I give her injections of  cortizone acitate.  Turns out she was right, the liquid form caused all sorts of problems.  This wonderful physician died suddenly when my daughter was 4.  We then saw Dr. Timmothy Flannery - another wonderful doctor.  He moved back to California at the end of 2001 and today was our first intro to our 3rd endocrinologist.  I think we have another winner, I loved her manner and easy way with my daughter.  Though I hated to loose Dr. Flannery, at 10 1/2, having a female doctor is perfect.

My husband said he would see if he could get me to Houston for this confrence.  He has frequent flyer miles on American AIrlines. We will be moving this summer - not far, will still be treated at Cooks-Ft. Worth CHildrens.  I wondered if I would be settled by then.  I just wondered if this confence would be mainly for newly diagnosed parents or if I would gain from attending.  I know I would love to hear of a cure!  I really never thought that I might benefit someone else.  Seeing my beautiful, healthy child jsut might give a parent of a newborn a lift.

e-mail me if you would like.  please be sure to put something like CAH in the subject line, I do not open e-mail from addresses I do not recognize.  GSITEXAS@AOL.COM

Karen