Hola! Friend of a Weggie friend in Latin America

[Ana]

Hello everyone:

Thank you for this wonderful forum. In the previous days I have been looking around here. My friend Ana (we have the same name) has recently been diagnosed with Wegener; she is still at the hospital. This disease is not very known in this country, Costa Rica, so she and her relatives, including her daughter, are scared as she was a very active person and now feels very weak and has to receive chemotherapy.

I have been telling her about the experiences of some members of this forum, how positive you guys are, so now she feels much, much better emotionally, because she knows that she's not alone and that the meds will help her.

Do you know if there is a forum about Wegener in Spanish? After she gets released from the hospital she should join one because she could learn a lot about Wegener from other Weggies. I have been searching, but the ones I've found are not as active as this one, so they might probably have outdated information.

Thanks again! :hug3:

[Palmyra]

Welcome Ana,

Best wishes to your friend, and it sounds like she has a wonderful ally and support from you. I hope she is able to leave the hospital soon.

I would love to share any information that you find re: a support forum in Spanish, so please let me know if you find one.

Jane, mom of Alison


I am on this forum in support of my daughter, and her husband's native language is Spanish (he is from Chile)

[Ana]

Hi Jane!
These are some fora in Spanish that I've found so far:
GRANULOMATOSIS DE WEGENER - Foros de Medicina y Salud de PortalesMedicos.com (http://www.portalesmedicos.com/foros_medicina_salud_enfermeria/ubbthreads.php/topics/6628)
https://groups.google.com/group/wegener/topics?hl=es

There is virtually no moderation, so several people post commercial ads there and saying all sort of crazy things. However, you will find stories of people who have been living a happy and almost normal life with Wegener. I think that many groups will be formed soon, as Wegener is now known better and diagnosed faster. Even a friend told me that he heard about it in a TV series called "House M.D." :D

Best wishes to you, Alison and her hubby :)

[annekat]

Welcome, Ana, and thanks for posting on behalf of your friend, Ana. My name is Anne, the French/German/English form of Ana, although the English and Americans often spell it Ann. I wish your friend could participate actively on this forum, because it is the best. But it's great that you found a forum in Spanish. My sister speaks fluent Spanish, although not a native speaker. She also does medical translating for Spanish speaking patients at hospitals, so I will forward the link you shared to her, in case she ever runs into someone with Wegener's. Not likely, but you never know. She will probably find it interesting, anyway.

I've been planning to search past episodes of House, and have heard that this year's season finale will deal with Wegener's. However, some on here who have seen the House episodes have said their characterization of Wegener's is not always accurate. Good for entertainment purposes, though, and making people aware of the disease. Maybe they will do better in the future.

Best wishes to Ana in her recovery, I hope she is out of the hospital soon and will be treated by someone who has experience with Wegener's. The Vasculitis Foundation website lists internationally known specialists who are available for consultation with one's doctor for free, if it is impossible to connect directly with them as a patient.

Let Ana know that for most of us, things have gotten a lot better with treatment, though we all remember the early stages where we were in really bad shape. Please let us know how Ana is doing in the future.

[Palmyra]

Many thanks Ana! Hope to see you around, and keep us posted regarding your friend's progress.

[Al]

Buenos días, Ana, and welcome to our forum! I do not know about support forums in Spanish, but your English is excellent, so perhaps you can ask questions on her behalf. The Vasculitis Foundation has a few Spanish speakers listed as consultants. One, Luis Felipe Flores-Suárez,is in Mexico. You can see him on YouTube: Do a search on Vasculitis Foundation 2010. There are many hours of video.

Al

[Psyborg]

Welcome, I hope your friend is able to get the help she needs.

[pberggren1]

I should brush up on my Spanish.

[Al]

I should brush up on my Spanish.

Sí, sí, Phil. The chicas dig that sort of thing. And it keeps the pool games lively....

Al

[Ana]

Many thanks to you all! :cool: I visited her at the hospital this afternoon (morning for some of you) and she is much, much better, emotionally and physically. She received chemotherapy yesterday. She says hello to you guys and she will join this forum, but I also offered to translate if she wants to ask something.
@Jane: Will do!
@Anne: I agree, that TV show could make people aware of the disease and generate interest. I remember that here there was a boom of people who started to study criminology because of the CSI show :D Thanks for telling me about the Vasculitis Foundation.
@ Al: Buenas noches Al! Thanks for the name of Dr. Luis Felipe. I gave his name and phone number listed at the Vasculitis Foundation to her sister, who will in turn give it to her doctor tomorrow. I really hope they could get in contact.
@ Bob: Thank you Bob! Her doctor is very nice and approachable.
@ Phil: Hey Phil, I'm sure you will learn Spanish very fast. There are more than 100 words that are the same in English and Spanish, and many more look alike. Oh, she's single now...just saying ;-)

[Sangye]

Hi Ana, I hope your friend Ana will join our group! It's okay if she doesn't speak much English. We'll speak slowly. LOL

Glad you're helping her out. :thumbsup:

[pberggren1]

Oh Al and Ana! Are you trying to set me up?........lol. I had a chance to go to Columbia a couple of years back but was too sick to go. It was part of my spanish class. I will have to brush up on my Spanish with the locals here.

[pberggren1]

Ya, what Sangye said: very slow......lol.

[Dryhill]

Ana, welcome to the forum. You can tell your friend Ana that as a true Englishman I will speak v-e-r-y
s-l-o-w-l-y and very LOUDLY. :flapper:

Jim

[Al]

Oh Al and Ana! Are you trying to set me up?........lol. I had a chance to go to Columbia a couple of years back but was too sick to go. It was part of my spanish class. I will have to brush up on my Spanish with the locals here. Hey, Phil, everyone can benefit by getting out of his or her cave from time to time. And learning español--¡Hay caramba! How hard can that be? ¡Anda!

Jus' sayin'

Al

[pberggren1]

Hey, Phil, everyone can benefit by getting out of his or her cave from time to time. And learning español--¡Hay caramba! How hard can that be? ¡Anda!

Jus' sayin'

Al

For sure Al.

[Ana]

Hola, Sangye and Dryhill. Thank you, will do! :thumbsup:
But Dryhill, most of the Englishmen that I have known speak loud and fast! :flapper:


Oh Al and Ana! Are you trying to set me up?
Phil: Al started! :biggrin1: I hope that very soon you will have again the opportunity to travel and practice your Spanish. As Al says, not hard. Try to practice as much as you can. This is a great site, by the way: BBC - Languages - Spanish: All you need to start learning Spanish (http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/)

[pberggren1]

Thanks Ana. I may try this out.

[Sangye]

I lived in Spain for 3 years. By the time I left my Spanish was pretty good. That was in 1994 though. I haven't had much opportunity to use it and it has faded away. Not completely gone, but a lot.

[Dryhill]

BBC - Languages - Spanish: All you need to start learning Spanish[/url]

Ah it warms the cockles of an Englishman's heart to see that good old Aunty (The BBC) is being recommended in far away places., However by the time this government (and the other rabble) finish we will be attending Aunties funeral.

Jim