:o

  I am at such a rough place right now.  Prayers & alone time with God are the only things keeping me from losing it seriously. I am a mom of 5 & grandma of 2 & its hard keeping up w/all my children, especially my 7 month old & 4 year old sons.... I am just plain old exhausted.
  Frustrated, because I am starting to feel that because of Hawaiis limited resources, I & other moyas like me here will get shafted & get stuck receiving care that may be detrimental instead of instrumental.

  I am a Kaiser member & according to my neuro, moyamoya is not something thats common, (well she said recently, the asian explosion here has brought many new moya patients seeking help) but with their limited resources & limited experienced doctors who have a good grip on this disease, I may just have to settle for a good surgeon who has no more expertise in moya than any other brain surgeon.  I have had prior disabilities & have been receiving state medical aid, & I dont know if they will cover any surgery costs.... especially for something as complex as this.   :-[

 I am trying as humanly possible to stay as optimistic & prayerful as can be for all the right chips & players in this game of saving my life to fall into place..... please say a small prayer for me & for other moyas here in Hawaii who have very limited resources & really no where to turn, other than to you wonderful folks on this site....

  If anyone has any info or any where they can direct me in where to look for proper help, please feel free to share.

  God Bless you all......

  Enough rambling.... thanks guys.

    Blessings
  ~ 808annie

Aloha 808 Annie,

I just wanted you to know that you are not alone here on Oahu.  I recently was diagnosed w/Moyamoya back in January of this year and just went to have surgery in North Carolina w/ Dr. Takanori Fukushima on May 26th.  I truely understand your frustration.  Unfortunately, I am not a Kaiser paitent but I have heard that Kaiser does have a new Neurosurgeon who is excellent and has done the MCA/STA bypass.  You  might want to check into this.  Infact, before I traveled to North Carolina, I called Kaiser but was unable to get very far because I am not a member.

Hang in there and things will get better.  I am now recovering from my surgery and look to finally get back to work in about a week or so (about 6 weeks after having bypass).  If you need further information, please do not hesitate to email.

Take care and my prayers are w/you.  
Much Love and Aloha,
Colleen

Depending on your insurance, (UNFORTUNATELY) I suggest you get the best doc around. I know $$$ can be the issue as with all of us, but no amount of $$$ can
be exchanged for our life.
So, far Dr. STEINBERG has been been my pick. I will get the surgery done &  I did a lot of homework. Don't give up maybe there is a GREAT DOCTOR at Kaiser...does
it have to be at Kaiser in Hawaii. Do your research and ask as many questions as you have. GOOD LUCK, we are praying for you.

LOL,
itsme

Aloha 808Annie,

I just returned home to Oahu about 3 days ago from North Carolina after having a double bypass surgery from Dr. Nakatori Fukushima.  He and his staff are great!  I was first told that nothing could be done, but after hearing about Dr. Fukushima and with many miracles from God, I was able to fly to North Carolina to have the necessary surgery.  My symptoms included facial numbness (left upper/lower lip which spread to my left cheek).  I am now on Plavix and 325 aspirin, as well as seizure medication (Dilantin).  I'm praying for a full recovery....  Please do not give up hope...miracles do happen!  Dr. Fukushima's office number is 919-239-0264.  His office manager is great!  To find out more information about him, see: http://www.carolinaneuroscience.com/raleigh-map.htm or http://www.ia.wvu.edu/~magazine/issues/summer2004/htmlfiles/hope.html.

Hope this helps...Keep in touch.  We'll keep you in our prayers.

Aloha,
SFH[/font] ;)