It's beginning to look a lot like X-mas:Tis the season to be sneezing (wheezing)

[Guest guest]

Hello

Hope everyone had a good Christmas for those who celebrated it. Merry

Christmas

12/26....next Xolair shot. I hope it helps.

Here, as my subject line reads: Tis the season to be wheezing

(sneezing).

I am home for the holidays. Things would not be normal if the

following did not occur:

scented candles, specific tree purchased after stating I am allergic,

scented plug ins, scented potpourri, a gift set of scented soap,

shampoo/conditioner in the shower that does not help matters.

Cleaning supplies Mr. Bubbles bathroom cleaner, Pledge lemon scented

oil dusting spray,the hamsper, and the heat to remain on 60

degrees.

(By the way at 3:45 AM, it's 65 degrees where I reside permanently.

It is warmer outside than it is in the house here, where my family

is). I know oil is pricey but there are only so many sweatshirts I

can put on. It's 26 degrees in NY right now.

Getting the picture? Now, think how lovely the ER was.(Not!). And

this was the picture of Christmas Eve.

They explained to her again about my condition. ...I feel like a

child...she questioned them if this was really in my head or was I

blowing this out of proportion. She did not like their response

because it echoed mine. Now, my mom puts on her fascade of being a

caring mom. The RRT spoke to her about my peak flows. My mom chimes

in. Why such a difference in number? She has no clue, I have

explained over and over again. But I gave up. Yet when my dad's blood

sugar goes off 20 points either direction....STOP THE PRESS!!!!. Ay!!!

Before going to the ER, I called my dr. He said he'd meet me. He

spoke to mom again. Big deal, I could have spoken to the wall and

gotten more of a response. He explained the Xolair (which I am

getting while up here in NY, but my mom has no clue. She told him I

should be off all these meds and go the natural route. He gently

reminded her that she did not have a medical license.

The dr did want to speak to me in private. My mom said " why, what is

there to hide " . Oh boy. I am 32 and this is how I am treated.

I did feel it was necessary to thank her for taking me. (I did not

want to because she made matters worse but I felt she needed that

acknowledgment). She was all over that one. She was grateful but was

relentless reminding me how much was backed up because we had to

spend time in the ER. (I am sitting here still trying to reach down

and pull the dagger out of my back that she stabbed me with). I wish

she would take thank you nicely without adding a zinger in there. Oh

well. I'll put that on my Christmas list for next year. LOL

Christmas day:

Family goes to church. We have to sit in the front row. (WHY?!).

Ahhh........the lovely smell of pine trees, the altar looks like a

forest. The pointsettas, what a lovely display. Oh wait, I am sorry,

this is all lovely if YOU DON " T HAVE ALLERGIES AND NOT AN

ASTHMATIC!!!! Being prepared for all this, I pull out my own meds

before church. That did not help. Opening song: O Come Emmanuel.

Wait, I start sneezing, my dad say " O come on! " I Tell him no, wrong

song. Ok, I won't go into every detail, just the last song at the end

of mass " we wish you a merry christmas " , which for me sounded much

like " We wish-a-choo a merry christmas " .

Of course we had to stay to greet the priest, etc. Ah.......what a

Kodak/Hallmark moment. My mom said " pardon my daughter, she had to

make a point to remind us she was allergic " . (Gotta love families at

Christmas, sometimes I think they make the Gotti family look like the

Ingalls from Little house on the Prarie).

We have moved on from church and to the home. I was asked to water

the tree. Trying not to get into an argument, I asked one of my

nephews (that was a wrong move). I did come prepared with a mask as

my dr suggested. Boy, was I mocked and told to take it off and not be

so much drama.

Moving on....the relatives arrive. The dinner table on Christmas was

a punching bag time at me. It wouldn't be Christmas without snide

remarks how I ruined Christmas eve in the ER. " ...and that machine of

hers, it's so loud and it did not work, so we had to stop everything

and still had to go to the ER " . (Even though, I said I'd take myself,

my mom insisted on coming). She makes me worse but her uppity ways.

They shared the scenario of all the various meds I am on. Especially

the calcium. My mom said at her age, she does not need this. I just

said she was fortunate. I chose not to react, rather, eat quickly and

start cleaning up. I love washing dishes. No one bothers me.

The logical question might be: Why go home and face this? The answer

is because of my nephews. I miss them a lot and something major is

going on. I have learned to have patience and deal with their

intolerance, or at least try to as much as I can. I do suffer and

bring all the necessary meds and such with me. But my folks are hard

core that even with that, it is not enough and I suffer.

Is it worth it? Well, I don't want to spend Christmas alone over 1000

miles away. I have no family there. Also my friends: My one friend

has 5 cats, the other has a cat and a german shepard, It is not worht

it.

However, tt is worth seeing my two nephews who believe in Santa and

the magic of Christmas. Nothing can ever replace that. I have 2

friends who call to speak to them on Christmas ever. They are elves

and another friend who calls and says he's Santa. Words cannot

express the joy it is to see how happy they are on Christmas Eve and

the magic of Christmas morning.

So, I am reminded of the theme song from the TV show The Facts of

life: You take the good, you take the bad and there you have the

facts of life "

Cross your fingers they go away for a couple of days though. As much

as I love them, a few days away will help. If not, I plan on seeing

friends and family and if need be, I will stay over a night. Where my

parents are is in no man's land. It's dead in the winter. Their

second home is even worse. So when we are together, quality is spent

within the first 2-4 hours. Then it's time for something new. LOL

Thanks for reading. Writing does help and I know there are people out

there who can relate.

Breathe well, I am still waiting for relief from the heavy chest and

that tight feeling around it. The rescue inhaler is not doing the

trick and I sure don't want to go back to the ER. I have Xopanex for

the neb but that gets me hyper followed by the shakes and a headache.