Sneezed twice today

[Guest guest]

Pollen counts in my area are heading for the stratosphere. My co-

worker who also has asthma is not coming to work and is probably in

the hospital, his springtime ritual. Prior years this time of year I

was taking prednisone to maintain a normal life.

I'm aApproaching my second year on Xolair. I sneezed twice today.

Feeling just fine, I've been working outside doing spring yard

cleanup, mowing the lawan etc. No Prednisone. No hay fever. No

albuterol. No panic calls to the doctor over asthma attacks. Life

is good!

To be fair, I'm also taking Advair, Spiriva, loratidine and Uniphyl

but I was taking these or similar meds before Xolair and still had my

head handed to me in the spring pollen season.

The Advair and Spiriva help me deal with ashtma attacks due to

irritants. I take the lorantidine only because it's cheap and an

antihistamine was part of my old dialy routine. If it wasn't so

cheap I would drop antihistamines. I take the Uniphyl also for

irritants and because it helps keep me from falling asleep at work.

I'm a hard person to convince but this far into the spring pollen

season and living the good life is making me a believer that not

making Xolair available and affordable to anyone that needs it is

just wrong.

I say that with the recognition that this new and powerful genetic-

engineered medication is for the pioneers at heart. That means most

Americans. That's our culture ... fear not the unknown! Fortunately

for me much braver people than I wore a path for others to walk.