Starting Xolair next week

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the group. My asthma is caused by significant allergies, some of

which I've had

since I was a child, but I wasn't diagnosed with asthma until about 6 years ago.

Since

then, as my allergies have worsened, so has the asthma. From the end of

February until

the end of May, I'm a virtual prisoner in my house on the weekends when " normal "

people

are outside enjoying the great spring weather in Atlanta. I've tried allergy

shots twice and

during the process of working up to maintenance dosage, had anaphylaxis

requiring

epinephrine and benedryl but thankfully not hospitalization. The first time I

was on shots I

took them over about 3 1/2 years--the second time I tried them I was 2 months

into

treatment when I reacted. After that, I didn't want to risk another reaction.

I have tried

pretty much every medication there is for allergies--some days between my

allergies and

asthma I would take 7 different medications twice a day.

My allergist tested my IgE level and it came back at 410, so I'm scheduled to

start my

Xolair injections next week. For the first time in my life, I feel hopeful that

I might have

the chance to wake up feeling good and breathing easy, instead of exhausted,

congested

and drugged. Maybe I can even spend the day outdoors in my garden in the middle

of

April next year once the Xolair takes effect instead of being stuck inside.

I've been on a

round of prednisone every spring for the past 4 years and just finished another

round two

weeks ago before the season even really had gotten going here. I'm out of

options, so if

this doesn't work I don't know will happen.

Thanks for listening...