Guest guest Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 > > > Hello all! My name is Wolfe, and I am new to this group. > Yesterday, my allergist suggested I consider Xolair for my per > sistent asthma, so I searched around and found this group. I never > even knew Xolair existed until yesterday! > > I have had allergies all my life, but the asthma did not start until > the summer of 2000. I am 41 years old now and I live in Houston. > > I had lots of chronic strep throat and tonsilitis as a teen, and had > allergy shots when I was 6 and 7 years old. After another round of > shots and Seldane at 25 to 28 years old I got by for alot of years > without even needing antihistamines. > > Then, wham, came the asthma and it has been a huge struggle ever > since. I had pnuemonia twice in the past year! I have missed 4 > weeks of work too. My family and friends are tired of me being sick > because I am a single parent and I wind up needing help from them. > I have huge debts from medical bills ($35,000) because I was self > employed when the asthma hit and all I had was catastrophic coverage > with a 2500 deductible. > > It became a vicious cycle that I needed to go back to work for a > company with health insurance, but I needed to get well enough to > work first, and then also have time off to go to the doctor and > still maintain a job. I have finally been back at work 2 years for > a company with health insurance( I have CIGNA PPO)and managed to get > a promotion in spite of all my problems. Praise the lord for that! > > I also now have some steroid related bone loss which I have tried to > correct with weight training, but I suffered a foot fracture in > August. Bone density scans show I am at the low end of normal in my > hips , but have mild ostoepenia in my spine. > > My boyfriend is in the Army Reserves and has been gone since we > invaded Iraq and I barely ever hear from him or see him, so it's > lonely and I am scared he is going to break up with me for being > sick so often, or fall in love with another lady nearer to him, or > get sent to Iraq and be blown up. He has been in Honolulu the whole > time on some sort of top secret joint military intelligence task > force and I am lucky if I hear from him once a month. He says he > works 13 hours a day, 6 days a week and a half day on Sunday. He is > military intelligence so they have alot going on righ now. I am > trying to bee a supportive girlfriend, and try not to burden him > with my problems but it is hard. > > I am home with a head AND chest cold right now, and boy am I tired > of gettting these. My meds are Singulair, Clarinex, Nasonez, Advair > 500, a nebulizer for use during infections, and occasional use of > Zerteck. I am also taking Fosamax while I am on the nebulizxer to > ward off any more steroid related bone loss. I am really scared. > but also hopeful that Xolair will help me. My sister had breast > cancer at age 37 so they have checked me and checked me for cancer > and I am fine. I think Xolair could solve more of my asthma > problems than it poses a cancer risk. > > Anyway, thanks for letting me vent a little. I am going to call my > doctor Monday and tell him to start my paperwork for Xolair to see > if the insurance will approve it. He says I meet all the criteria. > > I will pray for you all too! > > Best, > Dianna, Welcome to our group Vent away! That is what we are here for I hope that we can help you through your asthma and possible xolair injections. Bless your heart! Stress over your boyfriend can be a factor in your asthma too. I lived in the Houston Garden Oaks/Oak Forrest Edition from 1965-1968. I almost took a job in Pasadena back in 1985 but wound up moving to NC instead. When I lived in Houston, I went to an allergy clinic downtown. It has been so many years ago that I can't even remember the name of the doctor or clinic. Back in those covered wagon days, my mother gave me my shots at home. The only thing that helped my asthma was taking older medications like Qudranal and Tedral along with my dad's " Asthma Nephrin " squeeze bulb nebulizer. I outgrew my asthma at age 14, then started smoking. In those 13 years of smoking, I might have had no more than 3 asthma attacks. I quit cold turkey at age 27 and had 3 wonderful years of breathing bliss :0 In 1985, my asthma came back with a vengance. I have it each and every day and it has gradually been getting worse since 85. My doctors put me on xolair just over a year ago. I was really in bad shape. The huge amounts of prednisone were getting to me and even it wasn't helping like it should. Six months after being on Xolair, I was able to cut back my prednisone from 50 mg a day to NONE, cut back on my Pulmicort from 5 ampules in the neb machine a day to only one and am hoping my doctor will take me off advair 500/50 soon. Xolair is expensive. For us that have good insurance it isn't too bad, but for people with no coverage, they really need our prayers and support. Thanks again for joining our group Go back and read the former posts. My advice as group founder to a new member is always to TRUST YOUR DOCTOR! You are a unique person and will have your own response to xolair. Doug in Arkansas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 , Welcome to the group! I am sorry to hear that you are having such a bad time with your asthma. I hope you are able to get approved for Xolair. I am on my first upper resp infection since last December. I have been on Xolair a year. Before the Xolair kicked in around January, I got (on average) 9 respiratory infections a year. I require a lot fewer meds on a daily basis now. It has made a real impact in my life. I hope that your boyfriend stays safe. Take care of yourself, Addy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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