Hello, I am new . . .

[Guest guest]

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,