sinus and financial

[Guest guest]

I found that when I had a bad case of what I've always called hay fever--the

forever sneezing, runny nose that has been wiped until it is beet red, that I

ended up with a sinus infection which turned into an upper respiratory infection

which caused my asthma to flair. The last bad attack of hayfever which turned

into a sinus infection was last January at mountain cedar time. Even though we

had high counts of ragweed in the air (which usually gives me hay fever and

asthma) I made it through the ragweed--partly because we did have some rain and

wet weather just at the right time--without an infection, although I have had

some mild asthma symptoms.

So far this January when the wind has been out of the northwest and the

humidity is low, I have had a very little bit of sneezing--not anything at all

like usual. I'm certainly not complaining. I think maybe the xolair has

already helped in this respect.

Financial--I am on teacher retirement and social security and my husband has a

postal retirement and a very small ss check. My teacher retirement check is the

same amount as the first one I got five years ago. It does not go up with the

cost of living. Our ss checks usually go up a little, but the medicare part B

premium goes up nearly every year, so whatever increase we get is eaten up by

the increase in insurance premiums. We are fortunate in that we do have a

supplemental insurance policy that pays very well.

However, my allergist would not file for medicare on the xolair and when the

insurance company first called me to tell me I had been approved, my co-pay was

almost $400, once a month. The problem with that was my co-pay for my other

meds was already over $400 a month. My allergist then referred me to another

doctor in town who has a research clinic and files for the medicare. I am not

part of any of the research groups, but I pay nothing for my xolair shots. I

think each health policy is different in the manner in which they pay for the

xolair. Our policy along with medicare treats it in the same category as drug

therapy for cancer patients. I feel very fortunate.

I feel for those of you who have large co-pays. I think someone on this group

(or maybe someone I know) said that his/her med bills were so high that it took

almost all of his/her check and that they lived on the spouse's check. That's

almost the way it was for us and if I didn't have two parttime jobs now, what I

have to pay for my other meds would be a hardship on us.

Adah

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