Re: Feel Lousy - Is Everyone This Sick So Much of the Time?

[Guest guest]

Sorry you are feeling so lousy.

There are a lot of variables when it comes to how soon one responds

to Xolair, and some of them are still unknown. I can tell you what

my doc has told me - if you are experiencing unusually high exposure

to something you are REALLY allergic to (for instance, the really

high pollen levels this season), that exposure can overwhelm even teh

Xolair and result in you having a really bad spell of allergic issues.

Also, Xolair is only proven to help allergic asthma - the trials for

allergic rhinitis improvement are still ongoing and I don't think

there's any published research, although it makes sense that Xolair

would help that to.

It also makes sense, altho I haven't seen teh research, that the more

IgE you have the longer it will take Xolair to work b/c you need tons

of Xolair to bind to all that IgE, and a few doses won't be enough!

FYI - I had really bad exposure to mold last fall while I was on

Xolair and had a terrible 6 weeks on antibiotics and pred. One of

the sickest episodes I've ever had. Outside of that, daily my

symptoms are much milder than they used to be, I take much less

medication daily, and my overall quality of life has improved.

I am sure you are already doing the following, but these all help me

when I have a bad sinus spell:

--rinsing with distilled water, sea salt, and baking soda. I use the

recipe on the National Jewish website

--Rescon Mx- nice little prescription pill that includes a ton of

sudafed, a little antihistamine, and an anticholinergic which helps

with mucus control. It is now available in generic, so it's worth

the $$ to ask your doc about it

--lots and lots of water - drinking it, sitting in a hot shower, etc.

Feel better soon!

Addy

--- In , SD Designer <instdesgn1@...>

wrote:

>

> I've been feeling bad since about Tues. eve. Burning throat,

tongue, nasal passages, stuffy nose so bad it's like it's sewn shut

but running a river of clear mucous. I feel hot and I'm sneezing.

Finally had to stuff tissues in my nostrils to keep from soaking the

pillows. (Sorry to be so graphic - I just don't know what to do.)

Can't sleep much of course with all this going on including coughing

and feeling like my lungs are sort've knocking together briefly. For

several weeks (months?) this spring I've felt terrible with extremely

painful sinus headaches. The Advair 500/50 knocks down the asthma

but even then things are not altogether right. I'm taking large

amounts of pseudoephedrine for sinsuses too.

>

> My doc put me on zithromyacin 500 mgs for 3 days. Now I have

diarrhea too - will skip all the details but am sore where one would

expect over that too! Funny - I usually get along well with zmyacin

but this time .... I was on this same antibiotic but 250 mgs about

10 weeks ago. It helped but didn't really clear things up

completely, I'm afraid. My life is more about sickness than wellness

and I might be starting a new job in a week or so. I'm so depressed

and down.

>

> I've had two (2) series of Xolair shots and am due for my third

tomorrow Sat. which I plan to go ahead and inject (2 injections every

2 weeks). But, if I just knew when I'm really going to get some

relief from these allergies and accompanying (it seems that way for

me, anyway) infections it would make life so much easier to bear

during the chronic illnesses. When I read about people feeling

better after the first or second shot I'm sure it's never going to do

me any good and that drives me crazy. No problems with Xolair - just

no help so far.

>

> So, someone please tell me ... the inside story or whatever ...

WHAT makes some people respond soon to Xolair and why do others take

longer? Is there any indication I might be a non-responder? There

HAS to be some research or statistics somewhere that indicate who

typically responds the fastest or at all. Are people who are prone

to sinus infections going to respond slower? Are people who've had

allergies since infancy slower to respond? Does more fat + high IgE

(i.e., slightly into the " do not treat grey area " make me less likely

to succeed? Is there any secret about injecting it that makes it

work faster or slower? Does age matter? I sure hope Xolair isn't

making matters worse; I'm assuming that the extreme pollen and

weather this year are the biggest contributors. I was sick before I

started the Xolair too.

>

> Thanks all - just sign me " Hopeless on Friday night! "

>

> (I'll flush my pitty pot one of these days)

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Ahhh...imagining that irresistible " new car " smell?

> Check outnew cars at Autos.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi!!

It took me a LONG TIME (eg 1.5 yrs plus to feel better on xolair). My doc

thought it was an expensive placebo but I insisted I stick with it. Turns out it

has helped. I have not dropped all my meds, I am still on pred but I am overall

better. I take less pred and I am less often hospitalized so this is all good.

Hang in there. It is best not to watch the clock waiting for xolair to kick in.

It was very gradual.....

Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to

Answers and share what you know at http://ca.answers.

[Guest guest]

I've been on Xolair for almost 3 years and overall I've done very well. This

has been an especially difficult spring for me. I don't typically react in the

Spring (more fall for me) but this year I have. Stuffed sinuses, congested

lungs, swelling tongue, itching, etc......I must be overwhelmed with allergens.

C'mon Summer!

<carrie72583@...> wrote: Hi!!

It took me a LONG TIME (eg 1.5 yrs plus to feel better on xolair). My doc

thought it was an expensive placebo but I insisted I stick with it. Turns out it

has helped. I have not dropped all my meds, I am still on pred but I am overall

better. I take less pred and I am less often hospitalized so this is all good.

Hang in there. It is best not to watch the clock waiting for xolair to kick in.

It was very gradual.....

Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to

Answers and share what you know at http://ca.answers.