I’m coming up on a year since my Drug Induced Christmas Miracle…C R A Z Y! What a difference a year makes. I feel really grateful right now. Grateful for Xolair and how this year has panned out healthwise.

There is a picture I have of a games night with the girls a year ago. I look at it and feel a rush of emotion…I remember EXACTLY how I felt that night. Exactly.

I felt terrible. I wanted to cancel because my breathing was brutal and I really had zero energy to even sit upright, let alone host a whack of rowdy wine-drinking women 😉 I was so exhausted and just so done…mentally and physically done. I was glued to my inhaler that entire night and couldn’t wait for it to end so I could just wheeze openly, lay down and try to get it in check.

Since Xolair, it has been a year of discovery. I think I celebrated for a number of months because my allergies weren’t nearly as sensitive. So I ate bread (supposed to stay away from yeast), ice cream (supposed to stay away from cow’s milk), pounded back the cupcakes, and drank wine. I ate chips, dip, chocolate bars. Four months ago, I decided it was time to shut down the party.

Not only was I packing on the pounds, but my asthma was noticeable once again. To be honest, I was genuinely scared that the effects of Xolair were short lived and the party was over for me. I knew I had to stop pissing around and look after myself because if my asthma was coming back in full force I had better be in good enough shape to offset it. I started eating healthy…cut out all processed foods, refined sugar, dairy and grains. Paleo virgin in full force. It took me a couple attempts, but once I researched and understood that the very foods I had sensitivities to, where those not included in the paleo lifestyle. It made sense for me. Inflammation needed to come down. Paleo makes sense for me for a couple other reasons too, but that’s a later post 😉

The thing about all the crap being out of my diet is it’s really easy to determine what my body can’t handle. For me, that is always in the form of inflammation and trouble breathing. First discovery was that the kombucha I was sooooo loving (and brewing my own!) was making me wheezy. So…gone. Then I noticed days when I really threw back the eggs, my asthma flared up. Eggs are also a source of inflammation. I’ve cut back on them huge (only have in my baking for a snack) and already my asthma is in check again.

So yes! Xolair is a life-saver and total game changer for me…but as with everything, there is never a simple pill or easy route to health. I still need to really stay focused or I will slip back into that girl in the picture that even looking at makes me so sad.

No. frickin. way.