Tag Archive for: health

Xolair

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.

 

My Christmas Drug-Induced Miracle

I’m writing this for anyone else who has asthma and thinks maybe they have to settle for strained breathing every single day. And how it can gradually take over a big chunk of your life.

I got asthma when I was 16…always coughing, drinking cough medicine like a mad woman because we thought it was a cold that wouldn’t go away. And snorting Dristan like some sort of junkie.

Until I had my kid it was always VERY manageable. I’d go to ER maybe once a year, but the rest of the time no problems, meds always worked, it never affected my life whatsoever.

The past 2+ years have sucked healthwise. I’ve been tested for everything under the sun. I switched doctors, cried, and got seriously pissy with them, because NOTHING they were doing was helping. Beyond frustrating. $350 to get the air tested in our house. Nope. Every type of inhaler. Nope. Yoga. Nope. Oils. Nope. Allergy tests. Nope. Biopsies. Nope. Natural medicines. Nope. Work out like crazy, build your lung capacity. Nope. Eat 14 cupcakes a day. Nope. (ok…I made that one up…but it didn’t work either)

About 8 months ago, my Lung Specialist (who I have a mad crush on now) suggested Xolair. An injection at a mere $25,000/year.

Um…no. We’re self employed with no benefits. So just no.

Last month I went to see him and was worse again. My husband said enough. Do the shots, if after a few months nothing, we quit, but at least you’ll know.

So…..Monday last week I went for my Xolair application appointment. Cindy was awesome. AWESOME.

NEVER in my 23 years of asthma doctors has anyone REALLY REALLY explained the disease to me. Because it is that, it IS a disease.

With asthma, you look fine, no visible ailments but you can really feel like hell. It can make you stop participating in certain things because you are worried you’ll have to quit because you can’t breathe and you feel like a puss because of it. I’ve kind of always considered it a minor thing that I needed an inhaler for, and I always kind of felt it was my fault it was getting worse. Cindy was very direct with me. You have a disease. Stress didn’t do this, stress can’t create these numbers, it’s a disease and we need to aggressively treat it because it is getting worse.

Ya…I cried. Like any unstable mother would do, filled out the Blue Cross applications, and cried.

And Cindy…awesome, caring, smart Cindy said “You know what? I’m going to give you a compassion shot right now, no charge”.

And then I cried more because, well that’s a $650 please stop crying moment worthy of some tears of gratitude 🙂

She told me not to expect overnight success like I know some have had.

First 2 nights I had my attacks early evening…usually they are late at night which is why I never get to sleep until morning, after I’m pooped from fighting to get my breathing in check. And…I slept! I slept hard…lol…I felt like I haven’t slept in 2 years, which I kind of haven’t had a deep, uninterrupted sleep in that long. And I’ve slept every night since. AND I’m 5 days with no asthma symptoms. FIVE DAYS! I haven’t had a stretch like that in a looong time 😀

Freakin miracle…I can’t even tell you.

If your health is going to shit, it really is up to you to keep at it, search out specialists, research, research, research, try everything. Eventually something has to click. And don’t quit until it does. Keep asking questions. It’s up to you to get better.

I was told this drug can change your life. The first week has me feeling rested, relieved, and I could not be more grateful.