xolair

June 7, 2006

I am new to the group and my allergist has suggested I go on

xolair. Your responses and postings about xolair have been a big

help to me. I am undecided because of the cost to me. Yes, I have

insurance but co-pay is 50% of the cost of the medicine so my

monthly cost would add quite a bit to what I already have to pay.

My husband and I are retired and also have medicare, but our health

insurance assured us their prescription coverage was as good or

better than medicare coverage, so we stuck with our present

insurance company.

My greatest concern is that xolair will not do that much for me. My

asthma is very much under control probably 90% of the time and the

only time I have moderately severe breathing problems are the times

I have a sinus infection which drifts down into my lungs. The

infection usually starts as a result of hay fever from some allergen

count being off the chart as mountain cedar or mold ( I live in

Central Texas--heart of mountain cedar and high mold counts when it

rains--lots of gulf moisture is pumped up our way). The majority of

the time I function at a very normal pace. I do have minor

breathing problems in the mornings from time to time but rarely bad

enough to keep me from my usual morning duties.

My asthma became moderately severe to severe about 20 years ago and

it took almost five years of working with my allergist to get it

under control. I was on prednisone more than I was off of it for

those years. Finally, my doctor gave me a regimen of meds and

inhalers that really began to work. It still took the next five

years for me to have more " breathe easy " days that the other kinds.

I did exercise from time to time as I could, but not on a regular

basis. I continued to work (taught school) and we traveled every

summer. There is a lot more to my story, but basically the last few

years I have had fewer and fewer times during the year when I have

had an infection or a bad asthma attack. (Maybe not being around

students so much has helped!) I will say that I have not had to go

to the emergency room since being treated by an allergist, but I did

make some " emergency " visits to his office often during those first

five years. (Before I began seeing him I had made three trips to

the emergency room and three trips to an emergency med clinic next

door to where I worked. The last such visit was about 20 years ago.)

Here are the meds I am on:

fexofenadine (Allegra) 2X daily

prilosec (for GERD) 2X daily

albuterol rescue inhaler--I use it in the morning and that is

usually it for the day although I never go anywhere without it!

Spiriva

Advair-250/50 1puff AM; 1puff PM

Singulair-in the evening

some years I only have to take prednisone once, but the last few

years, twice a year has been the max and only if I get an

infection. Oh--I used the nebulizer only when I have an infection

and am congested and have a cough. I can certainly sympathize with

those of you who have to take it more often. The side effect for me

was weight I have not been able to completely lose and glaucoma

which is now stabilized with medication.

Last summer my allergist insisted I begin seeing a pulmonologist and

she ordered the hour long lung function test which revealed that

only about 30% of my lungs function. I was really depressed for

several weeks, but began reading all I could find on COPD. I kept

seeing articles refer to pulmonary rehab--so I asked my doctor about

it and she prescribed it for me. It was very good for

me....reminded me again of the importance of exercising when and as

often as I can. It gave me simple exercises to do even when I was

having difficulty breathing--especially good breathing exercises.

And they gave me exercises to do with hand weights. I am not as

faithful as I should be about the exercises--except for the

breathing exercises and the walking. I can walk thirty minutes on

the treadmill at a clip that gives me one mile without any breathing

difficulty and I can talk without being short of breath.

So the question is still.....how much will the xolair help and I

know that is a decision for me and my doctor. But I really have

appreciated all of the feedback I've read on your experiences with

the drug.

One last thing I think I should share. My younger sister had asthma

all of her life. She died at age 45--not from asthma, but from

heart damage done by some of the meds she had to take (she was born

in 1940--not as many meds for asthma in her early years as we have

now) and just the strain on her heart of all of those years of hard

breathing. But she did live a full life anyway!

Any suggestions about taking the xolair will be most welcome and

thanks for your patience with my long posting.

Adah

June 7, 2006

Hi Adah:

I am retired and Medicare pays for my Xolair shots. No co fee they have been

paying for two years now. They pay under the Chemo part of the Medicare plan.

Call them.

Kathy

asthmatic50 <asthmatic50@...> wrote: