Re: cough variant asthma

[Guest guest]

In the meantime, get a really good room air filter and put it in your

thouroughly cleaned and carpet free bedroom with clean sheets and stay in there.

Leigh

suzsummit <sdepaolis@...> wrote: Is anyone using xolair with

cough variant asthma? I am rather new to

this and after a really bad three months of 'new' cough variant asthma

that is not responding the way my dr wants it to -- he has recommended

xolair. I go in for my allergy testing tomorrow (since my body is

breaking out in constant hives for some unknown reason) but have

already qualified for it based on IGE level and the unresponsiveness

of my asthma. Also the inhaled steroids are causing a fungus on my

vocal cords (nice hoarse voice for the past two months) and as long as

I use the inhalers my vocal cords will be 'fried' but without them I

cough continously which sets me into tacacardia and other 'fun'

things. Also need to get off the prednisone. Been on it for 3 months

and between the weight gain and the mood swings... not a good time.

This will be my third time of attempting to wean off it.

I guess my question is is anyone has had sucess with cough variant

asthma and xolair? And to think asthma problems started with a home

remodel... bummer!

[Guest guest]

sounds like what I have. the vocal cord dysfunction is awful. when I have vcd,

asthma is not as bad and vice versa and it switches back and forth.

suzsummit <sdepaolis@...> wrote: Is anyone using xolair with

cough variant asthma? I am rather new to

this and after a really bad three months of 'new' cough variant asthma

that is not responding the way my dr wants it to -- he has recommended

xolair. I go in for my allergy testing tomorrow (since my body is

breaking out in constant hives for some unknown reason) but have

already qualified for it based on IGE level and the unresponsiveness

of my asthma. Also the inhaled steroids are causing a fungus on my

vocal cords (nice hoarse voice for the past two months) and as long as

I use the inhalers my vocal cords will be 'fried' but without them I

cough continously which sets me into tacacardia and other 'fun'

things. Also need to get off the prednisone. Been on it for 3 months

and between the weight gain and the mood swings... not a good time.

This will be my third time of attempting to wean off it.

I guess my question is is anyone has had sucess with cough variant

asthma and xolair? And to think asthma problems started with a home

remodel... bummer!

[Guest guest]

Is anyone using xolair

with cough variant asthma? I am rather new to

> this and after a really bad three months of 'new' cough variant

asthma

> that is not responding the way my dr wants it to -- he has

recommended

> xolair. I go in for my allergy testing tomorrow (since my body is

> breaking out in constant hives for some unknown reason) but have

> already qualified for it based on IGE level and the

unresponsiveness

> of my asthma. Also the inhaled steroids are causing a fungus on my

> vocal cords (nice hoarse voice for the past two months) and as

long as

> I use the inhalers my vocal cords will be 'fried' but without them

I

> cough continously which sets me into tacacardia and other 'fun'

> things. Also need to get off the prednisone. Been on it for 3

months

> and between the weight gain and the mood swings... not a good

time.

> This will be my third time of attempting to wean off it.

>

> I guess my question is is anyone has had sucess with cough variant

> asthma and xolair? And to think asthma problems started with a home

> remodel... bummer!

>

> hi

I have dealt with severe coughing with my asthma. Xolzir has done

wonders but there have been other issues and treatments not

pertaining to xolair. If you want to e-mail me, we can discuss them.

>becki

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hello, I am new here and just began reading. I've been on xolair for

just over a year. High IgE, high weight so 2x month. I do my own at

home.

I've had asthma since childhood with bronchial coughing a big

feature. Not sure if that is what you mean as a cough variant but I

am sure I'd qualify if you are labeling coughing as a main feature.

Tightening, wheezing and major coughing attack of 1-5 minutes are

the result of the first cough in many cases. Lots of coughing upon

arising each morning, to clear things out I thought. I also have

wheezing, tightening episodes that do not begin with a cough, more

typically are brought on by smells, smoke, etc. or sometimes for

absolutely no reason I can discern.

Anyway, if this sounds like you, the coughing part, I thought I

should share what I learned recently about my case. I have GERD but

it's silent. It is positional - when I lie down, it aggravates the

bronchial area which stimulates the asthma. That's the conclusion of

my Dr. In the typical sense, I do not have the symptoms of heartburn

or acid reflux where you can taste it in your mouth. Sure I've had

both of those things maybe a couple times each year (usually from

eating spicy food or alcohol - who doesn't?) but it's not an ongoing

problem.

I had heard of someone else who had chronic coughing who began with

OTC acid reducer meds and realized that GERD was causing the cough.

So I raised the head of my bed and began taking Zantac before bed

figuring I had nothing to lose. I did this without consulting the

Dr. but we discussed it on the next visit and she feels certain my

asthma has been exacerbated by the silent GERD. So far the OTC dose

of 75mg seems to have made great improvements for me but she

prescribed the 150mg dose so I can see if that is appreciably

better. Since these changes, my coughing has been reduced

significantly and I am having much less mucuous coughed up as well,

particularly in the morning. I used to cough for a long time each

morning to " open things up " . Now they are pretty much open

comparitively speaking.

I hope this helps someone. I have gone for years with asthma and for

all I know much of the worst of it may have been avoidable had I

been diagnosed with GERD. Without symptoms though.... Still I'm not

sure pulmonary Drs. focus enough on these kinds of things, spending

their efforts on the lungs alone. So we have to do what we can for

ourselves. I never realized GERD could actually be a major

contributing factor to asthma. I can only recall being asked once in

20 years if I had heartburn or indigestion.

I'm not suggesting anyone begin OTC acid reducers. But if you have a

lot of coughing, espeically in the morning, you should consider

seriously talking with your Dr. and seeing if you are able to at

least do a test to see if these meds make any difference for you.

The way I looked at it was, I had very little to lose to try it and

just see.

Hope this helps.

Leena

Is anyone using xolair

with cough variant asthma? I am rather new to

> this and after a really bad three months of 'new' cough variant

asthma

> that is not responding the way my dr wants it to -- he has

recommended

> xolair. I go in for my allergy testing tomorrow (since my body is

> breaking out in constant hives for some unknown reason) but have

> already qualified for it based on IGE level and the

unresponsiveness

> of my asthma. Also the inhaled steroids are causing a fungus on my

> vocal cords (nice hoarse voice for the past two months) and as

long as

> I use the inhalers my vocal cords will be 'fried' but without them

I

> cough continously which sets me into tacacardia and other 'fun'

> things. Also need to get off the prednisone. Been on it for 3

months

> and between the weight gain and the mood swings... not a good

time.

> This will be my third time of attempting to wean off it.

>

> I guess my question is is anyone has had sucess with cough variant

> asthma and xolair? And to think asthma problems started with a home

> remodel... bummer!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

> Not sure if that is what you mean as a cough variant but I

> am sure I'd qualify if you are labeling coughing as a main feature.

According to my asthma 'guy' the main symptom is coughing. We also

have bronchi spasms. People with cough variant asthama usually have

no wheezing at all and our lung function tests, unless we are in the

middle of a crisis tend to come back very high. We cough all day and

sometimes all night long. Our asthma attacks take the form of

non-stop coughing and bronchi spasms -- sometimes until we throw-up or

pass out. When we have brochi spasms we have trouble talking

Dr's have to rule out post nasal drip, something caught in the bronchi

tubes, pulmanary embolism, GERD, TB, and whooping cough. For the

first month of this thing the dr's were hoping it was whooping cough

for me. The cough is similiar to a COPD cough (makes us look like

smokers..... Two times I have been in Dr's offices and the nurses

assumed I was a smoker -- one was even very rude to me!)

This type of asthma can be brought on by all the regular asthma

triggers and in a large percentage of people it turns into the

wheezing type asthma in a few years.

Problem with all the coughing is that it does damage to your vocal

cords, and treachea. Plus the 'fun' of fractured ribs (I currently

have one...) from all the violent coughing.

I find the frustration of this type of asthma is that people

understand the wheezing type but the cough type is frequently seen as

'just a cough' Many people don't understand what havoc coughing 20-60

times an hour plays on the body (increased blood pressure, burst

cappillaries in the face, irregular heart rates and just how tiring

the whole thing is...)

The nebulizer had become my best friend throughout this whole thing.

The good thing is that Xolair seems to be a treatment choice for this

type. My dr's request for this medicine went to my insurance company

on Friday. YEA! He, the dr, is hoping that we can end my coughing

with this medicine (and since I have an IGE of 134 and am currently on

10 different medicines to control the asthma, and the allergy testing

found some allergies....)

I think I am lucky because this Dr has a person assigned in the office

just to the Xoliar patients... It is her job to get the paperwork

through the insurance companies and get the medicine. So, if all oes

well I can start after the 1st of the year.

The GERD is an interesting angle because I also had no signs of it, or

so I thought but an ENT found signs upon an scope exam so now I am

also on acid reflux meds (I have found no real differences...). I am

on all sorts of nasal steroids too because I think the dr's want to

cover all the angles at this point. Too many steroids for my body

between the inhaled ones, the nasal ones, the nebulized ones and the

oral ones.... I feel like I am on steroid overload right about now...

But at least I can drive again and take care of my kids. Xolair, I

hope, will allow me to step down the steroids and become myself

again.... (the weight gain have been vicious)

I am greatly that I found this users group because it makes Xolair

seem a whole lot less scary.

thanks,

[Guest guest]

Oh, wow, I have finally found people like me. My SIL has this too but

she has a dry cough and I don't think it's near as bad as mine. I thought I

was " weird " with my major cough symptoms but I guess not. I too cough to the

point of exhaustion, seeing " stars " , vomiting, mucous, choking, hoarse vocal

chords and cracked ribs. Drinking ice cold drinks, getting a bit of lemon or

vinegar " down the wrong pipe " or a bite of something too dry can all bring

on a terrible coughing fit. Gratefully spontaneous fits (not from cold, dry

or acidic stuff) has lessened a lot (down to just a couple coughing fits per

day from several) with the xolair and more since implementing the zantec and

raising the head of my bed.

I had wheezing and cough as a kid, it receded more or less from late teens

to early 30s and then came back as slight wheezing, mild case with only need

for rescue inhaler a couple times a month. The bad cough and more severe

problems really settled in for me after I spent the entire school years of

1996-97 and 97-98 (got after kids began school) sick with flu and colds, on

major steroids including trips to the Drs for IV steroids. I've never been

the same since although gratefully I haven't had bad winters with sickness

like that since.

I have noticed that even with the acid reducer med, I still HAVE to lie down

with my head/upper body raised or I seem to have worse coughing in the

morning. I think that may mean that the sphincter is still allowing stuff up

the esophagus to irritate even if the acid is reduced. So those of you who

can't take the meds, do try raising your bed or sleeping on a lot of

pillows.

I have also noticed that I can have a really good day, mild coughing and

very little of it, but when I lie down at night, I end up having a huge

coughing fit. So much so that I have to get up and stand to do it. I

discussed with the Dr on the last visit and she said it was because the body

begins to relax and the air tubes fall down a bit with gravity, contacting

any mucous and stimulating the cough reflex. That makes sense but it's

still so annoying.

I have not been treated badly by medical workers but I get terrible nasty

looks in public when I have a coughing fit. Sure many people ask if they can

help - No, you can't - but they also think I am contagious and you can see

the dread on their faces. Now if I begin coughing, I loudly announce before

it gets worse that I am asthmatic and NOT contagious. Annoying again but

what can you do?

Thanks to everyone for responding. It's good to be here where others really

understand. I hope we can all help each other in some ways.

Leena