Have That Discussion With Your Doctor

I normally don’t discuss what happens at my doctor visits.

If you are a regular follower of mine you know that’s not true. As a writer and asthma advocate, I am pretty open about my asthma. And that includes discussions I have with my doctor about my asthma.

I almost wanted to write this post to show you that I’m not a hypocrite. Often times in this community members pose questions to me. And my response is often, “That would be a great question to ask your doctor.” Or, “That would be a great topic to discuss with your physician.”

That’s kind of what I did at my doctor’s visit today. I had lots of ideas about my asthma - things I wanted to try. And I had some questions. So I walked into my doctor’s visit today with a list of things I wanted to talk about, and thus began a nice discussion.

Can I have an extra Flovent?

In the past, I was on Advair. I normally took the 250/50 dose of Advair. That’s 250 mcg of steroid and 50 mcg of long-acting beta-adrenergic. When my asthma was flaring my doctor would increase me to the 500/50 dose. Since then my insurance switched me to Symbicort. There is no higher dose steroid than what I am on with Symbicort.

So, I asked if he would write me a prescription for Flovent. When I’m having flare-ups, I can take both Symbicort and Flovent. This lead to a discussion. And he liked the idea. So I was one for one.

Can I try Xolair?

Xolair is a biologic. It blocks the effects of IgE, which is responsible for the allergic response. My asthma is pretty well-controlled, but I do have flare-ups when I’m exposed to my asthma triggers. For example, when I buy old baseball cards, they are covered with dust mites. My chest gets tight and it affects my ability to collect baseball cards. It affects my quality of life.

So, I asked if he would at least consider it for me. This lead to a discussion. And he said he looked up Xolair. He said he wasn’t familiar with it. And he said, based on what he read, that might be perfect for me. And he said he definitely would order it for me. The only question he had was how much it would cost. So, if my insurance covers it, it looks like I will be trying Xolair in the near future. (Update: Turns out my insurance won't cover this at the moment. So, this is on hold.)

Can I stop taking Pepcid?

My stomach is not asthma. Still, I think my stomach trouble was spearheaded by asthma medicines I’ve taken in the past, such as steroids and theophylline. So, I think this topic is fitting for an asthma post. I was having trouble with my stomach a few months ago. And he prescribed for me to take a high dose of Prilosec and Zantac. Now that I’m feeling better. Do I need to continue taking both? And this leads to a discussion.

He told me I could stop using Zantac and just keep it on hand if needed.

Interestingly, this doctor was one of five doctors who said I would never be able to stop taking Prilosec. After it became available over the counter a few years ago I got lazy with taking it. And, lo and behold, my GERD problem increased. So, that’s why I ended up on both Prilosec and Zantac, to get it back under control. A perfect example of why you should never stop taking medicine without first consulting your doctor. You’d think I of all people would know better.

He agreed that I should continue taking Prilosec every day. He said it is a perfect medicine for keeping the acidity in your stomach in check. Based on my past experience going without it, I am sure I will make sure to not skip future doses.

It was a very progressive doctor visit

I really do think I have good control of my asthma. I just need to tweak my treatment regimen from time to time. And I am really looking forward to trying Xolair. I certainly hope my insurance will cover it. And the reason I asked if I could try it is because of recommendations from members of this community. I know a lot of you folks have said you have greatly benefitted from it, so I think I will give it a try and see if it helps me. It would be nice if I could sort through old baseball cards without wearing a mask or otherwise experiencing symptoms of asthma.

Have you had a similar experience? Share here!