Asthma sucks...literally.

So, this has been quite the past few months. In June, (on a Sunday) I woke up and thought I had strep throat, so I called in sick. I went to urgent care, and the strep test came back negative, along with the mono. But, the PA said "your tonsils look really swollen" to which I replied "my tonsils were yanked when I was a kid" to which she responded "well, your throat is REALLY swollen then". She sent me home with antibiotics "just in case" and steroids for the inflammation. Have I mentioned this was the day before I was supposed to leave on a pioneer trek with the youth? So, I told the Dr that I was going to be on the medical team with...that I was going to see if the anti-biotics did anything before I backed out. Well, nothing changed the next morning. Day after that(tuesday), I woke up at 5 am and my throat and chest felt tight. Being the experienced asthmatic that I am, I went to do a breathing treatment...and the machine didn't work. SO, I had a decision...wait until 9 when urgent care opens (4 hours feeling like I can't breath), call an ambulance (no chance in outer darkness...I KNOW the crew that would take care of me :) )...or go to the ER. So, I drove myself to the ER. The dr (who I know from work) walked in and said "I mean this in the most loving way, but you don't look very good". Long story short, they did a treatment, x-ray (clear, of course), oral steroids, and something for my cough, but nothing had really changed. The ER doc told me "my gut is saying something else is going on, but I don't know what. I really want to admit you for observation". Just what I want to do on my 4 days off, right? Well, it was only going to be for a 23 hour hold...riiiiiiight. I'm SOOO glad she followed her gut. That night, I woke up in another attack. LOTS of tests later, I was diagnosed with tracheitis (my airway was inflamed/constricted...explains the sore throat), bronchitis, and all the coughing gave me laryngitis. I was banned from talking and given something to keep me from coughing in order to keep my vocal cords from spasming shut, warranting an emergency macgyver-esque tube in my throat via my neck (which I wanted to avoid). After LOOOOOTS of drugs, a cardiology consult (to make sure my oxygen level being low wasn't a cardiac problem...duh, I could have told you that), x-rays, CT scans, angiograms (which showed my swollen airway), echocardiograms, more tests I don't remember because of lovely drugs, and getting to know the pulmonologist VERY well, I was discharged, with an order to follow up with my primary care IMMEDIATELY. (have I mentioned that I am SOOO glad I wasn't on the pioneer trek in the middle of Oklahoma for this). So, I did as ordered and made an appointment. He told me there was a new asthma drug out in the market that you have to qualify for (certain blood levels have to be high enough, and your asthma has to be severe enough...which a hospitalization proves) called Xolair. He said "when the drug rep was telling me about it, your name popped into my head" (don't know quite how to take that.) Anyways, they ran the blood test. The nurse called me and SHOCKER, I qualified. However, my blood levels were so high, they wanted me to go see an allergy and asthma specialist. They referred me to a practice that I went to as a teenager and wasn't really impressed with. Plus, I hated doing allergy shots and I knew they were going to push those again (didn't have very much improvement with them before). BUT, I made an appointment anyways, because they're the biggest practice around.