Attack of the Asthma- My Healthcare Experience

I have been struggling with severe Asthma since I was 7 years old. It has caused me to have been hospitalized a few times and to have to have gone to the ER hundreds of times. My Asthma is allergy, exercise and stress induced. For example; I have to limit my time at people's houses who have cats because too many times I have had to rush to the hospital after being overcome with an attack. I'm the nerdy girl in the corner sucking on my inhaler while everyone is having a good time. It's definitely a buzzkill. I have had all sorts of treatments for it. I used to get allergy shots 3 times a week. I have been on all sorts of medications. I have received all types of alternative treatments for it as well. I have gotten chiropractic care, acupuncture, EMF etc. At one point I had seeds taped in my ears for a couple weeks. I got really into Yoga which has helped me manage it a little. Suffice it to say I have learned that this is something I have to live with and I have done a pretty good job of being able to manage it on my own. I have done a pretty good job of being able to manage it on my own, but I have always had health insurance, so I haven't had too much difficulty getting the medication I need to survive.

A couple months ago I lost my job, and with it, my health insurance. I

have been struggling to get medication ever since. I ran out of my relief inhaler (Albuterol) rencently. My doctor gave me some samples of a preventative (Symbacort) inhaler. She told me to take it twice a day. I have been taking them once a day for about 2 weeks now and they have turned me into a crack head! There are steroids in them and the side effects of that are terrible. I haven't been sleeping very well at all. My skin is breaking out, my heart is pounding out of my chest with palpitations and I feel all together disgusting. Obviously, I need to stop taking this medication. But I'm trapped. I don't have my rescue inhaler, so if I stop taking the preventative medication I will be without breath. So obviously I need to get an inhaler. Easy right? Not so much! First of all I live in HELL and there are no free clinics near here. So I have a few options. Go to urgent care and pay hundreds of dollars for an office visit and prescriptions, go

to mexico and get cheap meds there or wait until I'm having an asthma attack and go to the emergency. I have thought about leaving town to go to a clinic on a regular basis. This beats begging friends and family to get fake prescriptions or handing over their meds to me. NONE of these options sound ideal but what would you do in this situation?

This is a perfect example of how lack of affordable healthcare in this country has failed me. I have a condition (asthma) that I need medication to sustain my life. I am not taking advantage of anyone, nor am I abusing any types of drugs, I am simply a human being who can't live without medication. It has gotten to the point where in order to prevent emergency visits (which I wouldn't be able to afford anyway) I am going to need to cross the borders to get affordable medication. Can someone please tell me why this is okay? Yay to congress for shooting down the public option amendment(sarcasm)!