I was first diagnosed when I was a year old.  Doctors informed my parents that with the severity of my disease it would be lucky if I made to to age 11.  I used to get adreneline shots at home to save me trips to the ER when I was young, I dont know what happened to that practice, I would save me a lot of trips to the hospital.  Due to having such severe, uncontrollable asthma, I have been steroid dependant for over 20 years, which has caused a plethora of new diseases to try and manage in addition to the asthma itself, I have diabetes, osteoperosis, osteoarthris of the hips and spine, I have to be on sever psychopharmocological medicatins to deal with the emotional and mood swings caused by the high daily maintenence dose (10-40mg a day)including anti psychotics, I had a stroke less than a year ago, I have high cholesterol, then there are the annoying ones like puffy face, hump back, weight gain, striae, tissue thin skin, GERD which lead to a hiatal hernia, chronic daily headaches...Always having to deal with the aggression and anxiety that lies just beneath the surface and fighting to keep it in check, the racing thoughts all the time, not being able to concentrait on any one thing for any amount of time, the lack of sleep and the need for sleep aids.  The general annoyance at being alive, wondering if all this is worth the trouble, I have been at this game for 40+ years and I am tired of it, I am tired of fighting every single day, with so relief in sight, no wonder drugs are working, I am on a cocktail of inhaled steroids, oral steroids, advair, sigulair, ventolin for the nebulizer and emergency inhaler, spiriva....all told I am on about 20 different medications a day, and that is just keeping me functioning, noting extra like going for walks, this jsut gets me through daily chores (sometimes), even with all these meds on board I have a difficult time vacuuming my home, and I get breathless taking a shower.  Then combime that with the other diseases I am battling and I am wore out, if I have a good day asthma wise, then I more than likely am having a bad pain day....whic segues me into why is it so difficult to get a doctor to treat you pain?  My spine in disintergrating, evercise is not ging to stop that, the only thing that may slow the progression is to stop the steroids and I can't, so why make me suffer and not give me anything for the pain, it this some noble bite the bullet treatment plan?  Doctors are still behind the curve when it comes to cutting edge treatments for asthma sufferers, why is that?  Why is asthma the red headed step child of all the diseases out there - diabetese gets more add time than the President, sleep deprivation, even fibromyalgia (which has been fighting for recognition) are all getting the 'air time' yet asthma is portrayed as "or just take this pill or inhaler and you will be fine"...What about the thousands of us who have had near death experiences?  Or been placed on ventilators, still not serious enough a disease?  I am tired of all these years of being ignored, swept under the rug like this is no big deal, statistics are now showing that asthma costs more that $12billion a year (probably more as thats an old statistic), in lost time off work, hospital stays etc... I would think that would get someones attention...