Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 29, 2024, 02:33:07 am

Login with username, password and session length


Members
  • Total Members: 37614
  • Latest: bondann
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772947
  • Total Topics: 66310
  • Online Today: 741
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 0
Guests: 674
Total: 674

Welcome


Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and others concerned about HIV/AIDS.  Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning:  Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

  • The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own physician.

  • All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

  • Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators of these forums. Click here for “Do I Have HIV?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

  • We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are true and correct to their knowledge.

  • Product advertisement—including links; banners; editorial content; and clinical trial, study or survey participation—is strictly prohibited by forums members unless permission has been secured from POZ.

To change forums navigation language settings, click here (members only), Register now

Para cambiar sus preferencias de los foros en español, haz clic aquí (sólo miembros), Regístrate ahora

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the symbol in each box.

Author Topic: Just tested positive - questions on viral count  (Read 6009 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline herewego

  • Member
  • Posts: 10
Just tested positive - questions on viral count
« on: March 29, 2007, 02:13:36 pm »
Hello all. Recently tested positive and had a couple of questions that I'd be grateful for guidance on

1) My CD4 result was pretty good: 480, but the viral load seems way high: 2.8 million. I know that low viral load = good; high = bad; but what shd i make of a result at that level? How bad is it?! It's the first test and I know results can vary, but I may have been positive for more than a year... The doctor said that the high viral load was obviously a red flag but he was pleased with the CD4 result.

2) Depsite the CD4 count, a biopsy from inside my mouth came back as KS so they're putting me on meds immedately. He's starting me out on Truvada and Sustiva. What impact might I expect on the viral load.

Early days, but tks for advice!

Offline megasept

  • Member
  • Posts: 478
  • Steven here...
Re: Just tested positive - questions on viral count
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2007, 03:30:53 pm »
...Despite the CD4 count, a biopsy from inside my mouth came back as KS so they're putting me on meds immediately. He's starting me out on Truvada and Sustiva. What impact might I expect on the viral load.

Early days, but tks for advice!

Yep. Early days. No reason to believe those numbers represent a "level", not two different trajectories. Your VL has probably climbed faster than your CD4s have declined. You can expect big changes with meds, especially with you VL, but unless you will get constant (i.e. monthly) blood work done, don't take each number as a significant trend. Think of trying to plot a graph with very little info. On the other hand, the meds should have a powerful effect on your OI (KS) and VL. I'd suggest you concentrate on adjusting to your new meds and new diagnosis. Either one could be a challenge. Put your efforts into something positive, like work, or exercise, or studying something (other than HIV!), and things will go even better. Let the meds go to battle for you. You have every reason to be confident. Keep us posted... 8)  -megasept
« Last Edit: March 29, 2007, 03:43:20 pm by megasept »

Offline milker

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,034
  • Protected phone sex
Re: Just tested positive - questions on viral count
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2007, 03:34:44 pm »
First of all, a warm welcome to the forums. I'm sorry to hear about your infection, but you're in the right place to ask questions and get comfort.

Do you have an idea of when you were infected? There is a big VL spike at the beginning of infection.

Milker.
mid-dec: stupid ass
mid-jan: seroconversion
mid-feb: poz
mar 07: cd4 432 (35%) vl 54000
may 07: cd4 399 (28%) vl 27760
jul 07: cd4 403 (26%) vl 99241
oct 07: cd4 353 (24%) vl 29993
jan 08: cd4 332 (26%) vl 33308
mar 08: cd4 392 (23%) vl 75548
jun 08: cd4 325 (27%) vl 45880
oct 08: cd4 197 (20%) vl 154000 <== aids diagnosis
nov 2 08 start Atripla
nov 30 08: cd4 478 (23%) vl 1880 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
feb 19 09: cd4 398 (24%) vl 430 getting there!
apr 23 09: cd4 604 (29%) vl 50 woohoo :D :D
jul 30 09: cd4 512 (29%) vl undetectable :D :D
may 27 10: cd4 655 (32%) vl undetectable :D :D

Now accepting applications from blowjob ninjas™

Offline herewego

  • Member
  • Posts: 10
Re: Just tested positive - questions on viral count
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2007, 03:46:53 pm »
Tks megasept for the upbeat thoughts. I'm still kinda unnerved by the scale of my viral load count - i've been scanning othr comments on this and other sites and it seems way above other 'high' levels. But I'll keep the confident outlook!

Milker - to be honest, I don't know when I got this. Only recently tested positive, but I suspect a serious "flu" and weight loss experience I had in Oct 05 may well have been the indication of infection, now that I look back on things (my previous, neg, test was in summer 05).

If it was that long ago, then the high viral count is presumably not a reflection of early fluctuations -- whihc is all the more troubling. Nonetheless, it's a first result and i begin the meds this weekend, so there's plenty of scope for things to change...

(tks also for the explanation of the wikipedia chart...)

Offline milker

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,034
  • Protected phone sex
Re: Just tested positive - questions on viral count
« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2007, 03:57:55 pm »
Your VL needs control, and that's what the meds will do, to give your immune system some slack and make sure that the virus doesn't go out of control. If it was 2 years ago, then your CD4 count is very good for this amount of VL. The meds will certainly do wonder pretty fast; read the Treatment Questions forum if you have questions about side effects for the combination that you're on.

Keep us informed about your progress! :)

Milker.
mid-dec: stupid ass
mid-jan: seroconversion
mid-feb: poz
mar 07: cd4 432 (35%) vl 54000
may 07: cd4 399 (28%) vl 27760
jul 07: cd4 403 (26%) vl 99241
oct 07: cd4 353 (24%) vl 29993
jan 08: cd4 332 (26%) vl 33308
mar 08: cd4 392 (23%) vl 75548
jun 08: cd4 325 (27%) vl 45880
oct 08: cd4 197 (20%) vl 154000 <== aids diagnosis
nov 2 08 start Atripla
nov 30 08: cd4 478 (23%) vl 1880 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
feb 19 09: cd4 398 (24%) vl 430 getting there!
apr 23 09: cd4 604 (29%) vl 50 woohoo :D :D
jul 30 09: cd4 512 (29%) vl undetectable :D :D
may 27 10: cd4 655 (32%) vl undetectable :D :D

Now accepting applications from blowjob ninjas™

 


Terms of Membership for these forums
 

© 2024 Smart + Strong. All Rights Reserved.   terms of use and your privacy
Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.