POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: johnnyl on March 01, 2013, 08:08:37 pm
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Got the labs today and viral load up again.... was 20... to 40... now 101.. Should this be cause for concern.. Everything else doing well but this is freaking me out
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No, you're not reading these correctly. <20, <44 are both "undetectable" (though using two different types of tests -- meaning some use 20 and some use 44 as the lowest they can go). So that leaves the 101 reading which in a clinical setting means nothing and for all intents and purposes is not high enough to indicate resistance issues, so basically undetectable.
Doen't your doctor bother explaining this to you? Do you ask him questions during your visits?
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Well, considering the fact that my personal physician's office (until last month) considered 100 to be undetectable (cheap-ass testing) you really aren't in any real trouble yet. However, have you talked to your doctor about it?
The newest and best viral load measurements can detect 4 parts per unit. My new viral load tests will detect 20 parts per unit, when implemented next month. The Swiss Study, the one often cited in discussions of undetectable, used their 2008 standard of undetectable - which was 500.
Just food for thought. Obviously if an upward trend continues, I would ask a doctor about it. But please relalise that as the tests become more specific, more people will test as "detectable" who don't need to worry about that.
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Thank you both for the replys.. I do bring this up to my doc, but have not had the appointment yet.. Is this week, but all tests that were ran were ran @ 20-10,000
I asked him lastime and told me not to worry, but i am on so much meds i am afraid that they will not know what one is failing.. No resistance test from the get go.. Thanks again...
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Thank you both for the replys.. I do bring this up to my doc, but have not had the appointment yet.. Is this week, but all tests that were ran were ran @ 20-10,000
I asked him lastime and told me not to worry, but i am on so much meds i am afraid that they will not know what one is failing.. No resistance test from the get go.. Thanks again...
I would start pushing for a resistance test if the viral load continues to go up. If your doctor tells you not to worry, then honestly? I wouldn't worry too much - unless you did not trust the doctor.
Most important relationship ever - your doctor. If you can trust him, then do so. If you can't, then you absolutely need to find another one.
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Shouldn't the doctors use the same machine model to test? I mean, from one machine model to another, wouldn't there be discrepancies? Like how much the sample is diluted and then incubated and blah...
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A resistance test will not show anything unless the VL is in the thousands.
Viral load at 100 is no cause for alarm, relax. Your doc will no doubt keep a close eye on your next test results.