CD4 count & percentage & doctors that don

[aj78]

Hi folks,
I'm new to all this. Coinfected with HIV & HepC. The specialist deferred treatment on the HIV and intends to treat the HepC first.
My counts are bothering me though and I believe I should be on HAART and just want some opinions or whatever that you might have based on my numbers. I have oral thrush, that my family doctor put me on fluconazole for and the specialist refuses to believe that I have it with these numbers but it has been under control the two times I've seen her and she won't take a swab to confirm or deny it.
CD4 Oct 26 450
      Nov 26 425
CD% Nov 26 19.0
VL   Nov 26 417
It took 3 tests just to get the results as my local hospital doesn't have a lab and they were literally too incompetent to follow a time-based lab requirement. It seems to me that my %age is a lot lower than it should be based on the absolute count. I really don't care for the specialist at all but they are the only one in the region and they just say your #'s are fine, they didn't even review why with me, I had to phone and ask for copies of my labs.
I'm so frustrated as I left my home to be closer to my family not thinking through the fact that in the rural area I live in now only has one ID clinic in the region and I had to go on welfare as this area has made no distinction between welfare and disability and there are no jobs whatsoever. I'd be receiving close to $1600/mth in benefits in my old city and only receive $430/mth here plus this town is considered amongst the most bigoted, conservative, unfriendly places in Canada. I'm welcome back at my old place but kind of want to withdraw from the world for a while until I'm ready to deal with people again. How do you deal with a drop in income of over $1700 a month and doctor's that are too busy to care?
I'm planning on returning to my old city in February as I have a referral open there with one of the top docs in the country.

[Ann]

Hi aj, welcome to the forums.

Your numbers are  fine. I was also hep C coinfected and I also treated the hep C before hiv - and I'm still not on hiv meds. I was  treated successfully for hep C (genotype 3a) in 2002/03. Have a look at my numbers in my profile. (you can get to my profile by clicking on my username over on the left) I only have numbers beginning in 2001, but I've been poz since the spring of 1997.

I can recommend treating the hep C first. Hep C meds are toxic enough on their own and if you can take them without having to also take hiv meds at the same time, you'd be very wise to do it. And once you get the hep C dealt with, chances are good that your body will find it easier to deal with the hiv.

Ann

[tednlou2]

You had viral load of just 417?  That is really low.  I don't think you said whether you knew when you were infected.  Are you recently infected?  I know numbers can look scary right after infection with HIV.  About the thrush--  this hasn't been confirmed?  I know many people get white coating on their tongues--HIV neg people too.  Do you have the classic symptoms--curd looking areas on your cheeks, roof of mouth that can be wiped off?

I wish ya the best.  That is a big drop in income.  I've been dealing with an HIV doc who isn't much of an expert as well.  By the way, I didn't think there were bigoted people in Canada.  We get the perception that everyone there is progressive and liberal.  I guess it proves perceptions are often wrong. 

Keep in touch with us.  Was the drop in income due to cost of living between old city and new town? 

[aj78]

I just found out I was infected in October, only exposure was in 2006 so had to be infected at that time. Tongue is white but scrapes off, thrush hasn't been confirmed but cheeks turn white and bleeds when i scrape it off within a few days off fluconazole and had something causing my index fingers to peel that it took care of as well. I know the vl is really low I was surprised had expected between 5k-1mil.
The drop in income is because when I moved I gave up my job and here they make no distinction between disability and welfare, my old city has a two tier system where if the doctor says unable to work you get about the same as a minimum wage job with full dental and prescription coverage.
There re no jobs available here at all beyond $8/hr with no benefits whatsoever (unemployment rate here is about 13%)
Most of Canada is progressive and forward thinking but small town Nova Scotia is still stuck 40 years in the past. Google Bill Mills and you'll see what I mean about intolerant, the mayor has had numerous complaints to the human rights tribunal and hate crime complaints filed against him but everyone over fifty thinks like him here. (no homeless shelters or soup kitchens but 45 churches)
He even told the leader of the local AIDS alliance that he got it because of an immoral lifestyle and that's what happens when you don't accept Jesus and when he refused to fly the pride flag he compared gays to pedophiles
I'm not even gay (recovered junkie) and I still find it very offensive so I can imagine what the gay community thinks.
Thanks alot for your responses and best wishes to you folks as well

[tednlou2]

That is really sad to hear about the people there.  I'm Agnostic, but have read a lot about Jesus.  He would be hanging out with drug users, prostitutes, and the sick.  I was just reading about a city counsel meeting here in the states.  They were debating giving gays benefits.  A counsel woman said her son died of AIDS.  Another member said, "You're son was a homo?"  Then went on to say other horrible things about gays and certain people who deserved what they got.

I hope things work out for ya.  Keep in touch.