First Labs - Kaposi's question

[Tammany]

I just tested positive last month and really appreciate the forums here.  It's great to know there is a community of people going through the same thing I am.

I discovered I had Kaposi's Sarcoma last month which led to me testing positive.  I know I waited too long but I'm doing the best I can at this pont.

On April 4 2007, my labs were 199 t cells and 75000 Viral Load. After 1 month on Atripla I'm at 246 t cells and Viral Load is 315.  Pretty encouraged by the Viral Load going down but wanted to know if anyone else had experience with Kaposi's and was able to beat it by meds instead of chemo.  Any advice would be appreciated.

[edfu]

I was diagnosed with two KS lesions, one on each of my upper arms.  VL was 16,000, and I had 29 T-cells.  I immediately started HAART (Trizivir + Sustiva).  My VL became undetectable after one month, although it took two years to get my T-cells over 200.  I didn't get any new KS lesions, and my dermatologist said the lesions I already had were in remission after about several months.  I didn't have any chemo.  It took about two to three years for the lesions to completely disappear (after about one year they looked like large brown freckles).  It's now understood that HAART alone can put KS into remission, although not in every case.  I hope you're as lucky as I was.   

[Matty the Damned]

Matty the Damned had a small KS lesion on his hand sometime back. His intrepid doctor froze the bugger off with liquid nitrogen and it's never recurred.

MtD

[milker]

And welcome to the forums

Milker.

[FiercenBed]

iv got 3 leasions <thought is was melonoma>....but i seem to b the only 1 worried about it. my regular doc tryz to down play it by saying ks is like herpes. i dont buy it.  went to c a 'hiv dermatologist'. there pretty hard to find!. 2 have pretty much gone in2 'remission'. but one is pretty stubborn but @ least it stop growing. the doc is talking about treating it w/ a laser in july, but therez bn no talk of chemo. some good news

[Smoothstone]

I had an initial lesion biopsied in 1987. I had about 6 KS lesions which flattened with no treatment.I did stop using poppers and avoided spaces where poppers were used.  During 1994 through 1996 however,I had flurries of new lesions as my t cells plumetted, bottoming out with 26 tcells in April 1996. I progressed to 30 KS lesions in 1996. Including one lesion on my face. My doc was going to inject the face lesion with velban, but at the last minute I refused. And then after 30 days of Crixivan, all lesions stopped growing, some disappeared and the rest flattened and lightened.  My T cells gradually rose overtime after beginning crixivan, but the lesions stopped cold after one month of crixivan....I also took 2 other drugs which I can't remember.  I never did any treatment specifically for KS, and to date my t cells are 800+.  I stopped the crixivan and replaced it with viracept which had less and hardly noticeable side effects...for me.  I remember increased stress resulted in outbreak of new lesions...and it was stressful time with HIV treatments and a lesion on my face...stress reduction seemed  important besides the crixivan.   

[thunter34]

I had an initial lesion biopsied in 1987. I had about 6 KS lesions which flattened with no treatment.I did stop using poppers and avoided spaces where poppers were used.  During 1994 through 1996 however,I had flurries of new lesions as my t cells plumetted, bottoming out with 26 tcells in April 1996. I progressed to 30 KS lesions in 1996. Including one lesion on my face. My doc was going to inject the face lesion with velban, but at the last minute I refused. And then after 30 days of Crixivan, all lesions stopped growing, some disappeared and the rest flattened and lightened.  My T cells gradually rose overtime after beginning crixivan, but the lesions stopped cold after one month of crixivan....I also took 2 other drugs which I can't remember.  I never did any treatment specifically for KS, and to date my t cells are 800+.  I stopped the crixivan and replaced it with viracept which had less and hardly noticeable side effects...for me.  I remember increased stress resulted in outbreak of new lesions...and it was stressful time with HIV treatments and a lesion on my face...stress reduction seemed  important besides the crixivan.   

So in other words, it turned out that the poppers had nothing to do with the KS lesions and they responded to HAART treatment and an increase in t-cells.