UPDATED : Lab tests: NOT so Bad news

[LatinAlexander]

UPDATE : I went for my VL results. Thank God : Undetectable (<40).  So my ID Doc, said it could be my alcohol ingestion (not that I drink waaaayyy too much), stress, fatigue the day before tests, bad night sleep that same night, or something else. He ruled out resistance (specially because I have missed only one dose in 2 years). However, he was concerned about reinfection (Even though I only had sex 3 times in a 6 month period, and only "vanilla" sex -No penetrative action-. 

Anyway, It is a relief, even when it is a little bit sad my numbers went down. He said we would check again in 3 months, and that I should cool it down a little bit. Yeah, it is not like I have a deadly virus, right?

Thank you all of you for your PMs and replies to this post. Going nuts with HIV is easy. Having you to support you, is priceless.

______________________________________________

Hi kids :

I got my lab results. In short all my immune system went down by 50%. Previous results (Dec 07)

cd4 551 Now: 270 (almost at the point of beginning of therapy)
cd3 now 790
cd8 now 491.

Percentage went down as well from 30% to 17%. I'll pick up VL results later today. This is the first time my numbers are misbehaving, and boy, it scares the hell out of me. My doc will see me tonight.

A very very scared

Alex

[BT65]

Alex, I'm sorry about your recent results.  I wonder if you're developing resistance to the meds you're on?  I suppose you'll have more answers once you have the vl test.  Good luck.

[Miss Philicia]

Try not to freak out so much (I know, easier said than done).  Should you be experiencing treatment failure and resistance there are MANY options available to us all now -- and good ones at that.

[John2038]

cd4 551 Now: 270 (almost at the point of beginning of therapy)
cd3 now 790
cd8 now 491.

Percentage went down as well from 30% to 17%.

Hi LatinAlexander,

I have a "little" and probably inaccurate skills, but if I may suggest something (accordingly to my reading) :

When you start HAART, the body start to recover (in different ways for each of us).
Among these ways:

i) your CD3/8 should increase, followed by your CD4.

ii) Your CD8 will kills your infected CD4s.
As such, your CD4 count might decrease, and, as your CD8 count increase, the CD4:CD8 ratio will decrease, and so the CD4% decrease.

iii) Your body continue to produce new CD4.
With the time, and as the drugs is acting, less CD8 will be necessary to contains the virus.
So, usually, the ratio CD4:CD8 will increase again, as well as the CD4 count and your CD4%

Maybe you want to check your FBC before/after HAART, to validate what is just a theory (total lymphocytes count).

You must also definitely compare at what time the blood draw before/after HAART have been done.

I guess that this article will shed some light on that:
http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/Labs/Current/Q193038.html

Keep going, don't worry. I know how easy is it to say that, but take a look to some recents posts if you want to know what I mean:
http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=20796.0 Jerry71
http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=20879.0 LordBerners
http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=20963.0 John2038 (mine)
etc..

John

[LatinAlexander]

Thank you Betty, John, and Philly. . For now it seems things are kinda right.

But one cannot help but wonder.

Alex