POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: John2038 on May 22, 2008, 07:47:43 am
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Hi there,
could you please share your experience ?
how have evolve your:
1- cd3/4/8 counts (absolute and %) - FBC (leucocytes, lymphocytes)
a) How were the first counts (undectectable, blips, detectable)
b) How have your counts evolve with time, how long time to become undetectable or <2000 cp/uL ?
2- Symptoms
Which symptoms have you faced since infected ?
a) For e.g. swollen lymphs nodes, fever, dizziness, skin rash, oral trush, heart beat rate, blood pressure, night sweat, etc
b) How the stress might have influence your symptoms ?
3- Misc
a) Any others relevant infos like others why you think your are an LTNP (lifestyle, genetics, etc.), do you have resistances, what are the main differences (health, psychologic) between before and after the infection, how have evolve your quality of life, etc..?
b) Have you get unprotected sexual intercourse for e.g. to have babies ? (I am thinking to the Swiss study asking that).
Many thanks for sharing your experience
I hopes newly/recently infected would, as me I guess, learn from your experience.
John
EDIT: Reformulated the questions.
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Do you mean LTNP? Long-Term Non-Progressor? I won't bother with my labs, since I won't officlially be a LTNP until October, but I face the usual symptoms of middle age, and if I have unprotected intercourse there is a risk of infecting someone.
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Are you asking about long-term non-progressors?
If so, you are asking a question of about 1 percent of the people living with HIV.
The rest of us muddle through as best we can.
I have monitored my T-cells (CD4s) since 1992. I have never monitored CD3s or CD8s and have never found a reason to do so.
I have monitored my viral load since they decided there should be tests for such a thing, which in my case was since July 1995.
I've been on meds since March 1996. I have had an undetectable viral load since July 1996. My CD4s have been more than 1,000 for at least seven or eight years, to the best of my recollection, and I really don't pay any attention to the percentage.
I occasionally get dizzy, mostly because my blood pressure is sometimes a tad low. I have some skin issues that seem to be inherent with us hi fivers, my lymph nodes swell once in a while (it goes with the territory), I have never had thrush (although I keep an eye out for it because I use an inhaler that can cause it) and routinely get low-grade fevers when I overdo or am overly tired.
After living with this bug for nearly 23 years, I find it is more important to live each day to the fullest rather than worrying about all the details.
Edited to add: OOPS, forgot the making babies issue. Well, for me its not an issue. I don't.
As far as sex goes, it isn't applicable in my case.
I'm past 50 and sex, at least with another person involved, just doesn't happen these days.
HUGS,
Mark
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Thank you for your answers. Yes, I mean LTNP, sorry for the confusion (initial post modified accordingly).
Just willing to mention these 2 very interesting articles about the LTNP:
http://www.thebody.com/content/toparts/art46340.html (CROI 2008)
http://www.retroconference.org/2008/PDFs/353.pdf (Poster - PDF)
And 2 others questions:
1) Would it make sense, for a LTNP, to take "light drugs" to help the body to control the virus ?
Are there studies about taking a monotherapy (for e.g. Kaletra) for a LTNP ?
2) Can't find the article. But seems those who have a low (<2k) but detectable viral load remains statistically out of meds longer than those remaining always undetectable (and still out of meds).
I can't believe that, but have you hear about such study ?
Note:
Another interesting article: http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/cgi/content/full/104/4/942