Newly diagnosed and fever

[eric_jv]

Hello all, I'm Eric, 23 from Texas. Just joined and just tested positive on Thursday and I'm doing ok, except for waking up with a fever of 102 since I got tested.

I haven't had any real symptoms besides that. Had it in early July and went to the ER but apparently it was an ear infection but I asked for an HIV test, and it was negative. I wasn't fully convinced but I got better and have been fine the last couple months. I got tested now and I'm getting concerned because I'm trying to keep it from my mom and don't want to get sick until I get on meds. We'll be headed straight to the ER again if she feels me, except I'll know what's really going on, don't think I want to confess yet.

did ANYONE have this issue as well? I'm taking a couple Advil twice a day and it helps a lot, brings me down to around 98.8, but the last thing I need is to take too much. My mom is always warning me about liver problems and overdoing it. I'm starting to get a warm sensation in my stomach after I take it and I don't want any internal bleeding.

My main question: if any of you had this issue, what could I possibly try to keep my fever down or alternate with Advil or switch to a different over the counter drug that's less risky with daily use? I feel like this will go on til I'm on meds and it's the only thing really starting to bother me...I'm starting school and a job this week and I just wanna be energized and at a normal body temp.

thanks so much in advance for any advice and I'm looking forward to learning from you all about this new lifelong journey!

[Jeff G]

Welcome to the forum . I'm concerned about you so please listen to me ... you need to go to the emergency room even if it involves telling your mother . Whatever is going on may or may not be HIV related but you do not need to take a chance since you have not been properly evaluated yet  . Go to the ER tonight ... its the right thing to do .

I tested positive when I was your age and had to tell my mom so I do understand . Im 52 now and made it this long for many reasons ... one of which is I went to the doctor when I got sick . Newly poz and constant fever is something to go to the doc or ER yesterday with ... so scoot .

[Ptrk3]

Jeff G. is correct:  seek medical attention right away to make sure you don't have pneumonia, which will only get worse.  About a year ago at this time, I was feeling week, short of breath, and had spiking temps.  It took me a few days to get to the doctor.  When I did get there, I was immediately admitted to hospital and for the first time found out my status:  CD4 of 9, VL, 111,000, and PCP (pneumonia).  I was also extremely dehydrated.  If I had waited a day or two more, who knows what could have happened.  Take care of yourself right away.  It's too risky to wait to see whether things may get better if they can only get worse.

[eric_jv]

Thanks y'all, just to add, I have also had a dry cough for a while. During my ER/Hospital visit in July, doc found it to be strep throat but it's been gone finally for the past two weeks, now it's been returning but I'm not having any other symptoms of respiratory issues. and I don't get nauseous, and I can keep food down, pulse feels normal.

Advil didn't help today so I'm headed to the clinic tomorrow where my first doctor's appointment/evaluation is scheduled for Sept. 8th, but my case manager told me I can go there for any problems until then. hopefully I can get a handle on this.

[absopozilutely]

I'm guessing the go to the ER right now wasn't enough to get you to go? I wish the best for something minor

[eric_jv]

Not exactly. Just been at home with my mom all day, it's not an easy thing to do. but tomorrow she goes to work and I'll get it checked out. Took one more Advil and I'm feeling well enough to sleep comfortably.

[zach]

hey man, i wouldve responded earlier, but i had a nap coming on real strong

so here we go, i gotta coke (caffeine) a bowl, and a lorazapam, ride with me now

name name whats your names... eric jv, junior varsity? nah man, you need to bring the A team to this game, no jv, hiv hits hard

eric, i'm zach. i'm just some dude with aids ok, anything i say can and may be nonsense. if i ever sound drunk, thats a safe guess.

welcome! sorry you need us, glad you found us. come in for the group hug. ok stop hugging me.

correct me, catch me up if i'm wrong, you just tested positive on thurs, a few days ago. has that been confirmed with a western blot test yet? (thats an important point)

and have you done a resistance profile yet? a viral load test? that will also tell you cd4 count and %. thats the first thing we'll want to know.

thats where this really starts. are they telling you these tests are going to wait until sep 8? thats cool, don't freak out in the meantime, occupy your thoughts with something else. but right now you're running a fever for a couple days, ear infection, (wax discharge, smells like hell?) and hot to the touch. GO TO THE ER NOW.

somehow mom is playing into all this, you plan to tell her anyway it seems. love mom? normal relationship? she a strong person? yall live together or she see you often? she made you, she raised you, are you close?

am i up to speed here? correct me now if i'm wrong, before i roll on.

ok here goes.... go to the ER for that ear infection, may or may not have anything to do with an HIV infection that isn't fully dx'd yet. get that treated, whatever it is. you don't need whatever it is causing problems right now. we could freak you with horror stories but just go get it handled, maybe it wont be all that.

get that western blot. thats "THE NEWS" officially. if that's positive, you're positive, time to put on the game face. next is the resistance panel, gibberish to you mostly at first, but get your own paper copy, let us know what it says. DONT PANIC!! we'll teach you how to read them, there will be some coloring involved, its fun.

initial labs... will give you viral count, and your cd4 count. and your %. alot of other stuff on there too, but focus on this three right now. for awhile we're going to ask about them, then they take a backseat down the line. these numbers will tell us where you're starting this fight. don't be alarmed if either number seems dire, truth is its all manageable, this is just your starting point. so for me, my starting point this year (i've been dealing with this since 2010, but fell out of treatment, more on that fuckup later if you start falling apart, i'm the guy gonna be there to tell you cut it out) once you start your meds, its a commitment, holy bonds of matrimony kind of shit

anyway, this was me

mar27 cd4=9 @2% vl=365000
may7 cd4=67 @8% vl=140
june6 cd4=84 @10% vl=UD!! (UD means undetectable, more on that later, we'll party)

basically what you see there is that 3-4 months ago, i was sick. in the hospital, it sucked, there is a thread, at some point you'll want to read it, but right now it'll cause unnecessary minor panic and anxiety. in a nutshell, i was real sick, now i'm a whole lot better. you will be too. no mater what your initial labs say, you're coming back baby. stay calm, don't freak out even if your initials are bad.

then the docs will discuss your med options, there are many, listen, take notes, HONESTLY ANSWER DOCTORS QUESTIONS!!!!!! i can't stress that enough, it matters, stakes might be higher than you realize for a seemingly minor question. come back to us, we'll have a pow pow and answer all your questions about farting and vivid dreams and all the other pleasures.

YOU and YOUR DOCTOR will decide a management plan, that may include immediately going on meds. and when you have your first pill in hand, before you've taken it, come back and talk to us. at that point ASK US ABOUT STOCKPILE, important piece of advice a little later down the road.

are you carrying any drug or alchohol addictions? no judgement eric, but be honest. we're all junkies in here. lets start working on those now too ok. if you're like me and just always smoking weed whatever, if you're like me and used to play with harder drugs, we'll sweat that with you. get through the shakes together. gotta come off hard drinking, any cocaine, meth, opiates, any of that? something strange i haven't heard of? whats your drug of choice eric? you can tell us.

be healthy, don't go nuts with bean sprouts, bigger issues in front of you right now. just be reasonably healthy and start being mindful of taking good care of your body.

don't panic. take a breath. things come hard and fast, feels like a whirlwind, but you'll find out this is a long distance run, pace yourself. nothing is as bad as it seems or as your feared it would be.

we love you, welcome to the campfire, keep coming back. whatever obstacle you run into, bring it to us, we'll brainstorm away and help you with your battle plan.

weapon of choice eric? are you a gamer? this is important stuff sir, pay attention. if you were going to beat the shit out of something or someone for sadistic pleasure, what do you visual your weapon as being? hands on melee, maybe a ninja sword, hottie darryl's crossbow?! or do you like guns? what ever it is, i'm asking, choose your weapon. you're going to battle with bug. the bug is going to lose. there will be blood.

welcome eric, come and sit around fire, pass the peace pipe, join this family

[eric_jv]

Hello all, to update: I went to the ER on Wednesday night and I most likely just have some bacterial kinda of bronchitis. They were more concerned with my cough and I told them my concern about taking too much Advil but blood tests showed that my liver is fine and I'm clear to take it for my fever.

ALSO, he said my white blood cell count looked normal and this is not HIV-related nor has it started to affect my immune system. Took my first dose of antibiotics tonight and we'll see what happens.

[CokeZero]

Hi Eric
Giving that I work in healthcare let me just give you my 2 cents. You are adult, therefore everything you tell to your physician is between you and them solely - HIPAA regulation. Under no conditions can he inform your mother or anyone else about your status (there are some legal exceptions but they do not pertain to your case). As far as fever is concerned, the fever itself is not a problem. It is only a symptom that your body is fighting something - it may be virus or bacteria. Even if you successfully treat the fever it still does not mean you are successfully treating the cause of your fever. In order for your body to fight properly your CD4 count needs to be at least 300, best if above 500. There are tons of people with counts less than those who are apparently healthy but you don't want your CD4 count to go that low. I don't know what kind of Advil you are taking because there are many different preparations out there but generally Advil is taken twice a day and as long as you don't cross that dose your liver and kidney will be just fine. Antibiotics will help only if you deal with bacterial infection; antibiotics do not treat viruses or fungi. So once again, please check your CD4 count to make sure your body can properly defend itself against bugs and start anti-retroviral therapy.

[mecch]

eric-jv
Maybe I missed this above:
Have you had a Western Blot confirmation that you are HIV+ and if so, have you had blood drawn to get info about your numbers?

[eric_jv]

I haven't had a Western blot test, and I'm still waiting to hear back from the AIDS foundation about the secondary test to confirm my positive results.

I don't know my CD4 count yet, I have my first appointment with a doctor on Sept. 8th.

[mecch]

What test did you take that showed HIV+?
Is there some reason you think you are HIV+?  Risks of transmission?
Why didn't you trust the neg  test you had in the hospital a while back?

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Perhaps you are not HIV+.
Also, I hope you are feeling better.
Anyone HIV+ or HIV- with sustained fever should see a doc. Find out for sure whats up.