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Author Topic: Parter has been + for 15 years, I fear he is starting to get sick  (Read 6629 times)

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Offline partnerspoz

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Hello, I have been coming to your forums for years as a lurker -- this is my first post.

My partner of five years has been HIV+ since 1993. When he was first diagnosed they called him a non-progressor and he has never been on Meds. His viral load was in the teens and his T-Cell count was still 1400 and up. When I met him in 2003 his T-Cell count was around 1300 and his viral load was in the 90s. We lived in Austin, TX and he had a local doctor that he saw for blood tests once a year. He rarely got sick, even so much as a common cold and if he did get one, he was over it in a day or two at the most. The Doctor always chalked this up to a very strong immune system.

A couple of years ago his T-Cell at one point dropped to 950 and his viral load went up to around 500. When this happened they changed his yearly test to twice a year. The next visit his T-Cell was back up to 1150 and his viral load was down again. Also a couple of years ago we moved up to Dallas, TX and he decided to keep his Doctor down in Austin rather than get a new local one. This has made it where I am not able to go with him to get his results and personally hear what the Doc has had to say.

I know that at his last visit his numbers dropped again and his viral load went up but I don't know the exact numbers as he never said but they still did not put him on Meds. About a month ago he got sick - cold systems such as cough, runny nose, achey all over and the like. It took him about a week to get over. Now he is sick again with the same symptoms but now he also can't keep anything in his stomach. He has constant diarrhea after he eats and I can tell he is worried.

The thing is, I can't convince him to go to a Doctor. He swears it's just a cold and is waiting till it passes on its own. He was supposed to go to Austin this week for his 6 month blood draw but is scared that him being sick will make his numbers look worse than they really are (the Doctor has told him this is possible) so I am pretty sure he is going to reschedule his trip to the Doctor in Austin.

I guess what I am ultimately trying to figure out is, are these symptoms worrisome? And if so, what can I do to convince him to get to a Doctor and get it taken care of? I know the thought of going on Meds is scary for him since it's been so long and he hasn't needed them, but I don't want him to neglect his health if he needs to do something about it.

Thank you for the help and advice in advance.

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: Parter has been + for 15 years, I fear he is starting to get sick
« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2008, 06:16:33 pm »
Welcome to the Forums.

Even though you don't know his latest numbers, it sounds to me like he's no where near medication territory, which is not surprising given that he's a Long Term Non Progressor.

Sounds like he's got a cold, babe.

MtD

Offline BT65

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Re: Parter has been + for 15 years, I fear he is starting to get sick
« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2008, 07:05:51 pm »
Partners, welcome to the forums. 

I think, like Matty said, he's just caught some nasty bug.  His numbers have been consistently good, so I wouldn't worry about him progressing HIV wise.   With the diarrhea he's having, just make sure he's staying properly hydrated and all that.  Good luck.
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Offline J.R.E.

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  • Positive since 1985, joined forums 12/03
Re: Parter has been + for 15 years, I fear he is starting to get sick
« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2008, 07:54:10 pm »
Hello there,

My thoughts are, that diarrhea, is something that needs to be treated seriously, especially if this has been going on for a while. How long is a while? If I was dealing with diarrhea, for more than 4 consecutive days, I would be checking with a doctor for some advice,or suggestions, perhaps some tests. Is he having any other issues? Fatigue, weight loss ? He could very well have an intestinal bug, that may need to be treated with medication, so it is definetly worth it to try to convince him, one way or the other to get to a doctor and get checked out. Don't let things go on too long. Even though his numbers are good, does not mean that something is/may not be going on.


Take care-------Ray
Current Meds ; Viramune / Epzicom Eliquis, Diltiazem. Pravastatin 80mg, Ezetimibe. UPDATED 2/18/24
 Tested positive in 1985,.. In October of 2003, My t-cell count was 16, Viral load was over 500,000, Percentage at that time was 5%. I started on  HAART on October 24th, 2003.

 As of Oct 2nd, 2023, Viral load Undetectable.
CD 4 @676 /  CD4 % @ 18 %
Lymphocytes,absolute-3815 (within range)


72 YEARS YOUNG

Offline darwin

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Re: Parter has been + for 15 years, I fear he is starting to get sick
« Reply #4 on: June 10, 2008, 08:12:25 pm »
I think you should treat it as a non-hiv illness: Could be serious or could be benign.  It doesn't sound like he is at risk of an opportunistic infection due to HIV.  That doesn't mean he isn't at risk for something else unrelated to HIV.
October 2007 - Chose love/stupidity over protection
23 April - Diagnosed
30 April - CD4: 364/22.1% VL: 2,198
11 July - Started Viramune/Truvada
13 August - Undetectable

Offline xyahka

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Re: Parter has been + for 15 years, I fear he is starting to get sick
« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2008, 08:29:47 pm »
I personally think any illness should be looked after, specially diarrhoea (or however you spell it) but same like others i don't think he is near meds territory.

I also wouldn't take a cd4 test if i am sick, it pulls the numbers down. Just make sure he takes something and see some doctor for his stomache issue.

Juan Carlos
13/03/07 1er diagnóstico /Peso: 79kg
19/04/07 CD4: 494 /CViral: ?? /Peso: 80kg
19/07/07 CD4: 659 /CViral: ?? /Peso: 79.5kg
06/03/08 CD4: 573 (después de meses muy deprimido) /CViral: ?? /Peso: 79kg
17/09/08 CD4: ?? /CViral: ?? /Peso: 84Kg
06/02/09 CD4: ?? /CViral: ?? /Peso: 85Kg /HCV: Neg /HBV: Neg.
07/03/09 CD4: ?? /CViral: ?? /Peso: 87Kg / Gym 3días/semana y Natación 2días/semana.
12/05/09 CD4: 470 /Cviral: ?? /Peso: 87Kg.
08/07/09 CD4: ? /CViral: ? /Peso: 77Kg.
09/12/09 CD4: 510 /CViral: ? /Peso: 78kg. No medicinas aún
10/01/10 CD4: ? /CViral: ? /Peso: 76Kg.
15/05/10 CD4: 320 /CViral: ? /Peso: 76Kg.
01/02/11 CD4: 291 /CViral: ? /Peso: 78kg.
05/05/11 CD4: 366 /CViral: ? /Peso: 78kg.
27/07/11 CD4: 255 /CViral: 138000 /Peso: 78kg.

Disfrutando y aceptando una nueva vida...

Offline bocajock

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Re: Parter has been + for 15 years, I fear he is starting to get sick
« Reply #6 on: June 10, 2008, 08:54:57 pm »
Well i was kind of like your partner a slow non-progressor for years. I am a Nurse so i feel like most the diarrhea that has gone on for more than a couple of days needs to be looked at. It could very well be a parasitic infection due to his immune system being compromised from his long ongoing hIV infection. I would stress the importance of getting assessed by a Doctor obtaining a  Stool culture and Ova for Parasite. Your physician should know what tests to order. I hope it all works for the  best.
Nurse Erik

Offline redhotmuslbear

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Re: Parter has been + for 15 years, I fear he is starting to get sick
« Reply #7 on: June 11, 2008, 10:17:37 am »
PP,
As your partner appears to be a long-term non-progressor like me, I believe that his care is better administered close to home in a research and teaching setting, rather than a couple hundred miles away through a private doctor.  I also would suspect that whatever is ailing him is unrelated to HIV and that having a local doc who understands how special he is and who would treat him in most ways like the "average" sick person would help a great deal at times like these.  If I get a moment at the office today--or at least this evening--I'll PM you some leads on docs in Dallas.

Best,
David
"The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do." - BF Skinner
12-31-09   222wks VL  2430 CD4 690 (37%)
09-30-09   208wks VL  2050  CD4 925 (42%)
06-25-08   143wks VL  1359  CD4 668 (32%)  CD8 885
02-11-08   123wks off meds:  VL 1364 CD4 892(40%/0.99 ratio)
10-19-07   112wks off meds:   VL 292  CD4 857(37%/0.85 ratio)

One copy of delta-32 for f*****d up CCR5 receptors, and an HLA B44+ allele for "CD8-mediated immunity"... beteer than winning Powerball, almost!

 


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