POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: mikeyb39 on June 10, 2011, 09:19:31 pm
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Hi all,
I received my latest labs today after about 7 months on treatment. My doctor called and we spoke on the phone and went over all the info. I must say I kinda zoned out after hearing my cd4/vl numbers, he seemed to be happy with the numbers, but for some reason I was hoping for a little better like UD, but he says im almost there. Maybe I set my goals too high, but I figured I would be UD by now and was really hoping to reach the 500'S on CD4'S.
Anyways we will see what happens in next 4 months. On a good note I was syphillis free. woo hoo! Cholesterol is little elevated about 20 points from the normal, but doc doesn't seemed to be too worried about it. I guess I need to watch what i'm eating I dont want to have to be on cholesterol meds as well.
Anyone have any advice on supplements that will help with cholesterol levels? I do excercise regularly and try to eat somone healthy most of the time, but sometimes slip from time to time.
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You're pretty damned close to UD, you'll probably be Ud by next week ;D
Nice numbers, good job.
Also, it took me a year to go UD and I can't say it affected me adversely in any way. Some peeps go Ud extremely quickly, some take their sweet time.
-Will
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Your numbers are good Mikey -
Check out my signature line and you will see that Atripla usually takes a couple of blood draw rounds to show its "UD" effect.
The bad part about Atripla is that it will push the triglycerides up.... my cholesterol is within range, but my trigs keep going up..... Doc put my on Lopid. Of course, my diet isn't the best and I smoke - both don't help matters any.
I am working on improving the diet and have started to cut back on the cigarettes - hopefully, I will soon be reporting that I have completely quit them.
Can your doc give you a referral to a nutritionist? If so, they may be able to lay out a good diet plan that will lower the cholesterol and also suggest some other supplements that may assist.
Best to you - and once again, congrats on the new numbers.
-Phil
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thanks Willy and Phil for the replies :) I may eventually do the nutrionist route depending on how the next labs go.
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WOW!!!
Those numbers are GREAT! Congrats!
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Congratulations on the numbers!
And 20 points up on the cholesterol is not at all a big number on a cholesterol scale-- a little less sugar in the diet, maybe a fish oil capsule, keep up the exercise...
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Hey, soooo close!
There are supplements out that that will lower your cholesterol such as Red Rice Yeast but I would stay away from it since it can affect your liver.
A Fish oil capsule though shouldn't hurt, and less In and Out Burgers :-)
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Hi all,
I received my latest labs today after about 7 months on treatment. My doctor called and we spoke on the phone and went over all the info. I must say I kinda zoned out after hearing my cd4/vl numbers, he seemed to be happy with the numbers, but for some reason I was hoping for a little better like UD, but he says im almost there. Maybe I set my goals too high, but I figured I would be UD by now and was really hoping to reach the 500'S on CD4'S.
Anyways we will see what happens in next 4 months. On a good note I was syphillis free. woo hoo! Cholesterol is little elevated about 20 points from the normal, but doc doesn't seemed to be too worried about it. I guess I need to watch what i'm eating I dont want to have to be on cholesterol meds as well.
Anyone have any advice on supplements that will help with cholesterol levels? I do excercise regularly and try to eat somone healthy most of the time, but sometimes slip from time to time.
Mike- I have new numbers as well (see sig). Nothing earth shattering but maintaining. I am older than you so I expected it to take longer for me to build those CD4s.
If I can ask, why did your doc check you for syphilis? My IDS did the same at my last visit but I don't have the results back yet. I was wondering if there was some kind of study going on. I guess I should have asked but I was in a hurry to get out of there and go swimming.
Peace,
Billy
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Syphilis in Houston is a HUGE problem in the gay community:
http://www.houstontx.gov/health/NewsReleases/syphilis.html
Syphilis and HIV: a dangerous combination
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15219556
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If I can ask, why did your doc check you for syphilis? My IDS did the same at my last visit but I don't have the results back yet. I was wondering if there was some kind of study going on. I guess I should have asked but I was in a hurry to get out of there and go swimming.
Peace,
Billy
Mikey's doc may have had a different reason, but my doc typically does a syphilis titer every year. My first year it was every six months. One of the reasons for mine was that I had syphilis before and they want to make sure that there is no reccurrence.
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High Billy,
My doctor sees alot of cases of Syph here in dallas as well, so its just an automatic thing that he's done for years when I have blood work. Its just a nasty thing to get in combination with HIV, so I agree to it. Since they take 6 tubes of blood might as well check that off the list as well.
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Syphilis is apparently a growing problem in the Austin area, and Texas in general. The Resource Center Dallas was pushing this "Stomp Out Syphilis" awareness campaign earlier this year, apparently a statewide effort. Their PSAs on the radio back in January were so frequent that they almost became the butt of jokes -- but I guess it got people talking.
http://www.stompout.org/ (http://www.stompout.org/)
If you are sexually active, then your doctor should be testing you for syphilis (unless you are in a 100% completely monogamous relationship). My doctor asks me every time I go visit him for my labs: have you been sexually active, is there a reason I should test you for syphilis? One of these days, if I ever have sex again, I'd like to be able to tell him "yes". ;)
Regards,
Henry
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Syphilis in Houston is a HUGE problem in the gay community:
http://www.houstontx.gov/health/NewsReleases/syphilis.html
Syphilis and HIV: a dangerous combination
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15219556
Drew- Thanks for the links. I was screened when I first found out that I was + but I did not know a lot of the information that you provided. My clinic now has Ryan White Funding so I thought that this could have been the reason. My visit before this I was question about my "activities" and safe practices. I just laughted and told my IDS that there wasn't much action around for a 56 year old gay man!
Peace,
Billy
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Great numbers Mikey! And yeah you'll be UD in no time.