Author Topic: CD4 and viremia!!! (Read 7894 times)

roca · « **on:** January 18, 2014, 11:13:39 am »

Hello,
I do not understand what happens to my medical tests. 125 CD4 positive in February 2013 did not viremia. I started medication KIVEXA, STOCRIN.
May 2013 501cd4 and viremia 441 (after 11 weeks of medication)
November 2013- 823cd4 not worked viremia
January 2014- 829cd4 viremia 136
It's been almost a year, no viremia was supposed to be small? CD4 climbed very well.
what happens to these tests? drugs do not work?
Thank you.

eric48 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 18, 2014, 05:00:37 pm »

As long as VL is decaying, even slowly, I guess your doctor was not worried

Happens to some people... I know it is stressfull... took me a while too...(1 year or so)

And with such a HUGE CD4 recovery (+700 !) in one year !

Congratulations and, BTW, welcome here

Keep being serious about adherence and dosing and you should be fine

(of course, this is just a patient opinion, but, in this forum you would certainly not be the first one with a slower decay and once again this is in the context of a vigourous CD4 gain)

Good job thus far

Eric

roca · « **Reply #2 on:** January 18, 2014, 06:10:26 pm »

Thanks Eric, is it true, i'm very stressed. Especially now increased blood fats (cholesterol and triglycerides)

mecch · « **Reply #3 on:** January 18, 2014, 06:28:41 pm »

Great immune rebound!
Maybe a viral load of 136 is a measuring error or just a tiny little blip. Did your doctor make any sort of comment on this number?

roca · « **Reply #4 on:** January 20, 2014, 07:06:58 am »

I spoke with the doctor wants to change medications. It's a good thing? What is this?
I'm worried.

mecch · « **Reply #5 on:** January 20, 2014, 07:49:58 am »

Well maybe he wants to see the virus fully suppressed, so a change of medicine could be a good thing. Nothing to worry about - changing meds.
It seems to be hard to judge a pattern for you because you haven't been on treatment for long, AND they skipped viral load tests, so there are not enough measures to show a trend over time.

eric48 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 20, 2014, 03:11:12 pm »

Quote from: roca on January 18, 2014, 11:13:39 am

I do not understand what happens to my medical tests. ..

Hi,

First, relax... There is no hurry and at CD4 800+, you are not at death door

This is a patients forum, so you will find nice people willing to share their experience.
Having read many posts here , I would say that your 'profile' is really out of your ordinary newbie poster

Usually, it is like:
Bla, Bla, I take X&Y , I went UD in X months and gained 150 CD4 , I 'm happy, bla bla

Yours is VERY unusual because you are quite close to UD and you have gained +700 CD4 in 6 months !

If you want people to help you better, you may want to explain a bit, especially where you live
So that we can relate to which treatment guidelines apply in your country

also, if you need a good reference on VL I would recommend the white paper published by Dr Taiwo

I have provided the link here:
http://tinyurl.com/HIVPharmaCure-19

Again... Please relax a bit. The meds that have taken you from CD4=125 to CD4=825 have not failed you. They have done a great job !
Maybe there is a need for a change... Let's see...

At CD4 = 800+ your immediate risk of opportunistic infection or any other nasties is very very very small (if not zero)

Hope this helps

Eric

roca · « **Reply #7 on:** January 20, 2014, 04:40:15 pm »

Thank you very much for the information. I am very stressful and I cried all day today. I am afraid and very afraid. For one year since I found out they are infected, my life is not the same as before. I wish my life before. I want everything to be as it was. I was a good sport and I was not used to being sick. What will happen from now on with me? I think I developed depression. Thank you for being close to me. Roca.

newt · « **Reply #8 on:** January 20, 2014, 05:53:10 pm »

Hello, do not be afraid

It takes a few people longer than 6 months to get to undetectable. You might stay on the Stocrin for a while and see what happens.

A change of meds is not necessarily bad.

It's just a virus, even if people think about it as something more. Your life is still your wonderful life.

Best wishes

- matt

eric48 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 20, 2014, 06:00:46 pm »

Hi Roca,

I also would rather opt for staying on same meds and see.

Yet, depending on the local ragulations in your coutry, your doctor may not be at this much liberty.

It would help if you would tell us the country or continent where you live

Also concerning the crying:
I'll will soon open a crying club, because i have become very good at it too...

Please cheer up!
Eric

roca · « **Reply #10 on:** January 20, 2014, 07:02:04 pm »

Hello,
If you remain on this combination of drugs is not dangerous? not grow louder viremia? I live in UE. As like to make a visit to the doctor to discuss possible alternatives these days. I plan to redo the analysis of viremia and said that there is no need.
Thank you for your encouragement.

mecch · « **Reply #11 on:** January 20, 2014, 07:22:38 pm »

Quote from: roca on January 20, 2014, 04:40:15 pm

Thank you very much for the information. I am very stressful and I cried all day today. I am afraid and very afraid. For one year since I found out they are infected, my life is not the same as before. I wish my life before. I want everything to be as it was. I was a good sport and I was not used to being sick. What will happen from now on with me? I think I developed depression. Thank you for being close to me. Roca.

You are doing GREAT on your treatment. You are "healthy" in a new definition of healthy. The challenges are probable psychological, social, maybe sometimes financial. Medical science knows very well what to do about this virus.

Listen, its human to think it, but its not possible to turn back time. You are the same person as before but now you have a chronic infection that science can control. You won't be sick more often than before. You can do all the sports you want.

If you are depressed, OK. Talk it out here or locally with other supportive people and especially HIV+ people - can you find some there?

roca · « **Reply #12 on:** February 09, 2014, 07:19:43 am »

Hello, I'm back. I talked to my doctor and decided that a period not to change medication. I asked if we repeat viremia and said that a period not repeat. Is it a good thing it?
Have a nice day.

eric48 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 09, 2014, 09:13:46 am »

you should be fine

don't worry

worrying will not help

Cheer up

Eric

roca · « **Reply #14 on:** February 10, 2014, 05:11:26 am »

Thanks Eric.

roca · « **Reply #15 on:** April 25, 2014, 06:32:13 pm »

Good news.

I received confirmation today.. UD!!!!

eric48 · « **Reply #16 on:** June 13, 2014, 03:47:42 pm »

This is great news!

But no much a big surprise...

I admit that long wait can create stress

You are responding very well to treatment: please keep this in mind whenever you have a sad day

Congrats

Eric

roca · « **Reply #17 on:** June 13, 2014, 05:52:24 pm »

Before treatment I had such high triglycerides. Monday I'm going to talk to my doctor about treatment options for reducing blood fat. Now are Epzicon and Sustiva and treatment went well. CD4 climbed well. In February 2013 when I discovered the infection had CD4 125 and then after I started my treatment at 11 weeks CD4 increased to 500 in less then a year rose to over 800 and now we CD4 938. Viremia Also dropped. Now they are undetectable. The problems are with these fats in the blood, depression, and the fact that I gained belly and hips. Insomnia, can not sleep at night and day are soft. Thank you.

eric48 · « **Reply #18 on:** June 13, 2014, 07:14:37 pm »

Quote from: roca on June 13, 2014, 05:52:24 pm

Before treatment I had such high triglycerides. ...

This why I asked... There are some medications good at reducing LDL . Generally Statin (rovustatin aka Crestor) is what I take (small dose). I do not recall that they can lower the triglycirides, but they can lower LDL

Honnest, I think Statins do not go well with me. It is more like an incidious effect... I try to keep dosage of statins low (only half pill)

Insomnia, depression

Well... this regimen did good for you : strong recovery of CD4 from 125 to 938 in 1 year!

You have reasons to be happy

But you are not married to Epzicon and Sustiva...

I can change the timing of Epzicom , for a while in the morning, for a while in the evening.
For me, Epzicom in the morning is best

Because I can do some experiments (morning or evening) I have always suspected Epzicom in my sleep/anxiety issues

Personnally, after reading from this Forum, if you have depressive state, I would talk to my Doctor and replace Sustiva. It is a good drug, but still affect ca. 15% of users for the brain issues.

Replacement options include: Raltegravir, Viramune, Edurant, (all of which should be favorable also for the lipids)

Then may be later on, replace Epzicom with Truvada, may be...

Cholesterol is a concern... I understand

But, depression and Insomnia is more 'dangerous' than Cholesterol.

You can live one more year with Cholestrerol , but, can you life nicely with depression and insomnia ?

See if you can remove Sustiva, first... the you will see

written in simplified language for non-English speakers

Eric

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