Hi everybody

[g_ale]

Hi everybody,
I'm a new member and i found really interesting this forum and all the help that you can give and receive.
This september my brother found out was HIV positive, and he told me right away.
We were really scared, he was not in good health (dermatidis, candida and bronchitis) and his CD4 count (the first after the test) was very low 80. He start the therapy in october with Reyataz Norvir Truvada. and after one month he started to feel much better (because he also started antibiotic therapy to treat bronchitis)  the viral count decreased and CD4+ up to 205. but after the second month of therapy the viral load still decreased to 5000 but the CD4 were the same 210.
I'm sorry if I can't be more precise about the numbers but i will. I trust the doctor who's taking care of him but i'm a little bit worried. If the therapy is able to keep the VL low does the CD4 count always increase ? even if you start from a very low lever of CD4 and your immune system seemed to be so compromised?
Thank you very much for your time, I'm the only one that is closed to him and the only one that can help him, so i need to know everything is possible.

[RapidRod]

It can take years for the CD4 levels to increase starting at a low CD4 level.

[Sebastian1969]

Welcome. 
My understanding is that it can take a long time for cd counts to rise.  Going from 80 to over 200 is great, they more than doubled.
There are a lot of things that can effect the cd count-colds, flu, any infection, and so on.  It will take the body a while to "heal" and build them back up now that the VL is lower.
Your brother is lucky to have a sister such as yourself.  Hang in there, keep reading, learning and asking questions--it make things easier and doesn't make us feel so helpless.

[g_ale]

Thank you both for the answers!!
Sebastian, thanks also for your support, it's very important really.
I told my brother everything I've learned from this forum, I'm trying to help him not to worry and that the therapies today are really effective and that he can have, with time, a good quality of life.
next lab results will be after january 4th. I hope the numbers will be good. I have a question about it. he took the flu shot for H1N1 last month. could it affect the results?
Thanks again for everything !

[Sebastian1969]

G_ale,

I don't think the flu shot would effect the numbers.  My other half had his flu shot and his next set of numbers were better than the last.  The less he has to fight flu's, colds and that kind of stuff now the better his numbers should be.  January 4th must be the day for blood draws--that is when we go back to the doctor for more.