POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: pinkadam on October 17, 2006, 08:08:44 pm
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Hi Guys
Recently diagnosed HIV+ (Tcell 57 and VL 70000). Suffered from PCP pnumonia and finally feeling normal after couple of weeks of medication. My doctor still want me to take Mepron(allergic to Bactrim) once a day rather than twice day.
Currently on Truvada and Sustiva. How would i know this is the right medication and what all the things i should watch out.
Iam back to work after 5 weeks. I feel good some days and some days i feel little down along with diziness(which is a side effect of sustiva).
Also iam trying to figure out what all the things i should watch out. My doctor suggest that i should do everything i used to do before i was diagnosed of HIV. For me this is kind of hard to believe as this is a deadly disease and my doc treats me like a regular disease. He never seem to be concerned. This is worrying me alot.
I dont know if iam being paranoid.
All suggestions welcome !!!
Thanks a lot
Tony
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Tony,
I am in a similar boat. My doctor tells me to go on living my life as I always have and even though I feel good and my side effects of treatment are not too bad its just hard to do I guess. I am working at the same rate although I'm dodging going into big cities at the moment. I guess once I get my first few test results out of the way to see how the drugs are working I might feel a little more comfortable carrying on as usual. Hopefully this will pass and is more of a mental challenge.
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Hey Tony,
The Mepron is needed until your CD4s rebound to a comfortable level, usually above 200 and, better still, above 250, so your doc sounds like he is right on the mark there.
Truvada and Sustiva work very well for some, in fact, many people. You must be diligent in taking the medications, i.e. taking them when your are supposed to and not skipping doses. That is very important.
The side effects of the Sustive should wear off or at least lessen considerably in two weeks to two months.
Regarding other things to watch out for, one of the first would be not to let the "what ifs" govern your life. I know this isn't easy, especially when you are recently diagnosed and have already had a run-in with an OI like PCP.
One of the problems with this disease is it behaves differently from one person to another. I have known people who had CD4 counts of less than 10 who lived for a long while without a problem. Likewise, I have known others who have had relatively high CD4 counts and still had problem after problem.
It is a very individual thing.
First thing i would do is read through the lessons here at this site. They give a good overview of the disease, the opportunistic infections and the medications.
Just take your time reading them. There is a lot to absorb.
I agree with your doctor regarding continuing to live your life. I would just add that in all things, use moderation. I also, just because it is prudent, would forego drinking, or at least heavy drinking, because alcohol by itself can lower your CD4 levels.
I know telling you to try to continue to live your life probably rings pretty hollow at this point. But life does go on, It is different from this point forward, but different needn't be bad, It can be very good too.
There are a few things to watch out for because of your CD4 level.
Be careful with your food. No undercooked meats, poultry or fish. No soft ripened cheese, such as Camembert, Bleu or Brie, and no undercooked eggs. (Both yolks and whites should be fully cooked, not runny.)
Wash all fruits and vegetables and make sure you practice good kitchen hygiene at home.
I don't know if this is what you were looking for or if this helps.
If you have some specific questions, please ask and I or someone here will certainly try to do our best to answer them, if we can.
Keep posting and let us know how you are doing.
HUGS,
Mark
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Mark
You answered most of my questions.I just wanna make sure iam doing things right. I know some one who went to India ,ate bad food(on streets) ,came back to US and hospitalized and died.
So iam trying to figure out what i shoud avaoid totally.
With Love
Tony
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Hey Pink,
Glad I was some help.
I don't want to put too fine a point on it, but food-borne illnesses can be very dangerous to us hi-fivers.
Your friend did something that is a real no-no. NEVER eat from street vendors, either in the U.S. or elsewhere. If your CD4s were higher, it might not be as much a threat, but at 57, I would avoid them.
Just another note, watch out for cold cuts (bologna, salami, etc.) They are among the most dangerous things you can eat. If you do want to include them in your diet, microwave the slice of bologna or whatever for 30 seconds to a minute, so that it is hot. That will kill any bacteria.
Also, make sure any cheese or milk product is made with pastuerized milk. There are some aged cheeses that may not be.
A little diligence can pay big health dividends.
HUGS,
Mark
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Hello Tony,
Just to add, to what has already been stated( and this is quite basic, but very important. Get in the habit( if you are not already) of washing your hands more often, especially now during flu season.
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/diseases/washing_hands.html
Take care----Ray