POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Someone I Care About Has HIV => Topic started by: Sebastian1969 on April 02, 2010, 03:45:43 pm
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My partner started Atripla in Sept/October and he was at 190,000 VL and 106 Cd. Then in November the numbers went to 18,000 VL (if I remember correctly) and 235 CD. In December the doc told him to come back in 3 months for the next blood draw and saw no reason numbers wouldn't continue to improve. In March the VL is undetectable and CD count is at 285. Should the CD count be rising faster? I do not know what the percentage is--or even what percentage to ask the doctor for. My partner has been under a great deal of stress with work and family and a week before the last test his father pasted.
Am I worried about nothing?
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Am I worried about nothing?
Yes, because that's an admirable rise in cd4s considering how low they were when he began treatment.
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My experience is pretty much the same even if the numbers are slightly different. I've been told that CD4's tend to respond slower than the VL drops. Plus just about anything can cause a shift in CD4 numbers. Just because you don't feel sick doesn't mean your immune system isn't doing its thing. If a co-worker gets a cold your CDs's go to work even if you don't get sick. That could cause a drop in the numbers or slow their recovery.
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Thanks all. I think the doctor was hoping for a higher rise, but as I have read through others stories and numbers on here, I thought that the numbers are looking good considering how long his immune system has been fighting the HIV and with all the stress and emotions. Hoping that the CD number continues to rise. Without having a starting point, we will never know what is "normal" for him.