Very scared - Hi

[veryscary]

Hi benboy , CaveyUk
i was diagnosed 7 days ago , with CD4 120 and VL 26000 ...... i am soooooo very scared , can't cope with this so good...... started taking my meds (Trustiva available in my country ) my doc is trying to cheer me up but....... does our CD4 count mean we are with AIDS diagnose already ?
Does this mean that long life prognosis for  HIV + people doesn't apply to us ?!
what can i expect ?! what are you're doctors saying about this ?
Thank you in advance

[Jim Allen]

Hi

Look I split your post into its own thread, it so we can better help you and also so we don't side track the other persons thread. Sorry to hear of your diagnosis, where you are from this is counted as late stage diagnosis. It would only be classified as AIDS if you had a opportunistic infection.

However don't stress many here had far lower CD4 counts than you have including myself and we go on to be just fine with treatment  So will you be and you doctor is not only trying to cheer you up, but he/she is correct you have every reason to have a bright and positive outlook on life.

Does this mean that long life prognosis for  HIV + people doesn't apply to us ?!

You can expect to live a long and productive life equally boring to the HIV negative populations.

what are you're doctors saying about this ?

I will outlive her, that's what she says.

I see you started Trustiva, this has 2 possible combinations as it can be slightly different depending on the nation and for your location I could not find the composition. I am guessing its  " tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg, emtricitabine 200 mg, efavirenz 600 mg. "

Anyhow its a solid treatment and I am sure you will be fine just keep on the treatment.

Jim

[veryscary]

Hi everyone ,
I am a new diagnosed person , 7 days ago .I am in a long term relationship and my girlfriend came back negative ( Thank God we used condoms for contraception ). My initial CD4 was 120 and VL 260000 , I started Tenofovir/Efavirenz/Emtricitabine as prescribed .
My question is ..... what chances do we have of having a family , I've read lot of things on the net saying it is doable but ..... has it actually been done ? do you know some couple that has done it ?! Can I hope to be a long term survivor ?!?!  ....
   

[Jim Allen]

There are many HIV positive parents here so yes its very possible.

Look life with HIV goes on as normal, its not a big game changer. In short take your meds and live your life.

In short expect to have to work, pay bills, pay the rent, fall in love, get married if you are into that or don't, have kids if that's the plan.  Simply put life with HIV in the scheme of things goes on as normal, and with treatment Life expectancy has reached near normal and so you should expect to live a long and productive life.

When you and your GF are ready to have kids, there are a number of ways also the old fashioned way, its the cheapest and more fun 

You would need to talk to a doctor at stage, but if you GF is nervous they can work out a PREP routine that would be suitable given it's pregnancy as goal to provide her with additional reassurance.

However in short even without the PREP, once you are suppressing the virus (UD) for more than 6 months and remain adherent the risk during natural conception would be negligible . So that's good news. 

However in terms of HIV here is the consensus statement that may give you peace of mind. http://www.preventionaccess.org/consensus

People living with HIV on ART with an undetectable viral load in their blood have a negligible risk of sexual transmission of HIV.  Depending on the drugs employed it may take as long as six months for the viral load to become undetectable. Continued and reliable HIV suppression requires selection of appropriate agents and excellent adherence to treatment. HIV viral suppression should be monitored to assure both personal health and public health benefits.
​
Take care

Jim

EDIT PS.

Can I hope to be a long term survivor ?!?!  ...

Well as I already answered above, yes but for most I would not call it surviving anymore, its just living and yes you can live a long life with correctly treated HIV

https://www.poz.com/article/life-expectancy-24972-2090

http://www.aidsmap.com/Life-expectancy-now-considerably-exceeds-the-average-in-some-people-with-HIV-in-the-US/page/2816267/

Jim

[Tonny2]

        OJO        @VERYSCARY

HELLO AND WELCOME...LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, I ALREADY LIKE YOU, BECAUSE YOU ARE THE FIRST ONE AND WORRYING ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO DEPENDSS ON YOU.

I READ YOUR REPLY TO MY POST, I APPRECIATE YOUR WORDS, BUT AS YOU READ, HOPE DIES LAST, I'M STILL HERE AFTER 22 YEARS OF LIVING WITH AIDS, CD=20, AND HIV FOR 10 YEARS, CD4=649...YOUR FUTURE LOOKS BETTER THAN MINE VECAUSE THE MEDICATIONS ARE DOING THEIR JOB, EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE NOT A VIP MEMBER OF THIS CLUB, BECAUSE OF YOUR MEDS, YOU HAVE A GREAT TREATMENT, AS LONG AS YOU TOLERATE IT AND TAKE IT AS PRESCRIBED...SO, PLEASE RELAX, I KNOW THAT IS SCARY, BUT YOU WILL BE FINE...KEEP MAKING PLANS FOR THE FUTURE...AS FOR YOU WANTING TO BE A DADDY, YOU WILL BE ABLE, BUT FIRST, YOU HAVE TO DIGEST THE BAD NEWS AND TAKE YOUR GIRLFRIEND WITH YOU TO HE ID SPECIALIST, SO BOTH OF YOU CAN EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT HOW TO LIVE A HEALTHY SEXUAL LIFE...JUST A THOUGHT...YOUR GIRL FRIEND MUST LOVE YOU A LOT, MY RESPECTS TO HER, CHERISH HER..PLEASE KEEP US POSTED AND BEST OF LUCK FOR YOU TWO...HUGS...AH!, YOU ARE NOT ALONE, WE ARE HERE FOR YOU ANYTIME, ALL THE TIME   MORE HUGS           OJO