POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: angelgaby on February 18, 2010, 04:49:37 pm
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anyone know beginning signs of pcp..doc told me starting meds it can happen..feeling a bit crappy and a little nervous
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If you feel crappy and you just started meds, please, call your doctor.
That's not to say that you will need to live the whole rest of your life stepping on eggshells. Once you have been on meds for a while and are stable and all you can go back to your normal routine with your doctor. But your doc would probably appreciate it if you erred on the side of cautioun when you first start up.
That said, PCP doesn't seem like the most likely thing to rear its head when you start meds. Is your tcell count under 200? If so, you should be on Bactrim or Dapsone to prevent pcp anyway. And if you are above 200, PCP is pretty rare.
But do take care of yourself. It is good to be cautious at the start.
A
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Pretty sure PCP starts with a terrible cough that won't go away. Starting your meds would in no way incur the wrath of the PCP gods though.
Unless of course you're taking PCP (Angeldust) in which case who knows what could happen? Amirite?!
No, in all seriousness, any new medication may make you feel a little off while your body gets accustomed to having it in the system.
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Dry unproductive cough and an increasing level of breathlessness as the fluid filled cysts reduce your lung capacity.
MtD
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i never had a cough. I felt I had the flu. On day #7 when I could barely lift my head from the pillow and had thrown up once an hour for 6 hours, I went to the ER and found out it was PCP. Two years later the same symptoms still without coughing (on day #5) sent me to the hospital to be diagnosed with "regular" pnuemonia. Flu-like symptoms still scare me still 10 years later ;)
increasing level of breathlessness
it was quite amazing how not having enough O2 in your blood will weaken you. Lifting my head or a hand was nearly more than I could accomplish.
Starting your meds would in no way incur the wrath of the PCP gods though.
the OP didn't post any numbers; but if he's starting meds because his tcells are below 200 (mine were only 5 when I had PCP), it's quite possible the doc warned that PCP might still be a possiblity until the OP's meds have had sufficient time to work. It's quite possible, if his counts were very low and viral load high, that the OP still could be in danger of an OI for several more weeks, until the prescribed meds begin to fight off the HIV and his immune system recovers sufficiently.
Keep taking your meds, Angel, and if you're feeling quite "flu-ish" (rather than feeling a possible side effect from the meds) then contact your doctor.
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my t cell count is around 50, that was about three weeks before starting meds. im having horrible back pain and some heavy feeling in my chest.. i dont want to be dramatic an call dr if its somethng from meds..it didnt start until a few days ago. i tried ben gay, pain killers but nothing really doing trick. may just have to call doc, i dont need anymore bad news. :(
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Angel,
It sounds like a call to the sawbones might be a wise decision.
MtD
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my t cell count is around 50, that was about three weeks before starting meds.
with an immune system that damaged, you aren't being dramatic, you're just being cautious. There'll be plenty of times in the years ahead to debate on whether to contact the doctor or go to an ER. Less than a month from having a cd count that low is not the time to dicker, it's the time to take aggressive action against any illness so it doesn't end up being something you can't fight off.
best wishes! contact you doc tomorrow, or go to the ER. ;)
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Hi Angel,
Are you currently on Bactrim or Dapsone. If not, you should be, if your t-cell count is below 200.
Ray
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PCP?
THE COUGH FROM HELL![/b]\
Followed by shortness of breath when moving- AT ALL.
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my t cell count is around 50, that was about three weeks before starting meds. im having horrible back pain and some heavy feeling in my chest.. i dont want to be dramatic an call dr if its somethng from meds..it didnt start until a few days ago. i tried ben gay, pain killers but nothing really doing trick. may just have to call doc, i dont need anymore bad news. :(
angel, with 50 tcells you are definitely not being dramatic. call the doctor if you have any worries and definitely make sure you're on a propholactic (Bactrim is recommended most often but you'll be given Dapson if you, like me, are allergic to sulfa drugs.
as for pcp, I first had fever, night sweats, couldn't walk more than two blocks without almost passing out for lack of air. the coughs came a little later for me but I didn have a heavy chest.
Good luck!!