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Author Topic: Hi!  (Read 11390 times)

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Offline britchick

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Hi!
« on: June 30, 2012, 09:40:06 am »
Hi!

Thanks to each and every one of you for being "you"!.Im in my late thirties and living over in the UK!

I had been feeling ill for so long and just trying to get through each day.
I had no idea what was wrong!!!
I was diagnosed at the end of Feb 2012......PCP,CMV,Pneumonia, pneumonitis...cd4 count of 43...........that was a shock!(Consultant thought I was 10 yrs into diagnosis)

I had an 8yr relationship overseas......ended it 2 yrs ago after finding out my now ex partner had lied......now I can piece everything together ....he knew........and did not tell me!

You are all amazing !I was in hospital for months , then came home....this site has helped me so much....I hope its ok to ask you all some questions?!!!!!

Im still so tired....all the time ....not back at work yet, not sleeping much, started Eviplera A.k.a Complera.

Fed up of myself....because  I keep trying to do more and dont have the energy!

Lots of pain in my back, knees and feet.....originally told it was Fybromyalgia before this diagnosis.....still on bactrim, fluconazole and fluoxetine too!

Ok ...thats enough of my moans for now!!!!

Once again ..thanks everyone....I am really glad that  I found you!

Britchick x

Ps Only my close family know and they are supporting me.



Offline britchick

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Re: Hi!
« Reply #1 on: June 30, 2012, 09:48:58 am »
OOps ....thanks for the PM Average  Joe.Sorry to ask but do I have to post a few times before  I can reply to PM?

If so .....I am half scots/half english....I dont live in London ..but used to!

Offline Jeff G

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Re: Hi!
« Reply #2 on: June 30, 2012, 10:20:57 am »
Welcome to the forums britchick . After you post 3 times you can send Pm's .

I'm sorry you tested poz but glad you found us . Keep taking your meds and you will eventually regain your strength and stamina , in the meantime go easy on yourself and try not to over do it . Best of luck .   
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Offline Ann

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    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: Hi!
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2012, 11:07:26 am »
Hi Britchick, welcome to the forums.

I'm in the Isle of Man. I usually refer to it as "The Rock". :) 

I go to Liverpool for my hiv care though. Don't like the hiv doctor they fly in to the IoM from Manchester once a month. I've been told (by someone who would know) that he's the least respected hiv specialist in the UK. He gave me the creeps, too. I'm happy with the clinic in Liverpool, so that's where I hope to keep going (been going there 11 years now).

Hugs,
Ann
xxx
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline drewm

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Re: Hi!
« Reply #4 on: June 30, 2012, 11:13:56 am »
Welcome to the forums!  :)
Diagnosed in  May of 2010 with teh AIDS.

PCP Pneumonia . CD4 8 . VL 500,000

TRIUMEQ - VALTREX -  FLUOXETINE - FENOFIBRATE - PRAVASTATIN - CIALIS


Numbers consistent since 12/2010 - VL has remained undetectable and CD4 is anywhere from 275-325

Offline emeraldize

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Re: Hi!
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2012, 03:47:06 pm »
Welcome BC!!

Offline britchick

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  • Posts: 487
Re: Hi!
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2012, 08:54:59 am »
Thanks for your welcomes!
I've  been reading the board for about 6 wks......took time to pluck up the courage to post!


Ann, Liverpool is "sound"!I had some friends in Birkenhead!My Consultant and clinic and GP are good too.




Cheers again!

Britchick x

Offline Ann

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  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: Hi!
« Reply #7 on: July 01, 2012, 10:22:28 am »

Ann, Liverpool is "sound"!


I love Liverpool. I always say that if I win the Lottery, I'll buy a flat in Liverpool City Centre (have you seen some of the luxury flats down at Albert or Princes Dock?), a cottage here on The Rock, and a helicopter to fly back and forth between them. And of course I'd hire a really fit helicopter pilot too, so I could sit in the co-pilot's seat and ogle him during the flight. ;D
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Mrmojorisin

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Re: Hi!
« Reply #8 on: July 01, 2012, 11:08:20 am »
Welcome! Nice to meet you  8)
Started Meds On 5/1/2012 Norvair, Truvada, Prezista, and Bactrim

4/17/2012--CD4 83/ VL 353,000  7.0%
5/15/2012--CD4 218/ VL 4,970    14.1%
6/27/2012--CD4 146/ VL 420      6.1%
10/11/2012-CD4-223/ VL-62       9.5%
2/14/2013--CD4-215/ VL-119      13.6%
7/3/2013---CD4-256/ VL-UD       18.0%
10/18/2013 CD4-223/ VL-UD       22.2%
01/23/2014-CD4-381/VL-UD       25.3%--Dropped the Bactrim
05/01/2014 CD4-370/VL-UD       23.5%
01/08/2015 CD4-455/VL-UD       28.7%
06/18/2015 CD4-422/VL-UD       31.9%
01/07/2016 CD4-275/VL-UD       31.3%
02/10/2016 Switch meds to Tivicay and Truvada
04/25/2016 CD4-426/VL-UD        34.1%
07/14/2016 CD4-414/VL-UD        38.0%

"arrrrhhhhh ahhrrhhhhh aaaarrhhh"- Chewbacca

Offline britchick

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  • Posts: 487
Re: Hi!
« Reply #9 on: July 03, 2012, 06:35:07 am »
Hey......A flat at the  docks in Liverpool sounds great!
I am overwhelmed with the support and well wishes on this board.....funny how  I cant talk to my friends but can type away here no probs!!!!!!!!

Offline Ann

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  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: Hi!
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2012, 09:51:09 am »
So how are you feeling now? Any better? When do you next go for an appointment? I hope you see a nice fat increase in your CD4s and get to an undetectable viral load real soon. :)

In the meantime, don't push yourself too hard. You've been through a lot and you need to let your body heal - and it will heal in time. Hang in there!

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline britchick

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  • Posts: 487
Re: Hi!
« Reply #11 on: July 04, 2012, 07:56:26 am »
Cheers!

My CD4 count has jumped from 43 Feb to 383 by mid  April.Im still waiting for my June results.

Viral load has gone down lots too.

Im going to start a thread re fatigue...as  i seem to be getting worse in that way!

Britchick x


Offline Ann

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    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: Hi!
« Reply #12 on: July 04, 2012, 08:37:35 am »
That's a fantastic improvement in your viral load.

As for the fatigue, you've been through a lot and your body will still be healing. Give it time and get plenty of rest! You might be trying to do too much, too soon. I'll go read your fatigue thread to see if you've added any other details.

Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline britchick

  • Member
  • Posts: 487
Re: Hi!
« Reply #13 on: July 04, 2012, 11:29:19 am »
Ann!

Cheers....new thread is "Tired....all the time!!!!!!!!"
The board is definetly helping me!

Britchick x

Offline AgilityAddict

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  • Posts: 18
Re: Hi!
« Reply #14 on: July 09, 2012, 12:42:05 pm »
Hi Britchick

Just to say hallo, from a fellow Britchick of similar age. What an awful shock and traumatic experience you've been through! Hang in there girl. Be very patient with yourself. Your body has been through an awful lot (not to mention your mind and soul)!! It can take many many months to recover from something like this, but human bodies are remarkably resilient. You're on the road to recovery and you will get there, but be very, very patient and kind to yourself.

Sending you very best wishes!

Offline drewm

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  • Posts: 1,248
Re: Hi!
« Reply #15 on: July 09, 2012, 12:54:52 pm »
So how are you feeling now? Any better? When do you next go for an appointment? I hope you see a nice fat increase in your CD4s and get to an undetectable viral load real soon. :)

In the meantime, don't push yourself too hard. You've been through a lot and you need to let your body heal - and it will heal in time. Hang in there!

Ann

Ann is right on. It takes time to heal but you will heal. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

All the best

Drew
Diagnosed in  May of 2010 with teh AIDS.

PCP Pneumonia . CD4 8 . VL 500,000

TRIUMEQ - VALTREX -  FLUOXETINE - FENOFIBRATE - PRAVASTATIN - CIALIS


Numbers consistent since 12/2010 - VL has remained undetectable and CD4 is anywhere from 275-325

Offline britchick

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  • Posts: 487
Re: Hi!
« Reply #16 on: July 10, 2012, 05:00:01 am »
Hi Agility Addict and drewMr  !

Cheers for the replies.

Im definetly on the way re recovery.I had no understanding of how long it would take ....the board is great in people sharing their experiences.....because I had so many questions and  im finding out the answers  by reading here!n !!!!!!!!!!!

I was finally given sleeping tablets ....just a 7 day supply.... to try and regulate sleep again and let me tell you ..it worked last night.I slept for 8 hrs straight....still woke early but feel a wee bit better this morning!

Britchick x


Offline intaglio

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Re: Hi!
« Reply #17 on: July 15, 2012, 04:02:50 am »
Re: fatigue.

I had a toxic reaction to Bactrim. It was a slow reaction and took several weeks to happen. It caused pain in my legs and feet due to the slow leaching of phosphorous and salt. I thought it was simple fatigue also. When I finally went to the ER, my saline levels were so low, the attending physician said I should have been in a coma. :/

Please mention your aching feet and legs to your doctor. I was told this was one of the signs of having a reaction to Bactrim.
Reality is frequently inaccurate.

Offline britchick

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Re: Hi!
« Reply #18 on: July 15, 2012, 06:01:49 am »
Hi Intaglio!

Thanks for your reply!I will mention it to doc.
Weird that  I couldn't tolerate Bactrim through the IVly)(4 x daily, if I remember) in hosp especially the doses during the night!I hated it!I seem better with it in tablet form, just once a day.

Were you given the potassium drink?Its minging!!!!!!!!I had it twice a day for about a week.....One of the nurses would tell me she was bringing me my morning "vodka"!

(I wish it had been vodka!)
Did you get a rash ?

BritchickX


Offline emeraldize

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Re: Hi!
« Reply #19 on: July 15, 2012, 01:35:36 pm »
Alright, please clue me in so that I can speak well when I'm in the UK.

What is   minging?


Offline Ann

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    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: Hi!
« Reply #20 on: July 15, 2012, 01:45:49 pm »

What is   minging?


Nasty, usually (but not always) in reference to a smell or taste. Generally pronounced ming-en.

Phwoar - yer mingin'! Go take a shower, ya divvy!

I think I'm gonna be sick - that food was mingin'!
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline emeraldize

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Re: Hi!
« Reply #21 on: July 15, 2012, 03:34:03 pm »
Oh my, thanks Ann! What a civilized sounding word for the matter.

So I'll not be dancing along belting out "I'm Minging in the Rain, Just Minging in the Rain, what a glorious feeling I'm stenchy again.."

Offline britchick

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Re: Hi!
« Reply #22 on: July 16, 2012, 02:55:04 am »
That made me laugh this morning!!!!!!!
In Scotland we have lots of words to describe nasty or horrible....I just saw a Scottish film....  "The Angels Share" .... filmed in Glasgow/Edinburgh and the  Highlands and wondered if other countries would have a clue what was going on.

I used to love meeting scots all over the world when I used to travel  a lot.....you just automatically launch into using those words!

Britchick X

PS Hope  I never have to drink potassium again!


Offline Ann

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    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: Hi!
« Reply #23 on: July 16, 2012, 06:40:49 am »
That made me laugh this morning!!!!!!!
In Scotland we have lots of words to describe nasty or horrible....I just saw a Scottish film....  "The Angels Share" .... filmed in Glasgow/Edinburgh and the  Highlands and wondered if other countries would have a clue what was going on.

I used to love meeting scots all over the world when I used to travel  a lot.....you just automatically launch into using those words!

Britchick X

PS Hope  I never have to drink potassium again!



Oddly enough, even though I'm a Yank by birth, I've always had an affinity for a Scottish accent. I remember the first time I ever saw Billy Connolly on telly, probably January '87 (remember back in the day when Channel 4 had good late-night programming with no adverts?).

My (now ex) husband and I were in Burnley visiting his folks and he and I were up late watching telly. I could understand every single word the Big Yin said and was literally ROTFLMAO but the ex was sitting there saying - what did he say? How can you understand him? And this is a guy who lived in Edinburgh for several years and grew up in the the North-West.

Years later I became a commercial fisherman and one summer ('95) the boat I worked on went up to Scotland (because Scotland has a year-round scallop season and we shut between June/November). I absolutely loved my time there.

We fished up the west coast, went through the Canal, and fished down the east coast and based in Stonehaven. On the way back, we spent a little more time on the west coast. We went to the music festival on Jura (crazy night!) and spent a week or two fishing out of Campbeltown (my skipper's hometown).

The people were all lovely and I made quite a few good friends and enjoyed the company of countless acquaintances in the pubs. Good times and a summer I'll never forget. :) 



By the way, I'm surprised this potassium stuff you had to drink didn't come in something like a banana flavour - because bananas are rich in potassium. You must have been very potassium deficient if they were making you drink that mingin' stuff instead of making you eat loads of bananas!
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline britchick

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  • Posts: 487
Re: Hi!
« Reply #24 on: July 16, 2012, 11:33:55 am »
Hi Ann!

I spent a long time  travelling and away from Scotland , but  I really appreciate it now.

The wee quiet places always suprise me......always turns into  a "lock in!"
Edinburgh is so cosmopolitan....always a good vibe.My work used to take me over there occasionally.

We rentes a cottage in Campbeltown(work related)...a few sore heads on the way home!!!!!!

As for the  Big  Yin.....I saw him strolling down the street in Sydney, Australia.....he is great!He did a great tour of OZ years ago when I lived there.

Re the potassium....I dont know why I had to drink that stuff .......I can usually stomach  meds but .......never again!

Britchick X

 


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