Tested Positive on Jan 16 2024

[Joebilly73]

The doctor I am seeing is an infectious disease doctor .

I have been doing well otherwise, getting over a cold, it was much more milder then it’s been in the past, guess my treatment is to thank for that.

I really appreciate all the info. Thank you. I’ll check back in a month with an update.

[Jim Allen]

Glad to hear you are otherwise okay and the cold wasn't too bad.

I’ll check back in a month with an update.

👍Keep us posted.

You are only 6 months +- of starting treatment after an AIDS diagnosis and I am presuming from reading your posts you are not in your 20s or 30s. So if your update is no change (2-6%+-) or a relatively moderate improvement in CD4 % I would not be surprised.  I just don't want you to be disappointed or have false expectations, hopefully you will become less focused on CD4s with time.

[Joebilly73]

Good Evening,

Just wanted to give an update.
September 2024
CD4% 5L
CD4 - 87L
RBC 4.19L (4.20 bottom of threshold)
Hemoglobin 13.0  (13.2 Bottom)

November 2024
CD4% 7L (Highest yet)
CD4 129L (Highest prior was a 147 in March 2024) since then it has been as low as 57.
RBC 3.83L
Hemoglobin 12.6

Overall I feel pretty good.

Any thoughts on why the RBC is down?

Thanks
Joe

[Joebilly73]

Bump

[Tonny2]

             Ojo.         Hello there!… Have you talked to your doctor about your red blood count?. I think this is a question for your DOCTOR who is treating you. I hope you talk to him/her and as soon as you know the answer, please let us know… Good luck and please keep us posted. Hugs.

[Jim Allen]

RBC 3.83L. Hemoglobin 12.6

Simple anaemia, prehaps, Iron. B12, who knows, as nobody here can diagnose issues or recommend treatments. 

It's only a snapshot lab result, so by itself it doesn't mean too much & there are many reasons why someone regardless of their HIV status would have a lower red blood count, many of them are easily treated, some not so, but you need to discuss this with your doctor.

[Joebilly73]

Appointment is on Friday, hopefully I’ll have more information.

Thanks Joe

[Jim Allen]

Appointment is on Friday, hopefully I’ll have more information.

Thanks Joe

Do keep us posted and try not to stress.

[Tonny2]

Appointment is on Friday, hopefully I’ll have more information.

Thanks Joe

               ojo.          Good!… Try to make a list with all the questions you may have for the doctor and remember that you are on phase AIDS so your numbers are going to be all over the place. Only your doctor knows your case. We on here do not diagnose,  we only share our experiences with others.… Good luck and please keep us posted… Hugs.

[STLPOS17]

Hi there,

I imagine it's hard to deal with the news but I think a lot of good advice has been provided.

AIDS- try not to think too much about that diagnosis. Modern HAART/ART therapies such as Biktarvy help many people heal even when they are diagnosed with stage 3 'AIDS'. My nurse tells me to consistently take my medicine, eat well and rest well. She also encourages me to live my life.

I think it's good to find someone to talk with. Or a group. This is the biggest opportunity in my area- we don't have many groups accepting new members for in person meetings right now.

I want to add this: It's not the diagnosis that matters, it's how you are feeling. Many people have recovered from a stage 3 diagnosis. I have read that these people are in a 'stage 4' which represents people living with suppressed HIV due to ART therapy. 

I was also diagnosed with stage 3 AIDS when I learned I was positive. (Well, the doctors refuse to talk about that, but that's for a different reason) Right now I have some neurological problems and I have some problems with rashes, spots on my body and my lymph nodes, but as my viral load is suppressed and my CD4 count has improved to the point that I should be able to deal with pneumonia or various other infections. I am feeling a little better. The lymph nodes, sweating and exhaustion scare me, as do the neurological problems but some of this will improve with time.

Look for a health care provider you trust. Having had doctors that ignored these problems helped me make a decision to change hospital groups. If I believed everything I read online, I would be scared to death. Try to take the best care of yourself as you can and give the medicine time to work and your body time to heal.