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Author Topic: Extremely Tcells Count LOW as 4  (Read 5606 times)

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Offline canalcasting

  • New Member
  • Posts: 1
Extremely Tcells Count LOW as 4
« on: May 28, 2009, 05:23:29 pm »
Hello ,  I am scared, been HIV + for few months now but couldn’t' start treatment because of Insurance issue. Now that I have that under control, did some blood test and ended up having the scary news. Virus Load over 250 000 and Tcells Count of 4.  Doctor said it is not good and started treatment ( sustiva and Truvada ) and said to come back in 2 weeks, but still , I am freaked out and I am wondering if I am going to last that long... 4 is like not having any protection , am I wrong ? I feel fine, despite of few side effects in the middle of the night, and less sleeping , but I do eat well,  Just think all is in my head and I am stressing out.. which I know is not good.... Anyway has that low of Tcells count ?

Thanks for your replies...

Offline megasept

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  • Posts: 478
  • Steven here...
Re: Extremely Tcells Count LOW as 4
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2009, 06:28:13 pm »
Virus Load over 250 000 and Tcells Count of 4...I am wondering if I am going to last that long... 4 is like not having any protection , am I wrong ? Just think all is in my head and I am stressing out..

Thanks for your replies...

Dear Canalcasting:

Welcome to our "club".

I don't know the medical side of what you're asking but let me share two anecdotes that might offer some assurance (rejection of "...if I am going to last that long").

1) I had a drink years ago with a guy who had been in the under 10 CD4 count for a good while, and 5 at that moment.

2) I have a 26-year-POZ friend who had 4 CD4 count for a long time. He got up to 12 CD4 a couple years ago (plus the unusual news that his VL went to undetectable) on Insentress plus _________, and is very much alive today; he's been positive roughly the entire quarter century since we first met.

Utilizing momentary "healthy denial", any day when you feel "normal" or OK, by doing the things that matter to you will enrich your life (and the lives of others). Doing something you have always wanted to begin, is another idea. Both work for me.

You have a fine attitude, and that counts a lot!

Good Health!
 8)  -megasept
« Last Edit: May 28, 2009, 06:32:10 pm by megasept »

Offline franfrog

  • Member
  • Posts: 238
Re: Extremely Tcells Count LOW as 4
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2009, 11:38:28 am »
canalcasting,
I was diagnosed 4 years ago with a cd4 of 52 and to top it off PCP.  I thought the same way you did, can mt body actually recover from this, can they go above 52?  Well, I just want to say, have faith.  Now that you have the medication, take it and stick with it.  My cd4 has fluctuated but I have gotten to as high as 800's my last bloodwork.  I know it seems almost impossible, but it is not.  You have to be strong, adhere to you meds and you will come out of that.  How fast, no one knows, we all move at our own pace, but you are going to. 
Let us know how everything goes.
7/05 diagnosis cd4- 52 vl -?
08/05 cd4-299 vl-1900
10/05 cd4-249 vl-349
12/05 cd4-349 vl-52
03/06 cd4-454 vl-<50
06/06 cd4-508 vl-<50

Offline YaKaMein

  • Member
  • Posts: 368
Re: Extremely Tcells Count LOW as 4
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2009, 04:44:54 pm »
Canal,
Welcome aboard! My CD4 track was as low as 6 ... I'm still here and doing well on the same drugs as you.
Find ways to reduce the stress, take the meds, and start planning living your future! Let us know how it's going. - YaKa
09/11 Endocrine Consult
08/11 CD4 328 14.9% VL 0
 Disc'd Bactrim DEXA -3.1 Tscore
03/11 CD4 338 14.7% VL 0
11/10 CD4 300 14.3% VL 0 <20copies
07/10 CD4 336 14.0% VL 0 DEXA -2.7 Tscore
03/10 CD4 308 13.4% VL 0 Vit D normal
01/10 Began FOTO
11/09 CD4 274 13.7% VL 0 Chol 173 Trig 131
07/09 CD4 324 13.5% VL 0 DEXA -3.1 Tscore lumbar
03/09 CD4 207 10.9% VL 0
11/08 CD4 227 10.3% VL 0 Chol 176 Trig 156
04/08 CD4 228 9.5% VL 0
01/08 CD4 194 9.0% VL 0
09/07 CD4 176 8.3% VL 0
03/07 CD4 130 9.5% VL 0 Chol 261  Trig 227
12/06 CD4 109 6.4% VL 0
09/06 CD4  88 5.5% VL und desens'd rtd to Bactrim
08/06  Began Atripla
07/06 CD4  59 5.0% VL 145 Chol 117 Trig 104
06/06  Bactrim rash, X2 Dapsone
 EFV & Truvada Chol 128 Trig 131
05/06 CD4  6 (2.0%) VL 78667 only V179D mutation Dx PC MAC

Offline Dale Parker

  • Member
  • Posts: 266
Re: Extremely Tcells Count LOW as 4
« Reply #4 on: May 30, 2009, 01:46:10 am »
H Canal:
I just tested positive 2 months ago yesterday.  My CD4 is 21,  C4/8 ratio is 0 and viral load is 500,000+.
Maybe I'm too stupid to be scared but, truth of the matter is that other than a few side affects from the Kaletra and Truvada I feel great.  So far (knock on wood) my health has been between good and great.  
    I had about 3 weeks where I was looking for insurance to cover my meds which are costing $2300 a month.  The drug plan I'm on has a deductable which is based on last years earnings which was $60,000.  I've been unemployed since September of last year now get $1,500 a month on unemployment.  I had to go to welfare as a hardship case to get them to pay the deductable.  I had to switch to medical unemployment, declare bankruptcy and apply for government disability. I applied for subsidized housing which I just got. I have to move b4 the end of June. All this in 3 months. To top things off my car was stolen last November and my cat of 19 years went blind and had to be put down. I also had to formally come out to my family.  Talk about stress. I felt like the carpet had been ripped out from under me. 90% of the life that I spent 50 years building has been totally wiped out.  Although it's not great, I plan on rebuilding my life bigger and better than it was.  I plan on appreciating my family, friends and live life more than ever before.
   4 times in the last 2 months I honestly thought I was going to die from extreme stress. Problems with getting the drugs, getting housing, and such at times seemed impossible.  The doctor wrote a letter to the housing people and checked off the box that said my life expectancy was less than 2 years.  First thing I did after reading that letter was make an appointment with him for Friday March 28th 2014 at 4:15pm.  That's exactly (almost to the minute) 5 years to the date and time I found out I was positive.  
  For a while I thought that I was going to be the AIDS poster boy for having the lowest CD4 count. I had trouble finding anyone under 150. Thanks to this site I found out I'm / we are rare but not that special. :-( No need to plan your funeral yet. Many of the under 50's are alive and doing well now with CD4 counts between 200 and 400 or more. I'm sure that there will be a few bumps in our roads but if we keep taking our meds and have a positive attitude we can expect to be around for a very long time.
  
Wishing you a great and long life,
Dale

P.S.  It would be great if the directors of this site would create a category for those of us with CD4's of under 100 so we wouldn't feel so alone.
  
« Last Edit: May 30, 2009, 01:48:14 am by Dale Parker »
Apr 09  CD4 21, CD4/CD8 ratio 0 VL 500,000+
July 09 CD4 158, CD4/CD812% VL 750
Oct 09 CD4 157 CD4/CD8 14% VL UD
Feb 10 CD4 197, CD4/CD8 11% VL UD
May 10  CD4 252 CD4/CD8 12% VL UD
Aug 10 CD4 211 VL UD
Nov 10 CD4 272 CD4/CD8 0.138 VL UD

Offline a2z

  • Member
  • Posts: 209
Re: Extremely Tcells Count LOW as 4
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2009, 02:22:29 am »
Good luck, I think you are going to do great.
Dates are blood draw dates:
3/12/15: CD4 941, 36.4%, VL UD
9/4/14: CD4 948, 37.9%, VL 150
5/23/14: CD4 895 --.-% VL UD - Truvada/Isentress
09/21/09: CD4 898 27.0% VL 120 - back on track, same meds.High level enzymes, but less so
06/15/09: CD4 478 21.8% VL 1150 - high liver enzymes... looks like I may not be resistant
05/22/09: Fixed insurance, resumed medicine
04/17/09: Ran out of medicine, could not resolve insurance problems
04/01/09: CD4 773 28% VL 120 - high liver enzymes
12/01/08: CD4 514 23% VL 630
10/17/08 started Reyataz, Norvir and Truvada. -- possibly minor neuropathy, but otherwise okay.
9/10/08: CD4 345 17%, VL > 78K
8/18/08: CD4 312 18%, VL > 60K (considering meds)
12/19/07: CD4 550 28% VL > 100K (no meds yet)
Diagnosed 10/23/07

Offline BM

  • Member
  • Posts: 340
Re: Extremely Tcells Count LOW as 4
« Reply #6 on: May 30, 2009, 09:29:34 am »
Hey canalcasting. As the other guys have said, try not to worry. You're in safe hands with your doctor now and you're on meds. The dangerous thing would have been not getting things sorted out and still not being on meds.

Does your doctor also have you on antibiotics? Specifically Azithromycin (Zithromax) or Clarithromycin (Biaxin), and co-trimoxazole (Septra, Bactrim, or Septrin)?

 


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