CD4/VL Counts in profiles

[Cyborg]

Hi there! I was wondering, what does it mean/why do you put your CD4/VL count history in your profile? As for me, I don't perceive it as too relevant, it doesn't tell me much, since cd4s can vary with many things like having a cold, or some other minor issue.

When I get my test results usually what I get from the Dr. is just "you're doing fine!" and in general that's enough. Before I did insist to look at the exact number, and then I felt like "gee, some people have 800 and I am constantly between 400 and 600". The doctors then usually insist that there is not much to interpret from the exact count, as long as it is in the healthy thresholds (which I understand varies quite a lot). So that is my experience with those numbers, I am curious to hear about you peoples.

[J.R.E.]

Hi there! I was wondering, what does it mean/why do you put your CD4/VL count history in your profile?

Hello,...

For me, it's just kind of a habit. Every 6 months, when I get labs, I post the results of the labs, along with the date they were taken. I've been doing that, since I joined the site in 2003. At that time, my cd4 count was in the very low 100 range.

For a new person on the site, as I was in 2003,... it could be helpful for others, especially, if the person is currently not in a good place, and seeking advice or support from others.

For example, an individual joins the site, they post in their profile, they have a viral load of 900,000, and their CD4 count, is 20.And they date it when those labs were done,..  That lets the rest of us know, that this person, is currently in a pretty rough place, especially if the person has some, opportunistic infections going on.

Some of us ( A few if us here ) that have been in that situation before of having AIDS, ( for the example given above), can share our personal experiences, with that person. Our experiences are not meant as medical advice, that what a Persons ID doctor is for. But I think it helps the individual in understanding, That people do know what he/she may be going through as others on this site have had similar experiences.

Take care---Ray 

[virgo313]

I use to record my progress into profile so that I can see if I am “getting better”. When new diagnosed, my CD4 is just single digit & the natural fact is want to see progress. After a while, I noticed it is taking too many spaces in the forum. 
Now after few years, I don’t bother to record into profile. 

[J.R.E.]

After a while, I noticed it is taking too many spaces in the forum. 
 

  lol Got to save that bandwidth or whatever !! 


Ray 

[Jim Allen]

Last year there was also a thread with different points of view on writing labs in the signatures. Some people feel it's useful, I personally don't see the use of it anymore but each to their own.

https://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=73964.msg

[Cyborg]

Oh wow thank you Jim! Sorry if it was doubled, but I guess it would have been difficult to find that one myself through the search engine

And also thank you J.R.E., seems to me quite a good reason to share experiences without having to mention them all the time and know what phase we might be at.

To me it reminded me of things relating to quantified self, where suddenly the fact that you can measure something puts you out to giving it this or that meaning. One thing that I was afraid of relating to HIV was being constantly mindful of measurements and having constant body terror attacks going online searching for symptoms. But it actually went the other way around  I am a lot less stressed about health because I know I have my quartal date with dracula