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Author Topic: I think my health is declining!  (Read 4836 times)

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Offline survivor703

  • Member
  • Posts: 113
I think my health is declining!
« on: November 01, 2012, 11:20:06 am »
Hello Friends,

I've noticed a few issues, and I'm wondering if everything is related to HIV infection or if it's just random issues that are happening to me...

1. Consistent elbow pain/soreness, over 1 month (no physical injury)- Hoping this is not some sort of bone cancer or anything serious.

2. heat rash?, light red spots all over upper body, 2 months or longer? My general doctor said this it's a heat rash, but I haven't been in any heat, and these spots remain even when I am cool.

3. elevated liver enzymes? Had my liver enzymes tested recently because I was prescribed an anti-fungal by my general doctor for a minor case of jock itch and athletes foot. The liver enzymes came back as elevated. He said that this was probably because of hepatitis infection? According to my ID doctor, I don't have an active infection, however.

4. Random Night sweats. 2 months

5. high lymphocytes count? 53%

Do you guys think something is going on here? Or is this just a bunch of unrelated junk.
02/14/2012 Diagnosed (Happy valentines day)
02/15/2012 CD4 502 21%, VL 69,134
04/10/2012 CD4 607 22%, VL 60,893
10/08/2012 CD4 615 15%, VL 155,981
03/01/2014 CD4 340 17%  VL 65,689
05/05/2014 1:18PM EST Started Truvada + Tivicay
06/03/2014 CD4 620 20% VL 30 (almost UD!)
09/08/2014 CD4 822 22% VL 55
03/02/2016 CD4 961 42% VL UD
03/02/2016 Switched to Genvoya
06/13/2017 CD4 1025 35% VL UD

Next Labs 02/01/2018

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: I think my health is declining!
« Reply #1 on: November 01, 2012, 12:21:46 pm »
You're not on meds yet, so yeah you're going to feel like shit sometimes. I'm sure the joint pain is due to common inflammatory effects of HIV. You can get that even when on meds, but I'm sure it's more common in the absence of your virus being controlled.

You made a thread a couple months ago along the lines of "DISEASE PROGRESSION!" but after some back and forth you calmed down a bit. Look, the bottom line is that at some point you'll start taking meds and hopefully some of these oddities will disappear. It's your choice not to be on meds at this point, you can go on them if you want. I'm not sure why you're surprised that you have night sweats -- that's very common with HIV and not being on meds. You have a hefty virus in your body and shit happens like that.
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline wolfter

  • Member
  • Posts: 5,470
Re: I think my health is declining!
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2012, 12:45:59 pm »
The natural progression of this virus, left untreated, is declining health.  So yeah, your health is declining.

Hope you're having sincere discussions with your doctor about the the possible necessity of meds.

Take care and best wishes.

wolfie
Being honest is not wronging others, continuing the dishonesty is.

Offline survivor703

  • Member
  • Posts: 113
Re: I think my health is declining!
« Reply #3 on: November 01, 2012, 12:47:11 pm »
I guess I'm just so used to living with no symptoms... and now that I'm diagnosed, all of a sudden I get all these symptoms. It's a bit much. I was worried that I might have cancer or something serious in my bones, because my lymphocytes are so high and the pain is localized in one spot. I guess my mind is just running wild with everything. I'll get it together.

I start meds on january first. so just keep me in your prayers.
02/14/2012 Diagnosed (Happy valentines day)
02/15/2012 CD4 502 21%, VL 69,134
04/10/2012 CD4 607 22%, VL 60,893
10/08/2012 CD4 615 15%, VL 155,981
03/01/2014 CD4 340 17%  VL 65,689
05/05/2014 1:18PM EST Started Truvada + Tivicay
06/03/2014 CD4 620 20% VL 30 (almost UD!)
09/08/2014 CD4 822 22% VL 55
03/02/2016 CD4 961 42% VL UD
03/02/2016 Switched to Genvoya
06/13/2017 CD4 1025 35% VL UD

Next Labs 02/01/2018

Offline leatherman

  • Global Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 8,593
  • Google and HIV meds are Your Friends
Re: I think my health is declining!
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2012, 01:34:54 pm »
I start meds on january first. so just keep me in your prayers.
no reason to pray about that  ;) meds are the one and only thing that controls HIV giving your body the chance to recover and get back some of the good health that the unchecked HIV is stealing from you right now.

if you're wanting prayers because you're worried about the effect of the meds, then you really are looking at all this backwards. HIV is your enemy; meds are your friends.
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Offline survivor703

  • Member
  • Posts: 113
Re: I think my health is declining!
« Reply #5 on: November 01, 2012, 02:42:34 pm »
Quote
if you're wanting prayers because you're worried about the effect of the meds, then you really are looking at all this backwards. HIV is your enemy; meds are your friends.


leatherman, thank you! I think I got flipped backwards when I first got diagnosed and I started readying any and everything off the net. A lot of places were "warning" against hiv meds and stuff. I quickly found that the people pushing those ideas were dropping dead like flies, so I decided to take the meds.... but I think I must be still scarred. I have to recondition my mind to think that the meds are my friend. Thanks for the perspective... I needed to hear that.

Thank you.
02/14/2012 Diagnosed (Happy valentines day)
02/15/2012 CD4 502 21%, VL 69,134
04/10/2012 CD4 607 22%, VL 60,893
10/08/2012 CD4 615 15%, VL 155,981
03/01/2014 CD4 340 17%  VL 65,689
05/05/2014 1:18PM EST Started Truvada + Tivicay
06/03/2014 CD4 620 20% VL 30 (almost UD!)
09/08/2014 CD4 822 22% VL 55
03/02/2016 CD4 961 42% VL UD
03/02/2016 Switched to Genvoya
06/13/2017 CD4 1025 35% VL UD

Next Labs 02/01/2018

Offline lincoln6echo

  • Member
  • Posts: 110
Re: I think my health is declining!
« Reply #6 on: November 01, 2012, 04:20:11 pm »
I just started meds on Oct 2 with a VL of 9 million or so.
My latest labs from Oct 16 show my VL went down to 8 thousand.
They really do work.

Good luck.

Offline leatherman

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  • Member
  • Posts: 8,593
  • Google and HIV meds are Your Friends
Re: I think my health is declining!
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2012, 04:45:07 pm »
when I first got diagnosed and I started readying any and everything off the net. A lot of places were "warning" against hiv meds and stuff. I quickly found that the people pushing those ideas were dropping dead like flies, so I decided to take the meds.
if you were dx'ed in 2012 and still reading that people were warning against HIV meds and those people were dropping like flies, then you need to get off the net - or just stay here in the lessons section.  ;D

were you looking at dates on the "information" you were reading? Were you judging those places where you got this "information" as to the validity of their knowledge? Were you looking at the percentage of pro-med sites to anti-med sites?

I ask because people, even denialists, haven't really been dropping like flies in a long time, because just too many people have realized the benefits of meds (ie in 1985 with no meds, people were dying left and right; in 2010 with meds, deaths from AIDS pretty much happens to those very late diagnosed or people who have been living with the disease, meds and the complications for 20+ yrs). If you were reading in 2010-2012 that people were still warning against meds, you couldn't have been reading very many sites nor reading people with real medical degrees and knowledge.

I hope you understand that I'm trying really hard to make a point so you can think rationally about the meds. Quite frankly, all my friends with HIV from before 1995 are dead - because without any meds there was no hope. I am only still here because in 1992 I started meds and have been talking various meds (18 different ones all told) through 20 yrs. To think that there's another reason the deaths from HIV in America dropped off so dramatically from anything else but the meds is just silly.

And just to ease you mind a bit further about the meds in general, please take some time to read the package insert that will come with whatever med your doctor prescribes. You'll see that sometimes up to 10% of people experience some short term side effects (like vomiting, diarrhea, etc); but most of that should be understandable because purging a viral load of millions from your body, adjusting to levels of new medications in your system, and your immune system recovering is a pretty serious bodily change. When you continue reading you'll see that long term side effects are much rarer, happening to 4% and less - and usually much less - people taking the meds.

it's 2012 (well almost 2013), it's not 1992 with only AZT available. Meds have been proven to work (say hello to all those folks in the Longterm Survivors forum here ;) ); and med side effects are infrequent. Even if you do experience side effects, there are often ways to deal with those issues or even other meds that you can take instead.

just remember: Meds are your friends - even when google isn't.  ;D LOL
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Offline mitch777

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,087
Re: I think my health is declining!
« Reply #8 on: November 01, 2012, 05:11:33 pm »
hi su703,

great advice as usual from leatherman!

as a very long term survivor of 30 years, i almost find it difficult to remember the "early days" without good meds.

what i DO remember is being frightened as there was little hope in those days.

i didn't have too many issues starting the meds and most went away rather quickly.

keep in touch on these forums as they are a wealth of truly good information! :)
33 years hiv+ with a curtsy.

Offline Solo_LTSurvivor

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,175
  • Twerk Baby Twerk
Re: I think my health is declining!
« Reply #9 on: November 01, 2012, 05:18:29 pm »

it's 2012 (well almost 2013), it's not 1992 with only AZT available. Meds have been proven to work (say hello to all those folks in the Longterm Survivors forum here ;) ); and med side effects are infrequent. Even if you do experience side effects, there are often ways to deal with those issues or even other meds that you can take instead.


Besides, many of us have already done the hard work for you and gone through the side effects and suffering and are still here.
don't equate intelligence with lack of masculinity
Jim Phelps, Mission Impossible
____________________________

Seroconverted: Early 80s
Tested & confirmed what I already knew: early 90s

Current regimen: Biktarvy. 
Last regimen:  Atripla (with NO adverse side effects: no vivid dreams and NONE of the problems people who can't tolerate this drug may experience: color me lucky ::))
Past regimens
Fun stuff (in the past):  HAV/HBV, crypto, shingles, AIDS, PCP

Jan 2012: 818/21%
Apr 2012: 964/22%
Jul. 2012: 890/21%
Oct. 2012: 920/23%

Still UD after all these years

Offline mecch

  • Member
  • Posts: 13,455
  • red pill? or blue pill?
Re: I think my health is declining!
« Reply #10 on: November 01, 2012, 08:01:53 pm »
Take medicine.  Stop HIV.  Don't live with all these annoying health crisis. And fears.  Be healthy.
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline Valmont

  • Member
  • Posts: 338
Re: I think my health is declining!
« Reply #11 on: November 01, 2012, 08:30:01 pm »
When I started treatment, I started to feel much better really in few weeks, you´ll be well !!!  take care
Apr 2011: Diagnotized
Jun 2011: CD4: 504  VL: 176.000
Dic 2011: CD4: 714  VL: 95.000
May 2012: CD4: 395 VL: 67.000
Jun 2012: CD4: 367
Agu 2012: Starting Emtricitabine 200 mg / Tenofovir 300 mg and Efavirenz 600 mg (2 pills) different brands or VIRADAY/ATRIPLA/Mylan....
Sep 2012: VL: 138
Dic 2012: CD4: 708 VL: <34  %CD4: 32%
Jan 2013: CD4: 707 VL: <20
May 2013: CD4: 945 VL: <34 %CD4: 33%
Agu 2013: CD4: 636 VL: <34 %CD4: 50%
Dic 2013: Latent TB, started Isoniazid

 


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