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Author Topic: Blood Work Back After 28 Days on Meds  (Read 5255 times)

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Offline Newlydx

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  • Posts: 3
Blood Work Back After 28 Days on Meds
« on: March 16, 2013, 06:13:37 pm »
On February 12, 2013, after being diagnosed in January, I was put on Atripla for the first time.  My viral load was 144,652 and my CD4 count was 136.  They said that I probably contracted the HIV virus somewhere around 8-10 years ago  On March 12, 2013, twenty-eight days later, I had another blood panel done.  Results stated that my viral load was reduced to 1,232 (down from 145K) and my CD4 count increased to 259 (up from 136).  I was astounded.  So were they.  Especially since the doctors were telling me not to expect any significant increase in my CD4 count for at least a year.  They also placed me on dapsone on 2/12.

Is this normal?  Will if drop back down?  I'm confused.


Offline leatherman

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Re: Blood Work Back After 28 Days on Meds
« Reply #1 on: March 16, 2013, 10:04:28 pm »
Is this normal?  Will if drop back down?
Modern ARVs have totally changed the face of the HIV epidemic. While some people don't have the good results you do, many others do have the same kind of good results. The rate of how ARVs improve your health/numbers is a very uniquely personal thing.

While you might see your numbers wobble around a little bit by the end of the first year, you should be having pretty steady numbers - as long as you remain properly adherent to your regime.

congrats on the great numbers and best wishes!

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 Ann

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Re: Blood Work Back After 28 Days on Meds
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2013, 07:14:15 am »
Hi Newly, welcome to the forums.

It could also be that you are actually dealing with a very new infection.

It is not uncommon in the first few months of infection for the viral load to be very high and the CD4 count to be very low.

When this has been the case (a very new infection) the VL will typically reduce very quickly and the CD4 rise very quickly as well once meds are started. (Like yours have.)

When a person has numbers like your initial numbers that are due to a long-standing, undiagnosed infection, it can indeed take quite some time for the numbers to improve, as your doctors warned you.

One thing you may not know - while very early on in infection the VL may be very high and the CD4 very low, these numbers will improve and level out all by themselves (in other words, without meds) within the first six months to a year following initial infection. Some people can have good numbers and not actually need meds for several years (anywhere between around two to as many as twenty) once this stabilisation has occurred.

Your fantastic improvement in numbers after only four weeks of meds really rather does point to a new infection. Of course, you also may be just a very, very lucky person who has indeed been positive for a number of years but yet experienced a super-duper-califragilisitic-amazingly fantastic response. However, my money is on it being a new infection.

Either way, you can expect a continued improvement of both numbers. At the rate your VL is going down, you can very likely expect to be undetectable by three months at least, if not sooner.

Good luck and hang in there. You're going to be ok, even if these early days feel like you're on a rollercoaster ride that won't stop and let you off. It does get better in time and the rollercoaster will eventually slow down and let you get off to go get in line for another exciting ride. Just try to make it a fun, life-improving type of ride next time! ;)

Ann
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Offline Newlydx

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Re: Blood Work Back After 28 Days on Meds
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2013, 05:03:21 pm »
Ann -

Thank you for your reply.  That's probably exactly what happened - though I didn't know it.  Seems to make total sense.  In either case, it is good news.

Thanks again.

Offline Newlydx

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Re: Blood Work Back After 28 Days on Meds
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2013, 07:25:21 am »
After checking in with doctors and putting this to them, they said, "no, i did not have any infections and that my response, not that rare, was extremely favorable to the drug."  We'll see what happens and how the numbers change on next blood panel - due in April.

Offline wolfter

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Re: Blood Work Back After 28 Days on Meds
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2013, 02:37:55 pm »
Welcome to the forums.  Regardless of your infection date, you're making awesome strides.  The newer drugs work so much better and I see people here quite often whom become UD in short order.  Glad to see you'll soon be one of them.

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

Offline Jmarksto

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Re: Blood Work Back After 28 Days on Meds
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2013, 02:01:51 am »
Hey Newly;

Welcome to the forums, and glad to see your numbers responding well.

Sincerely,

JM
03/15/12 Negative
06/15/12 Positive
07/11/12 CD4 790          VL 4,000
08/06/12 CD4 816/38%   VL 49,300
08/20/12 Started Complera
11/06/12 CD4   819/41% VL 38
02/11/13 CD4   935/41% VL UD
06/06/13 CD4   816/41% VL UD
10/28/13 CD4 1131/45% VL 25
02/25/14 CD4   792/37% VL UD
07/09/14 CD4 1004/39% VL UD
11/03/14 CD4   711/34% VL UD
03/13/15 CD4   833/36% VL UD
04/??/15 Truvada & Tivicay
06/01/15 CD4 1100/50% VL UD
10/16/15 CD4   826/43% VL UD
??/??/2017 Descov & Tivicay
2017 VL UD, CD4 stable around 850
2018 VL UD, CD4 stable around 850

Offline thomas1947

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  • Posts: 21
Re: Blood Work Back After 28 Days on Meds
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2013, 08:24:17 am »
Thanks for posting. I just had Western Blot positive, but do not see the clinic for all the blood work until April 8th. This forum is helping me feel a lot calmer about the diagnosis that I got Monday at age 65. I like what Ann said about making this a journey. I intend to follow her direction and the other men and women on here who have experience.
Sounds like you are doing what you are needing to do. I guess the thing about this is not to dwell on negativity and fear, which are my middle name and hang out with folks who have a positive attitude who are supportive and who do not "make" everything awful. I have to change some friends :)

Offline gadawg1979

  • Member
  • Posts: 142
Re: Blood Work Back After 28 Days on Meds
« Reply #8 on: April 01, 2013, 12:14:14 am »
On February 12, 2013, after being diagnosed in January, I was put on Atripla for the first time.  My viral load was 144,652 and my CD4 count was 136.  They said that I probably contracted the HIV virus somewhere around 8-10 years ago  On March 12, 2013, twenty-eight days later, I had another blood panel done.  Results stated that my viral load was reduced to 1,232 (down from 145K) and my CD4 count increased to 259 (up from 136).  I was astounded.  So were they.  Especially since the doctors were telling me not to expect any significant increase in my CD4 count for at least a year.  They also placed me on dapsone on 2/12.

Is this normal?  Will if drop back down?  I'm confused.

Wow same boat a little over a year ago. Started complera. Hope ur numbers follow mine
Diagnosed March 2012
Initial CD4- 156 VL 200K (started Complera) Genotype test no resistance
First labs on meds CD4- 246 VL 2K Taken after 30 days on Complera
90 Day labs VL 306 No CD4 Drawn
8/21/2012 CD4 474 VL Undetectable (40) %20.6
11/27/2012 CD 4 522 VL Undetectable (40)
2/14/2013 CD 4 464 VL Undetecable (30) 19.6%
6/8/3013 CD 4 528 VL Undetectable (30)
9/24/2013 CD 4 546 VL Undetectable (40)
1/30/2014 CD4 560 VL Undetectable (40) 22 %
6/19/2014 CD4 584 Vl Undetecable (30)

 


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