POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: nofear on February 11, 2012, 05:01:27 am
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I was recently diagnosed, confined, treated and recovered from CMV last Jan 2-23, 2012 using Ganciclovir.
During the course of my confinement my Dr. advised a count of my CD4, which was 253.
The Dr. ordered another count of my CD4 on Feb 6, 2012 (3 weeks after my 1st CD4 test). It went up to 472.
I have not taken an HIV test yet. I am only sexually active with my wife (we've been together since 2004). And we have a 3-yo boy.
My questions are:
1. Do you think I have HIV with data I've provided above?
2. Are there other reasons for a low CD4 besides HIV and Cancer?
3. For a person who has HIV, is it possible for CD4 counts to go up w/o Antiviral drugs?
4. Does HIV cause CD4 to go down? How?
I would like ALL your help with these questions. Your answers and prayers will help me get ready to take the "test".
I would like to ask for prayers so that I may not have the virus (or cancer). For my son's sake.
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nofear,
1. You absolutely cannot go by CD4 counts or any other such blood values to determine whether or not you are hiv positive. You also cannot go by symptoms or even the lack of symptoms. ONLY hiv antibody testing will reliably inform you of your accurate hiv status.
2. All sorts of things can cause fluctuations in your CD4 count.
3. Yes, CD4 counts can go up without ARVs. CD4s can vary by as much or more than 100 points during the course of a single day, regardless of a person's hiv status. CD4 counts constantly go up and down, regardless of a person's hiv status. This is why you cannot determine your hiv status by looking at your CD4 counts.
4. Hiv uses CD4 cells to replicate and destroys them in the process.
If you have ever had unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse with a person or persons of unknown or positive hiv status, then you have been at risk and you need to test. This (unknown status) includes your wife if she has never been tested.
Just because you had CMV does not automatically mean you are hiv positive. Anyone can get CMV - in fact most people will test positive for CMV by the time they reach middle age. It is a VERY prevalent virus. A small percentage of people will have symptoms during primary infection and it sounds as though you were one of those people.
Go test for hiv and get it over with. Good luck.
Ann
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@Ann
Thank that clears up a bunch of things.
My doctor immediately had me tested for cd4 when she found out I had CMV. She said that the cmv symptoms only come out if youre immunocompromised.
Ill take the test,i really wanna get this over with.
If you dont mind,a few followup questions?
•Is it possible for a nonHIV person to have a CD4 count lower than normal like mine?(200-400)
• "A small percentage of people will have symptoms during primary infection and it sounds as though you were one of those people"-didnt quite get what you meant.primary infection of what CMV or HIV?
Thank you so much
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@Ann
Thank that clears up a bunch of things.
My doctor immediately had me tested for cd4 when she found out I had CMV. She said that the cmv symptoms only come out if youre immunocompromised.
Ill take the test,i really wanna get this over with.
If you dont mind,a few followup questions?
•Is it possible for a nonHIV person to have a CD4 count lower than normal like mine?(200-400)
• "A small percentage of people will have symptoms during primary infection and it sounds as though you were one of those people"-didnt quite get what you meant.primary infection of what CMV or HIV?
Thank you so much
Yes to your first question, and Ann was talking about CMV not HIV.
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nofear,
Yes, people who are hiv negative can and do have counts like that. "Normal" is different for everyone and "normal" CD4 counts in the wider population often vary from region to region. (ie a population in one area of the world may have a "normal" range of 500 to 1000, while a population in another area may have a "normal" range of 1000 to 1500)
You may be a person whose "normal" CD4s are in the 400-600 range. Illnesses of any type can alter your counts, because CD4 cells are a subset of white blood cells in your immune system.
And Rodney is correct - I was talking about primary CMV infection. While many never notice a single symptom of primary CMV, some do (and some become quite ill - an inflamed spleen is not uncommon in these patients) and it sounds as though you may have been one of those people. Again, let me remind you that the majority of people in any population will have CMV by the time they are middle aged (35+).
Ann