Introduction

[CS31020]

Hello everyone,

I was diagnosed by a rapid test on 3/10/2020. I had a rash and other symptoms that lead me to be tested.

I got my blood test done 2 days later on the 12th.

Yesterday (3/17/2020) I had my visit to go over my results
My CD4 was 229
Viral load was 40,800
Liver, kidneys and all other things tested were fine.
Obviously not the greatest news, not the worst either, my doctor feels I can get to undetectable status within 8 weeks *fingers crossed*

The first week of waiting was by far one of the worst weeks of my entire life. Stress, no sleep, no appetite, panic attacks and all kinds of other thoughts and symptoms stress can cause.

I had a rash that has since healed (one of the main reasons I got tested in the first place) however I am dealing with a somewhat dry cough but no other symptoms at all. Is this something that should concern me? I'm showing no other symptoms that would make me think it could be worse in any way.

I do suffer from seasonal allergies, it is that time of the year or it could also be from the stress, lack of appetite or lack of fluids. I'm not sure so I figured I'd ask if anyone else has experienced this.

On another note I started biktarvy on the 17th,  quit smoking on the 14th (stress extended that a few days) and now I'm figuring out better ways to eat and fluids to drink to ensure I'm doing my part to stay as healthy as possible during this new journey in my life.

I have been reading threads daily since I tested positive, I look forward to chatting with everyone, sharing our experiences and growing with this together.

Thanks for reading I hope all is well.

[Jim Allen]

Hiya,

Welcome to the forum, sorry to hear about the diagnosis. Although, the rapid test is no diagnosis, the followup results and testing were.

The first week of waiting was by far one of the worst weeks of my entire life. Stress, no sleep, no appetite, panic attacks and all kinds of other thoughts and symptoms stress can cause.

Yeah, look the diagnosis itself can be a lot to digest, feeling unwell and how fast things go from diagnosis to treatment although good, it can be head-spinning and this all takes time to head get your head around.

I do hope you are feeling somewhat better and, at least sleeping again, lack of sleep sucks and is bad for anyone.

I am dealing with a somewhat dry cough but no other symptoms at all.

This you should be reporting to your doctor so they can check and treat any underlying health issues. A cough could be nothing, smokers cough from quitting smoking, happened to me every time I tried to quit but it could also be something more serious that needs medical attention.

On another note I started biktarvy on the 17th,  quit smoking on the 14th (stress extended that a few days) and now I'm figuring out better ways to eat and fluids to drink to ensure I'm doing my part to stay as healthy as possible during this new journey in my life.

I did quit smoking in the end, and I can tell you is it's definitely worth it. Good luck.
Prehaps an idea though is to not tackle everything once, don't overdo it.

Best, Jim

[CS31020]

Thanks for the reply.

I forgot to add that I did reach out to my doctors office about the cough already so I do have that in motion. I'm meeting  with them tomorrow to make sure all is well.

Once I got my blood test results and spoke with my doctor I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and since then I've been eating fine and slept a lot better last night for the first time.

You're right and a friend told me the same that about tackling everything at once. I will try to pace myself moving forward when it comes to that.

Again thank you for your response and thank you for the advice.

Take care

[Jim Allen]

Hiya,

So how was the appointment with the doctor?

Best, Jim

[CS31020]

It went well, thanks for asking. The dry cough hasn't really been an issue at all today but tests were done to be sure. Everything as of now has checked out and I seem to be fine. My doctor said to just call if it comes back

I took my 3rd biktarvy a few hours ago. The first 2 days I had minor stomach discomforts. Today it wasn't bad at all the discomfort went away within an hour. My doctor said that could happen but slowly go away so it was expected.  now I'm just looking forward to working towards staying healthy and seeing my new results when I go back on the 14th of April for my next set of blood work.

Hope all is well.

[Miltonia15]

Hi CS31020,

Sorry to hear about your recent results, I too noticed symptoms on my body before I got diagnosed. Each person undergoes a different response after testing positive.

You are in great hands and under good care of your medical practitioner, glad to hear you are taking steps to improve your overall health.  Also keep your mental health happy which I found to be the most difficult. 

I hope you will see great results at your next test and don't be afraid to ask questions on here.



Regards,
M

[CS31020]

Hi CS31020,

Sorry to hear about your recent results, I too noticed symptoms on my body before I got diagnosed. Each person undergoes a different response after testing positive.

You are in great hands and under good care of your medical practitioner, glad to hear you are taking steps to improve your overall health.  Also keep your mental health happy which I found to be the most difficult. 

I hope you will see great results at your next test and don't be afraid to ask questions on here.



Regards,
M

Thanks for the reply.

I have been doing much better this week.  My appetite for the past few days is back to normal,  I'm back to work full time and I feel healthy. I believe a lot of my suffering was mental because I was so scared after seeing my first test results. I didn't really know much about what I was dealing with so the initial numbers along with not being educated on it had me stressed out. I do still have moments at times where it hits me because it's so new but I feel in time it'll be ok.

Everyone on the medical side of things that I've dealt with so far has been amazing. They really do sincerely care about my well being. Working with them really gives me a positive outlook on this and makes me feel like I'll be fine. My doctor told me that eventually this will be the most boring thing about me.  Hearing that made me feel good.


Thanks again for reaching out.

Take care.

[harleymc]

Welcome, glad to hear  you're on the up and up.

My ID doctor is a dear friend after 25+ years of catching up regularly. She's in her seventies now and I'll miss her when she retires. I think I fall a little bit in love with all my care team.

[CS31020]

After 2 and a half long months of waiting I was finally able to do my 2nd set of blood tests. I'm still waiting on my next appointment to go over the results with my doctor.  This is what I have for now though.

CD4 went from 229 to 274
VL went from 40800 to <20


I feel a million times better than I did when I made my first post. After seeing the results it took a huge weight off my shoulders.

[Jim Allen]

 

Glad to hear you are feeling better.