HIV Positive Pinoy

So here’s the timeline of my life with HIV:

March 27 - medical exam for my work abroad

March 29 - HIV positive via ELISA (screening test)

May 8 - HIV positive via Western blot (confirmatory test)

May 28 - first visit to an HIV hub

May 29 - baseline labs

     I had my blood drawn; submitted three samples of sputum; and had my X-Ray. I was told that the CD4 machine is under repair. It has been broken for a month or two, as said by a fellow pozzie.

June 7 - consultation with the hub’s HIV specialist

     He said that all my lab results are good, but I was prescribed with Isoniazid as prophylaxis; just something to prevent me from developing TB. He also explained about possible side effects such as rashes and tremors. I can take antihistamines if rashes and itchiness are not tolerable, and I also opted to take Vitamin B complex in order to counteract the possible tremors side effect. I was also given the clearance of taking my daily supplementation of multivitamins, Vitamins C and E, Selenium, grape seed extract, and garlic oil.

June 22 - CD4 test

June 26 - CD4 result: 518!

Someone who read my blog sent me an email and asked why I worry a lot about my CD4, what its importance is, and how I would be able to get a significantly good result. Here’s a brief summary from several online sources:

What is CD4?

T-cells or T-lymphocytes are white blood cells that play important roles in the immune system. There are two main types of T-cells:

• CD4 organize the response of the immune system to bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
• CD8 destroy cells that are infected, and produce antiviral substances.

The relationship of HIV and CD4

HIV targets CD4 cells by binding to its surface, and eventually becoming a part of them. Early in the course of the disease, the body can make more CD4 cells to replace the ones that have been damaged by HIV. This is the period when the person with HIV still feels well and has no symptoms.

Eventually, the body can’t keep up, and the number of functioning CD4 cells decreases. As more and more CD4 cells become damaged, the immune system becomes more and more weakened. The weakened immune system leaves the body at risk for illness and infections.

Uses of CD4 Count

CD4 counts are reported as the number of cells in a cubic millimeter of blood. The normal CD4 count is 500 to 1000. Other sources indicate that normal range is 600 to 1200. It is also more important to pay attention to the pattern of results than to any one test result.

It is useful to have CD4 count regularly measured for two main reasons:

• To monitor the immune system, and decide whether and when to start to take HIV treatment and other treatments to prevent infections.
• To help monitor the effectiveness of the HIV treatment.

Personal note:

My baseline CD4 count is 518. For me, my result falls short from the normal range, but it is fairly high that it is still not recommended for me to start with ARVs. I somehow consider myself to be in a critical state because for a period of just around three months starting from the time I was first diagnosed, I developed mild swelling of the lymph nodes and seborrheic dermatitis.

The next schedule for my CD4 is on December, but in my case, I would like to take another one after only three months (September), even if it's not free anymore, just so to know how my health is doing. For now, I just have to focus on improving my lifestyle, so that everything I do is for the improvement of my overall health condition.

References:
aidsmap.com
aids.about.com
webmd.com