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viral load and cd4 count

Still concerned after 5 years of treatment. I was first diagnosed in 2018 after being rushed to hospital with pneumonia and sepsis.

I had many years of being unwell and had regular trips to the doctor's before I was referred to the hospital to see a specialist. And after many test I was first diagnosed with IBS. The hospital doctor's and I was unaware of the real reason for my illness.

Months after feeling so unwell for so long I finally started to feel like I was getting better. Unaware of how bad it was about to become.

I was not great but felt much better for a good 6 months. Before I started to go down hill again I gradually got to the point where I could not breath and I was visiting the doctor's every week. I got another referral to the hospital but was on the waiting list. While I was waiting to get an appointment I was told by my doctor they think I have b12 Deficiency. They started me on injections straight away for the b12 witch caused me to have a reaction to the injections I was covered in a rash so they stopped treatment and was scratching there heads saying this is unusual. They told me I would need to wait for the hospital appointment and most likely be put on tablets for the b12.

I received a letter to attend the hospital for a check up but had to wait weeks for it. By then I got so bad I could hardly walk without breathing difficulty and was sleeping a lot more than usual I was exhausted and had a high temperature.

A bout a week before the hospital appointment I had come home from work and was shaking this did not last long so just dismissed it.

A couple of days later my temp was very high so had a freezing cold bath and went to bed with painkillers and ibuprofen. Through the night I was soaking wet and had woken up shaking uncontrollable at this point my partner phoned for an ambulance where I was ruched to hospital. I can't remember much from me arriving just bits of what went on but was finally put into a coma days later and my partner was told that I would be lucky to pull through. After awaking from my coma I made a quick recovery and was out of hospital within weeks with a plan for recovery.

Now it's been 5 years of medication I am very concerned that my cd4 count is still not normal and below average. I remember asking while I was in hospital how long to get my cd4 count level back to normal and I'm sure they said a year or so. It's been 5 years and still not where I would like it.

  1. It sounds like you are receiving treatment and are under a doctor's care, yes? I understand how frustrating it can be when it comes to those T-cell numbers. I've learned over the years that many things can make them fluctuate, including diet and stress. How is your viral load?



    1. Yes under treatment with a doctor and viral load is it undetectable

      1. I'm happy to learn that your viral load is undetectable. This means the virus is under control. As I said before, T-cells are a tricky number. What's normal for me may be low for someone else. The path I've taken all these years is to do as much as possible to give them what they need. Rest, exercise, manage my stress, the right foods and avoid poor lifestyle choices.



    2. Alafia (Peace) I am so sorry to hear that you are experiencing aĺ of these health issues. I want to encourage you to hang in there with your provider. I am sure your care and treatment team will be able to get to the bottom of it all. Please continue to stay connected with us so we can continue to support you throughout this process. Khafre (H-I-V.net Team Member)

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