Medical History
I was first diagnosed as being HIV positive in 1992. In 2005, my diagnosis was upgraded to full-blown AIDS after I was hospitalized with pneumocystis pneumonia. My condition is also characterized by a condition known as “AIDS Dementia Complex” (ADC) which affects memory and concentration to the point that I have had to retire from gainful employment.
My Current Medications
My current HIV regimen consists of:
- HIV Medications
- Presizta – one pill twice a day.
- Norvir – one pill twice a day.
- Zerit – one pill twice a day.
- Truvada – one pill once a day.
- Prophylaxis
- Trimethoprim Sulfamethoxazole – one pill once a day.
- Azithromycin – one pill twice a week
- Other Medications
- Marinol – one or two pills twice a day as needed. Stimulates appetite and settles a nauseous stomach.
- Fluconazole – one pill once a day as needed. Used to treat thrush.
- Ketoconazole – cream applied to face once a day as needed. Treats the seborrheic rash many people with HIV get on their face.
- Antidepressant
- Mirtazepine
Current Status 
The news could be better, though it could be worse. In February of 2010, my t-cell count had not changed very much, but my viral load was way down, from 187,000 to just over 1,000. There are a few other problems to be dealt with, such as a growth at the back door which needs to be removed. There’s little chance it could be cancerous, but they have to make sure of these things.
Recent Lab Values
| Value | October 2008 | April 2009 | June 2009 | February 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD4 (T-Cell) Count | 130 | 40 | 80 | 78 |
| HIV-RNA (Viral Load) | 842 | 87,000 | 187,000 | 1,000 |
| Weight | 126.2 | 127.6 | 112.4 | 126.5 |
CD4 (T-Cell) Count
The CD4 count, also known as the “T cell count,” is the number of helper T-lymphocytes in a patients blood, usually expressed as the number of cells per cubic millimeter. In a healthy individual, the normal range is from 500-1500. Because HIV reproduces by destroying healthy T cells, this value decreases rapidly. A T cell count less than 200 is a criterion for an AIDS diagnosis.
The lowest my T cell count has ever been was 16, back in 2005.
Quantitative HIV-RNA (Viral Load)
The viral load measures how much of the virus is actually in my blood. Values below 50 are undectable, but do not mean that the virus has gone away completely. The test can only measure up to 500,000 copies per cubic millimeter. The results are plotted on a logarithmic scale.
My viral load has gone off the scale many times on occasion, and once or twice was undetectable. I will probably never achieve undectability again. But I can always hope.
Weight Management
Weight control is always a problem with HIV. Because the virus can destroy muscle mass through “wasting syndromes,” it is important to keep weight up in a healthy range. Unfortunately, the virus as well as medication side effects often destroy the patient’s appetite. For this doctors prescribe nutritional supplements like Boost or Ensure plus a medication called Marinol which is basically the active ingredient in marijuana in pill form. The theory is that it quells the nausea caused by the medications and also gives the patient the “munchies.”
Keeping weight on has always been problematic for me. The ideal weight for a person my height is 160 pounds but when I got so sick a couple of years ago, it dropped to 115! Lately it has been hovering between 120 and 130. My goal is to get up to 150 by the end of the year.
For More Information
AEGIS is one of the best sources of HIV/AIDS information on the web.
