It’s now 304!

Haven’t been really updating this blog. After all, life did not really change much after I am diagnosed with the virus – Other than taking Z250 every 12 hours.

My CD4 count has finally moved to above the 300 mark! Had 3 vaccination for the following during my last consultation – H1N1, Hep A and pneumonia.

I am considering to move this blog to a micro blog. After all, I don’t blog very much, right?

Significant difference!

Yay! After taking the medication for 7 weeks, my CD4 count has gone up from 65 to 173! I can feel myself slightly healthier compared to Aug 09. My liver test result is good too! I have been a good boy in taking my medications on time.

Hope my CD4 count will continue to climb. Wish me luck, I really need lots of luck.

6 weeks later.

Bad news.

My CD4 count remained at 65. I had to start my treatment ASAP.

Doc gave me a prescription for 2 weeks which will cost me $700+ if I purchase the medication at the hospital pharmacy. He recommended to me to get the generic medication from one of the suppliers that he knows and it cost me only $50. I am really very grateful to the suppliers who bring in the generic medication into Singapore.

The supplier actually shared with me that now they import extra 3 months supplies, just in case that the Thailand airport got shut down again. The medication that I am on must be taken every 12 hours. Any break in the cycle may cause the medication to fail.

My supplier’s assistant delivered the medication to me the next day evening and told me that he is also on this medication for the past 3 years. The common side effects of this medication includes giddiness and vomiting. I was told to avoid garlic pills and wheat grass products and if I have any more questions, I can always ask him.

To date, I only felt a bit nauseous and slightly giddy. Hope these side effects will go away soon.

Acting normal

Image courtesy of stock.xchng

I have been getting high fever on and off recently and my elbow and knee areas are exceptionally hot. I know that these are the effects of my body fighting against the HIV virus and all I can do to manage my temperature is by taking panadol. I still have to act normal in front of my friends, colleagues and family, when the fever is really affecting me.

I am starting to take vitamins to help increase my immunity and been forcing myself to eat and drink more than usual. Hope all this will help me get rid of my fever and let me live normally.

Wish me luck…

Finally, a good night sleep…

Image courtesy of stock.xchng

I am not sure if this is psychological. After sharing about my HIV status here, I felt much better and was able to sleep well. The entire period, from the time hat I was diagnosed HIV+, I haven’t been sleeping well. I have been waking up in middle of the night as the uncertainties kept bothering me.

Questions like if I should tell any of my good friends and have them support me through this period, and whether I am able to support myself financially kept following in. Penning my thoughts here has probably relieved some tension and stress from my mind.

My fever is gone this morning, but I think I will be still taking panadol, or at least bring along some with me. It is really hard to behave normally when the fever is on.

Looking on the brighter side, I am given a chance to manage my condition like any other chronic diseases. If detected at a later stage, the impact on me could be worse without any medical intervention.

“Striking Lottery”

I have just been diagnosed to be HIV+. While I am still trying hard to accept the truth, I am very thankful to that someone had persuaded me to take the HIV test after knowing my high-risk behaviour.

My greatest fear of taking the HIV test was that I have heard about some rumours about the newly diagnosed HIV+ patients being sent to the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) by force and they will contact those whom the HIV patient had sex with.

This is not true.

Even though the Ministry of Health (MOH) have been notified about my newly acquired status, I was told that I am not required to inform my employer or anyone around me. As of now, there are probably only about 3 persons who know about my status as I am not ready to tell anyone else yet:

• Consultant and his assistant
• MOH Counsellor
• Counsellor from Action For AIDS (AFA)

The counsellor had requested for the numbers of those people whom I had unprotected sex with. She will contact them and advise them to go and take the anonymous HIV test, without identifying me.

I am now seeking treatment in a Government Hospital. My CD4 cells count was 65 when I got diagnosed and technically, it should be classified as “Extremely Dangerous”. I was quite devastated when I saw the low CD4 count and the viral load figures just went pass me without me registering it. The two information is very important for a HIV patient.

My consultant looked at my condition and said that my CD4 count should be up to about 300 after a few weeks. If it remains low, I will have to start the treatment. In my next appointment with my consultant, they will be giving me some vaccination against Hepatitis A and B.

The counsellor told me that HIV is manageable, though it is not curable. It is just like another chronic disease and it is about how early the intervention is being done. Consultation fee is about $100 plus and the monthly cost of the medication is about $300 if the purchase is done in Thailand. My counsellor has offered to help me to purchase them from Thailand as she does this regularly for the other patients.

I am still very worried now. My body is fighting with the virus and I kept getting fever on and off. I also wonder if  I will be able to cope with the medical bills to keep me alive. But at least I know my status now.

If you had unprotected sex before, go to AFA for the anonymous HIV testing. No personal particulars are recorded even with positive results. It’s better to know earlier.