After ARV, my doctors now prescribe an immunization for me. A different kind of vaccines. Hepa B vaccine which will be having a 3 shots the 0-1-6 the Pneumococal for anti Pneumonia for one shot that lasts for five years, and a flu vaccine shots every year.
Scheduled of my 2nd month CBC and SGPT test, i go to RITM and got my blood extracted to find out if my hemoglobin is lowering due to ARV, if my SGPT or liver enzymes is rising because of ARV and Izoniasid.
I got also a one shot of vaccine for my 0 schedule. Then 2 shots after a month and last shot after 6 months. Then Booster nalang.
The Hepa B vaccine is for free at RITm but the Pneumo costs me 1500 and the flue costs 600. And theres another vaccine that i might to have, the meninggo and anti cancer vaccine.
"Loving God means keeping His commandments, and really, that isn't difficult."
-- 1 John 5:3
After a week or two of doing the baseline tests, and thank God they are all negative. The doctor was then ready to give me my very first ARV. Plus the cotrimoxazol that is an anti bacteria capsule that can fight bacteria that coming into my body since my cd4 is very low. The capsule is too big, every time i try to drink it, im about to blow.
The cocktail that doctor was gave me were lamivi/zidovi+nevirapine. All these type of ARV has a sudden side effect depends on the reaction of the body. They are strong kind of ARV that strictly take on time and on scheduled. She explained that Lamivi/zidovi may cause anemia, or lowering of the red blood cells and/or hemoglobin. And the nevirapine is very high allergen medicine. She strictly inform me that i need to monitor my conditions from time to time. Since i was then on a trial period they gave just a 2 bottle for the two types of capsule good for 2 weeks, and will take once a day, if after two weeks nothing harm was happened another two weeks and additional 2 capsule at night.
The first day that i took arv, i got nausea, and i vomit the night 30 minutes after i took the med, i got panic cause i don't know if ill have to take again or if its enough, because they say that capsule or tablet medicine dissolve in stomach and absorb by body for the minimum of 3 hours, meaning the tablet that i just took was now on my vomit product, so i have to take another one just to make sure.
I have my Thermometer wherever ill go and every after 30 minutes im checking up my body temperature as connotes that will ever i feel hot, ill have to run to the hospital, for first week my highest temperature that i got was then 36.9, and that was just one time. The rest were playing around 34-36.0 degree Celsius. I don't have any rushes and body aching. The only worst side effect that i felt that time was the nausea. I hate the feeling especially when im vomiting, all of the food that i ate that day will be thrown away.
The next 2 weeks nothing serious side effect was took place. And my nausea was gone. I feel good and great. My nausea last for a week. And they took another sgot and sgpt for my liver. Because it its needed to find out if theres no harm effect on my liver because they just found out that ARV can increase to the damage of the liver. As i got my sgpt and sgot, they advice that i need to take the two capsule twice a day.since my hemoglobin is still high.
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, Nor sitteth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers."
--Psalms 1:1 (ASV)
After a week of waiting. Ayun nakuha kona ang viral load ko. And its quite worrying kasi nasa 600,000 ang viral load ko which is very bad. The next step is to know about my cd4 count, anyway, lets define viral load first.
What is viral load?
VIRAL LOAD is a blood test that measures the amount of active HIV in your blood. The higher the value of viral load test, the more active HIV is present. The quantitative HIV viral load ranges from 400 - 750,000 copies.
Scary no? Eh ung sakin 600,000 na, 150k nalang pwede nako mag bingo.
Then i got my cd4 panel result sa SACCL. The result is 69 :(
Anyway what is CD4 muna? And bakit eto important?
Cd4 cells - these cells have molecules called cd4 on its surface. These "helper" cells initiate the body's response to infections.
Normal values of cd4 cells ranges from 600- 1200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood. Less than 200 the immune system is severely weakened and the Hiv+ person is at much greater risk of opportunistic infection.
200-500 treatment is recommended.
So imagine? Cd4 cells ko 69 lang? So i got worried when i saw the result at dali dali ko pinuntahan doctor ko sa makatimed. And shocked din sya ng makita nya. And she said "this is impossible, your too young, and wala ka namang signs of opportunistic infection."
If doctor was shocked, what more about me? Haha ni hindi ako nagkasakit o simpleng sipon. So nakita din ni doc ung cbc ko. And they are all abnormal. Sabi nya pang chronic disease na tong result na to. At di daw sya naniniwala para makasiguro nag CBC ako sa makatimed at mismong araw na un nakuha ko result. And they are all normal, so baka ang cd4 ko mali din.
So she recommend na magpa cd4 panel ulit ako kasi sa iba na, so she recommend NKTI sa may kamuning they offer it much cheaper than MMC and st. Lukes. So aun nagpacd4 ako. After 2 days they emailed us the resukt, and it was 184.
But atleast nasa 3digits pa sya hehe. Then start nako rinesetahan ng ARV ni doc.
"God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble."
--Psalm 46:1
