Would you stay off meds if your T-Cells went under 200?

December 31, 2007

you are opening yourself up for opportunistic infections. Pneumonia is a good example you come down with a cold and it can quickly turn to pneumonia. I have had that happen several times. I am on anti-virals and still was hospitalized for 10 days at a time. Even on meds I one time almost died due to the heavy fluid accumulation in both lungs they were 2/3 full of infection. I would most certainly go on meds to get my counts up and be able to fight infections of all kinds. You need the backup of antivirals to keep you healthy. Its not worth losing your life over when you can add a good many years if you take meds. Its a personal choice but I think one has to decide if they care to die at a younger age or a later age. There is no guarantee you will live to old age but then its best to stack the cards in your favor.

FRANK

In a message dated 12/31/2007 3:41:23 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, malebeyo@... writes:

If you are healthy with no OI's and not sick and your T-Cellswent under 200 did you always go on meds or are those thatstayed with their natural therapies to keep them well? I'm struggling with that now and need to decide what do do becauseI'm not sick and not on meds but my T-Cells are between 150-200with viral load at 93,000.Am I crazy for not going on the meds yet?Thanks for your thoughts.JT.Welcome to our group!If you received this email from someone who forwarded it to you and would like to join this group, send a blank email to -subscribe and you will get an email with instructions to follow.You can chose to receive single emails or a daily digest (collection of emails). You can post pictures, images, attach files and search by keyword old postings in the group.For those of you who are members already and want to switch from single emails to digest or vice versa, visit www., click on , then on "edit my membership" and go down to your selection. The list administrator does not process any requests, so this is a do-it-yourself easy process ! :)Thanks for joining. You will learn and share a lot in this group!NOTE: I moderate, approve or disapprove emails before they are posted. Please follow the guidelines shown in the homepage. I will not allow rudeness, sexually explicit material, attacks, and anyone who does not follow the rules. If you are not OK with this, please do not join the group. Forward this email to anyone who may benefit from this information! Thanks!In Health, Vergel (PoWeRTX@...)List Founder and Moderator

December 31, 2007

If you are healthy with no OI's and not sick and your T-Cells

went under 200 did you always go on meds or are those that

stayed with their natural therapies to keep them well? I'm

struggling with that now and need to decide what do do because

I'm not sick and not on meds but my T-Cells are between 150-200

with viral load at 93,000.

Am I crazy for not going on the meds yet?

Thanks for your thoughts.

JT.

December 31, 2007

, With t cells between 150 and 200, I'd say get on meds yesterday. You say you have had no OIs, but with t cells hovering at 150, this is opening you up to getting an one of a string of OIs. My doc has always told me that less than 200 is "the danger zone" If you get something like CMV retinitus, you could lose your site, and t cells at 1 million would not bring that sight back. Get the meds going, I say. My Kaposi's sarcoma started when my t cells dropped to 146 back in 1993. If I had meds back then, I may not have to deal with that today. Unfortunately, there was only AZT back then. Also, in my opinion, there is no natural therapies to combat HIV. Yes, you can supplement the diet (vitamins, herbs, etc) but that won't boost those t cells to staggering levels. HIV meds will. Ala <malebeyo@...> wrote: If you are healthy with no OI's and not sick and your T-Cellswent under 200 did you always go on meds or are those thatstayed with their natural therapies to keep them well? I'm struggling with that now and need to decide what do do becauseI'm not sick and not on meds but my T-Cells are between 150-200with viral load at 93,000.Am I crazy for not going on the meds yet?Thanks for your thoughts.JT.

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December 31, 2007

> *struggling with that now and need to decide what do do because

> I'm not sick and not on meds but my T-Cells are between 150-200

> with viral load at 93,000.

> Am I crazy for not going on the meds yet?

> Thanks for your thoughts.

> JT.

JT,

gosh, this sounds like the old days when we died. Right about now is

when I got PCP (at about 130 t-cells), then the KS set in and it was

a very wild downhill free fall.

I was working ie: not sick, running around just like a normal guy

when suddenly I had an odd cough and couldn't get air into my lungs.

Two days later I was in ICU fighting for my life. I'll also add I was

taking butt loads of vitamins and supplements, doing all that was

available. This was 1992... What saved my life was the " meds " I'm

thankful for them at every dose, twice a day I wash them down with

gratitude.

Happy New Year!

please consider taking the pills.

January 1, 2008

Just noticed this message. So to follow up on a previous reply to your

previous post, Dr. cacrcoastal here recommends getting on some sort of

anti.retroviral program right away. If you haven't taken anything yet,

then you are in a good situation to get some of the best meds yet.

Provided you don't have any allergies and such, my doc has me on one

truvada and two viramune per day, which I take before bedtime.

Actually hepls put me to sleep! My viral load is undetectable.

Note, from STI's discussion before. Rebuilding your tcells to above

the 400 range could take quite a while. Maybe a year. It's something

to be aware of. So if your viral load is at 93,000 now, you best get

going with it. All it takes is one OppInfection and you'll wish you

were dead.

Other side note: Other people have tried to 'disable' themselves by

staying off meds for quite a while. Or goingout and partying till they

drop, just so they could get disability benefits. Today, with all the

success, it really isn't a possiblity until you are literally on your

death bed.

Did you say you JUST became positive?? How can this be?

I know that upon infection, viral load tends to be higher at first, but

frankly, mine have never been that high, (though close...).

Also, if you could reply back just to let me know you are not a 'spy'

of sorts. Lots of anti.hivers lurking the online groups these days

making phoney stories. Suddenly, your story is having a few, may I

say, 'cracks'....

Be Well,

MX

>

> If you are healthy with no OI's and not sick and your T-Cells

> went under 200 did you always go on meds or are those that

> stayed with their natural therapies to keep them well? I'm

> struggling with that now and need to decide what do do because

> I'm not sick and not on meds but my T-Cells are between 150-200

> with viral load at 93,000.

> Am I crazy for not going on the meds yet?

> Thanks for your thoughts.

> JT.

>

January 1, 2008