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| The raw data for this graph, along with notes about some situations is available here. | ||||||||
| To see how HIV is affecting me, we have to look at two indicators, the Viral Load and the T-cell Count. |
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Viral Load |
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| The Viral Load (in red) marks how much virus is in my blood. When this count is HIGH, it means that I am usually pretty sick, since my body is having to combat so much of the virus, and that isn't good. HIV uses the immune system to grow and spread, so the more my body fights off the infection, the more the infection can reproduce. It's a Catch-22 situation. |
| The chart below takes a deeper look at my Viral Load from the start of 2005, when I became compliant to my current regimen that doesn't make me so sick. My doctor and I have noticed that I have periodic blips. We're not certain what this means; but each time the blip isn't as bad, so we continue to monitor this situation. |
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T-cells |
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| T-cells (in green) are the primary target of HIV, and some of the most important cells in your immune system. As the HIV infects the T-cells (by converting them into HIV-making cells), more of my immune system is killed off when the virus is done reproducing. When the T-cell count is LOW it means that I have NO resistance to the HIV or ANY other illness. These other illnesses are usually called "opportunistic illnesses" (OI) including wasting syndrome, several cancers, and several variants of pneumonia. The clinical definition of AIDS is a diagnosed HIV infection, a T-cell count of 200 or lower, and an OI. So, although a person doesn't actually die from HIV itself, they eventually are lost to a myriad of other illnesses that the body is no longer fighting off (since the immune system is too damaged or destroyed). |
Good and Bad Examples |
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| A good example: Jan 2002 - VL is low, TC are up A bad example: Jan 2003 - VL is high and TC are down |
Current Condition |
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| Ever since Christmas 2004, when I committed to being Jim's partner, I also committed to taking my meds daily no matter how bad they made me feel. You can clearly see that my commitment has made a world of difference in my health. Not only have I had much more stable numbers; but I have felt healthier than I have in over 15 years. Oddly enough too, since Jim's passing (5/08), I have gone from throwing up 4-6 times a month to 6 times a year! |
If you'd like to learn anymore about HIV/AIDS,
the website aidsmeds.com is a
good place to start!