Q and A

Question

I feel dizzy, weak and nauseous – are my symptoms related to my HIV infection?

Thanks for the great advice you offering.

I was recently diagnosed to be positive March 2010. Prior to this HIV diagnosis I was having headaches for a week, vomiting for a whole day and experienced dizziness for several weeks after. All the medical tests revealed no infection despite the vomiting and the headache.

Most of March 2010 I felt weak and dizzy and the vomiting continued until March 17th. Still medical tests (blood plus full x-ray of the body) were done and reveled no infection. Later that week the HIV diagnosis turned positive. I had a CD4 count of 700 and viral load of 390, which doctors say is good. They did not relate my symptoms of vomiting, headache and dizziness to the HIV infection.

During the last week of April 2010 and still on this day of May 1st as I write, I have had a constant headache, dizziness and nausea and severe weakness that is now affecting my work. I am really confused and need to understand what is causing this. My good Doctors are not relating this to HIV yet the other tests are not revealing what is causing these symptoms. I will still have other tests next week that have been recommended by my GP Dr.

Do you think it is HIV related?

Why do you think I am having these tests reveling no infection yet I continue to get headache, dizziness and vomiting for March, April and now May?

I am 27 and I think have not been positive for more than 2 years

Thanks for your advice.

Answer

Thank you for your question.

I am sorry to hear you are unwell.

To give you a more accurate answer it would be useful to know roughly the dates when you tested negative prior to testing positive in March 2010.

If you are newly infected with HIV it could be that these symptoms are related to seroconversion. Seroconversion is the time when your body starts to build an immune response to HIV. This immune response is what is measured on most HIV tests. If you tested negative whilst you had these symptoms and then within the next 6-12 weeks you tested positive for HIV then it could be the seroconversion that is responsible for the headaches, vomiting and weakness.

For more information on symptoms of seroconversion please follow this link

However, if you are not feeling any better now that you have a very low viral load the symptoms could be due to an underlying condition and not related to HIV. Do you see a HIV specialist as well as your GP? At i-Base we are not doctors but treatment advocates and it might be worth getting a second opinion from a specialist in HIV.

18 comments

  1. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Lina,

    How long have you been taking medication for? And how old is your baby?

  2. Lina

    I’m HIV positive, taking drugs. I’m weak all the time. I have a small baby, what causes that?

  3. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Rasheed,

    Please see question one here:

    https://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions

  4. Rasheed

    I do feel some pain around my throat and feel tired sometimes and my breath run around my body………does that mean someone has HIV

  5. Rebecca McDowall

    The fact that they are keeping him in hospital and continuing to treat him means the doctors must think he has a chance of recovery. If you are worried it’s a good idea to ask his doctor questions and find out what they think is likely to happen in the next few days and weeks.

  6. Neza

    Thankx for ur response his doing very well bt hos still on machine he cnt breath by himself n they still draining fluid. I’m worried bcz smtyms his very restless

  7. Rebecca McDowall

    Yes, many people have survived pneumonia and recovered fully. Your boyfriend is likely to be getting a very good standard of individualised care, and his doctors saying he is ‘stable’ is a good sign.

  8. Neza

    Thankx I will do bt Rebecca do u knw any1 who hv survive wit de same desease as my bfz 1?