Question
I am newly diagnosed can you explain HIV treatments?
23 April 2008. Related: All topics, Newly diagnosed, Opportunistic infections, Starting treatment.
Three weeks ago I was diagnosed HIV+, since then my baseline results have returned. My CD4 is 184 and my viral load was 4,800. My consultant said that is was lucky to have realised something was wrong and that it got noticed. Otherwise I may have ended up in hospital. He has put me on Co-Trimoxazole and in two weeks I need to return to be put on combination therapy. It is all so confusing at the moment especially as I have only recently being diagnosed. Can you explain what this all means to me?
Answer
Thank you for your question. I am sorry to hear that you are distressed. It is important to take one day at a time and listen to your doctor’s very sound advice. Living with HIV can be a challenge but with treatment you can live a near normal life.
Co-trimoxazole or septrin is an antibiotic that can reduce the incidence of a range of opportunistic infections including pneumonia. In resourse-poor settings it also has an anti-malarial effect. When you have a CD4 count of 200 or below you are at a higher risk of getting severe opportunistic infections so septrin is recommeded to prevent those infections.
As your doctor rightly indicated, you should be able to start HIV treament in another couple of weeks. For now, at least, you are protected from opportunistic infections that can be a danger to you because your immune system is compromised.
Please do contact us again if you need more information, especially on HIV treatment. You can also have a look at our new guide on Introduction to Combination Therapy.
Good luck.
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