The CD4 and Me

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CD4, if you would visit my first few entries several years ago about HIV information, is the part of our immune system attacked by HIV. It serves as the host where the virus replicates itself.

As part of the monitoring and treatment, CD4 test is being done every six months. Last March, I had this test in one of the Social Hygiene Clinic in Quezon City. The result read 489. It went up from 469. On April, again I got tested at my official treatment hub. It went up several notches to 539. Not bad I guess for a less than month interval. There was a time that it only increased by three points after six months. Well, like we always say, it is just numbers. As long as I am not sick and perfectly healthy, then there’s nothing to worry. After virtually eleven years from the time I was diagnosed, next month would be my tenth year in ARV treatment! For the second near death experienced I had early last year, I got miraculously healed and here I am ... still alive, happy, and contented in the midst of life’s daily cross.

When it comes to HIV Channels of Hope, I got busy conducting the workshops from December to March to different communities in Luzon and Mindanao. As for the counseling work in our center, I got a client now whom I see regularly a few times in a week. Also, I got counselees from our church. Next month would be class time again for three weeks. Wait, I think I have not shared yet here that I have started my doctorate degree in Christian Clinical Counseling last January. Yes, by God’s grace, I was able to get a scholarship at Asia Graduate School of Theology in which has become my deciding factor for not choosing La Salle. Please do pray with me for financial provisions for my studies, wisdom and good health as I do simultaneously all these work ... all for God’s honor and glory.

Looking back at my journey, I was like, “Who would have thought I could be doing all these after HIV?” Truly with God, everything is possible as we continue this life journey in union with Christ our Saviour. Shalom dear readers!

Latest CD4 Count, Studies

After a little more than half a year I was surprised to see the result of my CD4 count. From beyond

normal of 631 CD4 per ml. of blood, it has plummeted to 331. It is a bit less than 50%! This has never happened to me before and I have not seen my physician yet as of this writing. When I shared this to some of my friends, they too were surprised and asked what could possibly be the reason(s) of its drop. Well honestly, I can't think of any except of less hours of sleep than the expected 7-8 hours and probably stress but still that was a lot I guess if these two are the only causes. I have never been sick for a long time already. At first I was a bit scared and confused but I hope, and some of my fellow HIV+ friends affirmed, that this is still normal and eventually it will go up again next time. So dear friends, please kindly pray for me. Although I am really fine as of the moment and the next scheduled visit to my doctor is in October.

As for my studies, my second to the last semester (hoping and praying) has started and I have just begun writing my thesis proposal. I need prayers on this too as well as financial provisions for I am not sure if I can work and do all my studies at the same time. I am working on finding out the barriers in churches and Christians on addressing the issue of homosexuality or same-sex attraction because I want to know the reasons why we are not able to minister to brothers or sisters and people with SSA effectively or not able to minister at all despite the command of loving one another as Jesus loved and accepted us in order to help the readers and other Christians to understand better the depth of this issue and eventually respond in a Christ-like way. Please kindly pray that this will be approved and become successful and eventually will be very useful for the Christians and churches.

Thank you for visiting my blog and God is good all the time. Praises and honor be to Lord Jesus!

School, Health and HIV Ministry

Thank You Lord for being there in every step of the way. Truly, " Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances" (Proverbs 11:14, MSG) and "Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war, obtain guidance" (Proverbs 20:18, NIV). After weeks of seeking God's will and guidance for this semester through counseling and advice seeking from wise friends, finally I got enrolled with peace in my heart...no worries or doubts but excitement and a looking-forward attitude! I have only one subject and one semester remaining after this school year and I will graduate earlier than I have planned.

As for my health, four weeks ago I did all my regular medical laboratory check up such as FBS, cholesterol, creatinine, and other numbers that need monitoring including CD4 test or number of Commanding Officers white blood cells that is responsible in keeping our immune system healthy and well functioning. Virtually all the results are in normal range and the CD4 cells has increased to a whooping 631 from 457 last year praise God! Healthy lifestyle physically, mentally, emotionally but more importantly, spiritually is truly the way towards healthy living! Thank you Lord for this miracle, another proof that God still heals today!

Last week, for the first time in my five years of traveling, I have encountered challenges from check-in to immigration on my way to Bangkok to participate at the pre-conference of interfaith networks on AIDS in Asia at ICAAP 11 or International Conference on AIDS in Asia Pacific. As I was waiting for things to happen whether I can get through or not, I was reminded how I got in this situation from the start and asked God if I was really in the right place or if it is really His will to be here. But one thing I have noticed with myself was…I have never been that calm and at peace in a stressful situation like that, and believed that things will go well if this is God’s will. In fact I was able to finish several pages of the book that is a required reading at school, while waiting. Well, I told myself, “If this was the old me, I could have ranted and simply backed out and went home.” Thus, who says people cannot change? But moreover, and I believed this is the best thing I realized in the situation…I have simply trusted the Lord and let Him take over of the situation instead of yielding up to worrying and stressing myself out. Hmmm…Lord thank you so much for I think you have changed me and still changing me to become the man that you truly want me to become.

Aside from meeting and becoming friends with some few of the key people in the Interfaith Network of Religious Leaders Living with HIV&AIDS (INERELA) and Asia Interfaith Network on AIDS (AINA), very briefly I was tasked to present the plan for the Philippines as we engage in AINA. For now, I am still uncertain of the reason why the Lord has brought me in this conference. Perhaps it’s more of building my network, testing my faith and the truth I believe in, and reaffirming my true calling in Jesus as I met and talked with this very strong HIV+ woman Pastor and a couple of faith leaders in same-sex relationships for the first time. Nevertheless, I praise the Lord and thank Him for this short but still blessed trip.

Latest CD4 Count

The peak of my CD4 count since I started my ARV treatment back in June 2007 was 521 per ml of blood. After almost a year, it went down to 378 and then last November it plummeted to 294.


Honestly, I was a bit worried because it could be an indication that my drug regimen is not working anymore. But then I realized, I did not get sick for quite a long time and feel always healthy so probably my frequent travel and stress which are all work related might be the cause of this. I tried to get some good rest and my travel was lessened so I took the test again and I got the result last week.


Prayer really works and God has proven once again His faithfulness in me. My CD4 count has increased up to 457 which are very close to normal count of 500 and up! It's more than what I have expected. Also I took the other laboratory test I need to monitor regularly such as CBC, blood chemistry, FBS, uric acid, cholesterol, SGPT, SGOT, triglyceride and etc. and virtually all the result are within normal level!


It only means that I am now at the prime of my health praise the Lord and thank you God! Enough hours of sleep, good eating habits, regular work out and exercise, and nurturing spiritual needs while incessantly seeking God's presence truly works at its best!


Work-ministry-wise, not the answer I have expected from God but an opportunity to trust Him more! My contract will end this month and I was hoping and praying that it will be renewed after four or five months so I can study full time this semester. But last week, I was just informed that my contract is extended until September and another new contract will come after that. Not the way I planned it but it seems God has better plans for me than I do and all I can do is to trust Him even more. 


I can't help but be forever grateful and feel blessed to God Almighty!

Ministry and Me

It's been more than six months since I've got a regular job. But the good news is that God remains faithful, and will always be, when it comes to my daily needs and in answering my prayers even the small ones.

Somehow the Lord loves keeping me busy with the ministry He had entrusted me especially the past week.

Last Thursday, I went to the hospital to get my ARV and checked out the result of my latest CD4 count; from 448 it had increased to 521!

After that, I met Kuya Kevin and recorded a radio (podcast) interview with him on his program "Basta Love Life". I am a follower of his blog but it was the first time I personally saw him. He's an incredibly wonderful guy with a heart for young Filipinos. To listen to that interview and know Kuya Kevin more, you can click the links below.

http://kuyakevin.libsyn.com
KuyaKevin.com

My doctor and I, together with the other facilitator, had conducted the two day COH workshop to her (my doctor) church. She's so happy that it finally happened and God truly moved the hearts of the participants!

Two days ago I had attended my first HIV summit in Manila. It was nice to see good friends I have not seen for a long time there and meet new people working in the HIV and AIDS ministry.

Lastly yesterday, I gave an orientation of "Channels of Hope" program to the youth of this church in northern Manila. The response was great and I think they have enjoyed it.

After that, I had decided to go home and take some rest. I was able to finish Kuya Kevin's "Learning the Hard Way" book while in the bus on my way home. The last story featured was mine (Living with HIV) and I'll be fair with my review which I will post here soon.

These are all great blessings from God and words are not enough to thank Him. But thanksgiving to God must be never ending (1 Thessalonians 5:18) so thank you Lord and praise you!

I am excited with the amazing things God is about to do next! He's simply the best!

My Latest CD4

Praise the Lord! Hello readers!

The result of my last CD4 count test was released yesterday. Albeit my doctor told me that it was perfectly alright, honestly I can't help but to feel a little sad because from 469 T-helper cells more than a little six months ago it plummeted to 443!

The doctor said that as long as it will not go down beyond 30% from the last count it can be considered normal for it fluctuates sometimes. What matters most is I do not have any opportunistic infections and I am not sick of anything! In fact, I am feeling strong and healthy and gradually rekindling the fire in my heart for the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thank God because an angel paid for my Viral Load test. It costs 6,000PHP and I do not have a budget for that. This is another testimony of God's faithfulness to His children! Thank you my Heavenly Father! Thank you Dad! This test will determine the quantity of virus in my bloodstream or the ARV I am taking for one year and seven months now is really working. Also it will verify the result of my CD4 count.

I pray that the result which will be released sometime next week is "undetected" or very very low viral load or viral copies per milliliter of blood, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

A Year After ARV

The topic I am writing about is very timely coz on the 8th of this month; I'll be celebrating my one year of taking the antiretroviral or ARV. The sad thing about that is until now; I have not done my CD4 count test yet. The last time I had my CD4 test was in February 2007 where I found out that I need to take ARV coz my count is below 350, its only 331.

I remember when I had my trial period for 14 days at the H4 ward in San Lazaro Hospital. Nothing happened with regards to the side effects of the drugs until the 20th day of my trial period and I was already back at home. I started to throw up every morning and evening after my meal for the next ten consecutive days. It's like I was in the early stage of pregnancy. I got over it after ten days then my skin on my fingers and feet started to peel off gradually. It was like a skin allergy that stopped me from doing the laundry that I need to keep my hands and feet dry all the time. Another side effect that I am still feeling right now from time to time is I feel nauseated after taking my meal and when I am really hungry; that's why I started to eat in a small amount but more frequently. Somehow, it lessened the nauseous feeling.

So far, those are the only side effects I have experienced after a year and I am perfectly fine right now. I hope time will come that I won't feel any of these nor any side effects of ARV and my skin may continue to heal and gets back to normal.

Hopefully my CD4 will be very high when I had my test and I am praying that time will come when the virus in my blood will be undetected when I have the money for viral load test. Also I am praying that God will continue to bless me with good health physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually so that I will be able to serve my purpose He had designed for me in this world.

Next post is the second part of treatment.

HIV Progression and Testing Part 4 - Tests

Testing for HIV Viral Load, Antibody Tests and CD4 Count Test

We can perform tests to test for the HI virus. There are three tests that can be used to determine how many viruses are present in blood and it is called the viral load. These are the PCR or Polymerase Chain Reaction, NASBA and Branched Chain tests. The tests are very expensive approximately per test. However, the tests for HIV antibodies are much cheaper and easier to perform.

There are three types of tests for HIV antibodies. They are the ELISA and Western Blot tests. Recently the newly developed Rapid test replaced the first two tests as a screening test for HIV. With a Rapid test, it is not necessary to draw blood which then needs to be sent to a pathology laboratory. A smear is taken from the inside of the mouth or a small sample of blood is taken after a finger prick. Using these samples, the test provides a positive or negative result within 20 minutes. Recent developments made these tests accurate and trustworthy.

It is very important to note that the tests used to determine if someone is infected with HIV are not testing for the HIV virus but for the antibodies that are formed as soon as the body detects the presence of the virus. If we therefore say someone is "HIV positive," it only means he tested positive for the presence of HIV specific antibodies. The limitations to this test are; it does not tell you when you were infected, how you were infected, what the viral load in your blood is and what your CD4 count is.

The period from the time a person is infected until the antibodies have been manufactured, is called the window period. During the window period there will be no antibodies present in the blood, and a person therefore tests negative even though the virus is already in the blood. Usually these antibodies form within 2-6 weeks, but sometimes it can take as long as 3 months.

Another test would be the CD4 count. This test does not test for HIV or HIV antibodies. It counts the number of CD4 cells in your blood and gives a good indication of how strong the immune system of a person is. This test is normally used to determine if a person is eligible to start with antiretroviral therapy or ARV. In most countries the protocol is to only put HIV positive people on ARV once their CD4 count is below 200.

According to my doctor, the protocol now including the Philippines is below 350 coz the side effects of the drug is much lesser. I have started my ARV last June 2007 because my CD4 count was 331.

If you want to get tested for HIV antibodies or HIV itself, you can visit San Lazaro Hospital in Manila. The HIV antibodies test costs around 400-450 pesos while the viral load test is around 6000 pesos. I would suggest the HIV antibodies test for it is much cheaper.

Note: Information was excerpt from the "Channels of Hope" facilitator's manual.