Wednesday, September 20, 2006

I'm Jacked

The last ten days or so since my last post have been fairly non-eventful. The massive fatigue I felt early on seems to be subsiding, and my energy level is creeping up ever so slightly. I have been noticing some minor improvements in my back pain levels, though not nearly to the degree I experienced right after the loading phase. Interestingly, my cyclical problems with cystic acne on my back have also started to improve.

In the meantime, I have also gotten a fresh set of labs and have had my annual physical exam with my DO. As I mentioned in my last post, my PCP -- a D.O. -- has agreed to supervise my AIM trial. However, he is still a medical doctor and that fact became more apparent after my exam, this morning.

And we have a winner, folks! This latest set of labs is record-breaking on both counts. As you might have already inferred, my viral load has increased significantly and my CD-4 count has dropped with equal significance. My viral load has more than tripled what it was last April/May. It now stands at 159,000 copies/ML. By comparison, it was about 43K last time around. What's more disturbing is that my CD-4 count now stands at 262, down from 407. As my previous set of labs was about 4-5 months old, it's hard to say whether or not the significant change is directly attributable to AIM. However, the AIM doctor clearly indicated that I would see an initial downturn. Hence, this set of labs seems to be consistent with everything I've been told to expect, thus far.

What concerns me now, though, is that my DO immediately started talking about drug regimens. Heretofore, I have not been on any HIV meds, and I am doing everything I possibly can to avoid getting stuck in that trap. The DO's tone was a little more assertive than his normally laid back demeanor, so I am somewhat fearful of an eventual showdown if I choose not to immediately start a drug regimen. I bought some time, though, by saying that my next appointment with the infectious diseases doctor is late, next month. Even so, he said he was only comfortable with me waiting a month or less to get started. I suggested that I get another set of labs, in order to confirm these results, when I meet with the ID doctor. My DO agreed that was a good course of action. To the degree possible, I want to ride the cusp of asymptomaticity (read:drug free) until the AIM protocol has ended. Regardless, I know that viral loads can swing widely from day to day, so having another set of labs done is just common sense.

Keep me in your prayers.

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Monday, September 11, 2006

Je Suis Fatigue

I have this endearing (to me, anyway) tendency to do my research after having jumped headlong into something. In this case, I listened to the AIM radio testimonials podcast over the weekend – after getting my three loading doses of AIM. It was then that I learned about some of the initial side-effects of AIM.

First, I found out that approximately one week after treatment, the injection site usually becomes somewhat hardened and itchy (as I try to sneak a scratch here at my cubicle). Doh. Anyway, I now know that the best place for these injections is the butt, not the abdomen. I now have this big red bump, with a slight bruise encircling it, on my belly. As if I weren’t already self-conscious enough in the gym! Hah. Who knew?

Otherwise, the most notable post-treatment side-effect has been massive fatigue, although I have no way of knowing whether or not there is a direct correlation. I have always had low energy issues, but this is kind of like having a low-grade flu over a period of several days. As I understand it, though, the AIM patient’s body will naturally start “asking” for what it needs while on the treatment. In my case, having had several years of insomnia issues, I think my body is simply begging for rest. I am usually wired at night, but not lately. Also, I have been taking naps much more frequently, and I run out of energy (i.e., doing boring chores) more rapidly than before.

Interestingly, my chronic back issues (arthritic, degenerative disks) seems to improve on some days, but not others. AIM tackles a broad array of inflammatory conditions, so if my back problems improve during the course of the treatment, all the better. BONUS!

Otherwise, I was finally able to speak to my primary care physician about AIM. He's a younger D.O., and is pretty open-minded to alternative treatments. He has agreed to supervise me while on AIM, and thus, I had my first post-treatment blood draw, today. I am anxious to see if the results bear out the expectation of an elevated viral load and/or a decreased CD-4 count.

More to come.

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Wednesday, September 06, 2006

My Arse Is Sore

I sort of skipped over Day 2, so today's post will summarize both Days 2 and 3.

After I posted my Day 1 message, I took a really really long nap. Wow, did I need it. One of my biggest complaints has been chronic fatique coupled with, paradoxically, chronic insomnia. When I woke up, though, I was chatty Kathy all over again. I couldn't believe how good I felt.

On Day 2, I learned how to self-administer the treatment. I also learned that I'm a real wimp. :p When compared with Day 1, Day 2 was rather anti-climactic. I was really hungry, again, but nothing compared to the previous day's carnage. I did sleep well, but it wasn't until today that I realized that my chronic back pain (arthritic disks) had greatly subsided. I was able to sit all day at work without my Home Depot back brace. (It gets so bad that, sometimes, I have to take short breaks to lie on the floor atop an ice pack.)

Today, I received the largest of the three loading doses. Even though the dose was nearly double the previous day's, I really didn't experience any side-effects. I was more alert during the afternoon, which was a welcome bonus feature during this hectic time at work.

I also learned, today, that virtually all of the "immune boosting" techniques, whether pharmaceutical or otherwise, actually work to the virus' advantage. That's because the virus mimics immune cell functionality, and relies upon the body's immune processes to replicate. Kind of counter-intuitive, but as it was explained to me in more technical terms, it really made sense. (Now, don't go flushing all of your supplements down the toilet!)

So, a month from now, I'll receive my next dose. Between now and then, I'll have gotten a fresh set of labs. I have been told to expect a significant drop in CD-4 counts, and possibly a higher viral load. Again, this is counter-intuitive, as it really means that the treatment is drawing the virus out from its various hiding places (primarily the lymphatic system).

Stay tuned!

Monday, September 04, 2006

Day 1

Today, I received my first of three loading treatments of the AIM therapy. I didn't grow fangs and Mr. Hyde has yet to materialize. :p The first three treatments are administered on successive days, around the same time of day, so I'm sure I'll have much more to report mid-week as compared to today.

So far, I've had a very mild reactions to the treatment, none of which I'm sure I can directly attribute to AIM. While receiving the initial treatment, I felt a little "buzz.," but that quickly subsided. Interestingly, on the drive home, I became ravenously hungry, even though I had eaten a late breakfast a couple of hours before the treatment. Then, after lunch, my hunger transformed into mild nausea. Now, I'm feeling really sleepy. Could be these pesky Texas allergens for all I know.

Now, to help establish a baseline, I thought this would be a good time to share my most recent labs. I also hope to get another set of labs within a couple of weeks. My most recent viral load is 43K and my most recent CD-4 count is 407. My highest viral load has been > 50K, and my lowest CD-4 count has been 351.

I am told to expect an initial increase in viral load and a decrease in CD-4 count with a sharp rebound after a couple of months of therapy. As I understand it, the treatment helps to draw out copies of the virus that are hiding within the lymphatic system, thus increasing the apparent viral load.

That's it for now. I am hopeful and excited! Talk to you soon.

Friday, September 01, 2006

Maybe I Deserve This

At the risk of being melodramatic, my life has been a Greek tragedy. Or maybe a comedy. I haven't yet decided which. My life experience has been replete with excruciating tragedies, missed opportunities and major disappointments. I'm not trying to elicit sympathy, here; I'm just stating a relative fact. So, in some strange, dark way, maybe I asked for it. HIV, that is.

In fact, sometime in the Spring of 2002, I remember running out in the countryside, convulsively crying because of the utter collapse of my so-called life. As I ran along the picturesque country roads near my home, I called out to God and asked him to take me home. So, as the 20-month layoff reached its peak, with my house under foreclosure, with the first vehicle having been repossessed, with the epileptic seizures of a son who barely survived a bout with cancer, and with my repressed homosexuality trying desperately to assert itself, I had had enough. And that's not the half of it. Having lost my young mother to cancer, having endured a chaotic and sometimes violent childhood home, having been torn to shreds by careless and cruel peers, having put my faith in God to "heal" my homosexuality, I somehow thought that I had reached my quota of life's tragedies. How wrong I was.

So, when I asked God to take me home, I guess I had in mind a sudden flash of lighting, a speeding freight train, or a freakishly sudden aneurism. You know, quick, painless, sudden death. Instead, he answered my prayer by allowing me to become infected by HIV.

That was over three years ago. I've done a fair amount of growing up, since then. I've been through a nasty divorce, but I have also found redemption in a loving partner, my wonderful children, a new puppy and a modest new home. Another beacon of light is my Naturopath and friend, Meridian Grace. Since day one of my diagnosis, Meridian has been quick to provide alternative therapies that, to this day, have helped to keep my relatively asymptomatic. Yet, part of me has always known that, at the very core of my molecular being, a ticking time bomb silently keeps time.

Fast-forward to about a week ago when I received an excited phone call from Meridian telling me about this incredible, new-to-the-US, alternative therapy called AIM: Advanced Immune Modulator. She told me about physicians in Mexico and other countries who had done some amazing research, and had found that, "certain animals produced bio-regulatory proteins that successfully mediated" cytokine receptor events -- a major component of how HIV takes hold of one's T-Cells and immune system. AIM is the by-product of their research.

Starting next week, I will begin AIM therapy. My hope is that this new blog will serve as your guidebook to my experiences with this therapy. Whether good, bad or indifferent, I will tell it like it is. Although I am cautiously hopeful, I also know better than to get my hopes up too high.

A note to those that automatically assume that, "there are no alternative therapies or cures for HIV:" Please understand that I respect your views, but I kindly but firmly ask that you refrain from making negative, anti-alternative-medicine posts, here.

I look forward to sharing the milestones of my journey with you. Your prayers I do covet.

*Edit: Sept. 6, 2006: Toned down the tragic tone because I ultimately want to convey a positive, hopeful message.