Living in this manner can be seen as good or bad. it really depends on how you interpret things. The idea that you have to take medicines for the rest of your life can be daunting. On top of that, some PHLIV overtime, still get sick and deteriorate despite being on medications. However, there are also some PHLIV, whom based on their medical tests, feel and look healthier overtime. That raises the question, where are we on the spectrum in terms of taking arv's?
I started taking my arvs 6 months ago. My weight then was 130 lbs. i started a really healthy diet as well with an early morning jogging once or twice a week and weight lifting thrice a week. Also i practiced an 8 hour sleep. After my 7th day under medication, i felt a really bad headache, i cannot eat even and i had a fever. Because i got all freaked out, i decided to have myself checked in a hospital. i told the nurses everything that there is to know and i told them i should not be taking any medicine unless prescribed by my ID doctor. I forgot the part where you can take a paracetamol tablet in case you experience these.
After i got out of the hospital, i was really weak. i got rashes all over my body, imagine being covered by rashes 99.9%. My lymph nodes also were enlarged that my head looked really big. I looked like a toad. Also, i had no apetite but i would suddenly feel like collapsing. My mom would force me to eat and i would, then i would feel slightly better. i ate every two hours otherwise, i would feel really really weak. i also had an acid reflux, although i had it ever since i can remember. Although the difference was before i did not care about it and it did not bother me much. This time, it felt like being strangled. I was really in a bad shape then.
My good ID doctor decided to change my arv's and told me to basically, get over the whole thing and live a normal life. My doctor did this in a very good way though, i was given a long talk and it made me realise that i should work harder to get bac to normal. i was a little skeptival at first because i really had a bad experience with my first arv's. At the back of my mind, i was thinking what to do if i suddenly feel the intense headache and fever again. Maybe i should just give up. Or maybe i should stop over thinking just get used to my new life.
My priority then was to get rid of my rashes. it started from my head all the way down. so when it was started vanishing on my tummy, it gave me an idea that maybe it will be all gone soon. But my whole body was super itchy. I wore only pure cotton clothes because others would trigger an itch. it was like being scraped by a knife. It was really bad.
I continued my healthy diet, i ate 6 times a day at specific times, i drank tons of water. Although i stopped my workouts and joggings. I stayed home all day.
Little by little, i got better. After three weeks the rashes were finally gone but the itch was still there. I would apply an anti itch lotion all over my body and that did the trick. After a couple more weeks, the itch was gone. I went back normal. Of course, there is still the dizziness. To me, it felt like the back of your head being hit by a baseball bad. Overtime, that too went away.
Two months ago, i started practicing yoga. i also went back to working out for an hour once a week. I would prepare for myself and my mom a vegetable juice. Those three things really did wonders. Now, i feel good, strong, and light. I never miss my arv's. I adhere to the time i take them 200%.
Today, i took my CD4 test. I am confident it will yield a good result. Otherwise, i will have to go back to my drawing board. But having good faith is also key to keeping ones immunity system at a good number. So i am calmly waiting for the result that is sure to be a good one. Also, i gained 20 lbs so its another reason to be healthier and burn those calories. I hope all PHLIV's would adhere to there arv's because it is designed to keep us healthy although there is a tunnel that some of us have to go through.
"WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
NO PLHIV is alone with his or her struggle with HIV!"
-Pozziepinoy-
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