Since You Been Gone (aka Undetectable)



You had your chance, you blew it
Out of sight, out of mind
Shut your mouth, I just can't take it
Again and again and again and again


Last Thursday, I went to the Hills to get my ARV refill. Bought Tiramisu for the staff, chatted with Ate Let about PhilHealth and talked to Ate Ana. When Ate Ana pulled out my folder, she said... "Undetectable ka na pala, yung results ng Viral Load mo nung December."

Great news indeed.

HIV viral load tests are reported as the number of HIV copies in a milliliter (copies/mL) of blood. If the viral load measurement is high, it indicates that HIV is reproducing and that the disease will likely progress faster than if the viral load is low. During treatment and monitoring, a high viral load can be anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 copies/mL. Initial, untreated, and uncontrolled HIV viral loads can range as high as one million or more copies/mL. A low viral load is usually between 40 to 500 copies/mL, depending on the type of test used. This result indicates that HIV is not actively reproducing and that the risk of disease progression is low.

A viral load result that reads “undetectable” does not mean that you are cured. It may mean that either the HIV RNA is not present in your blood at the time of testing or that the level of HIV RNA is below the threshold needed for detection.

Change in viral load is also a very important measurement. A rising count indicates either that the infection is getting worse or that you have developed resistance to the drugs that are being used for therapy, while a falling count indicates improvement and suppression of the HIV infection.

My point is... CD4 is not the only measurement that pozzies should focus on. You have to monitor your health (in general), your attitude, your SGPT, your Viral Load, etc.

But since you been gone
I can breathe for the first time
I'm so movin' on, yeah, yeah
Thanks to you, now I get, I get what I want


I am not cured, I know that. I am still a pozzie. But with my undetectable viral load, I just can't stop smiling. I know that you are not gone.... but I have definitely moved on. Cheers!


In The Sun

Fired Up!



A few weeks ago, one of the managers at worked saw me at Starbucks and said, "Hey, congrats!" I gave her a confused look and asked her why? She said that I need to talk to my supervisor.

I went online and pinged my boss, I asked her if there's anything that she needs to tell me. She was hesitant, I got excited. Finally, she told me that I was promoted!

I got promoted in less than a year! All the hard work done, the sleepless nights, the Excel Formula nightmares, etc. paid off!

Now I'm fired up! Not fired. Fired up! Fired up to take bigger roles. Woohoo!

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Some may say that with the stress that I am getting from work, that my CD4 might suffer. Nah. I feel good, I feel great, I feel more alive than ever.


What?

Some people have the best intentions for others, but they don't always consult the others they have these intentions for.

I know their hearts are in the right place, but sometimes I wonder where the hell their brains are.