Living The Pozitive LIfe

This morning was my routine bi-annual checkup, I only see my doctor twice a year now if I'm all well. I'm super anxious today apart from being quite happy and positive, no pun intended, because I'm waiting to hear how my viral load is after 15 months on med. In July, here's the numbers so far: CD4: 303 CD4%: 14.4 VL: 38 But as I was feeling under the weather the day my blood was taken, my doctor ordered another test in Nov. Here's Nov: CD4: 303 (no change) CD4%: 16 (point something I can't recall) VL: results unavailable yet I am quite positive that in November my VL could have been suppressed to Undetectable level. Signs and number are looking really good for me and I can't wait to find out what my VL reading was when my blood was taken in Nov. Sadly, 2 tubes of blood were spoilt as they can't test for my blood sugar and cholesterol levels.  But that's the least of my worries because I am so close to Undetectable in July and I am really, really hope...

Keep calm, go get tested. It's the best gift you can ever give yourself. Love yourself, because knowing your status can save your life, and others around you. We can all put a stop to this, if we work together. Stop spreading HIV. Put on a condom, insist on one. Don't let the heat of the moment makes you think it's okay to go bare. NO IT'S NOT OK! So, please. get tested. In conjunction with World AIDS Day, peace be with you all.

990 days ago, I started medications after falling critically ill and had to be admitted.. Before medication, my VL was 244K down from 2.2million copies where I believed my CD4 held up pretty well fighting off before surrendering. First VL reading a year ago was 350. Yesterday blood was taken from me for VL, I hope it will be down to double digit, or even undetectable. That will be a wonderful Christmas present for me when I go back to my doctor next month just before Christmas. I pray everyone of you is well and good :)

Tonight Dr Nason Tan wrote:- " Nase Tan Only those of us intimately affected by HIV can readily appreciate the social processes that structure the stigma and discrimination people living with HIV face. The relationship with HIV can be described as being like “one who watches in the darkness of night a mounting invasion it feels but cannot see". - Martin Choo  Despite medical advances and understanding of HIV since the 80s, we now know the disease doesn't kill but stigma does and we haven't been able to change that still. Why is that so? We are most effective when we demonstrate solidarity and wage battles for our rights, including our rights to life, health and love. The more people are willing to talk about HIV, especially those with it, the less discrimination we will see. We should be able to mention in one same breath like, 'Oh, I have underlying diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and HIV." without fear. " Thank you Dr Nase for understan...

So I just gotten my latest blood results taken in July.  Looking at the results, despite a slight drop in CD4 as I was sick when my blood was drawn, regardless, what is important is the percentage, which in July was 14.4%, which has doubled a year since starting medication. In retrospect, I started medication in Sept 2013. A year on, VL has dropped from 244K copies to 350 copies at last test (last VL test taken in December 2013, while my next VL is due in November later this year (this chart has some error as there's no latest count so it assumes the count by dividing it by 2. I have feedback this bug to the creator of this app).  Overall, my CD4 % has been steadily increasing from 7 to 11 to 13 and now 14.4%, which I am really happy that my medications are working for me well.  I don't experience any more side effects from medications as my body has learnt to adapt to it in the last year. I have only switched manufacturer for Stocrin (efavirenz) as...

As a Malaysian living with HIV, this is indeed very, very devastating news. As the nation prepared to go to bed last night, we were rudely awaken by the news.  Thoughts and prayers goes out to all who are affected by the tragedy.  SYDNEY: Many of the passengers on Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH17 which crashed in Ukraine were heading to the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, officials said Friday.   "My thoughts & prayers to families of those tragically lost on flight #MH17. Many passengers were enroute to #AIDS2014 here in #Melbourne," tweeted UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe.   Leading AIDS researcher and former International AIDS Society president Joep Lange is thought to have been on the flight that US officials believe was hit by a surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 people on board.   Australia's National AIDS Trust paid tribute to Lange.   "Reports Joep Lange died in Malaysian plane crash today, with oth...

Dear friends,  Thanks for the kind words, God bless! I feel loved! 

This makes me very angry! http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/06/27/Council-Student-told-to-explain-HIV-infection-or-be-barred/ Nation Home  >  News  > Nation Published: Friday June 27, 2014 MYT 12:00:00 AM Updated: Friday June 27, 2014 MYT 7:17:51 AM Council: Student told to explain HIV infection or be barred       Email Facebook 11 KUALA LUMPUR: A university dean allegedly asked a student to explain in a letter how he contracted HIV failing which he would be barred from graduating. The Malaysian AIDS Council said this was among 17 cases of alleged discrimination against people living with HIV (PLHIV) that the MAC had compiled in its  HIV & Human Rights Mitigation Report 2013: Paving the Road to Zero Discrimination. MAC president Datuk Dr Raj Abdul Karim launched the report, funded by the European Union Asian Action grant and the council’s  S...

Almost got admitted to hospital last week after a severe bout of fever but it was a scare - wasn't related to my HIV but more I believed is due to food poisoning (I also vomited and had diarrhoea, which could be signs I must have eaten something I am not supposed to), as it subsided after a night. But then, I developed very strong headaache and subsequently vomiting, which my doctor suspects more than good. So in I went to the hospital, after drawing blood and waited, they sent me in for a CT brain scan for fear I could have things. Thank God all is normal and well, and they sent me home at night to rest. I've recovered fully now. Not sure what happened but I don't want to know.

I forgot to wrote about my latest readings because I was so busy with work and all, you know, Chinese New Year is approaching and everybody is rushing to finish off "old" work so not to bring into the new year. I got my latest readings taken in December a little over a week ago, and I'm glad I'm doing well, after about 3 months plus on medication when my blood was taken. My CD4 has shot up to 352 (Dec 2013) from 140 in Sept 2013, and VL of 350 copies (Dec 2013) down from 244,000 copies (Sept 2013). It's quite a marvel - I know I can do this. Thus far, I have only missed 1 dose of daytime Combivir, largely because I was travelling and I couldn't recall eating it. It did freak me out though, and I didn't remember about it until it was time for next dose, and I was like, did I or did I not take the morning dose. In summary, here's my history count: +--------------------------+-----+-------------+ | Date Blood Taken         | CD4 | VL (copies) |...

Further from POZboySG's blogpost about Treatment Procedures in Peninsular Malaysia , I would like to digress and add on my own experience and thoughts for his readers and mine alike. Let's start by adding a few facts that is on a need-to-know basis from his blogpost. 1. PT Foundation True, they don't have a resident doctor for all your medical needs. PT Foundation is not a hospital, but they have Dr Nason Tan who volunteers outside his clinical hours. Dr Tan is well know in Malaysia for volunteering and the likes of doctors without borders having served in Nepal and Africa as a volunteer doctor. Plus, he's hot and cute :) Dr Tan runs his own clinic in Bandar Menjalara Kepong. Other doctors who's known for volunteering include Dr Illas Yee, but he's more into seeing general STI rather than specializing in HIV. Dr Yee is attached with Universiti Hospital, sometimes referred to as University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). 2. Problem with UMMC doctor From...