Living The Pozitive LIfe

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...

Happy World AIDS Day? Should you even be celebrating it? Or would you take it upon yourself to educate everyone around you about the disastrous thing called AIDS or HIV? Do you know what is HIV and what is AIDS? I am not going into it, you can read all you can ever do online everywhere. What I wanted to share today is to recap my journey of about 2 years into maybe 20 minutes of your time. If you have come to my blog, you would have seen the big and bold header - I am HIV positive. You can read how I got it, not that many blog posts anyway. Before end of 2011, I was like many of you, perhaps the majority of the guys out there - "that it could only happen to other people and not me", or so I thought. I was too careful not to have unprotected sex. All it took was just one chance and I not only got infected with HIV, I also got chlamydia, fortunately it was treatable with drugs, albeit very, very expensive. The first few months of treatment was done in a private clin...

So I started med already on 26 Sept, some 20 months after diagnosis. I'm taking efavirenz and combivir. While I adapt well to combivir, I seem to be having problem with efavirenz. It's giving me real giddiness like 7 out of 10 would. As it's the 4th day now, it's less bad already. But having said that, a combination of both gave my body really heaty. But I'm coping well :) no worries.. Cheers...

The last time I wrote was 4 months ago. Last month, 8 tubes of blood was drawn from me, and in today's consultation, finally we have come to this day. My CD4 dropped to just 306 with percentage of 9%, enough for the doctor to ask me to begin med. looking at the VL, my VL dropped 85% naturally since diagnosed, without med without supplement. I hope I can maintain this level. Thing is, I feel perfectly healthy without any sickness in the last 2 years, breaking my own record (at least once a year MC last time). I can't remember when was the last time I took a real MC lol. So doctor put me on 6 weeks vitamins regime to get me stronger to begin med by September. I have 3 tablets each intake, twice a day. Now just need to pick a suitable timing and stick to it. So I went to the pharmacy and collected 252 pills in 4 bags. Spent 20 minutes with the pharmacist in a private room for some counseling session. Yea, the next time I'm seeing her, she'll be dispensing me the gi...

Today officially marks one year since I was diagnosed. In this one year, I have grew and learnt a lot, meet a few pox friends or friends who later revealed their status, I find that it doesn't make one any different than negative individuals. My twitter account has brought me many friends and support, from an English nurse in England to a columnist in New York to students in this part of the region among others. Feel free to add me, it's iloveilive29. How did I come out with that handle? Well, it's nothing more than I love the life I am given now, making me appreciate it so much more, when I love my life, I live better. Hence I love so I live, and I was 29 when I was diagnosed. I turned 30 now. And I hope for many more birthdays to come! =) When I was young, I always said I don't wanna grow old and I wanna die young. Rubbish crap I was saying there.. I barely lived in the first 30 years! Ahhh.. Anyway, ole ole ole!

My first time really observing World AIDS Day, because for the first time, this matters. I have taken a strong interest since I was diagnosed. I spent hours and days reading and studying and coming to terms. Perhaps one day a cure would be freely available to everyone without the pains of surgeries and such. The difference between being HIV-negative and HIV-positive is a condom. Use it. Every single time. It does matter.