Page 21 of 366

6:00 am: TB meds
8:00 am: arv: zido/lami

Yung CD4 ko nun 22... but I started ARV therapy only after 3 weeks...

The new pozzie at twitter got his CD4 count, it was 224... and he is asking if that meant he should be on ARV...?

Una, ano ba ang ARV drug o Antiretroviral drug...?


Currently wala pang gamot sa HIV/AIDS... Pero, there are drugs that can slow down the progress of HIV and thus slow down the damage to your immune system... at ito nga yung antiretrovirals (ARV's). ARV's slow down the reproduction rate of HIV. Once the virus is reproducing at a slower rate, it is less able to harm your immune system. If your immune system is functioning properly, your body is less likely to become sick. 

Antiretroviral combination therapy defends against resistance by suppressing HIV replication as much as possible.


Combinations of antiretrovirals create multiple obstacles to HIV replication to keep the number of offspring low and reduce the possibility of a superior mutation. If a mutation that conveys resistance to one of the drugs being taken arises, the other drugs continue to suppress reproduction of that mutation. With rare exceptions, no individual antiretroviral drug has been demonstrated to suppress an HIV infection for long; these agents must be taken in combinations in order to have a lasting effect. As a result, the standard of care is to use combinations of antiretroviral drugs. Combinations usually comprise two nucleoside-analogue RTIs and one non-nucleoside-analogue RTI or protease inhibitor. This three drug combination is commonly known as a triple cocktail.

Di naman natin kailangan malaman, tipong pampagulo lang kasi pero  for better understanding on how it works... ito yung classes ng ARV:

• Entry inhibitors (or fusion inhibitors) interfere with binding, fusion and entry of HIV-1 to the host cell by blocking one of several targets. Maraviroc and enfuvirtide are the two currently available agents in this class.
• CCR5 receptor antagonists are the first antiretroviral drugs which do not target the virus directly. Instead, they bind to the CCR5 receptor on the surface of the T-Cell and block viral attachment to the cell. Most strains of HIV attach to T-Cells using the CCR5 receptor. If HIV cannot attach to the cell, it cannot gain entry to replicate.
• Non-Nucleoside and nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) inhibit reverse transcription by being incorporated into the newly synthesized viral DNA strand as a faulty nucleotide. This causes a chemical reaction resulting in DNA chain termination.
• Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) mimic nucleotides and inhibit reverse transcriptase directly by binding to the enzymes polymerase site and interfering with its function.
• Protease inhibitors (PIs) target viral assembly by inhibiting the activity of protease, an enzyme used by HIV to cleave nascent proteins for the final assembly of new virions.
• Integrase inhibitors inhibit the enzyme integrase, which is responsible for integration of viral DNA into the DNA of the infected cell. There are several integrase inhibitors currently under clinical trial, and raltegravir became the first to receive FDA approval in October 2007.
• Maturation inhibitors inhibit the last step in gag processing in which the viral capsid polyprotein is cleaved, thereby blocking the conversion of the polyprotein into the mature capsid protein (p24). Because these viral particles have a defective core, the virions released consist mainly of non-infectious particles. Alpha interferon is a currently available agent in this class. Two additional inhibitors under investigation are bevirimat and Vivecon.

So, yun, without ARV, the virus would just keep replicating, attacking your CD4, killing it... the lesser CD4 count you have, the weaker your immune system, thus rendering your body more susceptible to infections...

Normal CD4 count would be 600 to 1200... pagnagpaCD4 count ka at lumabas na less ng 200, AIDS na... I was Stage 4 AIDS with my 22 CD4... and must be on ARV alredy... now, 200 to 500 CD4 count, medyo debatable... depende kasi sa doctor, sa recommendation niya... tipong should they wait for the CD4 count to drop to critical level o mabuti na yung habang maaga agapan ng wag bumaba...

Problem is ARV requires commitment to adhere and that ARV side effect should also be taken into consideration... 

8:00 pm: arv: zido/lami, efav. Prophylaxis: Cotrimoxazole

Page 17 of 366

6:00 am, empty stomach, TB meds, 3 tabs
8:00 am, arv: zido/lami
8:00 pm, arv: zido/lami, prophylaxis: cotrimazol


Wrapping the day, hoping to get a good night sleep... been having a hard time... I am thinking I need a change of environment... been planning to trick my body by changing the location and position of my bed... hopefully, that would work.











Meryl won another best actress award... Games of Thrones lost... I think I want to see "W.E." I think I want to see "Iron Lady". Michelle William also won. I think I would also like to see "A Week With Marilyn"

You must admit, this is perfection!

They don't but I like:

any thoughts...?

This guy is an epic fail, I know!!!

To what I understand, lymph nodes or kulani,have always been there but when it becomes sore, paglumaki o sumakit, ibig sabihin may infection ka sa katawan... and that it maybe good kasi ibig sabihin your body is fighting back... kaya lumalaki at sumasakit, kasi it fills up with white blood cells, T and B cells to ward this infections maybe a viral or bacterial.

Yan ang pagkakaintindi ko...

Lami, stavu, at Efav ang combination ko...

And I take them at 8... lami at stavu in the morning... 8am... then the combo sa gabi, 8pm... I was forewarned by the doctor when I was given this combo... na to take the efav before I sleep... pero yun siya nagsabi na 8 me itake and ever since 8 ko nga tinetake...

Before, di yata maganda effect sa akin nung efav... I would be tossing and turning in bed... nangigil ako, I will kick everything off my bed... and nilayo nila lahat ng pwede kong maibato... it was really bad... sabi nga nila para akong sinasapian... kasi naninigas pa bou kung katawan...

But right now... love it na... pagka-ARV ko ng 8 ng gabi... 5 to 10 minutes, beautiful eyes na ko... hehehehehehehehe... hilo-hilo na... and before you know it, tulog na ko... tapos, vivid dreams na... sarap... minsan gusto ko palagi na lang ganun... kasi para akong lasing na I forget all our problems...

No, I sleep like a baby daw... I don't snore kaya...

I am listening to Beckynights... it is a podcast... I heard about it from @bohemian_diary(http://iamembracinglife.blogspot.com) hanap ko siya sa itunes... yung last na episode nila it was with Vice Ganda... it was so saya... tawa ako ng tawa... baklaan na kung baklaan... I think they broadcast through Ustream, video siya... pero di ko mahanap eh... and mas madali yata pag audio lang sa itunes... catch it... I am telling you... super saya...

Kaya di ako pwede sumama sa balak na meet and greet ng mga barkadang poz sa twitter... bukod sa malamang voted place eh Makati, at pasosyalan yan... pag inom ko ng efav ng 8pm... lasing-lasing na ko... baka marape ako... sana! hahahahahahahaha...

My backdrop is the Banaue Rice Terraces... also called Payew, it is often referred to as the 8th Wonder of the World... although local still plants vegetables and rice in the terraces to this day, more and more of the younger Ifugao's are opting for better life in the city and forsaking farming, thus, some of the terraces have been neglected and some part needs rehabilitation due to erosion... and contrary to popular belief, the Banaue Rice Terraces is not listed on UNESCO World Heritage Sites...

I do have a great sense of direction...

I need to find a place... I stumble to it immediately, like I know where exactly it is... I'm lucky that way... I was at RITM, OPD Annex was moved, don't know where, but just walked on a general direction and there I was... the same thing happened actually when I went to RITM the first time... that was May... never been to Alabang before... but when I got there, I was told to look for the new firehouse, literally I stumbled on it... nadapa ako as usual ng walang karason-rason and when I look as I pick myself up, there's the firehouse... galing 'no...

I went kasi last night I notice na kounti na lang yung ARV ko... and indeed for 9 days na lang siya, so tipong 1 weeks na lang... eh ayoko naman mangyari ulit tulad nung huli na naubusan ako at tipong laki ng problema... so I decided to go... long due na rin kasi yung need for me to see a doctor... because of my neuropathy and the blood stain on my sputum...

Good thing pa, I went later... I was planning sana to go really early to avoid traffic... like before 6am early... mabuti na lang natakot ako sa lamig tubig pag naligo ako... so I left around 9 na, and arrived at RITM almost 11 am na... buti na lang, kasi there were no doctors available... the doctor only came after lunch... but even so, I was only able to talk to a doctor around 3 pm na... 

Wait... do you maintain a private doctor? Should I maintain a private doctor and just go to RITM for ARV refills? 

Why am I even asking, as if I could afford it...

O sige, out of curiosity...

So I told the doctor about the neuropathic pain... I told her about the last time when I told about the doctor about it, and was recommended to take Vitamin B Complex... I told her that I was taking Neurogen E... but to no avail... so she decided to put me on Gabapentin, which when I check, according to wikipedia:

 "provides significant pain relief in about a third of people who take it for fibromyalgia or chronic neuropathic pain. It is also effective in reducing narcotic usage post operatively and is helpful in neuropathic pain due to cancer. It has not been shown to be useful for HIV associated sensory neuropathy. When used for neuropathic pain it does not appear superior to carbamazepine. Further evidence is needed to determine if it is effective for migraine prevention. It appears to be equally effective as pregabalin and is of lower cost. It does not appear to be of benefit in treating complex regional pain syndrome." 

Sounds promising... she also recommended a Vitamin B complex brand, as it is more concentrated... Neurobion?

I also mention about the blood streak on my phlegm... explaining that I was a TB patient, recovering, I hope... She was a bit concern... but when I explained the circumstances, like I have no shortness in breathe or difficulty in breathing, no fever, no lost of appetite... she was relieved... she think it is just gasgas sa lalamonan... but just to make sure and anyway it was my fifth month of therapy... she wants me to take sputum test...

And then, maybe she just thought to ask, if the family have a history of diabetes, which, yes we do... and she thinks, though I am too young, high blood sugar can also cause neuropathy... so she also wants me to take blood sugar test, I forgot the right term but basically that is another test...

So, I started on ARV around 2nd week of June... My CD4 was done about a week or so before that... so my 2nd CD4 should be around 1st week of December... the doctor noted that... and educated me na malakas magpapayat ang Stavudine... she explained that perhaps the reason why I was given Stavudine before was because I have low hemoglobin... so she ordered, aside from CD4 count, CBC... she also just gave me just a month supply of ARV, since yun nga, next month, I might be given a different combination of ARV...

On Skins season 4, Episode 5: JJ is in love with Lara Lloyd, a fellow employee at a confectionery shop, but lacks the courage to ask her out. Thomas gets JJ to ask her out and she accepts. He visits Lara’s flat and discovers that she is a single mother with a young child. Lara’s ex-boyfriend, Liam, walks in and threatens JJ, telling him to leave Lara and his child alone. The date goes disastrously as a result, and Lara leaves. JJ finds her and they have sex at Lara’s. JJ returns home but his mother takes him to the clinic for more medication. JJ lets Lara meet Naomi and Emily. Upstairs, Emily tells JJ that Lara is using him to get back at her ex. JJ snaps at Emily and makes remarks on her own relationship, reducing her to tears. JJ’s family also think Lara is a slut and she leaves, offended. JJ becomes angry and beats up Liam when he sees him talking to Lara, who then calls off their relationship. JJ apologises to Liam who tells JJ he loves his child and for JJ to look after Lara. JJ serenades Lara with a ukelele version of 'True' by Spandau Ballet, and she takes him back.


On my way home, I pass by Mercury Drug... I took out the prescription for my neuropthy... and have them priced it... Gabapantin is Php29.75 each, a table a day, for 15 days... and the Neurobion is Php17.50 each, a tablet a day, for 30 days... so I was looking at Php446.25, just for the Gabapantin... and if I just get 15 tablets of the neurobion, Php262.50... I only just have Php1500... naiyak ako...


Wala, naawa ako sa sarile ko... wala kasi akong pambili... akala ko kasi matatapos na yung hirap ko... yung sakit... I was so hopeful... pero, yun nga... mahal pala... tapos I started thinking saan ko kukunin yung pambayad dun sa mga test... CD4 alone cost Php3000... as it is hirap na hirap na kami to make things meet... so yun, sa paglabas ko ng Mercury, naiyak na lang ako... try ko pigilan kasi nakakahiya... pero wala... di ko mapigilan... umupo na lang ako sa isang tabi... 


Feeling ko kasi talong talo na ko... and as much as I want to fight back it is either I am starting to believe that it is no use... o pagod na pagod na lang ako...


Syempre drama lang yan... wala naman ako choice but to get up, wipe my tears away, hail a jeep... get home and be crazy again to believe everything is going to be okay...