With a CD4 Count or less than 20 and a viral load of 1,900,000.

Starting feeling really sick in Nov/Dec of ‘17, by the end of January my Dr. started to suspect something else going on and had me tested.

By mid February through to mid March I was hospitalized twice with Pneumonia & Colitis and a range of other opportunistic infections.

My world was turned upside down, my husband I were still trying to wrap our heads around the news when I got so I’ll that I spent nearly a month in hospital on 2 separate occasions.

I was home for less than 3 days after my first discharge when I was rushed back to hospital for lifesaving long term rehab reverse isolation treatment.

I am doing better now. Started my ARV within a week of my diagnosis.

I was on my HIV meds only 5 days when I got really really sick and went to the ER and was admitted to hospital for the first 5 days.

Dr’s stopped my HIV meds and treated my symptoms. I lost 12 valuable days of not taking my HIV medication before Dr’s allowed me to go back on my medication.

I’ve been unable to work since Mid January when I started getting sick and still off on Reverse Isolation because of my low CD4 count.

Just awaiting for the lab results from yesterday to come through to see how my system is recovering.

I’m very luck that my husband is sticking by side through all of this.

See, I got mixed up with the wrong people places and things 5 years ago. Got into the drug scene, within 6 months I was slamming, forget about smoking that stuff... right into the veins it goes, clothes off. Condoms!? Who wears condoms!?

I used drugs for about a year, spent a round 3.5 years trying to get “clean & sober” through the AA NA CMA groups...

I’ve finally managed to scrape together almost 10 months without using drugs.

Of course our first thought was, oh I got infected during my junkie days. But then my HIV specialist told us that to drop below 20 to a CD4 count of 2, I’ve had HIV for 10-12 years.

This raises a couple of questions...

I’ve had 4 other HIV tests done since 2012 and now, these all came back negative...

How come test number 5 showed up positive and 4 tests did not pick it up if according to the dr I pickup up the virus somewhere around 2006 to 2008...

There wasn’t a particularly high risk of contracting HIV during this time of my life... but I guess it only takes one time...

My main question I guess is this, is it possible for a CD4 count to drop this low in a matter of 4 - 5 years? During my time of drug use and extremely risky sex behaviors and using needles, sometime sharing needles...

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3987745&forum_id=2#36136423)

If I were the guy, even if we got married after she got sober, of course the marriage would be done soon enough, but I don't think I'd abandon her in the hospital

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3987745&forum_id=2#36136495)