The last five years or so, my average t-cell count has been around 600. In January, before the Covid-19 lockdown, my count was 635. I’m more than thrilled with that because, paired with my consistently undetectable viral load, it’s a sign that my HIV medications are working and my immune system is in pretty good shape. That’s a far cry from the 90s, when anything above 200 was viewed as a godsend.
But two weeks ago, my labs showed a huge spike in CD4, with a recorded count of 836. I’m not sure if I’ve ever broken the 700 threshold before. If so, then it was years ago and didn’t happen more than once. Despite missing some doses of my HIV meds during the Covid-19 pandemic, I had a feeling that would be the case. I shared my thoughts of a potential windfall of t-cells with my doctor who said, if that were true, it would make for a good study. I’m fortunate enough that I’ve been able to isolate myself and stay safe at home. When I do go out, I wear a mask. Honestly, the only place I go to is the coffee shop for a quick chat with our barista friends. It’s in and out. If the coffee shop has more than a handful of people waiting inside (masks are required in Virginia) I’ll wait outside until there’s a comfortable amount of space inside.
By the way, I haven’t missed a dose of my HIV meds since blogging about it. Just wanted to give an update there.
It could be random, but I have to believe this limited interaction with people has helped my immune system. For the foreseeable future, I don’t see any changes in my week-to-week routine. I won’t be getting lab work done again until January. The world may be very different by then. I guess it will be- whether things are worse or better remains to be seen.
In the meantime, stay as safe as your circumstances allow.
Positively Yours,
Shawn