hiv lower your immunity?

Can hiv lower your immunity to things you've already been vaccinated for in the past, for instance Hepititus A?

I am scheduled to take an HIV test at an AIDS clinic on Wed., but I had other blood work done last week with a gen. practitioner and she wants me to come back in and get vaccinated for Hep A, because it came out that my immunity for that specific disease is low!!!  Apparently my white blood cell count is normal.

So my question is: can HIV lower your immunity to a SPECIFIC disease WITHOUT lowering your CD4 count in the process?

Can anyone tell me if this is possible and/or if it sounds HIV related???  Why would my immunity for Hep A suddenly be low???  

I'm so nervous.  Don't know how I'm going to wait 2 more days...

-Z

[zaphod83]

Just found out my White Blood Cell count is 5.3, which my doctor said is low.  I was semi-relaxed for about 5 minutes.  Unfortunately, the internet exists.  Apparently, the "normal" range is 4.8-10.  In my book, 5.3 sounds kinda low for someone who excersizes, tries to eat well, etc.  The one thing I'm clinging to is that I basically didn't sleep the night before my appointment because I was so nervous and my appointment was in the moring, which apparently lowers your white blood cells as opposed to an afternoon test.  My question: If WBC are affected by lack of sleep, would someone who had a 5.3 when RIDICULOUSLY tired and sleep deprived have a SIGNIFICANT increase if they had the blood drawn after getting good rest?  (ie, a 7.0 or an 8.0?) or would it be small like a 5.5 or 5.7?

Any stories of tired people getting a low WBC and going back well rested and jumping significantly higher out there?

Terrified as always,
-Z

[zaphod83]

Oops. I made an error in my post.  My Dr. actually said 5.3 is "normal," not low.  I was the one who thought it seemed low.

[LIZZIE LOU]

LISTEN TO YOUR DR.

TEST TO KNOW YOUR STATUS

STAY OFF THE INTERNET TRYING TO SELF DIAGNOSE YOURSELF

[zaphod83]

What about my actual questions?

[Teak]

WBC and or CBC will not tell you anything about your HIV status.

[zaphod83]

Really?  Even if you were very advanced, ie, inching toward AIDS?  What I mean is, if I suspect OHL and painful glands which would mean I'm one of the unlucky few who had a very short "assymptomatic period," wouldn't my WBC be noticibly low?

[NickOne7]

GET AN HIV TEST IF YOU ARE CONCERNED AND MOVE ALONG

[zaphod83]

I have an appointment for a rapid test tomorrow morning.  But I'm beyond terrified.  I don't understand why there seems to be a kind of refusal to answer any questions that have a modicum of substance on this forum.  Don't get me wrong, I understand that the only way to know for certain is by getting tested, but having said that, is there not something to gaining a little reassurance and/or knowledge from other people?  Does sharing knowledge cost anything?  Provided you believe a person when they say they're planning on testing, what is the harm in offering a little advice/information in the meantime?  I think for a lot of people, the more reassurance one receives that their test will be indeed be negative, the less stress they feel about getting up the courage to go and do it.

Sorry, I don't mean to rock the boat too much.  I have massive respect for Teak, LIZZIE LOU, and all of the regulars on here.  Their stories are truly inspirational.  I just sometimes wonder if the rigidity of their "go get the test or shut up" approach could maybe be tempered with and/or supplemented by a more compassionate and informative form of discourse at times.

To be sure, I 100% agree that getting tested is paramount.  I just don't see the harm in ALSO informing people with other kinds of info to help them through the extremely stressful pre-testing experience.  Ironically, I think the "get the test" and "don't self-diagnose" has a similar kind of reasoning as the "abstinence only" ideology of the Christian Right.  They refuse to hand out condoms to teenagers because they preach "just don't have sex."  But the counter-argument is that teens will OF COURSE have sex anyway, so they may as well give them condoms.  Well, I think the condemnation of and compulsion toward self-diagnosis on the internet shares a sort of similar dichotomy.  People will OF COURSE do it anyway.  As we contemplate the implications of HIV, we're terrified that our entire lives may be on the verge of DRASTIC change.  The Internet is just sitting there, right on our coffee tables, full of information that may give us some insight into our futures (even if that insight is only temporary and tenuous).  What I mean is, given your vast knowledge and experience (I'm speaking directly to the Medhelp experts), why not help people who are clearly in distress by providing good information, rather then admonishing them for asking questions and telling them to stay off the internet and effectively turn their brains off until testing day?  Going back to my admittedly silly "abstinence only" analogy, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY, so you may as well let them have the condoms!!!  It's just my opinion, but making people feel bad for asking about OHL, swollen glands, diareah, ARS, etc. just makes them turn elsewhere.  I think Medhelp is a great tool that should strive to inform and reassure people IN ADDITION TO emphasizing the importance of getting the test.  Otherwise, you run the risk of pushing them into the dark corners of the internet which may freak them out so much they end up not testing.

Sorry for the strange analogy, but hopefully you get where I'm coming from.

Thanks and so much respect to Teak, LIZZIE LOU, and all of you who obviously mean well.  I hope I didn't offend.  Critical thinking is my nature and I see a lot of people on here feeling dismissed, deflected, belittled, and I don't think that has to be the case.

-Z

[Teak]

Symptoms or lack of will not tell you anything about your status but testing will. That is all there is to it.

[zaphod83]

I know.  You're right.  It's just that I find myself self-diagnosing anyway, and I imagine I'm not the only one.  The question then becomes how effective/helpful is this kind of advice?

[Teak]

If you are searching for someone that will make guesses for you then you've came to the wrong forum.  

[zaphod83]

Fair enough.

Thanks,
Teak

[zaphod83]

Oops I meant to say:

Fair enough.

Thanks Teak.

-Z

haha, sorry, not trying to steal your identity. :)

[zaphod83]

Hello to all,

I tested NEGATIVE at 12 months today!!! Teak, LIZZIE LOU, NickOne7,  -you were right.  The only way to know is to get tested.  I am so grateful to everyone on here for all of your help.

Thank you and best of luck to you all,
-Z