vl check

[tktn]

first time posting but i've been reading every day. great infoand you people are family i can tell.just past 3rd shot peg 180 1/pw 1200 ribi p/day. 1b vl 1,986,532 #2 inflamation 5/6 on damage.going for vl on sat the day after my #4 shot. doc said it would make my test look really great by going day after. does this make any since? really think alot of my doc but all i want is to be clear. should there be any questions i should be asking him?what happens if i don't clear in 48 wks?is vx950 close to app? i'm new to this but i've found that i can still learn pretty fast.

[jmjm530]

tktn: doc said it would make my test look really great by going day after. does this make any since?
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No. Not unless you want it low for some other reason than making treatment decisions.

Your week 4 test should be the day before your 5th shot. In fact, all your viral load tests should be the day before the next shot. The reason is that you want a conservative "trough" reading.

Your doctor is correct in that the test might "look really great" but it also could be misleading, so what is the point? The reason the test might look great is because the shot does most of its damage to the virus within 24 hours.

You don't just want a low number. You want a low number that means something.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

Equally important is to get the right test. You want as sensitive a test as possible. At a minium the test should be sensitive down to 50 IU/ml but ideally down to 5 or 2 IU/ml. One readily avaliable sensitive viral load test is "Heptimax" by Quest Diagnostics. All your doctor has to do is write "Heptimax" on either an rx (with diagnosis code of course) or on a Quest Requistion form. Make sure you find out what test he has in mind and if it's not sensitive down to 50 IU/ml, try and get another.

-- Jim