Health Update #4

I hope you all aren't getting sick of these updates, especially since they're not real examples of my writing which was really the purpose of this blog.  I feel I owe it to everyone who cares about me though to keep writing these posts until I get it all figured out.

I went to the doctor today thinking I was going to start a new set of HIV medications, but it turned out that for some reason neither I or Dr. Onorato understood, the lab was unable to get the results we needed from the test she ran to see if I can take the medication she has in mind.  She ran the test to see if my virus is resistant to the potential medication.  Since I've been positive for so long there's a chance I cannot take it.  Since we didn't get the results we hoped for she took more blood today, both for the medication test and to obtain my current viral load and CD4 count.  Basically, I went in just to get blood work done.

She said I'll have to come back in another two weeks (the 29th) and hopefully then I will start a new course of medications.  In the meantime I have to be really careful not to get sick and she told me to go ahead and take my remaining Trizivir.  Phew.

I guess this means I'll get another two weeks of freedom from adjusting to medications, but at the same time it's more waiting and more wondering.  Really, I just want to get this whole mess situated and find the combination that works.  And hopefully get my viral load undetectable.  I've only been undetectable once, so it would be beyond fantastic to do it again.

As for the psychiatric part of my health, my psychiatrist put me on Trazodone (again) to hopefully get rid of my anxiety attacks.  For the last three weeks or so I've been having panic attacks at least four or five times a week and the worst of all are the ones that wake me up in the middle of the night.  I can handle the depression and mania that come with being bipolar (for the most part), but I absolutely cannot handle the anxiety attacks.  They disrupt my life and make me miserable.

Unfortunately, I found out that Trazodone interacts with Norvir (Retonovir), one of the meds I will probably start for HIV.  Balls.  I guess it's okay though, because it hasn't really been helping the panic attacks like I need it to anyway.

I'd like to say thanks to my beautiful Aunt Pat for taking me to the doctor today in the raging heat.  :)  I love you, lady!

I promise to start posting more of my writing soon.  With all that's been going on I haven't been putting pen to paper as much as I'd like to, so I'm going to make more time for that.  Writing is my ultimate therapy, so I need to do it as much as possible.  Journaling is one thing, but turning out something worthy to be read by other eyes is just about the best feeling in the world.