My Primitive Cocktail: November 2012

Friday, November 9, 2012

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm well!.. I've just been real busy with my product launch.. I'm still good, healthy & still doing everything natural... Pretty much just 3 grams of Olive Leaf a day, 180mg of Grape Seed extract, multi-vitamin, & vit C.. My next visit is probably in a month or so.. (haven't checked my cal..)... I'll be let'n ya all know what's up :)

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My Story

I believe it was 1994 I became positive, but didn't find out I was until 1995. I didn't have insurance at that time so I was tested anonymously. A few years later, I received insurance through my work & then found a local Infectious Disease Doctor. She then sent me to have blood work to see where my numbers were.

Two weeks later I had an appointment to find out my results. I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but it was something like my T cells at 1,800 & my viral load was 200,000. My viral was somewhat high, but my cell count was way up there! She told me I was in a grey zone for beginning a cocktail regimen. At that time I was scared & didn't know much about the whole HIV thing. I thought "Well, I have a son in elementary school. I need to be here & healthy for him." So I told my doctor I wanted to begin treatment.

I wasn't too good at swallowing pills so I chose the simplest cocktail at that time. And that was Trizivir (Trizivir contains three different medications: Abacavir (Ziagen®, ABC), Lamivudine (Epivir®, 3TC), and Zidovudine (Retrovir®, AZT, ZDV). Before taking the drug I told her "I wanted the drug that was the least one to cause lipodystrophy." She then told me I would be safe with Trizivir. After two weeks it had brought my viral to undetectable. So yeah, it kicked butt. It kicked butt for about 9 years keeping my viral undetectable and my T cells between 800 and 1,200.

During the last 3 years on Trizivir, I began having odd feelings of being overly hungry. That nausea feeling you get when you’re hungry but more intense. I recall a time after the gym I was in a drive through line ordering food and had to open my door because I felt like I was going to vomit. And it seemed I would get that feeling once a year for a couple of months the last 3 years.

I then started to notice a little bit of lipodystrophy in my legs & face. Nothing others would pick up on at that time but I know my body well and I could see it. After noticing that change I became scared & stopped taking Trizivir. Of course my doctor wasn't happy. So being scared of dying, I began the cocktail again after 3 weeks of being off of it. The next year there were times at the gym I thought I was going to vomit and/or pass out. So here we are again (and now that I look back, I feel those times of feeling nauseous & wanting to pass out was probably a build of toxicity from the Trizivir.).

During the next visit to my “Western” doctor I happened to see a business card for a Holistic Alternative Medicine Doctor on the front desk where you sign in. I'm sure it was only up there for her patience to call for nutritional help. But I was excited because I had been thinking of taking a more holistic approach. That was my last visit to my Western doctor for 4 years. I knew or felt she would be fighting me on the natural path, and I wanted to go to someone who would encourage it. So I did.

Because I am now older, more confident, and secure in my decisions I recently started going back to my Western doctor. And she is also in my insurance network. Where the doctors who practice alternative medicine are not usually covered (at least mine weren't).

When I stopped Trizivir my viral went from undetectable to 200,000. Once I started my natural regimen I brought my viral load down, fluxing between 40,000 and 29,000. My T-cells have fluxed between 600 & 850 (mostly staying around 800). I go for regular check-ups every 3-4 months to find out my numbers, and then make adjustments as I feel needed. I say "as I feel needed" because it seems the two Alternative Medicine doctors I had went to would just check my numbers & give very little suggestions of supplements to try. I almost felt I knew more about natural supplements than they did. I wish I could find the “Herbal Guru” that knows all and could look over all my numbers & give me my ideal regimen. So until then, I'm always Googling & researching anything & everything natural that is anti-viral & immune boosting.

I've now been on a natural supplement regimen since the beginning of 2008. I'm feeling great mentally & physically. So now I want to create a blog where I could tell my story and share my regimens; to discuss supplements that have worked for me, & the ones that haven't. And I want to encourage others to do the same. I hope my experience helps others and I look forward to sharing our successes.

My Primitive Cocktail

Friday, November 9, 2012

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