Damn! It's been a while part two! (A message from the HAART)

OK, time to pick up where I left off!

You may recall me ruminating over the pros and cons of my medication for the HIV. Well back in October 2007 I started my regime of HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment) medication with some trepidation! I was dreading the anticipated side-effects as well as the burden of adhereance!

Well I am pleased to say none of my fears came to pass! I had (and have had) no noteable side-effects from the drugs and the adhereance as now become a part of my daily routine! Best of all the medication reached the first goal of treatment, an undectableable viral load (VL) within 2 months! When I started my VL was around 2000 pm/pml so to get it down to below 50pm/pml in such a short time was fantastic! My CD4 count is taking a little longer to recover however. Currently I am sat around the 385 mark. This is an improvement from the 285 when I started but that increase has taken just under a year to achieve.

Don't get me wrong, I was not expecting any miracles from the meds so I am more than pleased with the numbers so far. It only bodes well for the future if you ask me (",)

I have to say that very first night, when my alarm went off at 9pm and I poured my glass of juice for me to take the drugs with was an odd occassion! I was suddenly hit by the fact that this is now my life, for the rest of my life! I will be doing the very same thing at the very same time every night at 9pm! It was quite odd the have that certainty there right in front of me!

Damn! it's been a while...

OK - I know it has been an age since I last posted! So much has happened too! So where do I start?

Well back in December, me and "His Knibbs" finally got round to making honest men of each other and we celebrated our Civil Partnership! It was a really nice and quiet affair with our close friends and family there to bear witness to our union. We then took off to Paris for a few days for our "Honeymoon" The picture is of our wedding cake, beautifully made by a very close friend

The CP seems like such a long way off now as we are coming up to our 1st Aninniversary on December 1st!

All in all it has been a good year - the usual ups and downs, but I will bore you with those later (",)

So for now, I bid you a fond farewell. Be happy, be safe but above all - Love Life!