Dear dr. Feinberg

My girlfriend was diagnosed with pml october 1999, her viral load extremely high and a CD4 of 150. After a long and severe illness, from which we all thought she would not recover, she stabilized and came home. She has problems with her eyesight, still some problems with speach and she walks with a rollator ( I don´t know the english word). What bothers her most though is, that her right hand is continually moving in jerks, and she has cramps in her right arm/hand and right leg.

Two days ago she went back to the Hospital because the cramps have intensified and spread now also to her left shoulder.

As friends and family we are very worried, is this new development a sign that the pml virus is again active - or can there be another explanation?

Thank you

It may be an extension of the PML -- a CT or MRI scan should be able to determine that -- or it may be muscle spasms or something else. People with PML do best if their HIV is as well-controlled as possible, so the most important thing for your girlfriend to do is to get and take combination medication for HIV. Good luck!