Please Doctor help me with this question. I have posted a few times but I got some lab results that are really troubling me. I know you said I could not be HIV positive if I tested negative at 5 months but I had a CD4 count done and well as a CD4 /CD8 ratio. My doctor told me my ratio was 1, which all information online points towards HIV infection and he said I had a CD4 of .20 I asked if that was a percentage and he said it was weight related. I am in a lot of pain, abdominal, lost weight, shingles. My wife has had a dry cough for 6 weeks now and is fatigued. I am scared and I do not understand those labs, if I did not have HIV my ratio should be double not 1. I feel like I am dying and no body will help me, I really need your advice, sincerely Mark.

Hello Mark,

Why do you feel like no one will help you? If you have ongoing symptoms of pain and weight loss, you should have a thorough evaluation by a competent internal medicine physician. Fixating on HIV is not helpful. CD4 counts can vary for many reasons other than HIV/AIDS. I have no idea what your doctor meant by CD4 being "weight related," as absolute CD4 counts and CD4% and CD4/CD8 ratios have nothing to do with weight.

If my reassurance is not sufficient for you to shake your (unwarranted) HIV worries, get a six-month HIV-antibody test. Should that too prove to be negative, as I strongly suspect it will, you will hopefully put your fears of HIV permanently to rest and refocus your energies on finding out the true cause of your problems! I don't believe you are dying, nor do I believe you have HIV.

Good luck Mark. Write back when you have your true diagnosis sorted out and I'll post your response for our readers.

Dr. Bob