Hi. I tested positive for HIV in July 2004. I had swollen glands and ulcers in my throat around March and that is when my doctors think I seroconverted. In July my viral load was 150 000 and my CD4 was between 450-500 , 2 weeks later my viral load was down to 750 000 and 2 months later up to 80 000 and now in Dec 2004 around 67 000 - my viral load has gone from 450 -318 -370. I started my meds with my vl at 67 000 and CD4 at 370. I am on Sustiva, Viread and 3TC. Do you think I should have waited for a few more months to see if my CD4 and vl became more stable or was I right to start (bear in mind the doctors think I was only infected around Mar 2004)?

many thanks for your help

Some people think it is a good idea to start treatment during the first months of infection, regardless of the CD4 count and viral load. This would be the reason for you going on treatment at the time that you did, so waiting would defeat the purpose. The benefits of starting at this time (keeping your immune system from being attacked, and perhaps being able to stop treatment after a year or so) must be weighed against the risks (side effects and the development of drug resistance). That is why many people like you go into clinical trials that are studying this acute/early HIV infection, but others just go ahead and make a decision with their primary health care providers, to start treatment or not.

As with most of HIV, there is no black and white answer. Good luck with what you have decided to do...