HIV: The Next Step....

Kendi's labs are back from Ark Children's. There is good news and bad news. The good news is that her CD4 count actually went up by about 500--up to 1927! Her CD4 percentage is still very good at 42%. [Basically, we want CD4 cells. They help to keep her healthy. These numbers indicate that Kendi's immune system is still functioning just like any other healthy 2 year old.] The bad news is that the copies of HIV virus in Kendi's blood have gone up significantly. She had about 47,000 copies of the virus at her last visit. This visit, she had 106,000 copies of the HIV virus in her blood. Our goal is that eventually Kendi will have under 50 copies of the virus in her blood, but since she's never taken ARVs before that would be impossible at this point.

Kendi is right on the bubble. Our doctor wants us to consider starting ARV therapy since her viral load is over 100,000. I am in favor of that and believe that's what will be best for Kendi in the long run. We will probably be heading back over to Arkansas again in the next few weeks to work out the details. I'm bummed about having another 10 hours in the car, but of course we do what we have to do!

Up until now it's been pretty easy to forget that Kendi is even HIV positive. Honestly, after you have your positive child home for a few days you don't even check yourself with things like sharing a drink, or a fork, or a slobbery kiss, etc.. [The first few days there would be a tiny check--a tiny reminder that it's totally okay to share in these things. After that, even the tiny checks disappear.]

For the past 4 months we've just had Kendi alone, without reminders of the virus she carries. Now we're entering into another era of her life. She will never again be without these medications. Ever. From here on out she will have to take medicine twice a day. It is so NOT a big deal. It's just going to be a reminder that as healthy and vibrant and ALIVE as she is, it is that medication keeping her that way. We should be used to this with a Type I Diabetic in the house! LOL! And I suppose we are. I just sort of hurt for my baby. I think about the days that she won't want to take medicine. I think about the days when she might want to rebel and stop therapy all together (which scares me to death)! I wonder how I will go about teaching her to feel positively about the medications.

On the practical side we're going to have other challenges. The child is so NOT a good medicine taker. She gags and throws up most of the time with any syrup medication. Interestingly, she happily chews up a melatonin tablet without a second thought. We'll have to consider whether crushing pills into pudding-ish foods will be better, or giving syrups that taste a LOT worse than children's tylenol. I'm leaning towards crushed tablets. They say when she is old enough they will teach her how to swallow pills. Her doc said that is around 5 years old. Interesting, because I think all of my kids could swallow pills before that age.

The next step. Medicine. Therapy. But that will lead (trustfully) to health and long life. Well worth it. Off we go...