ARV's in our lives[swiss].indd - Treatment Action Campaign

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32 There is no cure for AIDS. Anyone who tells you they have a cure is just making money from your desperation and suffering. Activists have fought against pharmaceutical (drug) companies making money from people with AIDS. We cannot allow some traditional healers, nurses, or even medical doctors to get away with bad practices either. A good traditional healer will be patient with you if you ask questions and will encourage you to learn more. TAC is working to build stronger relationships with good traditional healers who are accredited in different communities. ‘My brother asked me to agree to an HIV test. He said he was advising me because of the symptoms I was having. I told him that I was not sick but I was going to make a traditional remedy to get better and I thought that the sickness was a calling to become a traditional healer. In my belief, when a person becomes thin we think it is an ancestor telling you to do so. Eventually I did my test and it was positive. Later I started ARVs.’ Noncedo Bulana ‘After my first test, I didn’t believe that I was HIV positive so I went to another clinic to do another test. Again the results came back positive. I convinced my husband to do an HIV test and he did and the results came positive. We joined the support group and started taking Cotrimoxazole and Vitamin B tablets. After that my health became better and I regret the R810 I spent on traditional healers and herbalists. In the support group there is a doctor from MSF who visits and examines us.’ Nowethu Ngubo ‘There will be a lot of people who want to make a business out of our sickness. They will come up to you and say: “I can cure HIV.” You must not listen to them. HIV is in the blood. That’s why you must do a blood test to check if you have it. There are a lot of people who want to sell stuff for HIV, but we do not want that. All we know for now is that antiretrovirals can repress the virus and you can live longer. We know they are not a cure.’ Judith Dlulane
Antiretroviral medicines We already spoke about how HIV multiplies and how it uses cells called CD4 T-helper cells to multiply itself. We also said that ARV medicines are the only medicines at the moment known to be able to stop HIV from multiplying and keep us well. They slow down the multiplication process of HIV and decrease the amount of HIV in the blood. This allows the immune system (the body’s defence) to recover so that it can fight infections. What happens when you start treatment? Weight gain We have said that one of the signs that HIV is progressing in your body is that you lose a lot of weight. So, one of the first signs people report over the first six months of ARV treatment is that their weight increases again. Some people can gain so much weight that they feel like they need to go on a strict diet! This is not a good idea. Your body is more likely to go back to what you feel is your normal weight if you exercise and try to have a healthy diet and to eat less fatty foods. But starving yourself, no matter how strong and healthy you feel, is not a good idea. Speak to your nurse/doctor about ways you can deal with your weight problem. CD4 count rises – Immune system gets strong again Another effect of ARV treatment is that over the next year, your CD4 count will rise. You can see this with results from your CD4 test. This is the test that measures how strong your immune system is and how much damage has been caused by HIV. Rebuilding your CD4 count is generally a slow, steady process. Sometimes it takes a long time to build up large increases, but any CD4 increase is good. If you do not have access to regular CD4 tests, you can still benefit from treatment. Even if you start with a very low CD4 count below 50, you could regain enough of your immune system to recover from many HIV-related illnesses. If you use HIV treatment at the right time and in the right way, you should stay well for a long time. ‘My doctor took blood for a CD4 count and found that it was 75. The next time he took it, it was even lower at 61. He started telling me more about ARVs and gave me a consent form to read. I read the consent form and decided that I did not want to take ARVs. I told the doctor this and he suggested I join a support group of people already taking ARVs. I joined this support group and saw and listened to others taking ARVs. They were feeling great. I then told my doctor that I was ready to try. I finished TB treatment and started taking ARVs. My CD4 count is now 271 and my weight has increased from 47kg to 73kg. Since then, I’ve felt healthy, can see better, and have written this story for you today.’ Noncedo Nokuthenjwa Bulana 33
Page 1 and 2: in our lives A handbook for people
Page 3 and 4: in our lives A handbook for people
Page 5 and 6: Contents Note to readers of this ha
Page 7 and 8: Note to readers of this handbook He
Page 9 and 10: Antiretroviral treatment as part of
Page 11 and 12: The Comprehensive Treatment Plan sa
Page 13 and 14: Sometimes I get angry because peopl
Page 15 and 16: Health, illness and our body’s de
Page 17 and 18: If just a small part of the DNA is
Page 19 and 20: When natural barriers fail and germ
Page 21 and 22: Immune system is like the Bafana Ba
Page 23 and 24: Funguses Parasites • Cryptococcus
Page 25 and 26: are perfectly fine and can help us
Page 27 and 28: But this allows the HIV to make man
Page 29 and 30: necessarily using blood tests. This
Page 31 and 32: drinking alcohol, smoking can be ha
Page 33 and 34: experiences and get advice from oth
Page 35 and 36: Eating to maintain health Before do
Page 37 and 38: You especially need more food when
Page 39: Treatment to stop HIV replication (
Page 43 and 44: fights back and brings the levels d
Page 45 and 46: But remember, an undetectable viral
Page 47 and 48: We can use the example of dough to
Page 49 and 50: Pipeline drugs: Entry Inhibitors -
Page 51 and 52: ‘We are letting the public know t
Page 53 and 54: What drugs will I start with? As pa
Page 55 and 56: Other things to know about recommen
Page 57 and 58: New non-standard approaches Using t
Page 59 and 60: Trial results never show a 100% suc
Page 61 and 62: This means that all services and tr
Page 63 and 64: Missing one or two doses a week can
Page 65 and 66: You may be regularly taking them la
Page 67 and 68: Avoiding resistance is one of the m
Page 69 and 70: Then if we start to use ARVs and ou
Page 71 and 72: Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a
Page 73 and 74: another drug if this is possible. A
Page 75 and 76: Lactic acidosis is a term for a dan
Page 77 and 78: If you get a very good response to
Page 79 and 80: Table 1: Serious side effects from
Page 81 and 82: Resistance doesn’t only happen wi
Page 83 and 84: Sexual health, family planning and
Page 85 and 86: If you do want to get pregnant and
Page 87 and 88: What else do I need to know? Access
Page 89 and 90: It is time to take risks and do thi
Page 91 and 92:
Getting enough staff for health fac
Page 93 and 94:
In the beginning, when you ask heal
Page 95 and 96:
Antiretroviral therapy (ART): is th
Page 97 and 98:
Directly Observed Treatment Short C
Page 99 and 100:
Immune system: the body’s complic
Page 101 and 102:
or numbness in the toes and fingers
Page 103 and 104:
Symptom: any perceptible, subjectiv
Page 105 and 106:
Key Annexures Table of all register
Page 107 and 108:
99 List of sites per province Numbe
Page 109 and 110:
101 31 Eastern Cape O.R. Tambo Lusi
Page 111 and 112:
103 66 Free State Xhariep District
Page 113 and 114:
105 102 Kwa Zulu Natal Ethekwini DB
Page 115 and 116:
107 144 Kwa Zulu Natal Amajuba DC25
Page 117 and 118:
109 181 Western Cape Metro Region P
Page 119 and 120:
Treatment literacy materials you ca
Page 121 and 122:
113 Useful contacts Office and Mana
Page 124:
Ten things to remember 1. With Trea
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ARV's in our lives[swiss].indd - Treatment Action Campaign

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