YOU ARE HERE:
What Michael did about his peripheral neuropathy
I took anti-HIV drugs in the belief that they would make me better. And true enough, within weeks of starting them my viral load fell back to undetectable and my CD4 cell count started a steady rise, banishing the minor illnesses which were plaguing my everyday life.
Well, something else started to plague my everyday life, and that was peripheral neuropathy. Quite simply it was the worst pain I’ve ever been in, and no painkiller, over-the-counter or prescription, seemed to make the slightest bit of difference.
To start with, I was reluctant to admit I had a problem. My test results were just so good. I didn’t want to do anything which might give HIV a chance again. However, the pain became so bad that after a month of suffering I told my doctor how much pain I was in.
Without a moment's hesitation he recommended a treatment change. There were, he stressed, other drugs available, and there was no need to for me to suffer.
I still had my doubts. Both the drugs offered to me as alternatives – AZT and abacavir – seemed to have their own problems. However, my pain was such that eventually I opted for abacavir.
My viral load remained undetectable and my CD4 count continued to rise, and my peripheral neuropathy started to heal – very, very slowly. However, even though it’s now years since I changed treatment I still have numbness and occasional pain in my feet. I’ve learnt that there’s nothing to be gained from toughing through side-effects and that if you can do something about them, you should do it.