•  QUESTIONS ABOUT HIV TREATMENT

Why Would Somebody Not Want to Start Treatment?
My doc gave me a choice seven years ago, when my viral load was 100,000 and my CD4 count was 600. He said I could start treatment, which could mean dealing with long-term side effects and having fewer long-term treatment options if my meds fail, or I could hold off treatment and risk not keeping my immune system healthy as long. I chose treatment, and am happy to say it's worked out amazingly well. Now a friend of mine has been newly diagnosed, and wants to know if he should start treatment too. My question is, would you say there's any reason why he wouldn't want to start treatment?


Slight Adjustment to Dosing Schedule
I just started a once-a-day HAART regimen -- atazanavir (Reyataz), emtricitabine (Emtriva) and tenofovir (Viread) -- that I take at 6:15 a.m. I'd like to move that to 7:15 a.m., one hour later. How can I do this?

•  WORKPLACE & INSURANCE ISSUES

Health Insurance Options for Freelance Workers
I'm thinking of leaving my full-time job to become a freelance artist. If I join COBRA when I leave my current job, and then try to buy individual health insurance for myself, will I run into any problems because I'm HIV positive? Will I have to disclose my status or pay higher premiums?


What Happens to My Health Insurance/Disability Coverage if I Restart Work?
I've had AIDS for seven years, but my health is stable and I have a great attitude. I'm considering re-entering the work field, but I have a lot of questions about health insurance that I feel I need to have answers to before I do so. Right now, I'm on social security disability insurance, receive my meds through ADAP and get health coverage through Medicare, so I know I'm not as bad off as others. What happens to all of my coverage if I begin a new career, and will my new health insurance policy cover these expenses?


Legal Options When a Former Coworker Discloses Your Partner's Status
I work for an AIDS service organization (ASO) in a small town, and have been dating an HIV-positive man for the past eight years. He's used some of the ASO's services in the past, though he and I never worked together directly. A disgruntled ex-employee at the organization recently disclosed to the governing board that I've been in this relationship. Though the board has continued to support me, I feel that my private life has been invaded. Do I have any legal recourse?

• HIV/HAART-RELATED HEALTH PROBLEMS

Will Lipodystrophy and Neuropathy Ever Go Away?
I developed severe lipodystrophy from two years of taking d4T (stavudine, Zerit), ddI (didanosine, Videx) and efavirenz (Sustiva, Stocrin), so I switched to Combivir (AZT/3TC) and efavirenz. Although it's been two years since the switch, my lipodystrophy has barely improved, and I have this horrible, burning pain in my calves and feet. Will these symptoms ever go away?


Treating Fatigue From Kaposi's Sarcoma Treatment
I recently started my second round of Doxil to treat Kaposi's sarcoma. The first time I had the chemotherapy, it actually gave me terrible insomnia. This time, I'm exhausted -- I sleep, on average, 12 or more hours a day. I haven't made any changes to my lifestyle or diet, and I'm taking the same meds now that I did the first time around. Do you have any ideas on why this is happening, and any suggestions on how to combat it?


Feeling Great, but Lacking Energy
I was diagnosed with HIV two years ago, and haven't started treatment. My last CD4 was 590 and my viral load was 112,000. Generally, I feel great, but I have extreme fatigue: Although my job is not physically demanding, my energy is completely depleted by the end of the day. Is there anything I can do to increase my energy levels? Working out seems to help, but it's hard to get myself motivated to do that.

Ask Dr. Sherer About:
HIV DRUG RESISTANCE

Drug resistance can be a difficult topic to wrap your brain around, but Dr. Renslow Sherer can help. Dr. Sherer, who has been a primary care physician for HIV-positive people since 1985, is the doctor on call at our "Ask the Experts" forum on questions related to HIV drug resistance and keeping your viral load undetectable.

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