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NK Cell Function Normalized after ARV's

Daffodil

Senior Member
Messages
5,875
hello. thought i would start a thread for this because it seemed important. my NK cell function (LU30), at 2 months on ARV's was 2 (indicating i was very sick)...at 5 months, it was at 5.....at 1 year, it was 7.5......and at around 1.5 years, it was 60.

a doctor who treats CFS patients with ARV's told me that he is also noticing that it takes more than a year to see clincal improvement. it is probably quicker for those who have not been sick very long.

i am still sick, possibly due to co-infection...i just started Vistide.

sue
 

markmc20001

Guest
Messages
877
WOW!!! great news. Sounds like there is light at the end of the tunnel for us.

Hang in there, you are a beacon of hope for us all!

I hope you start feeling better real soon.
 
Messages
88
Location
Canada Niagara Falls
This is truely amazing Sue! What is most interesting is the result of 1 year nk cells @7.5 to a whopping 60 in a year and a half!:thumbsup:

Thanks for sharing this Great news and can't wait to hear more from this result. I know your still sick but I'm sure you will improve in near future:)
GaryK
 

SpecialK82

Ohio, USA
Messages
993
Location
Ohio, USA
Great Sue! It seems that it's not uncommon to see improvement in lab results before feeling better - you may be right on the verge :)
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
I noticed with antivirals that my nk function improved as well, but wonder if it has to do with lowering viral load and less strain on the immune system. I read somewhere that nk dysfunction can have alot to do with 'immature' nk cells as the immune system pumps them out too quickly to try and contend with whatever infection is causing the problems and maybe not enough time for nk cells to mature. Just my theory of things i have read.

cheers!!!
 

Daffodil

Senior Member
Messages
5,875
heap....yes this virus infects the bone marrow and somehow makes immature cells proliferate..cannot remember exactly...

actually, the time between the 7.5 result and the 60 result was barely 4.5 months. i was sure it was a mistake but dr. mikovits said it can happen that way.
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
heap....yes this virus infects the bone marrow and somehow makes immature cells proliferate..cannot remember exactly...

actually, the time between the 7.5 result and the 60 result was barely 4.5 months. i was sure it was a mistake but dr. mikovits said it can happen that way.
I also had a jump in nk function when i added cycloferron which is an interferron inducer and interferon increases nk function, this is how immunovir supposedly works and part of the reason ampligen works but obviously alot stronger and possibly other mechanisma involved too.
 
Messages
59
what antivirals are you people taking? i was thinking of starting some, but i have not decided which ones, what do you recommend?
i get my drugs from my parents ( both doctors but unfortunately gynecologist...and not to into viruses) so i have the privelege to decide myself ( or the curse of grabbing in the dark since no doctors in sweden will give antivirals since they believe ME is a psycological disorder)
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
heap....wow. can you tell me the values?
Alexa, antivirals i use is famvir and have ebv and probably cmv being my main infection which famvir seems to help. I do seem to get a few bacterial infections in my sinuses and also my eyes which respond to courses of abx.

Daff my nk lab numbers seem different to use. I get my nk tests through a cfs study at the moment so want be able to get any further ones from now on. They measure 3 thing, nk cell activity, nk bright cell cell activity-this is the one they are finding abnormal in most me/cfsers, and dim cell activity.

Nil antivirals NK activity 6 (13.8-34.8) NK dim 82(60-88) NK bright 1(5-10)
antiviral famvir only 33 76 4.32
Famvir with cycloferron 51 73 1.95

Dont know why bright cells so low on famvir cyclo combo but nk activity improved greatly, i will say as numbers improved i have felt better. The nil antiviral period i felt horrible. Currently not on cyclo as regular breaks are needed from it as it does seem to stop working, but initially get a real boost from it. The nk bright cells seem to be the key, but havent worked out how to improve that yet. My lymphocyte sub set test also seem to correlate with these tests that is cd8, cd3 etc improve when on av's .

cheers!!!
 

Daffodil

Senior Member
Messages
5,875
heap..wow interesting..thankyou

alexa....i am on antiretrovirals normally used for HIV. i am also on vistide, normally used for CMV.
 

Tristen

Senior Member
Messages
638
Location
Northern Ca. USA
Wow! From 2 to 60 in that amount of time is very significant! I know the numbers will improve on AV's, but didn't know anything like this was possible. ARV's have got to be a good thing for this purpose alone.

Daffodil, your doc says people show clinical improvements along with the NK function improvements? Has that happened yet for you?
 

Daffodil

Senior Member
Messages
5,875
hi tristen. i was told a few months ago by a prominent doctor who treats CFS patients with ARV's, that they do not yet know if NK cell function can return to normal levels after being sick so long...but it looks like maybe they can. i cannot tell whether this will be permanent or not..i heard one person's NK cell function went up and down again, so we will see.

sadly, i am not showing too much clinical improvement. i am better than i was off the meds...i can get out of bed most of the day, sometimes go grocery shopping, but thats about it. i was better when i was on the AZT long-term, i think.

my brain is always fogged up and swollen-feeling, as it has been for 20 yrs. this is greatly troubling for me, as i have tried so many things to help this but nothing seems to touch it. no one can tell me why.

when i first began 300 mg AZT twice a day, the brain fogged started to go away. it was pretty incredible but only lasted 2 days. in the months following, my energy levels improved a lot. so...my fear is that i have retrovirus in my brain and the meds arent enough to touch it. this was my worse fear, but more and more, i am starting to think it might be the case. even dr. mikovits implied the virus might be deep in my brain tissues. maybe it isnt even xmrv...who knows what it is.

anyway, im gambling on the chance that maybe its HHV6 and my mom is going to the poorhour paying for Vistide.
 

Tristen

Senior Member
Messages
638
Location
Northern Ca. USA
hi tristen. i was told a few months ago by a prominent doctor who treats CFS patients with ARV's, that they do not yet know if NK cell function can return to normal levels after being sick so long...but it looks like maybe they can. i cannot tell whether this will be permanent or not..i heard one person's NK cell function went up and down again, so we will see.

sadly, i am not showing too much clinical improvement. i am better than i was off the meds...i can get out of bed most of the day, sometimes go grocery shopping, but thats about it. i was better when i was on the AZT long-term, i think.

my brain is always fogged up and swollen-feeling, as it has been for 20 yrs. this is greatly troubling for me, as i have tried so many things to help this but nothing seems to touch it. no one can tell me why.

when i first began 300 mg AZT twice a day, the brain fogged started to go away. it was pretty incredible but only lasted 2 days. in the months following, my energy levels improved a lot. so...my fear is that i have retrovirus in my brain and the meds arent enough to touch it. this was my worse fear, but more and more, i am starting to think it might be the case. even dr. mikovits implied the virus might be deep in my brain tissues. maybe it isnt even xmrv...who knows what it is.

anyway, im gambling on the chance that maybe its HHV6 and my mom is going to the poorhour paying for Vistide.

Thanks for sharing Daffodil. Your obviously a highly motivated person. I know how agonizing it is to watch life go by without me, for years and years, while we struggle to survive this disease.

I had an Brain MRI and Spect scans done a few years ago. I expected profound abnormalities, but the results came back insignificant.