PLUSTop 9 Reasons to Call CATIE

YOU MAY EXPERIENCE many symptoms as an HIV positive person. Most of these do not mean you have a serious medical condition. Sometimes, however, they could indicate an acute and possibly life-threatening medical emergency. Get in touch with your doctor immediately if you experience any of the symptoms listed below:

 1  “I can’t keep any food or liquid down.” This could lead to your body not getting enough water — dehydration. Vomiting is a common cause of dehydration, but if you can’t eat for other reasons (such as painful swallowing or severe nausea), you might need treatment with intravenous (IV) fluids.

 2  “My stomach hurts so much.” When abdominal pain is beyond the point where you can tolerate it and/or is getting worse, it must be dealt with. If you’re on ddI (Videx), ddC (Hivid) or d4T (Zerit), severe pain in the middle of the abdomen could signify pancreatitis (a life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas gland) or lactic acidosis (a condition where high levels of lactic acid build up in the blood).

 3  “I can’t breathe normally / properly.” If you can’t breathe well, you need medical attention — no matter what’s causing it. There are serious HIV-related conditions, such as PCP (Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia), other pneumonias, lactic acidosis or abacavir (Ziagen) sensitivity, which could be the cause of abnormal breathing or shortness of breath (dyspnea).

 4  “My chest is killing me.” If you have chest pain, a feeling of tightness and shortness of breath that lasts more than a few minutes, you should see your doctor immediately or go to the emergency room. These can be signs of a heart attack.

 5  “My vision is going blurry.” Especially if your CD4 cells are low (less than 50), this could be the beginning of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis. CMV is a serious eye infection that can cause blindness if not treated. An ophthalmologist (eye doctor) should examine you as soon as possible.

 6  “I feel like killing myself.” Depression and suicidal tendencies can increase in HIV positive people. This may be even more likely for people taking certain medications, such as interferon (for the treatment of hepatitis C) or the non-nuke efavirenz (Sustiva), because these drugs can have psychological side effects. Depression can be treated! If you feel like you’re losing the battle with the blues, get help. [For more info on depression, see “Lady Sings the Blues,” The Positive Side, spring 2003.]

 7  “This is the worst headache of my life.” Most severe headaches in HIV positive people have nothing to do with the HIV. Still, if this headache is worse than any you’ve had before, call your doctor.

 8  “I am passing blood in my stool (or vomit).” A small fleck of blood is not necessarily an emergency. This can happen with a condition such as hemorrhoids. But if you go to the toilet and what comes out looks like actual blood, call your doctor.

 9  “My mouth is on fire.” If you’ve had a rash, especially when starting a new medication (such as Bactrim), and then develop fever and nausea and notice that the lining of your mouth (mucous membranes) is becoming inflamed and seems to peel off, it could be serious. This condition, known as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), is a major allergic reaction to medications. Although it’s rare, if you don’t treat it, it could be fatal.