2 years later I'm above 500. Is my DX still AIDS? Or HIV?
You will carry the AIDS diagnosis for the rest of your life - once you cross that line its there as a permanent fixture. Your health can improve, but nothing will remove that diagnosis. I really wish that once your health improved and that you were more stable that it would drop, but it doesn't.
On that note, congrats for the progress you've made and for rebounding from where you were to where you are now. Its not always easy, and having such a low CD4 can be really hard at times but today's medications are so advanced and great now that people can turn it around and rebound. You are very fortunate to have great numbers with your CD4!!!
Soon after my HIV diagnosis I came down with pneumonia and had to go to the hospital for a week. Because I had a CD4 count of less then 100, my medical charts said I was admitted as an AIDS patient. Even though my CD4 count is almost 800 now, that entry on my chart can never be removed and will be my permanent diagnosis
It'll be on your records forever even though you're out of that stage now. Same thing with me. Your diagnosis is HIV+
An AIDS diagnosis occurs when CD4 counts fall below 200 cells per cubic millimeter or when certain opportunistic infections are present. While your CD4 count has improved significantly with treatment (which is wonderful!), medically the AIDS diagnosis remains part of your health record.
However, what's most important is Show Full Answer