HIV Infection
"I was diagnosed in 2001.  It wasn&#039;t until August 2006 that HIV took its toll and I plummeted to full blown AIDS, literally overnight from feeling great and then waking up the next morning out of nowhere with my first ever thrush.  It later progressed to esophageal thrush, liver decline from a very high viral load, and shingles.  With a viral load of 1.5 million and low CD4&#039;s, I was gravely ill and had to take a 6 month leave of absence from work to go through weekly physicals.  I was given Atripla. Within 3 weeks infections were gone, Viral Load undetectable, and 7 years later I&#039;m in perfect health. Side effects only lasted the first few days (drowsiness). Vivid dreams lasted 5 years, but are gone.  Two blips in 7 years, and perfect adherence."