What happens during a routine office visit?

What happens during a routine office visit?
Your doctor will check several things to find out how strong your HIV infection has become. Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms. He or she will look for any signs that the HIV infection is getting worse. Your doctor will also do a blood test to check your CD4 cell count and your viral load. Some of the things that might tell your doctor that your HIV infection has gotten worse since your last visit are the following:

* New symptoms of nausea, vomiting, fatigue, fever, headache, chills, night sweats, cough, shortness of breath or diarrhea.
* Signs of weight loss, mouth sores (such as thrush, which is a yeast infection) or bigger lymph nodes (glands located in your neck, armpits and hip area).
* A drop in the CD4 cell count in your blood.
* A rise in the viral load in your blood.