Feels He Contracted Hiv From A Partner Who Was Not Aware Of Their Hiv Infection
All I could do is replay in my mind how I had contracted HIV. I was seeing my partner for nearly a year and he wasn’t aware that he had it.;I had been tested yearly and was fine until February of 2000.;By July of that year I was infected and by late August I had gotten mononucleosis but it still didn’t occur to me that anything was wrong until my partner began showing symptoms of shingles and his doctor told him it was very strange for him to be in his early thirties and have shingles. He was told that he should be tested for HIV and when he found out he was positive then I instinctively knew I had contracted it as well.
Some people felt they could pin point the incident where they got HIV. Some of these people said that drugs, alcohol or psychological difficulties played a part in their risky sex at the time.
I was listening to the radio. And there was acoverage of a, of a conference on. And I suddenly had this awful remembrance of a drunken night in town. And thinking, bastard If it wasn’t that, it;And then I remembered that I that neither of us had had a rubber. You know, and it seemed like a good idea. I don’t do sex drunk. Normally. That was 5 4 years beforehand. And after that I’d come out in an But I’d never even heard of seroconversion.;I’d come out with an enormous rash I Everything that, that I’ve subsequently learnt was to do with seroconvertion.
Hiv Is A Virus Nothing More Nothing Less
HIV is not a judgement. It does not matter how you contracted the virus. You are the same person you were before you got your news. Many of my friends living with HIV are in loving relationships, some of them with HIV-negative partners. Some of my friends have gone on to have children who were born without the virus. You are still worthy of love and respect.
‘the Day I Found Out I Was Hiv
One man describes his journey from outright denial to whole-hearted acceptance after learning his HIV status.
Joe* was diagnosed with HIV on the 26th of February 2009. He was 28 years old at the time.
I had just found out that my application for a job in Dubai was successful, but a health test was required before starting. I went to New Start free testing centre for the health test. The results of the test revealed that I was HIV-positive.
The 26th to the 28th February were the longest, toughest days of my life. I went into denial, and told myself they must have lied about my blood results. I thought it could not happen to me because I’m smart and well educated. At that time I thought HIV was something that only happened to drug addicts and uneducated people from poverty-stricken communities.
At that point I packed my bags and travelled from Zimbabwe to Cape Town. I went for blood tests again in Cape Town to confirm the diagnosis, but the results where the same as the first. Despite this, I continued to live in denial.
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How Long Does It Take To Show Symptoms Of Hiv
Some people notice flu-like symptoms 1-4 weeks after they’re first infected. They often only last a week or two. This stage is called acute or primary HIV infection.
Then, you may go for 10 years or more without further symptoms. This is called asymptomatic HIV infection. Even though you feel fine, the virus is still active in your body. And you can still give it to someone else.
Once HIV has seriously harmed your immune system, you’re at risk for diseases that a healthy body could fight off. In this stage, symptomatic HIV infection, you start to notice problems caused by those “opportunistic” infections.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Hiv
No two people with HIV will have the same symptoms, and some may not have any at all. But the infection can cause some common changes over time.
In the first few weeks: These first, flu-like symptoms happen because your body is reacting to HIV. Your immune system is trying to fight it off. The symptoms at this stage can include:
- Rash
- Aches and pains in muscles and joints
Keep in mind that even if you have these symptoms, that doesnât automatically mean you are HIV-positive. Many different illnesses can cause these problems. Talk to a doctor or an HIV testing facility if you think you might be infected.
At this early stage of HIV infection, itâs important to know that you may not get accurate results from an HIV test. It can take 3-12 weeks for enough signs of the virus to show up on routine tests for the infection, which measure antibodies against HIV. A new kind of screening, called a nucleic acid test, can detect the virus itself during this early stage, but itâs expensive and not usually used for routine HIV testing.
Let the testing site or your doctor know if you think you might be recently infected. Also, be sure to use a condom every time you have sex, and take other steps to prevent spreading the virus.
After years with untreated HIV, youâre likely to get infections caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi that your body is no longer strong enough to fight off. They can be a sign that your infection has gone from HIV to AIDS. You might have:
- Weight loss
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Living With Hiv Personal Stories And Experiences
Learning that you are HIV-positive can be one of the most difficult experiences you go through in life. You may feel scared, sad or even angry this is OK, and a completely natural part of coping with something that can be life changing.
But remember, HIV doesnt have to stop you living a long, happy and fulfilling life. With the right treatment and support, it is possible to live as long as the average person.
There are a lot of misconceptions about what it means to be living with HIV. Ultimately, everyones lives are different how you cope with your diagnosis and how you move forward will be unique.
Read these stories about some peoples experiences of being diagnosed with and living with HIV.
If you have your own story to tell, you can;;and we’ll do our best to publish it. Just let us know if youd like to remain anonymous.
Is There Any Treatment Of A Cure For Hiv/aids
Currently, there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. People living with HIV will need lifelong treatment. The best treatments right now are combinations of prescription drugs. These medications include antiviral treatment, protease inhibitors and other drugs that help people who are living with HIV stay healthy. People living with HIV also can stay healthy by doing things like eating properly, exercising and getting enough sleep.
If I Am Pregnant And Have Hiv Will My Baby Also Have Hiv
Most women with HIV can protect their baby from becoming infected during pregnancy. Proper pre-natal treatment can reduce the risk that an HIV-positive mother will pass the virus to her child to less than 1 percent. The only way these special treatments can be provided is if the health care professionals know the mother is living with HIV. Treatment is most effective when started early in pregnancy. HIV-positive moms should not breastfeed their babies because HIV is sometimes passed this way.
Dont Ever Be Afraid To Ask Questions About Your Treatment
This is especially true if youre getting side-effects from meds that are causing you problems. Try to build a good relationship with all the people involved in your care your HIV consultant, nurses, health advisors and others. Im really lucky at my HIV clinic they are amazing and world leading.
He Assumed He Had Got Hiv From His Long
People who believed they might have been exposed to HIV in the past 72 hours could get access to Post Exposure Prophylaxis , although ideally this should be started within 24 hours of exposure. PEP is a month-long course of HIV drugs the same ones taken by people with HIV. The sooner PEP is started, the more likely it is to work. For PEP to work the drugs must be taken for four weeks. If someone stops taking it before 28 days it is unlikely that it will work. It is accessible at all sexual health;clinics or, when these are closed, Accident & Emergency departments. One man said, ‘If a condom splits on a weekend, I’ve got to go to Accident & Emergency in order to get hold of this treatment. There should be a clinic somewhere you can go and pick up these pills to prevent someone else getting the virus.’Loading…
How Can A Woman Reduce Her Chances Of Contracting Hiv
HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids like blood and semen. Using injection drugs, having unprotected sex and having multiple sex partners increases the chances of acquiring HIV. The only way to be absolutely certain you do not become infected with HIV is to not have sex and not use injection drugs. You also can avoid infection by only having one sex partner as long as your partner does not have HIV and has sex only with you. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention , using a male or female condom every time you have vaginal or anal sex can greatly lower your risk of infection. Using condoms for oral sex will reduce your risk for other STDs as well. It also is important not to douche, since douching removes some of the normal vaginal bacteria that can protect you from infection.
Was Able To Identify The Time He Seroconverted Because He And His Partner Tested Together And His
Some people experienced a ‘seroconversion illness’ with lack of energy, tiredness, sweats, joint pains, flu-like symptoms, gum infections, weight loss, glandular fever like symptoms and rashes. One man said he had lost a stone in weight and, not suspecting the cause, had been rather pleased. During a seroconversion illness people may take a few months to become HIV positive. One man’s doctor told him, ‘Even though your tests are negative, I am convinced you are HIV positive.’ Many other people did not recall having a seroconversion illness either because it was too mild or they did not experience any symptoms. Other people did not want to know if the symptoms they had were due to HIV because of fear. One man who had a seroconversion illness said he, ‘Could not afford to think about it.’
People sometimes got an HIV diagnosis at the time of seroconversion particularly if they were very ill and needed to be hospitalised. Some gay men knew about seroconversion illness and strongly suspected what was happening to them when they had symptoms.;Others said they or their health professionals sometimes mistook their seroconversion illness for allergies, a bad flu, glandular fever or even syphilis. After seroconversion people usually become well and it can be many years before they develop any HIV-related illnesses or AIDS if at all.
When and how infection happenedPeople believed they were infected in a wide range of ways including:
Stage : Clinical Latency
In this stage, the virus still multiplies, but at very low levels. People in this stage may not feel sick or have any symptoms. This stage is also called chronic HIV infection.
Without HIV treatment, people can stay in this stage for 10 or 15 years, but some move through this stage faster.
If you take HIV medicine every day, exactly as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load, you can protect your health and have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to your sexual partner.
But if your viral load is detectable, you can transmit HIV during this stage, even when you have no symptoms. Its important to see your health care provider regularly to get your viral load checked.
I Found Out My Girlfriend Of 4 Months Is Hiv Positive
Producers note: Someone on Quora asked: What is it like to find out your girlfriend has HIV? Here is one of the best answers thats been pulled from the thread.
Weve been together 4 months. We have regular sex with a condom. Shes extremely strict about that. Weve never had oral sex since shes even more strict with that.
Last night we were in bed together. I really wanted to go down on her and she told me no again. I was trying to understand her lack of desire for oral sex when it happened. I asked her if there was some other reason like she had HIV or something. She paused and said, Yes, Im HIV positive, with a nervous laugh. She always laughs when shes nervous, but, in this particular case, it wasnt cute, its was frustratingly ambiguous.
It took a few double takes before I realised she was telling the truth. The girl I was naked with in bed was HIV positive. HIV POSITIVE. My stomach imploded in on itself in a fiery ball. Its like that scene in Fight Club, Please return your seat backs to their full upright and locked position. Out of instinct I edged back and looked away. This has to be a sick joke.
I asked a barrage of questions, starting with how come you didnt tell me before? Wed been having sex and isnt that something you tell someone? Her response was, Youre only legally obliged to inform if youre having unprotected sex.
There were more questions. I entered detective mode, piecing together a big jigsaw puzzle one piece at a time.
Negative.
In Under A Year Gareths Already Had A Huge Impact On Public Perceptions Of What It Means To Live With Hiv Gareth Knows From His Own Experiences The Negative Impact Stigma Has On The Lives Of Far Too Many People Living With Hiv And Thats Why Hes So Committed To Doing Something About It We Welcome The Launch Of Tackle Hiv And Its Ambition To Take The Facts About Hiv To As Wide An Audience As Possible We Want To Replace All Of The Outdated Beliefs People Are Holding Onto With The Realities Including That Someone Living With Hiv And On Effective Treatment Like Gareth Cant Pass It On To Anyone Else Because We Wont End Hiv Transmissions In This Country Without Also Eradicating Stigma And Misinformation
Ian Green, CEO, Terrence Higgins Trust, Tackle HIVs charity partner.
Tackle HIV Survey results1
HIV stigma is where people with HIV are seen in a negative way
Myths around HIV mean people are still misinformed and as a result make moral judgements about people living with HIV this causes stigma. Stigma is rooted in fear of HIV, lack of understanding of HIV, particularly around transmission, and what it is like to live with it.2
People living with HIV can experience stigma at work, in their relationships, with family and friends, in the community and even in healthcare settings3,4 Stigma leads to discrimination where people living with HIV are treated negatively because of their HIV status.2 They may face hostility, physical or verbal abuse, or being avoided or excluded.3
People living with HIV may also suffer from self-stigma, where the stigma they experience externally causes them to judge themselves, the consequences of which can be profound.2
Stigma can have a devastating effect on people living with HIV, on their mental wellbeing, quality of life and also their physical health stigma may prevent people from disclosing their status or getting treatment.2,5
A fear of this stigma and resulting discrimination can also stop people from getting tested, undermining the efforts that are being made to control HIV.5
If You’re Feeling Depressed
It’s normal to feel as though you’re not coping at times, to stop enjoying being with friends and family, or to feel sad or have trouble sleeping.
But if these feelings last a long time or you continue to feel overwhelmed by them, you may have depression.
Get help as soon as possible as you may need treatment.
Your HIV clinic, local mental health services or GP can all help you.
How Is Hiv Diagnosed
An HIV antibody test, either from a blood sample or an oral sample , can tell whether you have been infected. A negative test result means no HIV antibodies were found. This usually means you are not infected. However, if you engaged in behavior that could spread the virus within three months of having the test, antibodies may not be detectable and you should be re-tested. A positive test result means antibodies to HIV were found. This means you are infected with the virus and can pass HIV to others even if you have no symptoms. You are infected for life. Even if you think you have a low risk for HIV infection, consider getting tested whenever you have a regular medical check-up.
Which Lab Tests Are Used To Make Decisions About Hiv Treatment
A health care provider reviews a persons lab test results to:
- Determine how far the persons HIV infection has advanced
Results from the following three lab tests help answer these questions.
CD4 countA CD4 count measures the number of CD4 cells in a sample of blood. CD4 cells are infection-fighting cells of the;immune system. As HIV advances, a persons CD4 count drops, which indicates increasing damage to the immune system. Treatment with HIV medicines prevents HIV from destroying CD4 cells.;;
Viral loadA viral load test measures how much virus is in the blood . As HIV progresses to AIDS, a persons viral load increases. HIV medicines prevent HIV from multiplying, which reduces a persons viral load. A goal of HIV treatment is to keep a persons viral load so low that the virus cant be detected by a viral load test. This is known as having an undetectable viral load.
Once HIV;treatment is started, the CD4 count and viral load are used to monitor whether the HIV medicines are controlling a persons HIV.
Drug-resistance testingHealth care providers consider many factors when recommending HIV medicines, including a persons drug resistance test results. Drug-resistance testing identifies which, if any, HIV medicines will not be effective against a persons strain of HIV.
The ClinicalInfo;infographic;What do my lab results mean?;has more information about tests used to monitor HIV infection and treatment.