keep reading the stories... I decided to share mine. The fear is the biggest master. He can change your life. I was scared for more than four years. A few months after the suspicious contact, I had a flu-like illness, with feaver, with muscle-pain. Additionally, I had a supspicios something on my penis, it seemed to be genital herpes, but I am not sure. I got married, and. I started thinking of the possibility of being HIV+ a few months after the suspicious flu. But you knowበit can not be‰áetcá I could not handle anymore and I went to test. The test was ready in three hours. The result was negative. All I can suggestáif you have any doubtáif you have fear... go and GET CHECKED. As much you postpone, more HIPOCHONDRIAC you are. Nobody can promise you you are negative. But reading the stories, I see most of the cases come our negative. You are worried of the situation, not of the illness. You can not be worried of the illness, unless you have it. And you don‚t know if you have it until you get checked. I am sure, the fear you have is worse than being positive. When you are positive, you need a few weeks to recover. After that you accept. Read the stories, and learn. But the fear you have for weeks, months and years IS worse. You are not sure. You are not sure if you have to change your life after the test or not. What will you live of? What kind of job you would find? I miss very much a fundation that gives oportunity to work and to earn for people who are HIV+. Or if there is one, I apologize. Go and get tested. This is the only way to know. This is the only way to turn your life from hell to heaven. If you are negative, it is a relieve. If you are positive, it will be as well, because you are not in fear anymore. frank. H. Mark. Australia. FEAR IS WORSE THAN AIDS. WHILE HAVING AIDS, YOU CAN PLAN HEALTHY IN YOU MIND.
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spread the news not the virus! together we can stop HIV/AIDS
HIV: Acronym for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). HIV has also been called the human lymphotropic virus type III, the lymphadenopathy-associated virus and the lymphadenopathy virus. No matter what name is applied, it is a retrovirus. (A retrovirus has an RNA genome and a reverse transcriptase enzyme. Using the reverse transcriptase, the virus uses its RNA as a template for making complementary DNA which can integrate into the DNA of the host organism).
Although the American research Robert Gallo at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) believed he was the first to find HIV, it is now generally accepted that the French physician Luc Montagnier (1932-) and his team at the Pasteur Institute discovered HIV in 1983-84.
HIV, is the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The virus weakens a person's ability to fight infections and cancer. People with HIV are said to have AIDS when they develop certain infections or cancers or when their CD4 count is less than 200. CD4 count is determined by a blood test in a doctor's office.
Having HIV does not always mean that you have AIDS. It can take many years for people with the virus to develop AIDS. HIV and AIDS cannot be cured. Although people with AIDS will likely one day die from an AIDS-related illness, there are ways to help people stay healthy and live longer.
How does HIV and AIDS cause illness?
HIV attacks and destroys a type of white blood cell called a CD4 cell. This cell's main function is to fight disease. When a person's CD4 cell count gets low, they are more susceptible to illnesses.
What is AIDS?
AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. When the immune system CD4 cells drop to a very low level, a person's ability to fight infection is lost. In addition, there are several conditions that occur in people with HIV infection with this degree of immune system failure—these are called AIDS defining illnesses.
How do people get HIV?
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in the
Both men and women can spread HIV. A person with HIV can feel okay and still give the virus to others. Pregnant women with HIV also can give the virus to their babies.
Common ways people get HIV:
Sharing a needle to take drugs
Having unprotected sex with an infected person
You cannot get HIV from:
Touching or hugging someone who has HIV/AIDS
Public bathrooms or swimming pools
Sharing cups, utensils, or telephones with someone who has HIV/AIDS
Bug bites
Who can get HIV?
Anyone can get HIV if they engage in certain activities. You may have a higher risk of getting HIV if you:
Have unprotected sex. This means vaginal or anal intercourse without a condom or oral sex without a latex barrier with a person infected with HIV.
Share needles to inject drugs or steroids with an infected person. The disease can also be transmitted by dirty needles used to make a tattoo or in body piercing.
Receive a blood transfusion from an infected person. This is very unlikely in the
Are born to a mother with HIV infection. A baby can also get HIV from the breast milk of an infected woman.
If you fall into any of the categories above, you should consider being tested for HIV.
Health care workers are at risk on the job and should take special precautions. Some health care workers have become infected after being stuck with needles containing HIV-infected blood or less frequently, after infected blood contact with an open cut or through splashes into the worker's eyes or inside their nose.
How can I know if I have HIV?
The only way to know if you have HIV is to take an HIV test. Most tests looks for signs of HIV in your blood. A small sample of blood is taken from your arm. The blood is sent to a lab and tested for HIV. There are other tests available that check for HIV in the urine and oral fluid. The urine test is not very sensitive. There are currently two FDA approved oral fluid tests. They are OraSure and OraQuick Advance.
Because of the inaccurate results, the FDA has not approved any of the home-use HIV tests which allow people to interpret their tests in a few minutes at home. There is however a Home Access test approved which can be found at most drugstores. In this test blood from a finger prick is placed on a card and sent to a licensed laboratory. Consumers are given an identification number to use when phoning for results and have the opportunity to speak with a counselor if desired.
Clinics that do HIV tests keep your test results secret. Some clinics even perform HIV tests without ever taking your name (anonymous testing). You must go back to the clinic to get your results. A positive test means that you have HIV. A negative test means that no signs of HIV were found in your blood.
Before taking an HIV test:
Ask the clinic what privacy rules it follows
Think about how knowing you have HIV would change your life
Ask your doctor or nurse any questions you have about HIV, AIDS or the HIV test
Who should be tested?
Currently, it is recommended that people who engage in risky behaviors such as unprotected sex, needle-sharing—and all pregnant women be tested for HIV infection.
Does HIV have symptoms?
Some people get flu-like symptoms a month or two after they have been infected. These symptoms often go away within a week to a month. A person can have HIV for many years before feeling ill.
As the disease progresses, both women and men may experience yeast infections on the tongue (thrush), and women may develop severe vaginal yeast infections or pelvic inflammatory disease .
What are the symptoms of AIDS?
Signs that HIV is turning into AIDS include:
A fever that won't go away
Sweating while you sleep
Feeling tired all the time (not from stress or lack of sleep)
Feeling sick all the time
Losing weight
Swollen glands (neck, groin or underarms)
What infections do people with AIDS get?
People with AIDS are extremely vulnerable to infection, called AIDS defining illnesses, and often exhibit the following conditions:
Kaposi's sarcoma, a skin tumor that looks like dark purple blotches
Mental changes and headaches due to fungal infections or tumors in the brain and spinal cord.
Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing due to infections of the lungs
Severe malnutrition
Chronic diarrhea
How Is AIDS diagnosed?
If a person with HIV infection has a CD4 count that drops below 200—or if certain infections appear (AIDS defining illnesses)—that person is considered to have AIDS.
How is HIV treated?
We've come along way from the days when diagnosis with HIV equaled a death sentence. Today, there are a variety of treatments that, when used in combination can significantly slow down and in some cases stop altogether, the progression of HIV infection.
After HIV infection is confirmed, your doctor will start you on a drug regimen consisting of several drugs; combinations of different types of anti-HIV drugs sometimes are called HAART, for highly-active anti-retroviral therapy (HIV is a kind of virus called a retrovirus).
Unfortunately, taking HAART therapy isn't easy. These drugs must be taken at exactly the right time, every single day. If the drugs aren't taken appropriately, a range of side effects may occur, including: diarrhea, nausea, or abnormal distribution of body fat. And, the virus often mutates, or changes, making the treatments ineffective.
If your disease has progressed to AIDS, your treatment may also include drugs to combat and prevent certain infections.
How do I know if my HIV treatments are working?
Your doctor can monitor how well your treatment is working by measuring the amount of HIV in your blood (also called the viral load.) The goal is to get the viral load so low with HAART treatment as to be undetectable.
How can I keep from getting HIV?
The best way to protect yourself is to avoid activities that put you at risk. There's no way to tell by looking at someone if he or she has HIV. Always protect yourself.
Use latex condoms (rubbers) whenever you have any type of sex (vaginal, anal, or oral).
Don't use condoms made from animal products.
Use water-based lubricants (lotion). Oil-based lubricants can weaken condoms.
Never share needles to take drugs.
Avoid getting drunk or high. People who are drunk or high may be less likely to protect themselves.
How can I prevent HIV from progressing to AIDS?
You can help prolong your life by taking good care of yourself and insisting on good medical care from a doctor experienced at treating people with HIV infection. Also be consistent about taking your HIV medications as prescribed.
How can I know if I have HIV?
The only way to know if you have HIV is to take an HIV test. Most tests looks for signs of HIV in your blood. A small sample of blood is taken from your arm. The blood is sent to a lab and tested for HIV. There are other tests available that check for HIV in the urine and oral fluid. The urine test is not very sensitive. There are currently two FDA approved oral fluid tests. They are OraSure and OraQuick Advance.
Because of the inaccurate results, the FDA has not approved any of the home-use HIV tests which allow people to interpret their tests in a few minutes at home. There is however a Home Access test approved which can be found at most drugstores. In this test blood from a finger prick is placed on a card and sent to a licensed laboratory. Consumers are given an identification number to use when phoning for results and have the opportunity to speak with a counselor if desired.
Clinics that do HIV tests keep your test results secret. Some clinics even perform HIV tests without ever taking your name (anonymous testing). You must go back to the clinic to get your results. A positive test means that you have HIV. A negative test means that no signs of HIV were found in your blood.
Before taking an HIV test:
Ask the clinic what privacy rules it follows
Think about how knowing you have HIV would change your life
Ask your doctor or nurse any questions you have about HIV, AIDS or the HIV test
Who should be tested?
Currently, it is recommended that people who engage in risky behaviors such as unprotected sex, needle-sharing—and all pregnant women be tested for HIV infection.
Does HIV have symptoms?
Some people get flu-like symptoms a month or two after they have been infected. These symptoms often go away within a week to a month. A person can have HIV for many years before feeling ill.
As the disease progresses, both women and men may experience yeast infections on the tongue (thrush), and women may develop severe vaginal yeast infections or pelvic inflammatory disease .
What are the symptoms of AIDS?
Signs that HIV is turning into AIDS include:
A fever that won't go away
Sweating while you sleep
Feeling tired all the time (not from stress or lack of sleep)
Feeling sick all the time
Losing weight
Swollen glands (neck, groin or underarms)
What infections do people with AIDS get?
People with AIDS are extremely vulnerable to infection, called AIDS defining illnesses, and often exhibit the following conditions:
Kaposi's sarcoma, a skin tumor that looks like dark purple blotches
Mental changes and headaches due to fungal infections or tumors in the brain and spinal cord.
Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing due to infections of the lungs
Severe malnutrition
Chronic diarrhea
How Is AIDS diagnosed?
If a person with HIV infection has a CD4 count that drops below 200—or if certain infections appear (AIDS defining illnesses)—that person is considered to have AIDS.
How is HIV treated?
We've come along way from the days when diagnosis with HIV equaled a death sentence. Today, there are a variety of treatments that, when used in combination can significantly slow down and in some cases stop altogether, the progression of HIV infection.
After HIV infection is confirmed, your doctor will start you on a drug regimen consisting of several drugs; combinations of different types of anti-HIV drugs sometimes are called HAART, for highly-active anti-retroviral therapy (HIV is a kind of virus called a retrovirus).
Unfortunately, taking HAART therapy isn't easy. These drugs must be taken at exactly the right time, every single day. If the drugs aren't taken appropriately, a range of side effects may occur, including: diarrhea, nausea, or abnormal distribution of body fat. And, the virus often mutates, or changes, making the treatments ineffective.
If your disease has progressed to AIDS, your treatment may also include drugs to combat and prevent certain infections.
How do I know if my HIV treatments are working?
Your doctor can monitor how well your treatment is working by measuring the amount of HIV in your blood (also called the viral load.) The goal is to get the viral load so low with HAART treatment as to be undetectable.
How can I keep from getting HIV?
The best way to protect yourself is to avoid activities that put you at risk. There's no way to tell by looking at someone if he or she has HIV. Always protect yourself.
Use latex condoms (rubbers) whenever you have any type of sex (vaginal, anal, or oral).
Don't use condoms made from animal products.
Use water-based lubricants (lotion). Oil-based lubricants can weaken condoms.
Never share needles to take drugs.
Avoid getting drunk or high. People who are drunk or high may be less likely to protect themselves.
How can I prevent HIV from progressing to AIDS?
You can help prolong your life by taking good care of yourself and insisting on good medical care from a doctor experienced at treating people with HIV infection. Also be consistent about taking your HIV medications as prescribed.
