Hello everybody,
Yesterday was my appointment to receive the results of my confirmatory HIV test. I have received an official diagnosis as HIV positive. I'm actually taking this very well. This may sound weird to hear but it was kind of a relief to hear the confirmation results. Do not get me wrong it is still scary, but I have hope for the future. All that one can have is hope and that is the most important thing.
This disease is becoming more manageable, with increased life spans, and should not be as feared as the social stigma surrounding it implies; as long as you are not stupid about things. One should be cautious when sexually with an individual who is HIV positive so as not to get it, and those who have it should be cautious as well so as not to spread infection further and also for their personal well being and health.
While this is a manageable condition you still need to take care of yourself to keep from becoming sick. Through proper diet and exercise, getting enough sleep, and doing all of those little things that your doctor has instructed you to do for years anyway in conjunction with medication you can live a very healthy and long life. Just little changes to your everyday life style can also help you feel better not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.
One thing that I would like to mention for those who might not know, is if you have HIV, you should continue to be careful about who you are so having sex with and how. Your viral load or viral count can be raised significantly by another strain of the virus from another infected partner. Just because you already have HIV, does not mean that you cannot be "re infected" with another strain of the virus, and just make matters worse; and shorten your life even more.
If you are on medication for HIV be aware that the medications that your partners taking, especially HIV medications, can weaken the effectiveness of your meds and cancel them out.
Therefore, ALWAYS use protection and be safer. Trust me, I know that the last thing many guys want is to encase their dick in a desensitizing material such as latex, but the benefits of doing so far outweigh the possible negative outcome. Also, I now know this real time and wish I never had anal sex with anyone, except with protection. You would be smart to make this your pledge to yourself and your partners.
If you also are going through the discovery of being HIV+, recognize that it is a struggle and it is very difficult both mentally and physically. You can, however, have hope. I encourage you to find a doctor that you can trust and to seek comfort from a friend, family member, counselor, priest, or for what its worth even, myself. You do have a reason to live, to hope, and to accomplish ...you should not just withdraw and give up...I promised myself never to do that.
There is no need to go through this alone, because that will only make it harder to deal with. You need to be able to come to terms with it and accept that until a cure is found it will not be going away; you will not be cured, but you can live a fruitful life in spite of it.
First off, be honest with yourself and the people you are having sex with. I'm going to remind everybody that in most states it is very illegal to not tell your sexual partner that you are HIV positive. If for any reason that person were to contract the virus from you and you didn't say anything you could be spending the next 5-15 years in prison, PLUS you would be responsible for causing someone else to be incurably sick. Be honest, don't lie about it, protect yourself and others.
Yours,
--Boi
Yesterday was my appointment to receive the results of my confirmatory HIV test. I have received an official diagnosis as HIV positive. I'm actually taking this very well. This may sound weird to hear but it was kind of a relief to hear the confirmation results. Do not get me wrong it is still scary, but I have hope for the future. All that one can have is hope and that is the most important thing.
This disease is becoming more manageable, with increased life spans, and should not be as feared as the social stigma surrounding it implies; as long as you are not stupid about things. One should be cautious when sexually with an individual who is HIV positive so as not to get it, and those who have it should be cautious as well so as not to spread infection further and also for their personal well being and health.
While this is a manageable condition you still need to take care of yourself to keep from becoming sick. Through proper diet and exercise, getting enough sleep, and doing all of those little things that your doctor has instructed you to do for years anyway in conjunction with medication you can live a very healthy and long life. Just little changes to your everyday life style can also help you feel better not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.
One thing that I would like to mention for those who might not know, is if you have HIV, you should continue to be careful about who you are so having sex with and how. Your viral load or viral count can be raised significantly by another strain of the virus from another infected partner. Just because you already have HIV, does not mean that you cannot be "re infected" with another strain of the virus, and just make matters worse; and shorten your life even more.
If you are on medication for HIV be aware that the medications that your partners taking, especially HIV medications, can weaken the effectiveness of your meds and cancel them out.
Therefore, ALWAYS use protection and be safer. Trust me, I know that the last thing many guys want is to encase their dick in a desensitizing material such as latex, but the benefits of doing so far outweigh the possible negative outcome. Also, I now know this real time and wish I never had anal sex with anyone, except with protection. You would be smart to make this your pledge to yourself and your partners.
If you also are going through the discovery of being HIV+, recognize that it is a struggle and it is very difficult both mentally and physically. You can, however, have hope. I encourage you to find a doctor that you can trust and to seek comfort from a friend, family member, counselor, priest, or for what its worth even, myself. You do have a reason to live, to hope, and to accomplish ...you should not just withdraw and give up...I promised myself never to do that.
There is no need to go through this alone, because that will only make it harder to deal with. You need to be able to come to terms with it and accept that until a cure is found it will not be going away; you will not be cured, but you can live a fruitful life in spite of it.
First off, be honest with yourself and the people you are having sex with. I'm going to remind everybody that in most states it is very illegal to not tell your sexual partner that you are HIV positive. If for any reason that person were to contract the virus from you and you didn't say anything you could be spending the next 5-15 years in prison, PLUS you would be responsible for causing someone else to be incurably sick. Be honest, don't lie about it, protect yourself and others.
Yours,
--Boi
I have learned ALOT of these things you speak of recently through my little possible HIV+ scare. Like the diet, exercise and sleep. Even though I most likely will be negative, I realize the importance of all these things.
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