Being diagnosed with HIV will be one of the most significant events in your life. It’s very difficult to predict exactly what emotions and feelings you’ll experience in the first few hours and days after finding out that you have HIV, as these vary so widely from individual to individual. However, commonly reported reactions include feeling numb, frightened, upset, tearful, desperate or angry. Although it should be noted that other people have said they were relieved to have finally found out, or even excited.
It might be difficult to appreciate this at the time, but finding out that you are HIV-positive puts you in a position where you can start to take steps to look after your health. Although there’s no cure for HIV and it can still be fatal, there are treatments which mean that people with HIV can live much longer and healthier lives. The sooner your HIV infection is diagnosed, the sooner you can receive appropriate medical care.
The fact that you have HIV might be the only information you can absorb on the day of your diagnosis. You should have had post-test counselling after you received your test result, and you may have been able to ask a few questions at this stage. There are no right or wrong questions to ask, and don’t worry if you didn’t understand everything you were told. There’ll be opportunities to get more information later.
It’s perfectly okay to want the most basic information, such as, 'What’s the difference between HIV and AIDS?' Or, 'How long before HIV makes me ill?' Or, 'Will HIV kill me?' You may also come across lots of medical terms you don’t understand. Always ask your doctor, a nurse or a pharmacist to explain anything you don’t understand, and ask for written information if you still have questions or uncertainties.
You are going to need specialist medical care for your HIV. Most people in this country are tested for HIV at sexual health clinics, ‘GUM’ (although some people are diagnosed through other medical services), which usually have a specialist HIV clinic attached. The doctor, nurse or counsellor who gave you your test result should have made a follow-up appointment for you to see a specialist HIV doctor. If this wasn’t arranged, you need to make sure that you are registered with a specialist HIV clinic as soon as possible. Click here for a list of local clinics.
If you are well at the time of your HIV diagnosis, you’ll probably need to go to the clinic for a check-up every three months or so. At your appointment with your doctor you’ll have an opportunity to discuss your health and ask questions, and you will have some blood tests to monitor your health.
There are two key blood tests used to assess the impact HIV is having on your immune system. These are called CD4 cell counts and viral load tests. A CD4 cell count gives a rough idea of how healthy your immune system is, and the viral load test gives an indication of how active HIV is in your body. The more active HIV is, the lower your CD4 cell count becomes, and the greater your risk of becoming unwell because of HIV.
Immediately after your diagnosis can be a difficult time to make major decisions. These decisions might include who to tell about your HIV diagnosis or when to start anti-HIV treatment. It’s highly unlikely that you will have been asked to start taking anti-HIV treatment the day you found out that you were HIV-positive.
It's more likely that your health will be monitored, so both you and your doctor can understand how your body is coping with HIV. If your immune system has already been weakened by HIV, then the decision to start taking anti-HIV drugs to prevent you getting the infections and illnesses to which HIV can make you vulnerable will be a more pressing one. But anti-HIV treatment is something that you will need to consider sooner or later. You can find out when you need to start treatment, what medicines you need to take, how often you need to take your medicines and what side-effects you might experience.
Take time to think about who you are going to tell that you are HIV-positive. Think about why you want to tell them and how you are going to tell them. Can you anticipate their best or worst reactions? Begin by telling the people closest to you, who will be the most supportive.
There’s a lot of professional support available to you. In the weeks and months after your diagnosis, you might find that counselling helps you work out your reactions to having HIV. There are both local and national organisations which you might find particularly useful at this time.
For advice, information and support, Contact Caroline Munro. Throughout Hampshire there are several voluntary organisations that work specifically with people living with and affected with HIV. There are two national help lines both of which can provide basic information on HIV and are staffed by trained counsellors who will help you talk through some of your feelings.
These help lines are:
THT Direct on 0845 122 1200
National Sexual Health Helpline on 0800 567 123
Knowing that you’re not the only person going through your experiences might also be helpful, and some people find that meeting other HIV-positive people helps them to overcome their own feelings of stigma about having HIV. Some HIV organisations have events for the recently diagnosed. Don’t feel that you have to attend a group if you’re not comfortable with the idea, and don’t think you’ve made a mistake if you’ve reacted to your diagnosis differently to the way somebody else has. There’s no right or wrong way to respond to finding out you have HIV – the important thing is that you start to get information and medical care so that you can stay healthy and live as long as possible.
Much of this information was taken from the National Aids Trust website with permission. http://www.aidsmap.com/. This website is excellent, informative and should provide not only a useful first step, but will offer appropriate information regarding most of the issues you may face.
If you want more detailed information on a particular topic, the chances are that there’ll be a chapter in the web site on the subject you’re interested in.
It might be difficult to appreciate this at the time, but finding out that you are HIV-positive puts you in a position where you can start to take steps to look after your health. Although there’s no cure for HIV and it can still be fatal, there are treatments which mean that people with HIV can live much longer and healthier lives. The sooner your HIV infection is diagnosed, the sooner you can receive appropriate medical care.
The fact that you have HIV might be the only information you can absorb on the day of your diagnosis. You should have had post-test counselling after you received your test result, and you may have been able to ask a few questions at this stage. There are no right or wrong questions to ask, and don’t worry if you didn’t understand everything you were told. There’ll be opportunities to get more information later.
It’s perfectly okay to want the most basic information, such as, 'What’s the difference between HIV and AIDS?' Or, 'How long before HIV makes me ill?' Or, 'Will HIV kill me?' You may also come across lots of medical terms you don’t understand. Always ask your doctor, a nurse or a pharmacist to explain anything you don’t understand, and ask for written information if you still have questions or uncertainties.
You are going to need specialist medical care for your HIV. Most people in this country are tested for HIV at sexual health clinics, ‘GUM’ (although some people are diagnosed through other medical services), which usually have a specialist HIV clinic attached. The doctor, nurse or counsellor who gave you your test result should have made a follow-up appointment for you to see a specialist HIV doctor. If this wasn’t arranged, you need to make sure that you are registered with a specialist HIV clinic as soon as possible. Click here for a list of local clinics.
If you are well at the time of your HIV diagnosis, you’ll probably need to go to the clinic for a check-up every three months or so. At your appointment with your doctor you’ll have an opportunity to discuss your health and ask questions, and you will have some blood tests to monitor your health.
There are two key blood tests used to assess the impact HIV is having on your immune system. These are called CD4 cell counts and viral load tests. A CD4 cell count gives a rough idea of how healthy your immune system is, and the viral load test gives an indication of how active HIV is in your body. The more active HIV is, the lower your CD4 cell count becomes, and the greater your risk of becoming unwell because of HIV.
Immediately after your diagnosis can be a difficult time to make major decisions. These decisions might include who to tell about your HIV diagnosis or when to start anti-HIV treatment. It’s highly unlikely that you will have been asked to start taking anti-HIV treatment the day you found out that you were HIV-positive.
It's more likely that your health will be monitored, so both you and your doctor can understand how your body is coping with HIV. If your immune system has already been weakened by HIV, then the decision to start taking anti-HIV drugs to prevent you getting the infections and illnesses to which HIV can make you vulnerable will be a more pressing one. But anti-HIV treatment is something that you will need to consider sooner or later. You can find out when you need to start treatment, what medicines you need to take, how often you need to take your medicines and what side-effects you might experience.
Take time to think about who you are going to tell that you are HIV-positive. Think about why you want to tell them and how you are going to tell them. Can you anticipate their best or worst reactions? Begin by telling the people closest to you, who will be the most supportive.
There’s a lot of professional support available to you. In the weeks and months after your diagnosis, you might find that counselling helps you work out your reactions to having HIV. There are both local and national organisations which you might find particularly useful at this time.
For advice, information and support, Contact Caroline Munro. Throughout Hampshire there are several voluntary organisations that work specifically with people living with and affected with HIV. There are two national help lines both of which can provide basic information on HIV and are staffed by trained counsellors who will help you talk through some of your feelings.
These help lines are:
THT Direct on 0845 122 1200
National Sexual Health Helpline on 0800 567 123
Knowing that you’re not the only person going through your experiences might also be helpful, and some people find that meeting other HIV-positive people helps them to overcome their own feelings of stigma about having HIV. Some HIV organisations have events for the recently diagnosed. Don’t feel that you have to attend a group if you’re not comfortable with the idea, and don’t think you’ve made a mistake if you’ve reacted to your diagnosis differently to the way somebody else has. There’s no right or wrong way to respond to finding out you have HIV – the important thing is that you start to get information and medical care so that you can stay healthy and live as long as possible.
Much of this information was taken from the National Aids Trust website with permission. http://www.aidsmap.com/. This website is excellent, informative and should provide not only a useful first step, but will offer appropriate information regarding most of the issues you may face.
If you want more detailed information on a particular topic, the chances are that there’ll be a chapter in the web site on the subject you’re interested in.
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