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Life Expectancy
#2211 - 04/04/00 07:23 PM
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My boy friend and I have recently tested +. We are just beginning meds and are wondering what kind of life expectancy we will have. We are now in our 20's and otherwise pretty healthy.
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First, there are many ramifications to your short statement. Please, understand this is a virus--and you have the power to spread the virus by simply NOT taking it seriously. I have a son, age 21, and there is precious little he take seriously so thought I would start with that statement. Second, if you have started medications, then you have seen a medical physician, who should have educated you to your prognosis (expectancy) if not, it is very very good considering many factors. Please, educate yourselves...it is your life to make it as good as you possibly can. As a former RN on a HIV/AIDS floor, there were many patients who did not educate themselves and therefore, take "care" of themselves. Read about herbal remedies. Take care and God Bless you both.
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You sound calm about your new status. You gotta think of HIV as a challenge. The greatest challenge of your life. It will try to beat you down. It will try to kill you. You must stay alert and watch your viral load and be very knowledgeable and aggressive--and even then there are no guarantees. Your body has to like the medicines. You have to take them on time--all the time. It's hard work. A real job. And if you are very lucky and go to a really good HIV specialist regularly. And stay on top of the latest treatment news. And do good quality of life things--like take vitamins, eat well and exercise--you could live a good life--no one knows how long these new meds will work. But you have some control in all this. You must remain alert and remember every day that you are fighting a virus that wants to kill you. This will help you take your meds ALWAYS. HIV is no longer a death sentence (it was 3 years ago) BUT it can be. Good luck!Join a support group! Find the best doctor you can! Become an expert on HIV
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Life expectancy in HIV/AIDS depends on your willingness to take charge--become a fighter. Become knowledeable about medications and how to optimize your life! Read everything you can about treatment, find a great doctor, join a support group--become a SURVIVOR o--unless you are lucky--you will not have a healthy life.
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i know that this is not a death sentence and positive thinking helps a xlnt doctor who cares. good friends and a loving family all help i have been pos over 16 years and have 3 great kids 7-16 and a beautifull wife all of which are fine and very healthy all are NEG. good luck there will be good and bad times so hang in there
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Your life expectancy is as long as you want it to be. I've been HIV+ for more than 15 years, and haven't even ever missed a day of work due to the virus. (Well, I guess you could add up the time spent at those quarterly doctor's visits and it would be a few days...but you know what I mean!) ;-)
But, having said that, you have to take control of the disease. Learn all you can about it, read magazines like POZ to keep up with the latest medical news, finda very good, knowledgable physician to work with (note that I said WORK WITH: the doctor-patient relationship should be a partnership, not just you taking orders from your doctor.) Take your medication every time, on time, being careful to follow the rules about when you can eat and when you can't. It's a minor pain-in-the-neck, but VERY minor when you consider that it keeps you alive and healthy.
Good luck. I view my HIV disease as being the best thing that ever happened to me; it changed my whole outlook on life. I'd get rid of it now, if I could, but I wouldn't go back and "undo" having been exposed in the first place. That may sound crazy, but it's the way I feel.
Don't spend your time worrying about your health; worrying never did anything except make you feel worse. Instead, be CONCERNED - take the steps you need to take to stay healthy, live a healthy lifestyle, get enough rest, and you'll be fine.
Finally, congratulations on getting tested and hopefully finding out that you were HIV+ while you still have a strong immune system. I have gotten so angry at the funerals of friends who, even though they knew they'd done risky things, refused to get tested until they ended up in the hospital with an HIV-related illness. Often, by that point, the immune system is too far gone to be stablized with medication. So you're doing the right thing
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Your life expectancy is as long as you want it to be. I've been HIV+ for more than 15 years, and haven't even ever missed a day of work due to the virus. (Well, I guess you could add up the time spent at those quarterly doctor's visits and it would be a few days...but you know what I mean!) ;-)
But, having said that, you have to take control of the disease. Learn all you can about it, read magazines like POZ to keep up with the latest medical news, finda very good, knowledgable physician to work with (note that I said WORK WITH: the doctor-patient relationship should be a partnership, not just you taking orders from your doctor.) Take your medication every time, on time, being careful to follow the rules about when you can eat and when you can't. It's a minor pain-in-the-neck, but VERY minor when you consider that it keeps you alive and healthy.
Good luck. I view my HIV disease as being the best thing that ever happened to me; it changed my whole outlook on life. I'd get rid of it now, if I could, but I wouldn't go back and "undo" having been exposed in the first place. That may sound crazy, but it's the way I feel.
Don't spend your time worrying about your health; worrying never did anything except make you feel worse. Instead, be CONCERNED - take the steps you need to take to stay healthy, live a healthy lifestyle, get enough rest, and you'll be fine.
Finally, congratulations on getting tested and hopefully finding out that you were HIV+ while you still have a strong immune system. I have gotten so angry at the funerals of friends who, even though they knew they'd done risky things, refused to get tested until they ended up in the hospital with an HIV-related illness. Often, by that point, the immune system is too far gone to be stablized with medication. So you're doing the right thing
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I am coming up on 8 years with this virus and have seen it take a number of people, fine people, that I have met along the way. I have also met people who have found an inner strength and are living a more intense and fulfilling life perhaps because of the harsh reality of being diagnosed. If you feel yourself a survivor, you will survive and thrive. There is no easy or pat answer except good old fashioned grandma-type advice. Take care of youself and those around you - you know what to do. Do it.
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how long do ya want to live that has alot to do with it stop worring about when ya gonna die and just live and be happy as long as ya here
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