From Me to You: Tips on Dealing With an HIV/AIDS Diagnosis

Kathleen Gerus-Darbison, Macomb, Mich., diagnosed 1985

If you can, talk with someone who's been living with HIV for a while.

The diagnosis is terrifying, and doctors aren't always all that good at explaining everything even if you are in a position to hear it, which when you get your diagnosis, you might not be. You're still the same person you were before you got your diagnosis.too -- it's hard no matter what, so remember that you're still the same person dealing with the same things you were dealing with before you got your diagnosis. Connect up and get the support you need.

What do you think is the first thing someone who has just found out he or she has HIV should do? What's the second thing?

First thing: Talk with others who are HIV positive for the perspective they can offer.

Second thing: Find a doctor who will listen to you! Clinical skills alone don't make someone a good doctor -- I've fired doctors because they weren't listening to me. You have choices, especially with treatment -- talk with a long-term HIV-positive person and pick their brains.

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