Just Diagnosed: The Basics

Does the fact that I have AIDS greatly reduce the normal life expectancy that is being quoted for people with HIV?
Is it normal for a newly diagnosed person's viral load to triple soon after diagnosis? Also when should I start treatment?
I just tested positive. Can immediate treatment eradicate the virus? Is it normal to be feeling fatigue and nausea? What lifestyle changes should I make at this early stage?

» More questions

READ FIRST:

After You've Tested Positive (July 2011)
Part of Project Inform's "Attaining HIV Health and Wellness" booklet series.
To read PDF, click here.
From Project Inform
How Do I Start? (March 31, 2011)
You just found out you're living with HIV. What the heck do you do next? Take a look at this quick fact sheet for some basic tips on how to begin answering the millions of questions that may be flying through your head.
To read PDF, click here.
From AIDS InfoNet
Ten Ways to Take Care of Yourself When You Have HIV Disease (2003)
From Gay Men's Health Crisis
HIV Medications: When to Start and What to Take (December 2010)
The Body's easy-to-read online guide to HIV treatment.
To read PDF, click here.
In HIV Medications: When to Start and What to Take -- A Roadmap to Success, from The Body
First Steps: Testing Positive and Taking Charge
From HIV Coalition (HIVCO)
Creed -- You Are Not Alone (December 31, 1982 (Revised January 12, 2009))
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
HIV and Me: An African American's Guide to Living With HIV (2009)
To read PDF, click here.
From The Body
HIV & Me: A Woman's Guide to Living With HIV (2008)
To read PDF, click here.
From The Body
HIV & Me: A Guide to Living With HIV for Hispanics (2008)
To read PDF, click here.
From The Body

HIV Health Checklist (November 9, 2011)
A wellness check list with routine lab tests and vaccinations you should get.
To read PDF, click here.
From AIDS InfoNet
Know Where to Look: Consider the Source When Searching for Information (September/October 2011)
To read PDF, click here.
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Andrew Sullivan, Daily Beast Journalist, Calls Being Diagnosed With HIV His "Worst Day" (October 6, 2011)
From The Body
Tennessee: As HIV Cases Rise Among Young, Many Avoid Help (October 5, 2011)
In CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update, from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Everything That Glitters Ain't Gold: A Video Blog Entry by Jermaine Wright (July 26, 2011)
"November 2, 2009, a friend of mine came to me and told me about himself being HIV poz, and that he wanted to tell me something. The person that gave him HIV was my ex's ex-boyfriend. So I went and got tested that same day and I too became a statistic."
From The Body
The Responsible Thing to Do: A Blog Entry by Khafre Abif (May 13, 2011)
"I sat. Two white men shared that I was HIV positive. At that time, there was no pre-test counseling and risk assessment. These counselors may not have ever had to give a positive diagnosis."
From The Body
Living With HIV Video: A Way to Educate Patients and Provide Support (May 3, 2011)
From AIDS.gov
Did You Just Test HIV Positive? (April 2011)
From The Well Project
The First Few Months: A Transgender Woman Faces an HIV Diagnosis in the Rural U.S. (Posted: April 2011)
From The Body
This Positive Life: An Interview With Shana Cozad (March 17, 2011)
From The Body
You Have HIV ... Now What? A Blog Entry by Justin B. Terry-Smith (February 18, 2011)
"First things first: IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. You can survive and live a good long life with HIV."
From The Body
"It Took a Piece of Me:" Initial Responses to a Positive HIV Diagnosis by Caribbean People in the UK (January 28, 2011)
In CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update, from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
My Message to the Newly Diagnosed: A Blog Entry by Robert Breining (January 15, 2011)
"If you are just recently newly diagnosed I am sure going into the new year you are confused and are going through a lot of emotions while you make this transition."
From The Body
Gay Men's Perceptions of Sexually Transmissible Infections and Their Experiences of Diagnosis: "Part of the Way of Life" to Feeling "Dirty and Ashamed" (January 13, 2011)
In CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update, from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Intro to Me: A Blog Entry by Brooke Davidoff (May 20, 2010)
Newly married, newly pregnant, and newly HIV positive. Talk about putting your relationship to the test right out of the starting gate.
From The Body
Taking the First Steps in the Rest of Your Life (September/October 2009)
You've just been given the news: You're HIV positive. So ... now what? Sue Saltmarsh walks you through some of the major things to keep in mind as you adjust to your diagnosis.
To read PDF, click here.
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Just Diagnosed Frequently Asked Questions
From The Body's "Ask the Experts" Forums
What to Do If the Test Is Positive (September 18, 2008)
In AIDS 101, from San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Just Diagnosed With HIV (2008)
From Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange
Big Deal: Offering Advice to a Friend Who Tests Positive (September/October 2007)
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Living With HIV/AIDS (June 21, 2007)
From U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Starting Treatment, Staying on Therapy (January/February 2005)
[Archived Article]
Ross Slotten, M.D., reviews the evolution of the "when to start" debate in HIV treatment.
To read PDF, click here.
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
25 Things You Should Know if You Are HIV-Positive (2005)
From The Center for AIDS
Being Diagnosed Late in the Course of HIV Disease (August 20, 2004)
Even if you're diagnosed with AIDS at the same time you're told you have HIV, there's a lot you can do to improve your health and prolong your life!.
To read PDF, click here.
From PositiveWords
AIDS Defining Conditions (2003)
From The Well Project
D for "Diagnosis" or for "Denial"? (October 2001)
[Archived Article]
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Setting Goals for Health and Fitness (July 2001)
[Archived Article]
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
How to Overcome Fear and Shame: When That HIV Test Comes Back Positive (Summer 2001)
[Archived Article]
In Women Alive Newsletter, from Women Alive
Making Decisions About Antiviral Therapy (May 2001)
[Archived Article]
In HIV Treatment: Mental Health Aspects of Antiviral Therapy, from University of California-San Francisco AIDS Health Project
The Liver and Living With HIV/AIDS (Winter 2000)
[Archived Article]
In STEP Perspective, from Seattle Treatment Education Project
Toward a Healthy Liver (July 2000)
[Archived Article]
In Hotline Memos, from Project Inform
Reflections: Three Generations of AIDS (March 2000)
[Archived Article]
An activist reflects on three generations of people with HIV.
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
Living as an HIV-Positive Man With My Three Worst Enemies (March 2000)
[Archived Article]
Three emotions that make life with HIV more difficult: denial, martyrdom and self-pity.
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
Treatment and Related AIDS Email Lists (December 3, 1999)
[Archived Article]
A guide to various HIV/AIDS lists.
From AIDS Treatment News
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (September/October 1999)
[Archived Article]
An insightful, funny account about being positive from Jim Pickett.
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Don't Wait to Get Sick -- Stay in Good Health With Medications (Fall 1999)
[Archived Article]
In Women Alive Newsletter, from Women Alive
Life After Diagnosis (1999)
[Archived Article]
In Managing Your Health: A Guide for People Living with HIV or AIDS, from Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange
Living Long and Well With HIV (Summer 1996)
[Archived Article]
In STEP Perspective, from Seattle Treatment Education Project
A Note to Teens Who Have Just Learned They Are HIV-Positive (1994)
[Archived Article]
Part of There Is Hope: Learning to Live With HIV.
From HIV Coalition (HIVCO)
Suggestions for Those Diagnosed With AIDS (1988)
[Archived Article]
From HIV Coalition (HIVCO)
How to Help Yourself: Testing Positive for HIV (February 1998)
[Archived Article]
From U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Testing HIV Positive: What You Should Know (November 30, 1999)
[Archived Article]
From Tennessee Department of Health AIDS Support Services

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