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| Jump to "Ask the Experts" at TheBody.com: | Main Page | • | Starting Treatment | • | Side Effects | • | HIV Transmission |
| March 29, 2004 |
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• DRUG
RESISTANCE |
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• SIDE
EFFECTS OF HIV & HAART |
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| • HIV,
MEDICARE & INSURANCE Reimbursement for Facial Wasting Treatment Does facial lipoatrophy treatment qualify for reimbursement through a Health Care Reimbursement Account plan? Is it considered a "disfiguring disease" -- and if it is, could you direct me to a medical reference so that I can use it in this matter? Medicare Renewal and Improved Health When an HIV-positive person's Medicare eligibility has to be renewed, is the requalification procedure fairly automatic? Or can successful treatment -- undetectable viral load and a CD4 count over 300 -- risk possible disqualification? Retirement: Will Medicare Pick Up Where Insurance Leaves Off? I am 38, on HAART and doing well. Assuming I take these meds for life, I wonder: Will Medicare pay for these expensive drugs when I retire? I currently pay reasonable copays through my work's insurance, but can't see being able to afford the drugs without insurance when I retire. |
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| • QUESTIONS
ABOUT HIV TREATMENT How Early Is Too Early? I was infected with HIV so recently that I haven't even seroconverted yet. Is it advisable for me to begin treatment this early? Should Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Continue After Infection? Though my doctor put me on post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) -- 3TC (lamivudine, Epivir), efavirenz (Sustiva) and tenofovir (Viread) -- I still became infected with HIV. Should I continue taking my PEP regimen as regular treatment, or should I stop HAART entirely? An Unusual First-Line Regimen After a great deal of reading, learning and talking with my new physician about my concerns regarding certain medications and their side effects, we went with an unconventional first-line treatment option: efavirenz (Sustiva), emtricitabine (Emtriva) and tenofovir (Viread). Because there doesn't seem to be much in the way of documented study behind this regimen, I would like to know if there are any ongoing studies or articles you are aware of that could gauge my long-term chances with this regimen? |
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| • SAFE
SEX & MIXED-STATUS RELATIONSHIPS Partner Is HIV Positive -- and Unfaithful My lover of 13 years tested positive six months ago. I'm negative and have had problems dealing with it. The emotional and sexual part of our lives suffered a lot. We are trying to work through it, but he recently had an affair with another HIV-positive person (without condoms, since he said they weren't necessary). I want the relationship to work and find myself thinking crazy thoughts, like getting infected so we can go through it together. Is this natural, or do I need a reality check? Not Telling Your Partner You Have HIV I feel like a deadly weapon. I am positive and have become involved with someone; we've had protected sex and oral sex. I never told him I was positive. I care so much about him that I'd rather be dead than hear that he became infected. What should I do? |
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| • STRANGE
BUT TRUE How Many Virgins Will It Take to Cure AIDS? I am HIV positive. An alternative medical clinic here in Nigeria is offering three virgins for me to have sex with as a cure for my AIDS. Is this a good cure, or do you think I need to have sex with ten virgins instead? |
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| ASK
DR. YOUNG ABOUT STARTING HIV TREATMENT |
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Dr. Benjamin Young, an attending physician at the Rose Medical Center in Denver and a clinical instructor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, is available to answer any questions you may have about starting HIV treatment. |
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| ART FROM HIV-POSITIVE ARTISTS |
 Untitled, 1994; Becky Trotter |
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Visit Visual AIDS at The Body to view this month's Web Gallery, or to browse through Web Galleries from the past five years!
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