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| November 29, 2005 |
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| • LIVING WITH HIV Still Healthy After 20 Years I read a question from another forum user who had wondered about his future as an HIV-positive individual, and I felt compelled to share my experience. I became infected with HIV around 1984, when I was about 30, and was told that I probably had "a good six to months to live." I made the decision to prove the doctors wrong; I have stuck to the assumption that I will live a long, happy and productive life, and that in the end, old age -- not HIV -- will be the one and only thing to lessen my quality of life, and eventually end it. I know that in many ways I may have been just plain lucky, but I don't believe luck is the only reason I have had HIV for 20 years and remained healthy. The post this person is responding to was highlighted in our Nov. 14 "Hot Topics" e-mail. You can read it by clicking here. |
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| • MENTAL HEALTH Short-Term Memory Loss in Healthy HIVers I've been talking with other HIV-positive people of varying ages, and although we're all in good health, we seem to share a problem with our short-term memory. When we try to recall some things, we're aware that we know the answer we seek, but can't actually remember it -- although later on, when we're under less pressure, the answer usually comes to us. We don't feel that we're experiencing dementia, since we're all reasonably intelligent and functioning people. Does this kind of thing occur often in people with HIV? Antidepressants Aren't Working, and Suicidal Thoughts Are Growing Ever since my HIV diagnosis in 2001, I've been severely depressed and full of anxiety. What makes it worse is that, when I go to work, my coworkers (who do not know my status) say such horrible things about HIV-positive people. This Sunday I spent much of the day wondering how I could commit suicide yet make it look like an accident so my family could collect life insurance. I've been on many antidepressants, antipsychotics and anti-anxiety pills, but nothing ever works over the long term. Will this ever end? Is there any treatment that will work for me, or am I destined to keep suffering with this and possibly not live to see my 25th birthday? |
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| • LIFE & HEALTH INSURANCE Health Coverage as a Dependant Versus a Domestic Partner I'm an HIV-positive college student and currently get health coverage through my mother's insurance plan. My mother may lose her job, however, so I'm considering enrolling in my partner's health plan as a domestic partner. Would I have to pull out of one plan in order to enroll in another? Life Insurance Cancelled Without Warning About a year and a half ago, my employer switched life insurance carriers without notifying its employees. When this happened, I lost my coverage -- and now that I have HIV, our company's insurance representative says it's impossible for me to get that coverage back. Is there anything I can do? Is My HIV a "Pre-Existing Condition"? I'm considering upgrading my long-term health coverage, but the coverage comes with a confusing rule excluding "pre-existing conditions" that I've been treated for within the past six months. How can I know whether my HIV counts as a pre-existing condition? |
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| • CHOOSING YOUR MEDS HIV Treatment Regimens That Fight HIV Throughout the Body In my research about HIV, I've learned that the virus can live in different "compartments" in the body (e.g., the blood, the brain, semen), and that not all HIV meds can reach all of those compartments. Can you recommend any regimen in particular that can fight HIV in the widest range of areas? CD4 Count = Zero; Avoiding HIV Treatment My 40-year-old son has had HIV for more than 20 years, and has never been on treatment. In the last five months, though, his CD4 count has plummeted; he now has zero T cells! His HIV doctor is recommending medications, but my son is afraid to take them; he says that meds killed his friends in the 1990s. What does it really mean to have a CD4 count of zero, and what can I say that will help him understand how important it is to start treatment? Recently Infected and Debating Treatment I've been told that a person's CD4 count and viral load tend to jump around a lot during the first year after he or she has been infected. I was infected 12 months ago. My last two CD4 tests showed a count below 350, so my doctor wants to start me on HIV meds -- efavirenz (Sustiva, Stocrin) + Truvada (tenofovir/FTC). But is it possible my CD4 count may still rise on its own? And if I do have to start treatment, is there a way I could avoid efavirenz? I'm afraid of the mental side effects. |
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• WANT TO SWITCH HIV MEDS? TALK LIVE |
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• HIV DRUG RESISTANCE |
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• OTHER HIV TREATMENT QUESTIONS |
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• COMPLICATIONS OF HIV & HIV TREATMENT |
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• HEPATITIS |
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| • STRANGE
BUT TRUE Ziploc: For the Safest Masturbation Ever Can I protect myself from HIV if I masturbate using a sandwich bag (instead of a condom)? |
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 The Body Commemorates World AIDS Day 2005 |
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Millions upon millions of dollars have been spent talking about HIV. There have been countless meetings, conferences, studies and reports devoted to talking about how to stop HIV from spreading. While the world talked in 2005, another three million people died from AIDS. It's now time to do -- to get involved. Check out The Body's World AIDS Day pages for some ideas on what you can do to help. |
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Are you between 14 and 22 years old and living in the United States? Do you have something to say about how HIV has affected your life? Enter the Positively Negative HIV & AIDS 2005 Story Writing Contest for U.S. youths. The winning writer will receive $500 and have his or her story adapted for an upcoming HIV prevention education film! To learn more about the contest or to download an entry form, visit the Hear Me Project at www.hearmeproject.org. The deadline for entries is Dec. 1! |
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 "Crack is Wack," 1986; Keith Haring |
Visit the November 2005 Visual AIDS Web Gallery to view this month's collection of art by HIV-positive artists! This month's gallery is entitled "On the Road -- A Tribute to the Campaign to End AIDS." Want to learn more about the Campaign to End AIDS? Click here! |
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