HIV: overcoming fear

An estimated 1.2 million people in the US are living with HIV. But research shows that many of them (about 13%) don’t know it. According to the CDC, almost 40% of new HIV Infections are spread by people who don’t know they have the virus.

There are several reasons that can prevent people from getting tested for HIV. Fear of the disease, stigma and being discriminated against or negatively judged if a test shows that they have HIV are some of the obstacles.

But getting tested is the first step to learning your status. That’s important information that helps you take charge of your health and prevent Viral infection that can causes AIDS.

For Kelly Gluckman of Seattle, HIV was the last thing on her mind when she quit using condoms with your partner without first getting tested for HIV.

“I knew that wasn’t the smartest move,” says Gluckman, now 30.

I was 23 years old at the time, and although I knew about HIV test through integral sex education at school, says that as a “straight, white woman,” she was never at risk of contracting HIV. But after about 6 months of unprotected sex, Gluckman and her partner decided to get tested for HIV as a precaution.

“We both tested positive on October 25, 2010,” says Gluckman. “We were both pretty devastated.”

“The immediate thought was, ‘My God, I’m going to die.’ I faced mortality, because ‘HIV turns into AIDS and then you die’. That’s exactly what I was instilled in from what I saw in the media and from what I learned in school,” says Gluckman.

In hindsight, Gluckman says denial played a role in making her and her partner hesitate to take an HIV test.

“We would talk about going and getting tested and then just not doing it,” she says.

Many people still tend to have a “scary view” of HIV, says David Pantalone, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He believes he may have something to do with outdated HIV images and narratives from the 1980s.

“I don’t think there is a revised public conception of what it is to have HIV,” says Pantalone. “The reason is that what appears to have HIV now is basically the same as what appears to not have HIV. The life expectancy data between people with HIV and people with HIV are not really that different.”

Although there is no cure for HIV, treatment, antiretroviral therapy (ART), is highly effective. It lowers the amount of the HIV virus in your body or your viral load. If you take the medicine as prescribed by your doctor, the viral load can become so low that it becomes undetectable on a daily basis. HIV test. When this happens, there is little or no chance of developing symptoms of the infection or infecting other people. You can usually control HIV with medication in just under 6 months.

Gluckman saw positive results soon after he started taking his medication.

“My viral load became undetectable within 2 months,” Gluckman says, adding that he had no side effects.

“I thought, ‘My God, I’m going to live, I can be healthy with this thing, with this virus.’”

The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once in their lifetime. You can usually do this during your yearly medical checkup. If you haven’t been tested, ask your doctor.

If you are at higher risk, you should get tested more often: every 3 to 6 months to be sure. But Pantalone says the lack of testing is also because people confuse the high risk of the disease “fits within an identity” when it comes to a virus that is spread by common human behavior, such as having sex.

“If you have had condomless sex with anyone, then you need an HIV test. Even if it’s low risk, you still need to do it periodically, because you never know,” says Pantalone.

You are at higher risk of contracting HIV if you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions, according to the CDC:

• Are you a man who has had sex with another man?
• Have you had sex (anal or vaginal) with someone who has HIV?
• Have you had more than one sexual partner since your last HIV test?
• Have you shared needles, injection drugs, or other drug injection equipment with other people?
• Have you had sex in exchange for drugs or money?
• Have you been diagnosed or treated for other sexually transmitted diseases?
• Have you been diagnosed or treated for hepatitis either tuberculosis (TUBERCULOSIS)?
• Have you had sex with someone whose sexual history you don’t know?

If any of this applies to you, you may benefit from an annual HIV test, even if your last test was negative.

If you’re pregnant, ask your doctor for an HIV test. If you have HIV when get pregnant, tell your doctor as soon as possible. Your doctor can give you the right medications to help you and your baby staying healthy.

It is also good practice to get tested for HIV and find out your status before having sex with a new partner for the first time. It’s always a good idea to ask about your sexual and drug history before you have sex. If you know you have HIV, tell them your status. If you are not sure about your or your partner’s HIV status, be sure to use a condom. This can help protect your health or prevent other people from getting the infection.

If you think you have been exposed to HIV or have what you think may be symptoms, talk to your doctor as soon as possible. Taking an HIV test or talking to your doctor about HIV can be uncomfortable and stressful. But coming prepared can help you handle it better.

Take a list of questions with you so you can get the most reliable information. This can help your doctor make a treatment plan if you have HIV.

Even if you find out that you do not have HIV, this is a good time to ask questions and learn more about how you can help prevent HIV infection. You may have heard of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV, which can help prevent you from getting HIV. You can ask questions like:

• How can I protect myself from HIV?
• How often should I get tested?
• Does my sexual partner also need a test?
• Do you offer advice on HIV prevention or recommend a place that does?

If you don’t want to go alone, ask a friend or family member to come with you for support. If you are diagnosed with HIV, your doctor can direct you to many resources to get the help and treatment you need to control your infection.

If you’re trying to persuade a close friend or loved one to get tested for HIV, Pantalone says it might help to think about how knowing your HIV status or getting tested can help prevent spread to others who know. .

Stigma and lack of proper care can exist even among health care providers. But don’t let that stop you from getting tested or getting preventative care or treatment.

If you have a place you go for health care and want to start getting tested for HIV, talk to your health care provider. “And if that provider doesn’t support you, then switch,” says Pantalone. “Going to an organization that specifically serves the HIV community is a great way to be welcomed with open arms and without judgment.”

If you test positive for HIV, Gluckman says it’s important to remember that you are more than that.

“You are worthy of respect, you are worthy of loveyou’re worthy of health, you’re worthy of good sex,” says Gluckman. “HIV is just the virus.”