Living well with HIV – Happy Pride and coming out as having HIV
Pride can sometimes be a catalyst to assist people in coming out. I think one of the powerful messages from Pride is the notion of having the freedom to be yourself.
That all of our self is acceptable, even if some people have yet to catch up with the idea of ‘live and let live’.
For some people communicating their HIV positive status can feel like coming out a second time. (more…)
Living well with HIV - Vienna 2010
Living with HIV more often than not means living with the medication to stop the replication of HIV. In Australia, approximately 80 percent of PLHIV are currently on medication. The interest in HIV medication continues to increase as the role of treatments into the realm of prevention continues to be explored and expanded. This is particularly true for people who are dating and sexually active. Recently the new HIV treatment guidelines from the USA include eligibility criteria for people starting HIV treatments on the basis of potential transmission risk. The ongoing role of treatments in prevention is expanding across the globe, however not all people have the same access to treatments as we do in Australia. (more…)
Living well with HIV – Lustful sex
When we engage in lustful sex, more often than not we are emotionally driven by how hot the person is and how horny we are feeling.
In these circumstances rational thinking processes can be somewhat limited. Occasionally we acquire sexually transmissible infections (STIs).
Using condoms all the time will protect against HIV but they don’t protect against all STIs. Usually you know if you have an STI because the symptoms create discomfort. (more…)
Living well with HIV – The Greater Good
Previously I have written about the need to reduce the stigma around HIV, about the need to let go of old irrational fears of how HIV is transmitted like the myths about transmission via mosquitoes, and deep kissing (both very untrue by the way).
I find it increasingly difficult to advocate for a reduction in HIV stigma without advocating for a reduction in stigma of mental health, sex workers, substance users, older people, younger people, people from different cultures and race, people living in the outer suburbs, people living in the inner suburbs, people couch surfing or homeless, people with high income, people with low income, people with no income, people with style, people who are clones, people who are attractive, people not as attractive, people who are tall, people who are short, guys with a big appendage, guys with small appendages etc …… the point is we can all be marginalised and stigmatized. (more…)
Living Well With HIV - Interview with Kim Brooklyn
Kim Brooklyn is the new Positive Services Manager for the WA AIDS Council and has now been in the position for a about year. Given that the WA AIDS Council is currently conducting an independent review of HIV Positive Services I thought it was timely to interview Kim and get a sense of her and the direction of services for people with HIV.
What is it that attracted you to the area of HIV/AIDS?
I wasn’t necessarily attracted to the area so much as it is something that has been part of my life for what seems like forever. I have always had people in my life from the community, from when I was very small and had a gay “grandma” (well that was what we called him) to now. Back in the early days of the epidemic some of the people who were close to me acquired HIV, and one person in particular who was very special to me passed away from AIDS related illnesses. (more…)
Living Well With HIV - Pills For A Lifetime.
There is ongoing debate about whether people should start HIV treatments earlier or later. Historically many people have waited to start treatments to avoid side effects, or until they really needed them and to avoid the lifestyle cost of a rigid regime of taking pills. But how does taking pills play out today?
In February this year, at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, European studies were presented that found many people diagnosed with HIV today would live a normal life expectancy. So imagine being 35 and diagnosed with HIV and the question of starting treatments comes up with all the attached anxiety. Whether a person starts treatments immediately or in 4 years time, within the context of taking pills for 40 years, it may not be worth the energy to worry. For many people with HIV, there is growing evidence which favours starting treatments earlier. Obviously, these questions are best answered in a consultation with your Doctor and according to your own clinical results. (more…)
Living Well With HIV - Ahead of time
For many of us, growing older may mean that our bodies will begin to reveal vulnerabilities and normal age related health issues may become evident. Psychologically we also start the gradual adjustment to growing older by beginning to recognise and accept that perhaps we need to drive our body less hard than we once did. For people living with HIV the natural health challenges with growing older can present themselves ahead of time. The Health Department in WA currently reports that almost 40% of gay men with HIV are between 40-49 years of age, with a further 40% over the age of 50. These ages are not very old in the traditional sense, however when over laid with the impact of living with HIV, suddenly many people are confronted with health challenges that they might not have expected until much later in life. This is the first time we have had a significant number of PLHIV who are middle aged and over and services will need to learn to adapt what they do to be able to respond well. (more…)
Living Well With HIV: Acceptance
Elisabeth Kubler Ross describes five common stages that people go through when they are experiencing the process of grief or loss; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. One of the personal challenges for people living with HIV is to overcome the sense of loss derived from no longer being able to play out their sexuality in exactly the same way they did before they were diagnosed. (more…)
Living Well With HIV- the ‘joys’ of Christmas
What does Xmas mean to you? For some, Xmas means an opportunity to enjoy a few days away from our regular work schedules, for others it is steeped in faith based worship and/or family get togethers, and yet for others it may mean a time of stress, isolation and loneliness.
For me, Xmas is a time to reflect on my current and contemporary spiritual beliefs where I can appreciate a loving god to all and one that would support the divine love between same sex attracted individuals. Mostly though, Xmas is a time for me to acknowledge, be grateful, and express love to my partner, friends, and family. Xmas affairs have not always been easy for me or some others, so I offer a few tips which may be helpful. (more…)
Living Well With HIV And Correcting The Stereotype
It’s easy to judge people you have not met, and then easier still to swallow the conventional stereotype of the group they supposedly represent. Like same sex attracted folk, people living with HIV (PLHIV) have been stereotyped in ways that potentially increase their social disadvantage, like ‘Gay men living with HIV are promiscuous’ .
If you take the time to listen to the real experiences of PLHIV you will often hear the story of the one time they didn’t use a condom, the one time they where in a vulnerable space. You will hear how a couple fell in love with each other, assumed that each was negative, and trusted that everything would be OK. So, are there promiscuous PLHIV? Yes, however they are very much a minority and are not representative of most PLHIV. (more…)
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