Earlier this week I took my HIV test at a clinic in Viera. What was most strange about my experience was that when I scheduled it I thought nothing of it and was completely fine with the whole situation. However, as I began to drive to the clinic I became nervous and wondered why? When I checked in I began to feel strange as if I did something bad and then when the nurse came in to see me I felt as if she thought I was a bad person or was scared to touch me. I know it sounds strange, but thats how I felt. Moreover, from the information I have read and learned I know that some people who have HIV are drug users or homosexuals, so I then began to wonder if she thought I was a drug user or gay. The whole situation made me feel uncomfortable and strange. I wonder if someone who really is HIV positive feels or felt the same. This uncomfortable and nervous feeling. I the end I explained to the nurse why I was taking the HIV test and she answered a lot of my questions about the disease and gave me insight that was great for my knowledge. In the end I was glad to have the experience.
Furthermore, this week I will be talking about HIV and pregnancy. Since HIV and Sex is my interest I have included this topic because what happens when an individual gets pregnant and is HIV positive. More specifically, due to modern medicine what can the mother do or stop doing to decrease the chances of her child becoming HIV positive as well. Therefore, risk factors that increase the risk of transmission include: "smoking, substance abuse, vitamin A deficiency, malnutrition, infections such as STD's, quantity of HIV virus in the blood, factors related to labor and childbirth, and breast-feeding" (HIV/AIDS during pregnancy, 2007) If a women is infected she can reduced the risk of her child becoming pregnant by staying healthy as possible and receiving new treatments that can reduce the risk to 2 percent or less (HIV/AIDS during pregnancy, 2007). I hope that you found this knowledgeable and see you soon!
Source:
Web: HIV/AIDS During Pregnancy (2007, April). Retrieved September 29, 2009, from http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/hivaids.html
Great Post. It is funny that you said you were nervous about being tested and you felt that maybe the nurse was afraid to touch you. Well I work in that feild drawing bood and doing STD test on people. From my aspect I don't look at anyone different. In fact alot of the time I am very proud of them for even being tested. Yet just like you they are nervous and end up asking a lot of question too. I am proud you went and got tested.
ReplyDeleteNow you taught me something in your blog. I always thought that if a woman was HIV positive and pregnant then her child would also be positive too. I had no clue that there was ways to decrease the baby's chances. I figured the chid is composed of the mother's blood so how would it be avoidable.
I just went and took my HIV test today and I found myself having similar thoughts to yours. I've already had three HIV tests (all three negative), because I've been pregnant three times - and every time I felt anxious and scared... and what if?????
ReplyDeleteWell, this time around, I felt fine, or so I thought. On my way there, I started to feel the anxiety all over again, just thinking about the different possibilities. Although, I am 100% sure on my side, one just never knows and that has me on the edge of my seat - literally. HIV and pregnancy and Mothers is also my main topic of interest when it comes to HIV - being a mother of three.
Your reaction to the HIV test does not sound strange at all. If you ask me, it sounds normal. For some reason when I went back to get my test results on monday, I was so nervous that they were going to find something crazy. Thankfully it came back negative, and just like that, the jitters were gone.
ReplyDeleteGreat picture. I have noticed a lot of students wondering just what you did. Are they judging me? Do I look gay? How will my visit go? And to the surprise of many, the visit was very worthwhile, both in terms of education and self knowledge.
ReplyDeleteWomen who are HIV positive should never have to worry about labor as part of the equation. They should always receive a C-section to reduce the chances of maternal transmission due to long vaginal deliveries.
We have had great success here in Orlando with the reduction of maternal transmission. Only two women have transmitted the virus to their offspring and that was because they were non compliant with their medication.