HIV

[Biggirlsam]

Hi I just wanted to thank everyone who gave advice and wonderful words of help, I really want to thank everyone on you!!! We went to a walk in clinic last night and a hiv test was taken and the results we given..... A re-test in 3 months and hopefully it helped. After great advice on here I found wonderful councellors who were so brilliant, explaining everything that was going to happen and will happen and its so true what people say a little knowledge is so important. Last night was the first time she slept in over a week and this morning i'm beginging to see the human under the shell... I hope no-one ever has to go through this ever!!!!

 

[Karen]

im really pleased she is coming through the other end. even if there is more testing to come, she really needs to be able to rest and function at the moment so its great she is starting to feel more herself.

i really hope she gets the all clear and would like to say to you that no matter how useless/helpless you feel, i reckon your friend wouldnt want you to be doing anything different from what u r already doing. like DQ said, dont underestimate the power of quiet hugs!

 

[Mini]

Hi Sam,

Thanks for letting us know how your all getting on and I am glad your friend is getting counselling and to get through this she needs all the help she can get.

Your a wonderful friend and she is so Blessed to have you.

I hope your looking after yourself too as this is very stressful for you as well.

Sending hugs.

Love Mini xxx

 

[gaijingirl]

Great news - I'm glad you've had some resolution over this. How lucky your friend is that she has you!

 

[Isis]

Hi I just wanted to thank everyone who gave advice and wonderful words of help, I really want to thank everyone on you!!! We went to a walk in clinic last night and a hiv test was taken and the results we given..... A re-test in 3 months and hopefully it helped. After great advice on here I found wonderful councellors who were so brilliant, explaining everything that was going to happen and will happen and its so true what people say a little knowledge is so important. Last night was the first time she slept in over a week and this morning i'm beginging to see the human under the shell... I hope no-one ever has to go through this ever!!!!

This is so good to read tonight Especially that your friend has slept better. I hope you are ok too and trying to breathe a bit easier?

What an amazing friend you are....

 

[Pixie]

Hi Sam,

You can get tests done much quicker than 3 months nowadays, or is she waiting for 2nd test results?

 

[Biggirlsam]

Hi pixie to cut a long painful story very short, her husband has been seeing prostitutes for over 3 years, worse than that it was un-protected!!! Then coming home to her and not using precautions. He really doesn't care one iota about her!!!!!. The last "episode" as he says was Christmas Day and she won't have the all clear if at all until March.... We know for a fact the last woman he was with has full blown Aids and as you can imaging its devistated her.

 

[Persephone]

How has she been exposed to it?

That is important as certain exposures are low risk (a risk nonetheless but very low)

She will have to wait for 3 months from the last possible exposure as the virus can take that long to show up in the blood. It is also good to be tested for Hep B- thatcan take 6 months to show up and you should be tested 3 months later.

If she has been infected it's not the death sentence it once was. The drug combo's are fabulous and life expectancy is very high.

 

[Persephone]

sorry, didn't read your last post. The risk of catching HIV through heterosexual sex is lower than other ways. I think your friend should find out the statistics.

What a bast@@d

 

[RachelM]

Although you wish you could do more, just being there has probably already meant so much to your friend. It might be worth contacting some organisations such as the terrence higgins trust etc or NHS direct to see if they can put you in touch with a councillor or at least a support phone line?

 

[SkinkWitch]

My best friend had to have an HIV test as she had an accident with a hypodermic needle at the care home where she worked.

She is the kind of person who kept herself informed about the potentialities of the virus, and stayed relatively calm about it throughout the waiting period.
HIV doesn't need to be the death sentence it once was, it's entirely likely that she'll lead a normal life with the proper medication, many HIV postive people never develop AIDS and live fulfilled and happy lives.
I think it's doubly distressing for your friend due to the circumstances of the exposure, I would wholeheartedly recommend counselling for her right now.

SW
xx

 

[abigail09]

oh my gosh this is a terrible story, i noticed this was first posted in january so maybe your friend knows now and has the results.

i was in a sort of similar situation, i was exposed to HIV in very dubious circumstances and no one really knew whether i could catch it or not (through very very bitten fingernails if anyone wants to know and contact with infected blood on my hands).

it was a very nerveracking time i lost a lot of sleep and worried alot the GUM clinic i went to to get tested didnt offer me counselling and the NHS line was very poor and helping me all in all i got through it alone and didnt really tell anyone. that happened in january and i got the all lear a few months ago.

catching HIV is actually surprisingly hard you might be surprised, you need to really look at the stats in each instance of transmition, for example to catch from a needle stick injury if the blood has been on for jsut a few seconds then its liekly that the HIV has actually died then and transmition is something like 0.5% or something very very low like that.

people who do contract HIV get very bad symptoms so if she hasnt experienced these then its unlikely she has it.

i hope thsi helps, it was a bad time for me but i appreciate my health so much more

 

[Taz]

Me and Mr Taz have to have the test as part of our fertility tests and although I know the chance of either of us having it is so close to zero it still put the fear of god into me when she said it!

My colleague had to have the test after he was bitten really badly by someone who then said he had HIV and he was a real mess waiting for the results. He was clear luckily

 

[IrishMum]

You're tested as part of your ante-natal blood tests here in NI so I know I'm in the clear (unless my Hubby has been naughty!). It was still a bit unnerving waiting on the results though?