THEGAYUK WINTER 13 /14 Issue 1
COLUMN
chocolate – sometimes it’s bad to be
good and it’s good to be bad).
As for the side effects of the
medication, like anything out
By HIVPozGuy
there – even throat lozenges – these
come with potential side effects. Not
I’m a guy who has just celebrated
everyone gets them. Those that
living with HIV for a year now (yes,
experience any bad effects will
you heard right folks...celebrated)
We need good news stories out there naturally moan about them. If
and I’ve taken a secondment
things are going right in life, we
for those that have just joined our
recently from my @hivpozguy
don’t tend to announce it so why
HIV ranks. Have a look at my own
handle on Twitter as a result.
would anyone out there say
blog and you will see amongst my
everything is a-okay with their
Whilst Twitter is an amazing source babbling ways that it is peppered
with hope and good news about me. medication? Well, I’m happy to
for a guy with HIV to speak with
report - no side effects from me and
I get emails on a regular basis telling
others that have this unfortunate
I’ve been taking my pills for a year
me how useful it has been from all
virus, there too are its downsides
now.
when you see so much negativity on walks of life. I am particularly
Dating. Well I’m the kind of chap
display. Article after blog after tweet touched when I see friends and
that is happy and content in or out
family members of newly diagnosed of a relationship. It falls down to the
of people moaning about having it;
people getting in touch to thank me, individual, but love comes in many
of the side effects associated with
it helps them understand what their shapes and forms and it’s up to us to
the cocktails of medication; the
horrible dating experiences owing to loved ones are going through.
seek where we get that from –
HIV; and generally blaming
friends, family, a partner – these all
anything going wrong in life on HIV So what are the positives I hear you have the ability to fill your cup up to
ask? Well, here we go my intrigued
– lack of sleep, colds, stomach
the brim in different measures
one:problems, stigma issues.
depending on the situation.
WHAT ARE THE HIV
POSITIVES?
!
!
I understand we live in a society that
likes to moan and complain to each
other - it’s a nice form of release, I
get that - but amongst the HIV
community on Twitter, which is so
public, this needs to stop or at the
very least tone down a notch or few.
For a start, I know my status...
do you? Finding out is the first step
for us all being healthier individuals.
Only by knowing our status and
being tested regularly can we all
help in the fight against HIV.
It made me wonder why don’t we
have more voices out there telling us Life. Goes. On.
HIV is not a death sentence; we’re
if there are any positives to living
living near-normal life spans now.
with HIV? If we are to battle the
This will no doubt improve even
stigma of HIV, surely we’re
more given the advances in
discrediting ourselves, as well as
medicine we’ve experienced over the
those that came before us, when we
past 3 decades.
dig that stigma hole even deeper
HIV is a kick up your backside
with our cynical shovels by harping to be the healthiest you can be
on about all the rubbish that having alongside taking a few pills each
HIV brings?
day. I quit smoking, I quit drinking
so much, and I got out there and I
Here’s an idea - what if we all
exercised, I entered cycling and
decided to flip this on its head? –
running races for charities. None of
blog about our own rejoices at the
this would’ve happened if it wasn’t
prospect of being here, being alive;
for HIV. I’m now studying at
write articles giving credit to those
University and my wedding is only
that came before us; tweet to people just round the corner now. HIV has
the optimism we now face in the
the power to transform you to try to
advancement of science and
become the best you can be.
medicine; or write about how you
Most of us are on 1-3 pill
‘came out’ to colleagues/friends and regimens a day. If anything, the
pills introduce some organisation to
what a positive effect this had. Just
show everyone that being positive is the day. I never used to eat much in
the evenings, but thanks to the pills,
NOT so negative all the time!
I do now and I eat healthier too
(albeit for occasional takeaway or
I’m probably going to open a can of
worms here to those reading this
from the HIV community, but
please, hear me out.
!
Living with HIV isn’t as bleak as one
may expect. I hope this piece has
enlightened, and it’s not my
intention to detract from the
seriousness of living with HIV at all.
HIV is no laughing matter, but given
how much the virus has grown up
and changed, along with the
successful battle we are putting up
against it to date, I think our
attitudes towards HIV needs to
change and evolve as a result.
This change can only start with
those that live with it. I know that I
will be refraining from moaning
about it in future on my Twitter
account - I hope others follow suit.∎
Read more at hivpozguy.com
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HIVPOZGUY
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