Do you know anyone with HIV/AIDS?

[NaperVic]

I have a close friend who's been living with AIDS for over ten years now. He's been on several cocktails and has been doing pretty well.

 

I was curious...do you know anyone close who's living with AIDS?

 

I think having AIDS be so close to home is a constant reminder that I should be careful if I were to start dating again.

 

To the younger guys...do you think not knowing someone with AIDS makes it seem less real to you (and thus less cautious when it comes to unprotected sex)?

 

 

***This post has been labeled Label Free®***

Edited December 11, 2007 by NaperVic

[Dezlboi]

I recently got back in touch with an old friend who is now living in Dallas. In the course of catching up over the last several years, he told me he was HIV positive.

 

The story of his infection is terrible and stupid at the same time. He got it from a (supposed) friend who knew that he was positive, but thought that my friend knew too, and didn't care. That story is so ridiculous, I think neither I or my friend know whether to think it's a lie, or what, because the only scenario where my friend "wouldn't care" would be if he were already infected, and I would think his friend would know that, or not, and never assume. In any case, they had oral sex, presumably unprotected, and he was infected.

 

He has no symptoms, but the potential threat of declining health plus a whole host of life changes he altered things for him quite a bit. I don't know that it changes much for me except perhaps to bring the issue closer to home. But my stance is the same now as it was before - protection, ever time. Maybe if I get married someday, that will change.

 

D

[rknapp]

I do not know of anyone infected with HIV or AIDS, but that doesn't make it seem any less real to me. I'm still a virgin, and yet anytime I think about sex (every 2.5 seconds), there's a good chance of thinking of some way to bring up the issue of STD's before doing the nasty. Somehow I think doing so would turn him/her off completely, but it's certainly a very necessary question. Regardless of what they tell me, protection will be used with everyone, everytime, everywhere, until I settle down with someone who I can trust to be completely monogamous and is completely clean -- which means unprotected sex for me might never happen... I'd still be too paranoid.

[Ieshwar]

Well, I don't know anyone personally and AIDS, frankly, has never been a huge thing in my life. It's just something I read and watch in tv. But still, I'm very adamant on safe protection. I'm too paranooid to 'experiment' and pay with my life.

 

Ieshwar

[ashessnow]

Yeah. Name's Daniela.

[NaperVic]

I have a close friend who's been living with AIDS for over ten years now. He's been on several cocktails and has been doing pretty well.

 

I should clarify. My friend is alive (and he's been living much longer than he feared at first), but it has taken a toll on his life. He's gained weight in weird parts of his body, and it looks out of place compared to the rest of him. He's had to change meds a few times because one set would start loosing it's efficacy and his T-cells would go down. Luckily the company he works for has an awesome medical plan and they cover all his drugs, but if he wanted to quit, he'd be restricted in finding another job because he'd have a 'pre-existing condition' and they might not cover his medical.

 

 

He had a good friend who also has AIDS, and he's been loosing weight in his cheek area, so he's looking emaciated, yet the rest of his body looks 'normal'.

 

He's tried dating again, but as soon as he brings up his HIV status, guys tend to shy away.

 

So while many more are living with AIDS now then in the past, it's still a very hard life.

[wildone]

One of my closer friends has been living with HIV for over twenty years now. But he knows as well as I know, he is one of the lucky ones. Actually at times when his t cell counts change, his doctors take him completely off the meds for months at a time. But eventually he needs to go back on them. I have also been with him when he is having a rougher time, and it is not something you'd wish on anyone, for anything.

 

If anything I learned from him over the past ten or so years is: Don't be afraid of someone with HIV/AIDS. Although safe sex is not really an option, it doesn't mean you need to shy away from them, not touch them, share a dessert with them , etc. I would say most people with it know what is risky and what is not. Just hopefully they know they have it, and second that they are a good enough person to tell you about it.

 

Steve

[JamesSavik]

Yes- unfortunately I've known a number of people who have passed away from AIDs.

 

Rather than address this here, I'm going to blog about it.

[AFriendlyFace]

Yes, I found out recently that a friend of mine has HIV.

[BeaStKid]

Vic,

 

to your last question, my answer is this....

 

With the second largest HIV/AIDS population in the world, Indian teens (esp. the educated ones) are very well aware of the dangers of this dreaded disease. At least I am.

 

While I have been fortunate enough that I do not know anyone in my circle who has been affected by AIDS, I do feel for those who have. And this makes me all the more determined to spread awareness among my peers...

 

Well, for starters, I'm trying to get a sex-ed program started in my school... Let's see if it comes off well...

[TheUnwanted]

Yeh I know someone with HIV he was my counsellor when I went for my test. I don

[TalonRider]

Back in the mid to late 80's I heard of 3 guys that I knew had contracted HIV. I had to laugh when I heard about one of them. Not funny, I know, but back then my mind set was a lot different. Today, I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.

 

Jan

[old bob]

Hey everybody,

My daughter ! She got HIV in Spain from blood transfusion in 1984, fought successfully (about 18 pills a day !) till 2003 (19 years), got tired and ceased her fight. She had enough and let it go. She dyed peacefully with all us around her in a wonderful place founded specially to accompany incurable people. She was 45 years old. Today she is still with us and I hope to meet her again when it is time for me. As I told already in one of my blogs, she was a reason (among others) for me to participate actively in the fight against this plague.

Life is not always happy but it is life!

And please, don't forget to be covered any time . The risk is still there and its easy to be checked.

Old Bob

[old bob]

Yes- unfortunately I've known a number of people who have passed away from AIDs.

Rather than address this here, I'm going to blog about it.

Hey James,

Your description of the plague in your blog is really adequate .

I could write the same as it appeared in Europe, but it is a long story, in which I'm 100 % involved. in 1984, I was 55 years old, with a gay son and an infected daughter, and I helped to inform better about how to live with ill people. Fortunately the epidemic is now almost stopped here among heteros, but a lot of young gay people don't take it seriously enough and the percentage of gays ills is increasing . We should talk more about it, especially about "protected" sex .

BTW, the best description of HIV in the States I red was in some DK stories.

Edited December 11, 2007 by old bob

[BeaStKid]

BTW, the best description of HIV in the States I red was in some DK stories.

 

yeah.. In the Do Over series..

[FrenchCanadian]

My answer is yes, I did know someone that had AIDS. My uncle, my mum's younger brother, died of it in 1993. Do the math, obviously I was kinda young then, therefore I do not know every details about it. His "long lasted illness" never really have been a subject of discussion specially when my grandma was around.

 

It wasn't until a few weeks ago that my mum confirm what I've heard from my cusins talking, that he had died of AIDS and that he had it from his "sexuality". In other words confirming that he was gay. Other than that I don't know anything else. I kinda wish that he'd still be around, I definitely have some questions for him.

[Rigel]

I'm of the age cohort where I had too many friends who died of AIDS--a couple of dozen at least. If hadn't been closeted enough to be celibate, I could well be dead now, too. I did a lot of work in the late 80s and early 90s covering and publicizing the development of drugs for HIV/AIDS, following each promise with great hope and each failure with some despair, though there were lots of dead-ends in the development of what we've got today. While still not curable, at least it's become treatable, not that I'd wish having to be disciplined enough to follow the required regimens on anybody I loved. But I do have friends who are on those regimens, and I'm grateful that they are still alive. Y'all take care, now, y'hear?

 

--Rigel (thinking tonight about Bob, Bill, John, Burr, Jere, ..., ..., too many others to list.)

[Hylas]

No... :S

 

Thankfully HIV is not widespread here in the Philippines.