₦airaland Forum

bolafancy: I'm interested..

Sorry, we need someone with SSCE qualifications. You're over qualified.

erhaboradesola: I'm interested.
email: erhabor.adesola@gmail.com

Interview holds at our office (cultural village, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Oke Mosan) tomorrow by 9am.

It was a very sad story. I can't imagine someone going to school going through all that torment. Egypt Air should be made to pay a compensation to the defendant and the Government of Turkey must be reigned in to explain why an ordinary immigration officer would show disrespect to Nigerians and our government by tearing an International passport.

Gramondhigh: Thanks for sharing. I tested positive five yrs ago. And not yet on drugs. I tk good food, a lot of immune boosters good sleep and positive thinking I need positive friends so we could discuss our welfare togeda.

Hi Gramondhigh,

It's good to know that your immunity (CD4) is still high hence you not being commenced on drugs. The only advice is this:

1. Do not miss clinic appointments without a valid reason and if you do, go at the next available clinic day

2. Remain pro-active about your health. Ensure your CD4 count is done every 3months. In the absence of severe or advanced HIV disease, one of the criteria for ARV commencement is a CD4 count less than 350 although this is being reviewed to 500 (draft National guidelines 2014, not yet published).

In the meantime, stick with your healthy diet, Immune boosters etc.

soulglo: Maybe you can find someone in the support group that's a little older than you and maybe has been positive a little longer. He/she could be a mentor to you. You might not be able to get to the group but you could talk to someone once a week over the phone or email. You shouldn't have to figure it out alone and being in contact with someone thriving with the same diagnosis can help you. Good luck

Very true. I am not aware of any policy that says that you must attend a support group where you access care. There are also facility based and community based support groups that hold their support group meetings outside of the hospital. The meetings are usually held monthly and truth is that you would feel a whole lot better when you start attending those meetings where members share their experiences living with the disease.

futbol77: Something stopped working in me 2 yrs ago when I was tested +ve for HIV. Didn't know d news would hit me that hard but it did, ever since I've not been myself, maybe its my disposition as a person, I don't know. Not been in a relation after that as I immediately ended the one I was into at the moment. Hope talking about this will help me. I ought to be married by now but how am I going to tell someone i want to settle down with that I'm +ve, well someday I hope I'll be able to put the pieces together and be the dream I have for myself, hope the someday will be soon

Hello futbol77,

Okay. So the good news is that I have come to know several sero-discordant couples over the years. More recently, I met a young man in his early thirties who got married to an HIV positive lady. So far so good, I am not aware of any issues most especially since the issue of HIV was discussed before they got married. He usually has a rapid test done on himself every 3 months at the hospital his wife receives treatment.

Having said that, I understand what you think and I'm sure that other people may be better qualified to advice you but what I have to say is that you need to overcome that feeling of self-loath that comes from time to time and get on with your life. I say this because I know a few people who prefer HIV to what they are experiencing at the moment.

Digression aside, the support group at the facility you access care can be of help here. You would get to meet others and who knows what can happen from there.

francessn: how possible is it to get pregnant without being infected when you have a HIV positive spouse

Truth is that the risk of receptive penile-vaginal intercourse is 8 per 10,000 exposures and clearly less for inceptive penile-vaginal intercourse. (Patel P, Borkowf CB, Brooks JT. Et al. Estimating per-act HIV transmission risk: a systematic review. AIDS. 2014. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000000298)

In a serodiscordant relationship, for the negative woman who hopes to conceive, the above risk of transmission is increased if her partner's viral load is high (detectable viral levels in the blood). In this case, the advice is that they should always engage in safe sex practices and wait until the positive partner's viral load is undetectable before they decide to have a baby.

In a sero-concordant relationship, the advice is same even though both of them are positive. They both need to adhere strictly with medication and then try to have a baby when their viral load becomes undetectable (usually, this is achievable after 6 months of using ARVs, all things being equal). This advice is based on the idea that if an infected woman becomes pregnant with a high viral load, the risk of transmitting HIV to her baby is much higher than if she had a low viral load.

The second idea behind the advice is that, even if a couple were both infected - the virus in lets say the husband may be slightly/completely different from that in the wife. This could happen for several reasons - poor ARV adherence, ARV drug history, super-infection with a mutant strain from a third party etc). Imagine a scenario where you were adherent to your meds and your CD4 was climbing, VL remained undetectable and then due to ****, you have sex with a husband with an unsteady cd4 and a high viral load; end result is that you end up being super-infected with his mutant strain of HIV which may not be killed effectively by the drugs you are taking. By the time you are due for delivery, your viral load would be through the roof and the risk of transmitting the virus to your baby would be high....

Sorry if the explanation was too long...

Zonacom: From what i've observed, govt hospitals and big private hospitals who offer HIV care are about the best places to get accurately tested. But like i said before, to clear any doubt the accuracy of the test, request for an Antigen test.

Dear Sir, the p24 antigen test you are talking about is done at only a handful of laboratories in the country versus the more widely available rapid testing. Additionally, it is expensive while rapid testing is basically free.

pozalive: Monday 10th June 2013 I found out that I am HIV positive just a few months after celebrating my 25th Birthday. I'm dealing with it surprisingly well, probably because I've finally decided to put my diagnoses where it belong and moving on with life till I drop.I had always believe catching it was an impossibility especially with the life I was living, I'm not afraid or feeling sorry for myself but I am disappointed in myself that I was dumb and didn't wise up sooner to know my status even as a one time volunteer peer educator with GHAIN. I have since started ATRIPLA and SEPTRIN because the thing has hit me even though I was never sick in years. I told my best friend who is very supportive and I am warming up to break the news to my family soonest. I have read pretty much about about living with HIV, medications and support groups but decided not to join the one at the health care facility I am using for personal reasons. It is obvious this diagnoses has changed my entire life as a young man......I have since set my goals and I am working toward a more stable CD4 COUNT,suppressed VIRAL LOAD,proper management of side effects as they arise and joining in the fight till we get to ZERO. much love to you all for sharing your stories that have encouraged me in no small way.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Have you been able to disclose your status to yoir family and how did they receive the news.

@your health, please continue to ensure your CD4 count is done every 6 months (the goal is to stay above 500), and your viral load yearly (goal is to supress the virus to less than 50).

You can also include Immunace as part of hour drugs. It contains vitamins and minerals that support the immune system.

[quote author=]plz kindly resend to sondejimmy@gmail.com[/quote]Email sent.

williams20: my fiancee is based in abeokuta,
Ond in mass comm + NIPR
email: damtobgroups@gmail.com

Thanks for your interest but she is over qualified.

[quote author=]I'm interested. Based in abeokuta.[/quote]Check your email.

Offer still available. Position to be filled immediately.

A leading non-governmental organization addressing the HIV/AIDS crises in Nigeria through the development of infrastructure for treatment, care, prevention, and support for people living with and those affected by HIV/AIDS but has now expanded its services to other infectious and non-infectious diseases including cancer, tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases.

Location: Abeokuta Duration: 6 months (renewable)

Duties & Responsibilities:

1.Maintain office environment by ensuring that the office and is kept clean and tidy throughout the day
2.Organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files
3.Coordinate and prepare for meetings/trainings by assisting with all necessary logistics as assigned
4.Maintain office supplies by checking stock to determine inventory levels; anticipating requirements; placing and expediting orders; verifying receipt; stocking items
5.Operate standard office equipment – make photocopies, scan documents etc.
6.Data entry and cleaning
7.Performing multifaceted general office support to other staff

Qualifications and requirements:

1.Applicant should be young and energetic
2.An SSCE holder with a minimum of 4 credits including English Language
3.Ability to communicate in an articulate manner (verbal and written) with good interpersonal skills
4.Must be computer literate with Microsoft office competency
5.Candidate should be self-motivated, detail-oriented, energetic and highly organized

Method of Application

If you meet the above criteria and are interested in the offer, indicate your interest via a pvt message on NL.

Salary: NGN30,000

Recently got one as well and I used Mansard Insurance.

I would advise comprehensive as against third party insurance. Visit their website to see the options of the comprehensive insurance. I went for that of 3.5% of the vehicle cost but you can compare for yourself.

Cheers!

It's really sad that people need titles before they can do their job. A pharmacist/nurse/lab scientist and even a physician doesn't need a specialist label before they are required to do their primary jobs which is to provide quality care for patients.

Unfortunately, as with the rest of the civil service, healthcare workers are mostly more interested in their welfare (monthly alert and other benefits) than the desire to provide quality care to their patients and they are all guilty.

In the end, the squabbles between these two warring factions (physicians vs johesu) could push the government to privatising these hospitals. Truth is quality healthcare is expensive world over but what we get in general hospitals is far from the alphabet 'q'. If after 54 years of independence and after earning over USD400bn in revenue from crude oil sales in the last 11years, our people are still dying from misdiagnosis, developing bed sores while on admission, getting erroneous results from labs where reagents are kept in a non-functional refrigerator, and then treated with drugs bought from the pharmacy opposite the hospital gate because the government hospital pharmacy is 'out of stock' on that drug, then our healthcare system has more problems than who gets the title 'consultant'.

My opinion: get a professional hospital administrator (with a post grad degree in hosp administration/healthcare mgmt + MBA + experience) to run these hospitals. Let every other person focus on their patients.

43 hours? If that's true then it's as good as riding a keke napep. Should be in kano in 43 +/- 7 hours.

Pros:
-fuel efficient (at low speeds, the electric motor kicks in while the regular petrol system kicks in at higher speeds. Since the latter system is more efficient at higher than lower speeds, the hybrid system will use less fuel than a regular car in a place like Lagos where the traffic could be demonic)
- Never worry about charging batteries as the batteries charge while the vehicle runs. A poster had already explained the idea of saving kinetic energy during braking
- When the battery charge is low, the vehicle switches to petrol mode at least until the battery is charged again
- good for the environment (but not something to worry about in present day Nigeria)

Cons:
- more expensive to buy than the non-hybrid model
- complex enough to give the roadside mechanic headache
- maintenance requires technical competence plus use of OEM parts (both costly)
- you are on your own when you need to replace the battery as you would need to order it for USD xxxx.

So far, think that's it...

@OP Google PathCare Nigeria and call their VI branch (head office) in Lagos for details - amniocentesis plus prenatal genotype testing.

Cost: used to cost about 225,000 thereabout but don't know current rates.

It is difficult to believe this without actual proof but then again, this is Nigeria where anything is possible.

Having said that, if this is true, then shame to those in authority...frivolous expenses in a nation that can't boast of steady electricity but depends on generators, has an abundance of crude oil but imports refined products, a nation with millions ravaged by hunger, HIV, poverty etc.

can you post pictures?

can it go for 20k?

applelady: Do they give this medications for sero-discordant couples in Apin clinics or you get it from the pharmacy?

* the medications (HAART therapy) are for the infected partner only
* medications used for HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) have serious side effects and should never be purchased from a pharmacy for several reasons
* contraception is encouraged to prevent a change in status of the uninfected partner

cyty: SEPTRIN. Does it work for Hiv patients?

FACTS ABOUT SEPTRIN:

Q1. Does Septrin kill HIV virus?
Septrin has no direct effect on the virus

Q2. If it has no anti-viral effects, why did my doctor prescribe the drug?
Although, it has no anti-viral effects, it is prescribed to HIV infected individuals in the following circumstances:
a - ALL HIV infected persons who are co-infected with Tuberculosis (irrespective of CD4 count)
b - ALL HIV infected persons with CD4 count <350. WHY?

BECAUSE, people with a CD4 count <350 are at increased risk for the following:
*severe bacterial infections (including diarrhoea - remember, septrin is a combination of 2 antibiotics)
*prophylaxis against Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (due to a fungi and seen in persons with a CD4 <200)
*prophylaxis against Toxoplasmosis (an infection of the brain due to an organism called Toxoplasma gondii, and found in cat faeces)
*it is also useful against Malaria (but it is usually NOT given for this reason alone)

Q3. How should it be taken?
Usually, a single double-strength (giant sized) tablet is taken daily. Septrin is NOT for ALL patients who are infected with HIV and it should be prescribed by your physician

Q4. Who should not use Septrin? Include
a - Individuals allergic to sulfa drugs
b - Pregnant women in their 1st trimester
c - Babies less than 6weeks of age who have been exposed to the virus
d - Breastfeeding women who are HIV infected (in the first 6 weeks after child birth)

Q5. What are possible side effects of Septrin? Include
a - Skin eruptions
b - Renal insufficiency
c - Hepatitis
d - Anemia & other signs of bone marrow suppression

casket: I feel you. I've been there as well.
Mine wasn't needle prick but a busted condom while shagging one runs babe.
It happened on a Friday evening, I was living in hospital quarters where I was working then.
I took the babe to maternity ward where she was screened and the test was reactive. I did mine as well , I was negative.
There was ICAP facility within the hospital but none of the staff was around to give me some drugs that I could use as post exposure prophylaxis.
I drove down to one of our clients residence and I got combivir with Nevirapin ( wrong combination ).
Taking those drugs was like hell to me. I later changed to ideal and recommended combo and completed the drugs for 28 days.
I'm still negative and pray to remain like that !

Thanks for sharing Mr. Casket. Thank God you were using a condom in the first place....but moral is "RUNZ BABES ARE ALWAYS A BAD IDEA"

Odukes: This is a very nice and informative thread and my support goes out to all positive folks, a female colleague of mind who is positive needs a positive partner to settle down with, any one on this forum who wants to settle down may open up, I will link you up. She is and independent working class.

Thanks Odukes for sharing with us. HIV is not the same thing as leprosy, in other words, there is a guy who is HIV -ve out there who would be willing to get married to her. I have seen a few situations where that happened even though it's a rarity.

But in the meantime, invite your friend to join this thread.

icebeatz: Hop3 u dont mind me asking but how do u get your drugs...... my colleague is hiv positive and im d only one he told. He discocered this year though. But when his cd4 runs down, how will he get drugs??

Where is your friend based (state)? It's easier to provide facility names that way...

Greatlydia: my
mum hav being living wit HIV for ova 14years now and i love her more
than anyone else in dis world. we eat and drink water together from same
plate and cup. every day i pray and cry to GOD on her behalf to grant
her a long life and take away conplications from her. SHOW THEM LOVE

Thanks for sharing with us the story of your mum....

my brother, its been long bro....how NA tins...

Irrespective of the fact that some people have decided to use dubious means to solicit for assistance from members of the public, it is essential to remember the following points which I believe in:

1. The sum of a man's life is not in the number of possessions he piles up but how he is able to use resources available to him to impart the life of others who are less fortunate

2. we should learn to always open our hearts and ask: what if this man/woman really needed this help?

3. Deceit can never take one far in life and it should not stop you from helping people if it won't cost you an arm.

4. I believe what goes around comes around to those who use tricks to rob hard earned coin from me but then again, the man who opens his heart to the plight of his fellow man who is less unfortunate opens up pathways in his journey through life. In other words, if you believe in God, then you know that when you bless others, someone else would return the same to you. If you don't believe in God, well....sorry

PS: I am angry and at the same time feel sorry for the poster who actually joked about a blind man being his lecturer. They say the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom....Please desist from such so that vengeance may not be unleashed upon you.


Food for thought: What if after we die, God says to us,'my son/daughter, how how did you impart the earth?' What would be your response.....

3 DAYS TO GO...

Okay so on NL, there are threads for everything including how to secure a visa (not that the idea of eloping is bad altogether)....anyway, I work in that field and I thought it might be a good idea to start an online support group thread dedicated to every nairalander living with HIV.

For those who have successfully been on antiretrovirals for years, please share your experiences/challenges with us as someone in here might benefit.

For those looking for answers to questions, please come in here ....physicians providing ARV care are also welcome.