Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence - Health (6)

Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence - Health (6) - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum › Nairaland General › Health › Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence (60966 Views)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Reply (Go Down)

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Insectkiller: 3:56am On Apr 18, 2020

Re: Abba Kyari Is Dead! by Insectkiller: 3:52am

The Life of a job is longer than the life of a man...

So, do your best and leave d rest..

RIP.

COVID-19, Chinese Virus, Wuhan Virus, CoronaVirus is realllllll...

Long live Nigeria

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by ceaser: 4:10am On Apr 18, 2020*

Gentleswift:
The doctor said she contracted d virus 5 yrs ago and yet her husband tested negative. These things don't add up. Does it means he haven't sexed her for d past five yers or, he has been using condom d last five yrs?

Women are at more risk to get infected and so also are males that engage in homosexuality especially the recipient. This is because they are the ones who receives the deposited sperm (if it's from a positive partner). The mucous membrane of the vaginal wall and the rectum in the respective cases provide a rich and wide surface area for the virus to infect.

This is in contrast to the male. If the male is negative and the female is positive, the risks for contracting it are less. This is because the urethral meatus (orifice on the male organ where the urine passes out thru) is the only exposed part that the fluid from the positive female needs to get in touch with. An exception to this is if the presence of other STDs in the male (especially the ones that produce p3nile ulcers like herpes, syphillis, LGV) increases the risk. Another possibility is that during s3zual int3ercourse, the pubic hairs can scratch the organs of either partners, this creates micro-abrasions or breakages in the skin which can serve as portal of entry for an infectious agent if the fluid from a positive partner comes in contact with the skin at such breakages.

Most males don't do deep pen3tration during sex, so the fluid from the infected female may not really find its way easily thru the meatus. This doesn't however downplay the importance of ABC in control of STDs.

I know of a man whose wife is positive and the man still remains negative after birthing three kids. The kids are his by the way and he acknowledges unprotected romping with his wife, though mostly for the purpose of procreation rather than for routine pleasure.

Another reason for the discordance in the couple in the narrative by the OP may be that the couple isn't s3zually active. The wife was 53 years 5 years ago. She has most likely attained menopause long before then. And they may not have been intimate for 10 years especially if the husband is not be the s3zually active type.

I don't wanna sound judgemental, but the husband need not see the wife getting infected as some sort of metaphysical or spiritual occurrence. If the wife has not had any blood transfusions or shared needles with an infected person, she has questions to ask herself. She may not have been totally honest with the spouse and her fidelity may be validly questioned. History of rape is another possibility. For the female, just a single episode of unprotected romp or infidelity with an infected individual may be all that is needed to get her infected.

2 Likes

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Tecno66: 4:13am On Apr 18, 2020

I am just wondering how she's had the virus for like five years and the husband still tested negative. That must be a miracle of God.

Notyamate:
Going through this thread https://www.nairaland.com/5795526/how-found-out-hiv-positive/1 I went through comments and I laugh at the ignorance of some people on Nairaland. I'm sharing this story to people living with HIV reading this, you are not alone. Believe me there are many people out there with this disease, some happily married, growing old and having healthy kids.

On April 2013 my aunt got diagnosed with HIV at Catholic Hospital, Oluyoro. If you stay in Ibadan you'll know this hospital. She was 58 years at the time of her diagnosis. Before she was diagnosed she was getting sick and having symptoms like cold, head ache, sweating at night, and insomnia. We were worried because this is a person that hardly get sick, so we took her to a private hospital where the doctor told us she has typhoid. She was on drip for two days before discharge after that she was fine again. Not until 3 months later she started having those symptoms again, we didn't count it as anything and took her to that same hospital where she was given drips again. After the drips she was fine again.

The last straw was when she started vomiting and fainted on me, I was the only one at home that day. I performed CPR on her and then I decided to take her to a general hospital where proper medical examination can be done on her.

When we got there we queue, collect card and wait for doctor to attend to us. The doctor ask us some questions and the symptoms she has been having and for how long. After that the doctor directed us to where a nurse collected samples of her blood and we waited for the result.

When the doctor said she has HIV I couldn't believe my ears, all blood drained from my body and I was shaking. It was the last thing I expected because this was a person whose last born was 19years at the time. After she was diagnosed the doctor gave her drugs, she started explaining how to take the drug and how taking it everyday without missing a dose is important.

Our journey back home was quiet, I was thinking throughout, how did this happen? When we got home we meet my uncle (her husband) and we told her everything the doctor said. Everybody was just looking at one another, thinking 'we all don get HIV'.

The next morning my uncle took us all to the hospital to get tested and to know who and who have the disease. After going through the hospital routine our results came out. We were all tested negative including her husband, which brings all of us to ask, how did she get it? Till today no one knows. Her doctor says she has been living with it for over 5 years and none of us know including her.

My observations in her years of taking ARV drugs.

As I said earlier she was very sick when I took her to the hospital. Her CD4 count was 194, way too low. Normal CD4 count is from 500 to 1400. CD4 count is a test that measures how many CD4 cells you have in your blood. Low CD4 count means your body can't fight bacteria, viruses, and other invading germs.

Three months into the drugs she was tested again and her count was 242, another 3 months and it was 269.

She has been getting tested every six months and in the last five years her CD4 count has being between 340-390 and she hasn't suffer any illness whatsoever. Except for the drugs she's taken you won't know she has HIV.

How the drug is taken.

The drug is taken once in a day. It is left for you to decide when you want to take it but once you chose, you must be consistent with the time when you take the next dose so that it will be the exact time everyday. Doctors usually advise patients to take the drug at night because of the side effects which includes drowsiness and dizziness. The drug is taken 2 hrs after eating. When I asked the doctor why she said something about pepper and oil reacting with the drug.

The ARV drugs is free if you go to general hospital. The bottle contains 30 tablets to be complete in a month.

Important things you can do as an HIV person.

1. Avoid drinking alcohol/smoking as this can compromise your health condition. This is really very important.

2. Eat good and healthy food.

3. Exercise.

4. Eat a lot of fruit: her doctor emphasize on this. It doesn't have to be expensive, you can buy oranges, mangoes, bananas, watermelons and other cheap fruits.

5. Take your drug daily: This is very important even if you forget to take it at the usual time, just take it whenever you remember. Like let's say you normally take the drug at 9pm but then you forgot or you slept off. When you wake up just take it. DO NOT MISS A DOSE.

6. If you feel or have any changes in your body. Go to your doctor and explain to him/her. I'm saying this because after few months of taken her drug she was coughing persistently, her doctor had to give her some cough medicine. Although she's not using any cough medicine again as all symptoms has gone. Only the ARV drug and septrin.

The side effect of ARV drugs

The first month she started the drugs she complains of having nightmares, fatigue, headache, and dizziness but with time her body adapted to it and all the symptoms disappeared.

Having a strong immunity also plays important role in an HIV person. I think those with genotype AA tends to adapt well with HIV which explains why none of us know she has the virus in her body for over five years.

All I'm trying to get to is that having HIV is not the end of the world, it's not a death sentence. What kills most of these people is the fear and stigma from friends and family.

When people tell you they have HIV, do not run away from them like they are plague or some kind of viral infection. Love them, support them, play with them, laugh with them. You cannot contract the disease by playing with them, eating together, sharing cutleries, handshakes, hugs, etc.

In the end we are all going to die whether today or tomorrow, accident happens everyday. People slumps and die, people drown, fire accident happens, building collapse. I mean there are 1000 ways to die.

Those that you think they will die today, you may die before them. When it is your TIME, it is your TIME.

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Hopebringer: 4:22am On Apr 18, 2020

SarkinYarki:
Did you sleep with her without condom?

Yeah read up on PEP and Truvada

Bro information is key

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Hopebringer: 4:22am On Apr 18, 2020

Wayne4uall:
bro u get mind o .. Tell me u dont fu** her raw..

Yeah read up on PEP and Truvada

Bro information is key

1 Like

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Hopebringer: 4:22am On Apr 18, 2020

Wayne4uall:
bro u get mind o .. Tell me u dont fu** her raw..

Yeah read up on PEP and Truvada

Bro information is key

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by showafrica(m): 4:23am On Apr 18, 2020

Lamanii22:
This should mame front page cause TBH whenever I see HIV I think of death lol... Like it's equivalent to death....

Forget OP, HIV no dey use eyes see man.. If na man cd4 dey 192, him for don carry all types of diseases. The virus can stay for woman body for 5yrs but for man, lie lie.

My question be say, does it mean the husband no nak the woman through out 5yrs?

1 Like

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by showafrica(m): 4:24am On Apr 18, 2020

Kyom20:
This is wonderful information and serves as a very inspiring story to all who are going through similar situations. I am glad that your aunty is doing well and i pray she remains consistent in taking of her medication.

Nigerians can be really ignorant and its surprising that so many of them have phones and data yet do not use it. There have been so many advances in the treatment and management of various health conditions. So many diseases are no longer considered as deadly as they were 10 or 20 years ago.

Pls help us ask ur uncle if he no nak the woman throughout 5yrs? Or is there sth he was doing right that made him to test negative.

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by showafrica(m): 4:25am On Apr 18, 2020

Notyamate:
Going through this thread https://www.nairaland.com/5795526/how-found-out-hiv-positive/1 I went through comments and I laugh at the ignorance of some people on Nairaland. I'm sharing this story to people living with HIV reading this, you are not alone. Believe me there are many people out there with this disease, some happily married, growing old and having healthy kids.

On April 2013 my aunt got diagnosed with HIV at Catholic Hospital, Oluyoro. If you stay in Ibadan you'll know this hospital. She was 58 years at the time of her diagnosis. Before she was diagnosed she was getting sick and having symptoms like cold, head ache, sweating at night, and insomnia. We were worried because this is a person that hardly get sick, so we took her to a private hospital where the doctor told us she has typhoid. She was on drip for two days before discharge after that she was fine again. Not until 3 months later she started having those symptoms again, we didn't count it as anything and took her to that same hospital where she was given drips again. After the drips she was fine again.

The last straw was when she started vomiting and fainted on me, I was the only one at home that day. I performed CPR on her and then I decided to take her to a general hospital where proper medical examination can be done on her.

When we got there we queue, collect card and wait for doctor to attend to us. The doctor ask us some questions and the symptoms she has been having and for how long. After that the doctor directed us to where a nurse collected samples of her blood and we waited for the result.

When the doctor said she has HIV I couldn't believe my ears, all blood drained from my body and I was shaking. It was the last thing I expected because this was a person whose last born was 19years at the time. After she was diagnosed the doctor gave her drugs, she started explaining how to take the drug and how taking it everyday without missing a dose is important.

Our journey back home was quiet, I was thinking throughout, how did this happen? When we got home we meet my uncle (her husband) and we told her everything the doctor said. Everybody was just looking at one another, thinking 'we all don get HIV'.

The next morning my uncle took us all to the hospital to get tested and to know who and who have the disease. After going through the hospital routine our results came out. We were all tested negative including her husband, which brings all of us to ask, how did she get it? Till today no one knows. Her doctor says she has been living with it for over 5 years and none of us know including her.

My observations in her years of taking ARV drugs.

As I said earlier she was very sick when I took her to the hospital. Her CD4 count was 194, way too low. Normal CD4 count is from 500 to 1400. CD4 count is a test that measures how many CD4 cells you have in your blood. Low CD4 count means your body can't fight bacteria, viruses, and other invading germs.

Three months into the drugs she was tested again and her count was 242, another 3 months and it was 269.

She has been getting tested every six months and in the last five years her CD4 count has being between 340-390 and she hasn't suffer any illness whatsoever. Except for the drugs she's taken you won't know she has HIV.

How the drug is taken.

The drug is taken once in a day. It is left for you to decide when you want to take it but once you chose, you must be consistent with the time when you take the next dose so that it will be the exact time everyday. Doctors usually advise patients to take the drug at night because of the side effects which includes drowsiness and dizziness. The drug is taken 2 hrs after eating. When I asked the doctor why she said something about pepper and oil reacting with the drug.

The ARV drugs is free if you go to general hospital. The bottle contains 30 tablets to be complete in a month.

Important things you can do as an HIV person.

1. Avoid drinking alcohol/smoking as this can compromise your health condition. This is really very important.

2. Eat good and healthy food.

3. Exercise.

4. Eat a lot of fruit: her doctor emphasize on this. It doesn't have to be expensive, you can buy oranges, mangoes, bananas, watermelons and other cheap fruits.

5. Take your drug daily: This is very important even if you forget to take it at the usual time, just take it whenever you remember. Like let's say you normally take the drug at 9pm but then you forgot or you slept off. When you wake up just take it. DO NOT MISS A DOSE.

6. If you feel or have any changes in your body. Go to your doctor and explain to him/her. I'm saying this because after few months of taken her drug she was coughing persistently, her doctor had to give her some cough medicine. Although she's not using any cough medicine again as all symptoms has gone. Only the ARV drug and septrin.

The side effect of ARV drugs

The first month she started the drugs she complains of having nightmares, fatigue, headache, and dizziness but with time her body adapted to it and all the symptoms disappeared.

Having a strong immunity also plays important role in an HIV person. I think those with genotype AA tends to adapt well with HIV which explains why none of us know she has the virus in her body for over five years.

All I'm trying to get to is that having HIV is not the end of the world, it's not a death sentence. What kills most of these people is the fear and stigma from friends and family.

When people tell you they have HIV, do not run away from them like they are plague or some kind of viral infection. Love them, support them, play with them, laugh with them. You cannot contract the disease by playing with them, eating together, sharing cutleries, handshakes, hugs, etc.

In the end we are all going to die whether today or tomorrow, accident happens everyday. People slumps and die, people drown, fire accident happens, building collapse. I mean there are 1000 ways to die.

Those that you think they will die today, you may die before them. When it is your TIME, it is your TIME.

Pls help us ask ur uncle if he no nak the woman throughout 5yrs? Or is there sth he was doing right that made him to test negative.

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by ceaser: 4:35am On Apr 18, 2020*

Mizwisdom:
So people should go out and contact HIV because your aunt is living with it? taking tablet every day for the rest of her life

CML patients, Diabetics, hypertensives, sickle cell px and a lot of peeps with chronic illnesses take medications every blessed day. So also there are birth control pills that are taken daily.

In fact, there is now an FDA approved drug for HIV that is one monthly injectible. You get the injection once a month, so you're saved the daily routine of oral medications.

In case you have reservations about that too, know that there are diabetics that take insulin injection every blessed day. Also there are women that take monthly injections for contraception.

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by ceaser: 4:47am On Apr 18, 2020

Mizwisdom:
Ok. You're right. I don't know why he wants to act like all is cool with his aunt. Without the drugs she will die and it's very expensive if not for the benevolence of those developed countries. But now that US is withdrawing it's aid to WHO it may affect some of these NGOs and funds may not be available to purchase the drugs.

Nature abhors empty space. If US steps out, other countries, especially ambitious China may step in to fill the void. In fact, due to the corruption associated with HIV funds in Nigeria, some sponsors have stopped giving funds for a while now. But things are still running although suboptimally, still better than nothing.

What I'm not sure of is if China will be as reasonable, humane and benevolent as the USA in dictating the terms and conditions in such instance.

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by ceaser: 4:58am On Apr 18, 2020

Mizwisdom:
So people should go out and contact HIV because your aunt is living with it? taking tablet every day for the rest of her life

Yeah, you're smart.

What's your opinion if someone advises soldiers to go and face a 50 cal projectile and RPG because they wear body armour and holed up inside their Armoured personnel carriers?

Wizdom will not kill you.

2 Likes

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Nobody: 5:05am On Apr 18, 2020

merahki:
Some of the drugs used in treatment can hurt the liver..HIV itself can hurt the liver and or kidneys...alcohol can hurt the liver and can decrease immunity...so one just wants to, and should quit those as a HIV positive person.
Same for smoking which affects many organs.

Those two behaviours drinking and smoking are also associated with more or increased “socialising” which is likely to be careless. This gets more people getting infected.
So yeah, counseling is for no drinking, no smoking.

lol its not easy to cut off from something u heavily addicted to.u cant just tell an alcoholic or a heavy smoker to stop smoking and u think he or she will just stop cheesy

cos he or she has hiv.

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Nobody: 5:07am On Apr 18, 2020

Mizwisdom:
Ok. You're right. I don't know why he wants to act like all is cool with his aunt. Without the drugs she will die and it's very expensive if not for the benevolence of those developed countries. But now that US is withdrawing it's aid to WHO it may affect some of these NGOs and funds may not be available to purchase the drugs.

in other words in the nearest future the anti retro viral drugs might become very expensive and only the rich can afford it.abeg prevention is bae cheesy

1 Like

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Nobody: 5:09am On Apr 18, 2020

ipobarethieves:
Discipline is it.Just tell ur mouth NO

its not as easy as dat.its not easy to cut off from something that makes ur body feel good.imagine telling someone whose body always feel cool when he takes alcohol and he smokes not to indulge in it.thats like handing him a death sentence.

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Yxxx: 5:11am On Apr 18, 2020

lefulefu:
lol its not easy to cut off from something u heavily addicted to.u cant just tell an alcoholic or a heavy smoker to stop smoking and u think he or she will just stop cos he or she has hiv.

Then the addiction will kill the person.
Addiction indeed.

1 Like

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by uckyra: 5:16am On Apr 18, 2020

police People have this illness like shit, they are the most infected people on earth,because they sleep around anyhow, God help us

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by xtremerules: 5:17am On Apr 18, 2020

Right now many people with covid19 wish it was actually HIV.

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Nobody: 5:19am On Apr 18, 2020

chuksfluential:
Please can you get hiv by sucking a girl?

yea if u have an open bleeding sore in ur mouth and her vaginal juice gets to it but then guy hiv or no hiv its still risky sucking a girl"s pussy cos u dont know d type of std dat is dere.u know a number of ladies have multiple sexual partners nau.if u want to suck pussy then suck ur own wife"s pussy or ur dat of ur fiance(if u trust her that she doesnt cheat on u).but just sucking a random girls pussy bro u taking a big risk shocked

.u could contact oral warts in ur mouth and throat.

4 Likes

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Tima1980(f): 5:30am On Apr 18, 2020

WELL DONE, VERY GOOD INFORMATION. ONLY STIGMA KILLS. I HAVE BEEN ON MEDICATION SINCE 2006. CONTACTING HIV DOESN'T MEANS HOW MANY MEN OR WOMEN YOU HAVE SLEPT WITH. PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND PUT SAFETY FIRST. HIV MEDICATION IS FREE EVERYWHERE BUT SHAME DON'T ALLOW SOME PPL TO VISIT THE CLINIC BCOZ OF SOME PPL MAY SEE THEM.

1 Like

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by uckyra: 5:41am On Apr 18, 2020

m'y sis died of this illness, the painful part of it is that my mum n my little sister were the only people that knew about it in the house for Lik this 5years, they kept it away from all of us, what I no about her is that she takes drugs everyday n never happy, what the drugs was for, I never knew, I remember telling her I went to hospital to do HIV test n she ask me why ? I said nothing, truly I just wanted to know, when I finally knew my whole world was shut down, I began to reflect back, I tested everybody in the house, we were all negative, infact I always have the test materials always available in my bag, if my blood sister could have it n I didn't know,anybody could, here most guys will want to bleep any girl they see without checking her HIV status.God help us.

2 Likes

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by West2019(m): 5:53am On Apr 18, 2020

Lamanii22:
This should mame front page cause TBH whenever I see HIV I think of death lol... Like it's equivalent to death....

headache the kill. Person sharp sharp than HIV

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by tete7000(m): 6:07am On Apr 18, 2020

NwaNimo1:
life is a death sentence....

Life is a gift, a beautiful gift that must be enjoyed even in difficult circumstances. Reshape your perspective on life, else life turns to a death sentence for you. Your perception shapes your life.

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Ibrahiimo(m): 6:08am On Apr 18, 2020

DexterousOne:
That's the way to go

Only if 80%of men do same

Iberibeism going on in the social media space will drastically reduce

yeah, you're right

WOMEN are CRAZY, MEN are STUPID.
it's because MEN are Stupid, that's why WOMEN are Crazy

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by HRMK: 6:19am On Apr 18, 2020

WELL SAID!MANY ARE AROUND WITH IT AND DOING FINE!A SERVING SENATOR INCLUSIVE!ITS NOT A DEATH SENTENCE AS LONG AS U KEEP TO UR DRUGS!!

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Isoduwa(m): 6:20am On Apr 18, 2020

Sister HIV na baby where Aunty corona dey if you doubt me ask virus

Re: Having HIV Is Not A Death Sentence by Sundaygirl(f): 6:22am On Apr 18, 2020

PureGoldh:
If you are still Single...Abstinence is the best option

You may abstain but your partner is busy sleeping around.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Reply

HIV Is Spreading Like Wildwire In Ghana - Lady Raises Alarm (pix/video) • Why HIV Is On The Increase In Nigeria • The Cure For HIV Is In Nigeria Through Roots And Herbs But People Won't Believe. • 2 • 3 • 4

Bleaching: Nigeria Tops List Of African Countries Whose Women Bleach Their Skin • Topless White Man And His Partner Jogging Along The Road In VI, Lagos • Nigerians Dig Up, Eat Contaminated Chicken Buried By Customs In Rivers (Photos)