Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 01:00:10 pm

Login with username, password and session length


Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772946
  • Total Topics: 66310
  • Online Today: 391
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 1
Guests: 348
Total: 349

Welcome


Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and others concerned about HIV/AIDS.  Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning:  Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

  • The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own physician.

  • All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

  • Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators of these forums. Click here for “Do I Have HIV?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

  • We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are true and correct to their knowledge.

  • Product advertisement—including links; banners; editorial content; and clinical trial, study or survey participation—is strictly prohibited by forums members unless permission has been secured from POZ.

To change forums navigation language settings, click here (members only), Register now

Para cambiar sus preferencias de los foros en español, haz clic aquí (sólo miembros), Regístrate ahora

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the symbol in each box.

Author Topic: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?  (Read 40744 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #50 on: November 17, 2009, 11:07:58 am »


make sure you have their mother's phone number.



LOL... "If you give me an STI, I'm gonna ring yer mum and tell on you!"


...including crabs! eek.  :o


Tiny livestock, as my step-sister calls them. ;D

On a more serious note, although hep C is not generally considered a sexually transmitted infection, there is growing evidence that hiv positive men who have sex with men are more susceptible to the sexual transmission of hep C.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/705383

http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hiv_hcv_co_inf/2009/090109_a.html

http://www.natap.org/2009/CROI/croi_62.htm

It's worth noting that this study took place in Europe and so far, there is no evidence that the same is happening in the States. However, that may be because the phenomenon has not yet been looked at in depth in the States.

If you're barebacking with people other than a monogamous partner, it's worth keeping in mind and testing regularly - at least annually - for hcv. Anyone who is hiv positive should be regularly screened for hcv anyway.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #51 on: November 17, 2009, 11:22:21 am »

It's worth noting that this study took place in Europe and so far, there is no evidence that the same is happening in the States. However, that may be because the phenomenon has not yet been looked at in depth in the States.

There were a few reports of groupings in NYC, but I think it's a bit early to draw much of a conclusion.  Like any of these things where you have to do interviews of sexual practices with people that infected, I'm often left wondering about how reliable it is.  But we'll see. 

Of course, as always the worriers will seize on this as a reason to wrap their entire body in cellophane.
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline Assurbanipal

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,177
  • Taking a forums break, still see PM's
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #52 on: November 17, 2009, 11:41:28 am »
Of course, as always the worriers will seize on this as a reason to wrap their entire body in cellophane.
And duct tape?
5/06 VL 1M+, CD4 22, 5% , pneumonia, thrush -- O2 support 2 months, 6/06 +Kaletra/Truvada
9/06 VL 3959 CD4 297 13.5% 12/06 VL <400 CD4 350 15.2% +Pravachol
2007 VL<400, 70, 50 CD4 408-729 16.0% -19.7%
2008 VL UD CD4 468 - 538 16.7% - 24.6% Osteoporosis 11/08 doubled Pravachol, +Calcium/D
02/09 VL 100 CD4 616 23.7% 03/09 VL 130 5/09 VL 100 CD4 540 28.4% +Actonel (osteoporosis) 7/09 VL 130
8/09  new regimen Isentress/Epzicom 9/09 VL UD CD4 621 32.7% 11/09 VL UD CD4 607 26.4% swap Isentress for Prezista/Norvir 12/09 (liver and muscle issues) VL 50
2010 VL UD CD4 573-680 26.1% - 30.9% 12/10 VL 20
2011 VL UD-20 CD4 568-673 24.7%-30.6%
2012 VL UD swap Prezista/Norvir for Reyataz drop statin CD4 768-828 26.7%-30.7%
2014 VL UD - 48
2015 VL 130 Moved to Triumeq

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #53 on: November 17, 2009, 11:43:06 am »
And duct tape?

Ah yes, don't forget the duct tape!
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline next2u

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,813
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #54 on: November 17, 2009, 11:56:52 am »
i got tested for hep c after a recent bout of gonorrhea. as far as we can tell it was my first test for hep c.

getting tested is definitely recommended. if the dr hadn't thought the worst of me (he assumed i picked it up with the gonorrhea during some fun at the beginning of the year) i would have never known.

it's fucked the way the shit came to light but im happy to know.
midapr07 - seroconversion
sept07 - tested poz
oct07 cd4 1013; vl 13,900; cd4% 41
feb08 cd4  694;  vl 16,160; cd4% 50.1
may08 cd4 546; vl 91,480; cd4% 32
aug08 cd4 576; vl 48,190; cd4% 40.7
dec08 cd4 559; vl 63,020; cd4% 29.4
feb09 cd4 464; vl 11,000; cd4% 26
may09 cd4 544; vl 29,710; cd4% 27.2
oct09 cd4 ...; vl 23,350; cd4% 31.6
mar10 cd4 408; vl 59,050; cd4% 31.4
aug10 cd4 328; vl 80,000; cd4% 19.3 STARTED ATRIPLA
oct10 cd4 423; vl 410 ;); cd4% 30.2
jun11 cd4 439; vl <20 ;); cd4% 33.8 <-Undetectable!
mar12 cd4 695; vl ud; cd4% 38.6
jan13 cd4 738; vl ud; cd4% 36.8
aug13 cd4 930; vl ud; cd4% 44.3
jan14 cd4 813; vl ud; cd4% 42.8
may14 cd4 783; vl *; cd4%43.5
sept14 cd4 990; vl ud; cd4% *
jun15 cd4 1152; vl ud; cd4% *
july15 - STRIBILD
oct15 cd4 583; vl 146; cd4% 42
mar16 cd4 860; vl 20; 44

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #55 on: November 17, 2009, 12:17:01 pm »
D, earlier in this thread you said:


my hep c is barely active (?). we weren't able to get enough of the hcv from my blood to do any tests after my last draw


It could be that you've cleared the virus on your own (around 20% of people infected with hcv will). You should get another hvc VL sometime in the New Year. If you're undetectable, chances are good this is the case with you. If you were not completely undetectable when the last hcv VL was taken, it could be that it was a new infection that your body was in the process of clearing. You should be having a hcv VL taken no less than once a year anyway, until such time as you've been undetectable for a few years, either through your own body clearing it or through treatment.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline TheRoof

  • Member
  • Posts: 188
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #56 on: November 17, 2009, 01:46:20 pm »
My doctor was telling me after I got diagnosed with HIV is that I shouldn't worry about it so much. She said "If you had Hepatitis C" you would have more issues with it. (Not quite sure what she meant)

She even said that Hep C people wish they had HIV rather then Hep C. So I wonder what causes more symptoms. Basically my good friend who is in medical also said that Hepatitis C is usually more bothersome to deal with then HIV.  Anyone heard of that.

Offline rmgjunk

  • Member
  • Posts: 30
  • Blue Lantern Corps!
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #57 on: November 17, 2009, 05:05:11 pm »
She even said that Hep C people wish they had HIV rather then Hep C. So I wonder what causes more symptoms. Basically my good friend who is in medical also said that Hepatitis C is usually more bothersome to deal with then HIV.  Anyone heard of that.

I'm not sure about the desease's symtoms, I've read/heard its even more "silent" then HIV.  But my doctor told be the treatment is a bitch.  Some type of interferon that has severe side effects, including psychological/psychiatric effects that make sustiva look good.
14-Sep-2009 Tested positive
Last labs: VL <47, CD4 441/29%
Current meds: AZT, 3TC, Nevirapine

Offline sensual1973

  • Member
  • Posts: 197
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #58 on: November 17, 2009, 06:38:38 pm »
Before my recovery i would bb with poz guys coz i was off my face most of the time,but gladly i didnt get any STDs.Now am sober,i wouldnt bb with a poz unles in a relation.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things i can not change.

Offline blondbeauty

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,787
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #59 on: November 17, 2009, 07:00:15 pm »
I have had a few poz partners after diagnosis that were being treated for HIV and had no other STD. We have practiced unprotected sex. None of us has had a rebound in viral load or any other health problem. With occasional partners I always have protected sex which did not prevent me from catching gonorrhea once.
The only member in these forums approved by WINBA: World International Nail and Beauty Association.
Epstein Barr +; CMV +; Toxoplasmosis +; HIV-1 +.
Counts when starting treatment:
V.L.:80.200 copies. CD4: 25%=503
Started Sustiva-Truvada 14/August/2006
Last V.L.count (Oct 2013): Undetectable
Last CD4 count (OCT 2013): 52%= 933

Offline newt

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,900
  • the one and original newt
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #60 on: November 17, 2009, 07:09:43 pm »
Quote
"If you give me an STI, I'm gonna ring yer mum and tell on you!"

Yes, this seems to work  ;D Especially with crabs, who knows who will stay next.

On the hep C, see this LATEST report on Aidsmap

Blood rather than semen mode of HCV transmission in HIV-positive gay men
http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/A09A01F6-5833-4BF5-8F26-639CA03C18C4.asp

I am glad to see Dr Sanjay Bhagani, top UK hep C doc saying many infections could probably be attributed to injecting drug use rather than sex. I have been advocating this position for 2 years.

This said, I think the Q of hep C transmission in gay men is unsettled. I personally do not think unprotected fucking is enough in itself based on research to date, unless it's a technically inept n bloody shag. But the jury, strictly speaking, is still out.

And yes, I would rather have HIV than hep C, even tho there is a chance of a cure with the latter.

- matt
"The object is to be a well patient, not a good patient"

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #61 on: November 17, 2009, 07:16:34 pm »
Thanks for that link.  Never share rolled paper money and/or straws when snorting coke!

edit: whoa, 50% of those boys reported receptive fisting... ah yes, they're Germans.  That explains everything. (and is why I joked about Hep C and fisting earlier in this thread)
« Last Edit: November 17, 2009, 07:26:16 pm by Miss Philicia »
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline BlueMoon

  • Member
  • Posts: 680
  • Calling from the Fun House
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #62 on: November 17, 2009, 07:18:28 pm »
I've barebacked with other poz guys because I'm only mildly concerned about HIV superinfection.

However, it seems there's always a price to be paid for the good things in life.  I just scheduled an appointment today for a lumbar puncture to check for neurosyphilis.   :(

Apparently a low CD4 count heightens the risk of 'regular' syphilis getting into the brain.   ::)
It's a complex world

Offline newt

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,900
  • the one and original newt
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #63 on: November 17, 2009, 07:25:21 pm »
Yer, I live in a town where syphilis is "rife" - the blokes I shag, we all get tested ultra regular and around the same time (we have syncronised, yikes) and compare notes, unusual but the way to go -- odd to come to the realisation you live in a petri dish in the age of civil partnerships. Condoms, alas, not hugely protective of syphilis, very bad for poz folk to get this, depletes CD4 count. - matt
"The object is to be a well patient, not a good patient"

Offline madbrain

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,208
  • No longer an active member
    • My personal site
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #64 on: November 17, 2009, 10:39:40 pm »
I have had a few poz partners after diagnosis that were being treated for HIV and had no other STD. We have practiced unprotected sex. None of us has had a rebound in viral load or any other health problem. With occasional partners I always have protected sex which did not prevent me from catching gonorrhea once.

Did you use condoms for oral too ? Gonorrhea is easy to transmit that way.
http://std.about.com/od/riskfactorsforstds/a/oralsexsafesex.htm
So is syphilis :(

Offline madbrain

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,208
  • No longer an active member
    • My personal site
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #65 on: November 17, 2009, 10:40:47 pm »
Condoms, alas, not hugely protective of syphilis, very bad for poz folk to get this, depletes CD4 count. - matt[/font]

Unless you use condoms for oral too. But it's very tough to convince anyone to do it.

Offline edfu

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,090
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #66 on: November 18, 2009, 12:31:36 am »
Thanks, Ann, for posting the links about how gay HIV+ men may be "more susceptible to the sexual transmission of hep C," and thanks, matt, for pointing out that "hep C transmission in gay men is unsettled," and that "the jury...is still out."  

I wanted to post those links myself, but being an old fart and a coward, I refrained from from being the first to do so.  I just knew I would be accused of wrapping my "entire body in cellophane."  Of course, I do admit that I go through 1,000,000 cubic feet of Saran Wrap a week, but that's neither here nor there.  No one would care one way or the other.  

Whoa, Nellie, bar the door:  I just cannot understand--what with hep C, syphilis, gonorrhea, etc.--why the use of a condom is so destructive to "intimacy" in these parlous times.  Of course, I fully understand why the issue has generally failed in safer-sex regimens for those who are HIV- or do not know.  This is an issue that can be debated ad nauseam, but if someone is already HIV+, why would someone do something that could be extremely deleterious to one's health?  Why would one take the chance of acquiring an additional virus that might result in cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure, and the need for a liver transplant?

What is the difference between sero-sorting withough taking safer-sex precautions and refusing to take HAART?    
« Last Edit: November 18, 2009, 03:39:57 am by edfu »
"No one will ever be free so long as there are pestilences."--Albert Camus, "The Plague"

"Mankind can never be free until the last brick in the last church falls on the head of the last priest."--Voltaire

Offline komnaes

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,906
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #67 on: November 18, 2009, 01:57:24 am »
... make sure you have their mother's phone number.

Not gonna work for some of us though.. I mean I hope mind would just say, "yeah, so? I have HIV too. Big deal." (Well no of course she's never going to respond this well)
Aug 07 Diagnosed
Oct 07 CD4=446(19%) Feb 08 CD4=421(19%)
Jun 08 CD4=325(22%) Jul 08 CD4=301(18%)
Sep 08 CD4=257/VL=75,000 Oct 08 CD4=347(16%)
Dec 08 CD4=270(16%)
Jan 09 CD4=246(13%)/VL=10,000
Feb 09 CD4=233(15%)/VL=13,000
Started meds Sustiva/Epzicom
May 09 CD4=333(24%)/VL=650
Aug 09 CD4=346(24%)/VL=UD
Nov 09 CD4=437(26%)/VL=UD
Feb 10 CD4=471(31%)/VL=UD
June 10 CD4=517 (28%)/VL=UD
Sept 10 CD4=687 (31%)/VL=UD
Jan 11 CD4=557 (30%)/VL=UD
April 11 CD4=569 (32%)/VL=UD
Switched to Epizcom, Reyataz and Norvir
(Interrupted for 2 months with only Epizcom & Reyataz)
July 11 CD=520 (28%)/VL=UD
Oct 11 CD=771 (31%)/VL=UD(<30)
April 12 CD=609 (28%)/VL=UD(<20)
Aug 12 CD=657 (29%)/VL=UD(<20)
Dec 12 CD=532 (31%)/VL=UD(<20)
May 13 CD=567 (31%)/VL=UD(<20)
Jan 14 CD=521 (21%)/VL=UD(<50)

Offline Cliff

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,645
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #68 on: November 18, 2009, 03:49:24 am »
Whoa, Nellie, bar the door:  I just cannot understand--what with hep C, syphilis, gonorrhea, etc.--why the use of a condom is so destructive to "intimacy" in these parlous times.  Of course, I fully understand why the issue has generally failed in safer-sex regimens for those who are HIV- or do not know.  This is an issue that can be debated ad nauseam, but if someone is already HIV+, why would someone do something that could be extremely deleterious to one's health?  Why would one take the chance of acquiring an additional virus that might result in cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure, and the need for a liver transplant?

What is the difference between sero-sorting withough taking safer-sex precautions and refusing to take HAART?    
Are these really parlous times?  Don't seem like it to me.

I don't think issues with safer-sex/condom usage somehow magically disappear once you become positive. 

I do think you're overstating the risk of HCV transmission via sex, which as far as I can interpretate (both from personal data and this bash  of unbiased data above that you reference) is that it unconnected with bloodless sex/drugs.

And, there is a huge difference between sero-sorting sans condoms and refusing to take HAART.

Offline edfu

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,090
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #69 on: November 18, 2009, 04:23:15 am »
"Parlous," according to Webster:  "full of danger or risk; hazardous."

In reference to hep C:  It has not yet been firmly established that it is NOT transmitted through unprotected anal sex having nothing to do with fisting (which is indeed a recognized transmission factor, along with intravenous drug-taking).  If the level of hep C in the semen of the insertive HIV+ partner is high, why it wouldn't it be as dangerous, if not more so, as semen from an insertive HIV+ partner with detectable viral load to an HIV- partner?       
"No one will ever be free so long as there are pestilences."--Albert Camus, "The Plague"

"Mankind can never be free until the last brick in the last church falls on the head of the last priest."--Voltaire

Offline Cliff

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,645
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #70 on: November 18, 2009, 05:03:10 am »
I am familiar with the word, thanks.  Just think it's an exaggeration of the world we live in and the risk that exist.

Quote
If the level of hep C in the semen of the insertive HIV+ partner is high, why it wouldn't it be as dangerous, if not more so, as semen from an insertive HIV+ partner with detectable viral load to an HIV- partner?
Is this a genuine question or are you making an assumption that HCV must be easily transmitted via "normal" sex? 

From what I gather (reading the above) links and general discussion on HCV, that while HCV can be found in semen, it's not conclusive whether exchange of semen transmits HCV.  If it were easily transmitted, wouldn't there be a lot more co-infected people?  Wouldn't HCV be much more common?

Offline carousel

  • Member
  • Posts: 821
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #71 on: November 18, 2009, 05:21:46 am »
Getting HCV certainly made me reevaluate my views on having protected sex, or indeed any sex at all.

I don't know about all the science, but my own experience is that I got it somehow during sex.  It certainly wasn't from having a fist or fists up my jacksie, it's just not my thing. 

Offline edfu

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,090
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #72 on: November 18, 2009, 05:38:17 am »
it's not conclusive whether exchange of semen transmits HCV.  


Thanks, that's exactly what I'm stating and where the scientific evidence is at.  Proof and opinion are divided.  

If it were easily transmitted, wouldn't there be a lot more co-infected people?  Wouldn't HCV be much more common?

It's increasing.  Without any symptoms for years, no one knows for sure.  Do those who participate in BB activities test for hep C regularly?  
« Last Edit: November 18, 2009, 07:47:37 pm by edfu »
"No one will ever be free so long as there are pestilences."--Albert Camus, "The Plague"

"Mankind can never be free until the last brick in the last church falls on the head of the last priest."--Voltaire

Offline Cliff

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,645
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #73 on: November 18, 2009, 05:47:41 am »
I don't know if it's consistent across all areas, but I think my clinic tests everyone, regardless of whether they consistently use condoms or not, once a year.  The battery of tests includes test for other STDs as well (along with measuring immunity to the other HVs).

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #74 on: November 18, 2009, 11:41:32 am »
My doctor was telling me after I got diagnosed with HIV is that I shouldn't worry about it so much. She said "If you had Hepatitis C" you would have more issues with it. (Not quite sure what she meant)

She even said that Hep C people wish they had HIV rather then Hep C. So I wonder what causes more symptoms. Basically my good friend who is in medical also said that Hepatitis C is usually more bothersome to deal with then HIV.  Anyone heard of that.

I'd rather have hep C. I have  had hep C. However, I wouldn't want hcv genotype 1b as this seems to be one of the most difficult to treat. I had genotype 3a and was treated in 2002-03 and as my hcv VL has been undetectable since around ten weeks into treatment, I've been declared cured. My last hcv VL was taken sometime earlier this year. More info about genotypes can be found here.

I had hep C for around 13 years before I became poz and I didn't have one single symptom of hep C until that time. After hiv seroconversion, I had all sorts of problems that couldn't be attributed to hiv but could be attributed to hcv. Coinfection with hiv is known to accelerate hcv progression in some people, and it did in me.

The treatment for hcv really sucks, but if it gets rid of it, it's worth it. Although nowdays they recommend treating genotype 3a for 24 weeks, I did it for 52 and if I had to do it all over again, I'd do a year again. My hiv-neg ex-husband also has genotype 3a and he only treated for 24 weeks and his virus came back on him. He refuses to try the treatment again. (wimp)


Some type of interferon that has severe side effects, including psychological/psychiatric effects that make sustiva look good.


The big difference between having side-effects from hiv meds and having side-effects from hcv meds is that you're only going to be on the hcv meds for a year. Knowing that, and knowing the meds were working, is what kept me taking them, regardless of side-effects. And let me tell you, the side-effects were pretty shitty. :o

The type of interferon is pegylated interferon alfa. Pegylated means that it's been formulated to stay in the system for longer. Before pegylated interferon, one had to inject three times a week. Pegylated interferon is injected once a week. Yes, that's right, you have to inject yourself. Interferon makes you feel like you have the flu. It's the same stuff your own body produces when you're ill and it's what triggers fevers and muscle aches etc. It's also produced by the body during hiv seroconversion - hence the ARS flu-like symptoms.

Interferon is a cytokine, a specific protein that is no stranger to the human body. In fact, the human body is constantly making interferon, and makes even greater amounts when trying to fight off an intruder, such as a virus. People experience this when suffering with the flu. When sick with the flu, the body makes extra interferon to defeat the virus causing the illness. The extra interferon causes symptoms such as fever, nausea, achy and sore muscles, joint pain and fatigue. This is called an antiviral effect. Interferon therapy is currently the gold standard in treatment for certain types of hepatitis B and C. source

The drug taken during hep C treatment that causes psychological side effects is Ribavirin.  There's a pretty good run-down of Ribavirin side-effects here, and I had them all except for nausea and vomiting and neutropenia. One side-effect they don't mention is the all-pervasive brainfog. I was lucky I could remember my own name some days, and ordinary things like chairs and tables became "thingies" and "whatsits". I call that year my black-hole year, because it's like a hazy, bad dream.


Wouldn't HCV be much more common?


Actually, there's around three times more people living with hep C than hiv. Even so, it's not thought to be normally sexually transmitted - although it does happen sometimes. It IS very easy to transmit (for example) in a medical setting where equipment hasn't been cleaned and sterilised properly. Unlike hiv, hcv can remain able to infect when outside the body and on environmental surfaces. This is why I refuse to go to a dentist who claims I have to have the last appointment of the day so that the equipment can be sterilised properly. Just like hiv, many people who have hcv don't know it. As I'm far more likely to get hep C from shoddily sterilised equipment than hiv, they can stuff their last appointment of the day. If a dentist can't be bothered to treat the equipment he uses on all people the same, I'll go elsewhere.

Ann
« Last Edit: November 18, 2009, 11:43:07 am by Ann »
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #75 on: November 18, 2009, 11:53:48 am »
Look, as far as I know there's a high prevalence of Hep C infection among non-injecting drug users, and knowing how many queens are out there snorting this and that every weekend and doing so in large groups where sharing of straws and pipes happens I think some of us here should probably be focusing on that phenomena instead of insisting folks are getting it from normal non-blood inducing anal sex.  I'd also think this accounts for much of the "clustering" of cases in large cities with large partying gay populations.

Why isn't this being mentioned here?  If you're going to party and snort things then do not share stuff.

Furthermore, keep in mind that when people are diagnosed with Hep C they're more likely to state that they had anal sex then they are to state they were using drugs (even if it didn't involve a needle) or engaged in fisting.
« Last Edit: November 18, 2009, 11:58:06 am by Miss Philicia »
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #76 on: November 18, 2009, 12:01:17 pm »
Well Miss P, I did mean to mention that in my last post above when I talked about hep C being able to be transmitted from objects in the environment, but  I forgot. Do I get a spanking? If not, why not?

It's true, it's true, it's true. Sharing straws or other snorting implements has been implicated in hep C transmission. I believe there's more evidence across the board to support this transmission vector than there is to support sexual transmission.

Happy now, Missy? ;D

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #77 on: November 18, 2009, 12:04:42 pm »
Oh, and by the way, before anyone makes any erroneous assumptions about my hiv-neg ex-husband and I both having hep C, I didn't get it from sharing his willy, I got it from sharing his rig. OK?

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #78 on: November 18, 2009, 12:09:30 pm »
Well Miss P, I did mean to mention that in my last post above when I talked about hep C being able to be transmitted from objects in the environment, but  I forgot. Do I get a spanking? If not, why not?

It's true, it's true, it's true. Sharing straws or other snorting implements has been implicated in hep C transmission. I believe there's more evidence across the board to support this transmission vector than there is to support sexual transmission.

Happy now, Missy? ;D

Ann

Yeah, but my point here is that this board has so many gay guys on it and I dare say most of them have snorted at least coke once in their life (most of them have done it many more times than one) and they should know about not sharing a rolled up dollar bill or a cut off straw from Burger King.  But yet we've got these insistent types that seem to think Hep C is going to be magically solved with condom use.

But my larger point is that seeing how hardly anybody focused on this transmission route in this thread, and seeing as how evidently everyone is so worried about getting Hep C while infected simultaneously with HIV, then we look not very much further why people are getting Hep C in addition to HIV, even if they stopped using any drugs post-HIV diagnosis the Hep C from sharing straws might not show up for eons.
« Last Edit: November 18, 2009, 12:13:15 pm by Miss Philicia »
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #79 on: November 18, 2009, 12:14:50 pm »

But yet we've got these insistent types that seem to think Hep C is going to be magically solved with condom use.


You're right, it's not. I've recommended to friends who like to engage in the occasional bit of nasal indulgence to carry their own straw. It doesn't really necessarily help to use your own rolled up paper money, because who knows who had it up their nose before you. Given the high rate of detectable cocaine on most currency, it's best to be prudent. I also recommend to said friends that they test for hep C occasionally. It's like hiv, I think everyone should be screened, but I guess that's just me.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #80 on: November 18, 2009, 12:16:59 pm »

But my larger point is that seeing how hardly anybody focused on this transmission route in this thread,


Well, maybe because the subject of the thread is SEX.

And would you please stop editing your posts while I'm responding to them? :D
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline next2u

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,813
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #81 on: November 18, 2009, 02:10:34 pm »
this thread is beginning to scare me. i was okay with my coinfection now i feel the need to reexamen the whole situation again.
midapr07 - seroconversion
sept07 - tested poz
oct07 cd4 1013; vl 13,900; cd4% 41
feb08 cd4  694;  vl 16,160; cd4% 50.1
may08 cd4 546; vl 91,480; cd4% 32
aug08 cd4 576; vl 48,190; cd4% 40.7
dec08 cd4 559; vl 63,020; cd4% 29.4
feb09 cd4 464; vl 11,000; cd4% 26
may09 cd4 544; vl 29,710; cd4% 27.2
oct09 cd4 ...; vl 23,350; cd4% 31.6
mar10 cd4 408; vl 59,050; cd4% 31.4
aug10 cd4 328; vl 80,000; cd4% 19.3 STARTED ATRIPLA
oct10 cd4 423; vl 410 ;); cd4% 30.2
jun11 cd4 439; vl <20 ;); cd4% 33.8 <-Undetectable!
mar12 cd4 695; vl ud; cd4% 38.6
jan13 cd4 738; vl ud; cd4% 36.8
aug13 cd4 930; vl ud; cd4% 44.3
jan14 cd4 813; vl ud; cd4% 42.8
may14 cd4 783; vl *; cd4%43.5
sept14 cd4 990; vl ud; cd4% *
jun15 cd4 1152; vl ud; cd4% *
july15 - STRIBILD
oct15 cd4 583; vl 146; cd4% 42
mar16 cd4 860; vl 20; 44

Offline elf

  • Member
  • Posts: 645
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #82 on: November 18, 2009, 03:28:58 pm »
For syphillis you can take Zitromax (1 pill a day for 3 days)...
But, restence to Zitromax is increasing, so make sure you
clean your body with antimalaric Doxycicline for 14 days every two months...  ;D
(if you have a very active sex life, that is)

HIV positive people are prone to fast progression of syphillis (3rd stage within  a week or two has been reported  :o),
so make sure take your antiS after date pills  ;D

As for HCV I'm scared of it.  :-\
It's one of the reasons I'm not having sex.
I don't need one more bug.
« Last Edit: November 18, 2009, 03:32:08 pm by elf »

Offline newt

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,900
  • the one and original newt
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #83 on: November 18, 2009, 04:37:36 pm »
Quote
clean your body with antimalaric Doxycicline for 14 days every two months

Why? Doxycycline is a useful antibiotic and antimalarial and there's no reasons to take it if you don't have an infection

Quote
HIV positive people are prone to fast progression of syphilis

Perhaps. But there have been no prospective studies looking at this, just case reports of strange presentations. Is does seem likely the big S is more severe for people with HIV. But, worry, caution, yes fair enough, but not too much eh? It's not a common disease in general.

Perspective is important. Sex/intimacy is importantl. Life is risk v reward, and the rewards of intimate relationships and even sometimes a decent shag are valuable.

- matt

"The object is to be a well patient, not a good patient"

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #84 on: November 18, 2009, 09:17:47 pm »

this thread is beginning to scare me. i was okay with my coinfection now i feel the need to reexamen the whole situation again.


D, don't let it scare you. Just make sure you're using plenty of lube to avoid damaging the thin lining of the rectum, whether your lubing up a dick or a dildo - or a fist or a cucumber for that matter. It seems to me that it's damage during anal sex that facilitates hep C transmission more than anything else. That's why fisting has been implicated. It's not that transmission is necessarily happening during the act of fisting, but rather during regular sex after the rectum has been damaged by fisting. The lining of the rectum is quite thin - treat it with tender loving care.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #85 on: November 18, 2009, 09:27:06 pm »
D, don't let it scare you. Just make sure you're using plenty of lube to avoid damaging the thin lining of the rectum, whether your lubing up a dick or a dildo - or a fist or a cucumber for that matter. It seems to me that it's damage during anal sex that facilitates hep C transmission more than anything else. That's why fisting has been implicated. It's not that transmission is necessarily happening during the act of fisting, but rather during regular sex after the rectum has been damaged by fisting. The lining of the rectum is quite thin - treat it with tender loving care.

Ann

I don't think there's a problem with fisting with a proper latex glove.  Oh right... silly me.  I forgot how everyone here is allergic to latex (does that go for fists too?) ::rolls eyes::
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #86 on: November 18, 2009, 09:31:09 pm »


I don't think there's a problem with fisting with a proper latex glove.  Oh right... silly me.  I forgot how everyone here is allergic to latex (does that go for fists too?) ::rolls eyes::


And latex gloves protect against rectal lining damage exactly how? Latex plus plenty of lube, yes, but not latex alone.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #87 on: November 18, 2009, 09:38:17 pm »
And latex gloves protect against rectal lining damage exactly how? Latex plus plenty of lube, yes, but not latex alone.

Ann

Yeah, I agree about lube but I'm sure you can bleed with a fist up your ass regardless (think fingernails).  You should always fist with a latex glove (as well as clip your nails and use poppers).

I used to date a Nigerian fisting top and his shoe size was 13 -- think how large that made his hands.
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline max123

  • Member
  • Posts: 377
  • Carpe Diem
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #88 on: November 18, 2009, 09:52:41 pm »
I used to date a Nigerian fisting top and his shoe size was 13 -- think how large that made his hands.
...among other body parts i'm sure, miss p ;)
1/86 - 6/08 (annually): neg elisa
7/09: pos elisa/pos wb
8/09: cd4 560, cd4% 35, vl 13,050
12/09: cd4 568, cd4% 33, vl 2,690
4/10: cd4 557, cd4% 29.3, vl 6,440
7/10: cd4 562, cd4% 29.6, vl 3,780

Offline decayingsinner

  • Member
  • Posts: 274
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #89 on: November 18, 2009, 10:11:41 pm »
Before my recovery i would bb with poz guys coz i was off my face most of the time,but gladly i didnt get any STDs.Now am sober,i wouldnt bb with a poz unles in a relation.

After reading this thread and bb with my man for six months now after two visits with my doctor, sure am glad I am in a committed relationship. I know myself and my partner, we only bb,  but we would never sleep with someone outside our relationship without bringing it up with the other.  Not to be blunt, but we have dumped many loads in each other and my levels have been better than ever recently.

Offline BT65

  • Global Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 10,786
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #90 on: November 19, 2009, 06:51:27 pm »
Last time I was having "sexual relations," it was with another poz person, and we didn't use condoms.  Nothing happened HIV wise.  But of course, I did get the herps. :-\
I've never killed anyone, but I frequently get satisfaction reading the obituary notices.-Clarence Darrow

Condom and Lube Info https://www.poz.com/basics/hiv-basics/safer-sex
Please check out our lessons on PEP and PrEP. https://www.poz.com/basics/hiv-basics/pep-prep

https://www.poz.com/basics/hiv-basics/treatmentasprevention-tasp

Offline Jeff G

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 17,064
  • How am I doing Beren ?
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #91 on: November 19, 2009, 07:10:46 pm »
 It may be a shock to some here but I hate condoms and will try anything to not wear one

I have found if my partner insist on a condom if I throw my intire body weight upon him and groan into his ear ... oh baby just let me stick it in a little bit and he will give in . It helps if I have bourbon and cigarettes on my breath . If that fails I just pinch the tip out of the condom and procede in my usual romantical way .

No shit ....when I was much younger this technique was tried on me ...the only ass he got was seeing mine walk out door . I must be freaky cuz they all like me .    
« Last Edit: November 19, 2009, 07:13:02 pm by jg1962 »
HIV 101 - Basics
HIV 101
You can read more about Transmission and Risks here:
HIV Transmission and Risks
You can read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
You can read more about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read more about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
You can read more about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

Offline Nestor

  • Member
  • Posts: 430
  • What we love, we shall grow to resemble.
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #92 on: November 19, 2009, 07:24:18 pm »
Quote
If that fails I just pinch the tip out of the condom and procede in my usual romantical way .


I don't understand what you mean by "pinching the tip out of the condom."
Summer 2004--became HIV+
Dec. 2005--found out

Date          CD4    %       VL
Jan. '06    725    25      9,097
Nov. '06    671    34     52,202
Apr. '07    553    30      24,270
Sept. '07  685    27       4,849
Jan. '08    825    29       4,749
Mar. '08    751    30     16,026
Aug. '08    653    30       3,108
Oct. '08     819    28     10,046
Jan '09      547    31     13,000
May '09     645   25        6,478
Aug. '09    688   30      19,571
Nov. '09     641    27       9,598
Feb. '10     638    27       4,480
May '10      687      9    799,000 (CMV)
July '10      600     21      31,000
Nov '10      682     24     15,000
June '11     563    23     210,000 (blasto)
July  '11      530    22      39,000
Aug '11      677     22      21,000
Sept. '12    747     15      14,000

Offline Jeff G

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 17,064
  • How am I doing Beren ?
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #93 on: November 19, 2009, 08:05:38 pm »
I had a guy actually pinch the tip out of a condom . I know he did it because it was laying beside the bed ... if the condom had simply failed I don't think part of it would be in the floor by the bed .  
HIV 101 - Basics
HIV 101
You can read more about Transmission and Risks here:
HIV Transmission and Risks
You can read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
You can read more about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read more about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
You can read more about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

Offline madbrain

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,208
  • No longer an active member
    • My personal site
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #94 on: June 20, 2012, 10:22:33 pm »
The lady at the health dept told me the syphilis will be in my system forever. My doctor will monitor my RPR for the next 2 years to check how low it goes.

Looks like the lady at the health department was wrong.
I went to see my doc today for my latest labs. He said that there was nothing remarkable except for one thing :

My TREPONEMA PALLIDUM IGG + IGM syphilis test has gone non-reactive. This appears to mean that I no longer have syphilis.

The other syphilis test, RPR, was at 0 DILS for a while.
 
So I guess that is out of my system for good.

Now if the HIV would do the same.

Maybe I should get another HIV antibody test :)

Offline LiveWithIt

  • Member
  • Posts: 535
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #95 on: July 01, 2012, 03:07:29 am »
If I was dating a guy that I really likes I would have safe sex if he wanted it, otherwise F that S.  Have there been many cases of people catching more than one strain of HIV?  If so I would think it would have sparked a new epidemic.  Most Poz guys don't use condoms. If they did they wouldn't have gotten HIV.  Plus I heard that exposing your system to other's HIV may strengthen your system.
Pray God you can cope
I know you have a little life in you yet.
I know you have a lot of strength left.

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #96 on: July 01, 2012, 09:38:27 am »
Plus I heard that exposing your system to other's HIV may strengthen your system.

Seriously girl, is that the new pick up line on manhunt these days? Should I go prop my ass up in the Bear Room at Club Body Center every day this week and attempt to measure the accuracy of this claim? I mean *hello* my HIV clinic is around the corner, it's not a stretch to have my lab work done.
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline sshortguy1

  • Member
  • Posts: 118
Re: do u practice safe sex with other poz partners?
« Reply #97 on: July 01, 2012, 09:55:24 am »
not to mention hep b reinfection is  possible where i was with a friend that was reinfected 2 months after going to see the dr he was going down the path of being undetectable but the 3rd month the v/l shot back up to around 500,000 not to mention getting hep b as well , makes the job harder for the dr. as to strains as you mentioned my friend had to get a resistant test to see why the meds wasn't doing the job as the dr prescribed,  as a result he had resistants

 


Terms of Membership for these forums
 

© 2024 Smart + Strong. All Rights Reserved.   terms of use and your privacy
Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.