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Author Topic: HIV Specialists  (Read 1678 times)

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Offline LovingMom

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  • Posts: 7
HIV Specialists
« on: December 02, 2007, 03:11:04 pm »
Hi, my son was just diagnosed HIV pos about two and a half weeks ago.  He lives in W. Los Angeles very near Santa Monica and is seeing an ID doctor for his care.  From some of the materials I've read, it seems an HIV Specialist is the way to go, while others say ID.  We of course want the very best care for our son and want to be involved in doing what we can for him....does anyone out there have a strong feeling in this regard?  If so, does anyone know any HIV Specialists in his area or know how to find a few?  His ID guy seems good and has about 10-12 HIV patients in his care now.  Any comments/ suggestions would be most appreciated. 
--Loving Mom

Offline Miss Philicia

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Re: HIV Specialists
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2007, 03:41:24 pm »
Generally an HIV specialist is going to be an infectious disease doctor, but not all ID Dr's will be HIV specialists.  There is extra certification by the American Academy of HIV Medicine for this specialty, so you should be able to ascertain if they have it or not simply by asking.  A good way to find one is through the ID section of a university affiliated hospital in a good size city, and/or through a referral with your local ASO.  I've also always found word of mouth helpful, so perhaps a combination of those three methods will assist you to zero in on someone satisfactory.

Considering you live in/near LA this should not be a difficult task, though it can initially feel overwhelming.  As this is your son I'm not sure if you're hinting that it's a child, which of course you may wish to find an HIV specialist that also has experience with that age group.

I think HIV speciality certification requires having more than the 10-12 HIV patients, and in my experience the practice a doctor obtains from treating a lot of HIV patients is of significant importance, as there are so many variables with this disease.  I have also recently concluded that I like going to a doctor that is part of a clinic setting/large practice as the doctors there inevitable confer, but if you go this route make sure that the patient will always be seeing the same doctor for the sake of continuity.

Good luck

"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

 


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