Four Years Later

[RVinVA]

Today marks four years since I was diagnosed, and not coincidentally four years since I found this site. For those newly diagnosed, perhaps my looking at the last four years would be of some help.

When I got the news, my t-cell count was miserable, my viral load was scary and I was scared to death. I ran home and founds aidsmeds.com through a google search. Those first few days, weeks and months, I think I thought about HIV almost every second. I had to go on meds immediately, so I had to absorb everything all at once. The months began to fly by and I found myself thinking of HIV somewhat less.

Now, four years later, I am fortunate to be in very good health, undetectable without any apparent side effects and I rarely think about HIV except when I take my medicine at night. I had to take control of my health with good eating habits, excercise and plenty of rest. I know I am more fortunate than others -- I in no way want to minimize the challenges many of us face healthwise and otherwise due to this insipid disease, and I also know that my time may come when I face have to face those challenges. I only write this to encourage anyone who is diagnosed today and comes here as scared as I was four years ago. You CAN survive and even thrive. As I do every year on September 15, I want to thank those people at Aidsmeds who reached out to me on the worst day of my life. I am truly grateful.

Good health to all.

Rob

[Longislander]

Rob,

Congratulations on being able to turn your health habits around and the success of your regimen!
The first year is always the roughest, and this place has saved many people's sanity~

Continued good health to you!

Paul

[J.R.E.]

Hello Rob,

Steadily forward I say ! Good to hear from you...


All the Best---Ray

[auspoz]

Congratulations on your anniversary. May you have many, many more.

And thank you for posting this. It really is helpful to hear positive, erm, positive stories like yours.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Auspoz

[isitthatbad]

CONGRATULATIONS i was diagnosed in june 2007 and i still think about HIV every minute of every day