25th Birthday

[Emanuel_C]

Hello everyone, first of all I would like to say thay I've been lurking around for a few weeks and what an amazing group of people all of you seem to be!

Well, getting down to the main topic, on october 31st I went in for a routine check-up I need to get done for a promotion at work I'd just gotten, you know, the usual; height, weight, blood pressure, urine, and blood. I did not think anything of it until monday when they called me in telling me that they needed to see me, but at the doctor's office at my workplace. My was obviously surprised, but hoping it would be something minor.

My doctor looked at me and asked me how I had been feeling lately and I said I was perfectly fine, feeling great then she looks at me with a terribly worried look on her face and says that I was HIV+. I could not believe what I was hearing, my life just flashed before my eyes I had no idea what to say. First, I was angry, I had no idea I was tested for HIV (which now I'm very thankful I was) and I asked her if that was going to affect my promotion, she said that she did not handle that situation, so it was obvious that I wasn't getting the job anymore. She gave the contact information for a doctor who specializes in HIV patients and I went my way.

I left her office in zombie state, I had no idea what was going to happen, I had no idea how it happened, I had always been safe, I had now idea how I was going to  tell my partner of 7 years. We had played around with a couple of guys in the past 3 years, but always been safe. We were very open about our relationship and how if we were to ever do anything with someone else, we'd be safe... so I guess we were very unlucky.

It took me about 1 hour to call him up. I broke the news to him and he immediately drove 2 hours to where I live so we could be together. We held eachother and cried, but we decided that we weren't going to be weak. We scheduled blood tests and everything we needed to do to confirm. Once we got the results back, it turns out that he's negative and I'm postive.

I had no idea how that happened since we didn't always use a condom when we did it, but that's how it is. Wow, this is turning into a very long story, but I'm almost finished...

A week ago I got my 1st numbers and everything seems great at the momento, my CD4 count is at 1,643 and my VL is 2,168. It's kind of hard to understand these numbers right now, but from what I've read and what I was told, they're pretty darn good. By the way, I live in Mexico and HIV treatment is completely free, but they won't start the treatment until de CD4 count is at what the World Health Organization establishes.

I'm a little worried about that, should I look into starting sooned? My next appointment is in 3 months, so crossing fingers so that everything remains OK until then.

To wrap this up, this month has been crazy, I just turned 25 on the 22nd and it's been bittersweet. Everything I do just seems so real now, being with my family, my friends, work, my partner just seems so much more important and significant. He's the only one that knows and the only one I'm planning to tell right now. I have complete support from my amazing boyfriend whom I've been with since august of 2007. I feel so lucky to have him in my life and I don't know if it's wrong to say that I'm not afraid!

I feel like I can get through this, I feel healthy and I will do everything that's in my power to remain healthy! I have my down days, but mostly it's been a sense of overcoming something that I would never thought I would go have to go through. I mean, I just got out of college 2 years ago! This seems to be a step back from the direction I was going but regardless, I feel blessed for every minute I'm able to live in this beautiful world.

Thanks for reading my story and I apologize for my bad English and grammar skills, this is not my first language.

[tednlou2]

Welcome to the forums, although I am sorry you tested positive.  If you hadn't said English wasn't your first language, I wouldn't have known.  Is it customary for employers to test for HIV in Mexico?  I mean, it is great you know.  You may have gone years without knowing.  But, that is not customary here.  Again, it is great you learned your status, though. 

It is great you have a supportive partner.  Your numbers are great.  If someone wanted to start meds right away, it seems a shame to have to wait until they fall to 500 or whatever the number is now.  I think they raised it from 350 to 500, right? 

I wish you and your partner all the best.  And, I look forward to hearing more from you.  Keep in touch.

Ted

[Emanuel_C]

Welcome to the forums, although I am sorry you tested positive.  If you hadn't said English wasn't your first language, I wouldn't have known.  Is it customary for employers to test for HIV in Mexico?  I mean, it is great you know.  You may have gone years without knowing.  But, that is not customary here.  Again, it is great you learned your status, though. 

It is great you have a supportive partner.  Your numbers are great.  If someone wanted to start meds right away, it seems a shame to have to wait until they fall to 500 or whatever the number is now.  I think they raised it from 350 to 500, right? 

I wish you and your partner all the best.  And, I look forward to hearing more from you.  Keep in touch.

Ted

Thanks for the welcome!

Obviously we probably all wish we weren't on here, but I believe it's important to stick together. Regarding the work situation, it is very common for employers to test you, but it is illegal. The law prohibits these type of situations and any kind of discrimination regarding HIV, but this is Mexico, sometimes we have no choice. I thought about taking legal measures, but that would just open up my status to many people and that's not something I want right now.

My doctor told me that anything below 500 or if there's a significant increase in VL automatically "qualifies" to start meds. I hope things don't go bad from one check-up to the other! And actually, I'm feeling great at the moment! Probably a little tired from the stress of this situation, but it seems like everything's returning back to normal.

I truly appreciate your kind words, this is definitely a great outlet for everything I'm feeling right now.

[Tonny2]

Hello everyone, first of all I would like to say thay I've been lurking around for a few weeks and what an amazing group of people all of you seem to be!

Well, getting down to the main topic, on october 31st I went in for a routine check-up I need to get done for a promotion at work I'd just gotten, you know, the usual; height, weight, blood pressure, urine, and blood. I did not think anything of it until monday when they called me in telling me that they needed to see me, but at the doctor's office at my workplace. My was obviously surprised, but hoping it would be something minor.

My doctor looked at me and asked me how I had been feeling lately and I said I was perfectly fine, feeling great then she looks at me with a terribly worried look on her face and says that I was HIV+. I could not believe what I was hearing, my life just flashed before my eyes I had no idea what to say. First, I was angry, I had no idea I was tested for HIV (which now I'm very thankful I was) and I asked her if that was going to affect my promotion, she said that she did not handle that situation, so it was obvious that I wasn't getting the job anymore. She gave the contact information for a doctor who specializes in HIV patients and I went my way.

I left her office in zombie state, I had no idea what was going to happen, I had no idea how it happened, I had always been safe, I had now idea how I was going to  tell my partner of 7 years. We had played around with a couple of guys in the past 3 years, but always been safe. We were very open about our relationship and how if we were to ever do anything with someone else, we'd be safe... so I guess we were very unlucky.

It took me about 1 hour to call him up. I broke the news to him and he immediately drove 2 hours to where I live so we could be together. We held eachother and cried, but we decided that we weren't going to be weak. We scheduled blood tests and everything we needed to do to confirm. Once we got the results back, it turns out that he's negative and I'm postive.

I had no idea how that happened since we didn't always use a condom when we did it, but that's how it is. Wow, this is turning into a very long story, but I'm almost finished...

A week ago I got my 1st numbers and everything seems great at the momento, my CD4 count is at 1,643 and my VL is 2,168. It's kind of hard to understand these numbers right now, but from what I've read and what I was told, they're pretty darn good. By the way, I live in Mexico and HIV treatment is completely free, but they won't start the treatment until de CD4 count is at what the World Health Organization establishes.

I'm a little worried about that, should I look into starting sooned? My next appointment is in 3 months, so crossing fingers so that everything remains OK until then.

To wrap this up, this month has been crazy, I just turned 25 on the 22nd and it's been bittersweet. Everything I do just seems so real now, being with my family, my friends, work, my partner just seems so much more important and significant. He's the only one that knows and the only one I'm planning to tell right now. I have complete support from my amazing boyfriend whom I've been with since august of 2007. I feel so lucky to have him in my life and I don't know if it's wrong to say that I'm not afraid!

I feel like I can get through this, I feel healthy and I will do everything that's in my power to remain healthy! I have my down days, but mostly it's been a sense of overcoming something that I would never thought I would go have to go through. I mean, I just got out of college 2 years ago! This seems to be a step back from the direction I was going but regardless, I feel blessed for every minute I'm able to live in this beautiful world.

Thanks for reading my story and I apologize for my bad English and grammar skills, this is not my first language.      

       ojo   Bienvenido paisano
I'm glad you were tested, now you can take care of yourself before it's too late...your numbers are great, I'm sure you'll be with those numbers for a while, cross your fingers even your toes, lol maybe even your eyes, lol, so the numbers stay like that for years....great to hear your bf is there for you, you two can support eachother....well, did you get your promotion?....welcome again, and I hope you understand, English is my secondlanguage too...hugs    ojo

PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY, life goes on, you will be ok..abrazos