POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: zeb on April 05, 2007, 01:50:21 pm
-
As far as I'm concerned being diagnosed really has put a shadow on many things in my life.
HIV has made me gloomy, sad and depressed. Also because it's HIV and not Cancer (even though with hiv you can probably live in reasonable health a normal life span. Yes, stigma!).
I wonder what for you is most difficult to cope with. If you have more suggestions for the poll, please let me know
-
The worries you listed didn't just enter my life when I tested positive. They just visit me at different times.
Woods
-
Zeb
In order of importance to Me:
Physical health which may cause severe:
Physical Appearance Changes which may cause severe:
Mental Health which may cause:
Depression which may cause:
Self-Mutilation of oneself which may cause
DEATH
-
I know your survey says what worries you the most. Maybe you should consider an all of the above option, as I agree with Woodsy that they are all concerns at different times. I worry about keeping my career, my insurance, my health...all complicated by this disease.
rob
-
yea i agree...what worries me more today doesnt phase me tomorrow (im like that though hehe)....
depends on the ebbs and tides of my mood (which changes drastically from day to day)...
-josh
(who has been scared by all those things at one point or another)
EDIT:
except for pregnancy :-O
-
Woods, Rob,
You both are right. I'll correct the poll.
Zeb
-
my major concern, is society is going to continue to overload "HIV" with all thier personal outside poilitics, clouding and preventing society from knowing,seeing,hearing the TRUTH about HIV and its gonna continue to wipe out all of humanity....it certainly is the one thing in this world capable of doing so*
thats my major concern*
-
Perhaps a clarification is needed. Of the concerns you listed, I had all of them listed except stigma & discrimination before I tested positive. I dare say there is no one who didn't have some of them prior to HIV. So why would HIV make a difference as to what my concerns are now. Pre-Hiv some were more important than others, same thing now. I think this is once again taking a fatalistic look at the situation. When all we do is concentrate on our problems and the negative of it all, we are wasting valuable time. Time better spent in working toward moving on and solving our problems.
As soon as I posted this I realized it was the wrong tone. Since it is bad form to delete an entire post I will leave it but please disregard. While I do standby the fact these are concerns every person HIV+ or not has, I took another look at the question and thought how have my priorities changed since testing positive. While they change on a daily basis I probably am more concerned and aware of my overall health.
Woods
-
Since I've been dealing with the world of HIV/AIDS only since late 2005 (I should have started in 2000 after diagnosis) my vote is "Constant trouble coping" because this is a brand new world for me and I'm still brokenhearted over losing my old life
Edited to add: Sometimes I wonder if it's an unattainable dream of mine to want to return to a very energetic person because I allowed my cd4 absolute to fall to 42 and my percentage to 7. Even with an absolute of 379 and a clean bill of health my energy is iffy and I tend to want to blame it on having a low nadir. I also think about stigma and discrimination, career, the future, money, government laws
-
Depression
Side effects
Being normal/not normal
-
Stigma and discrimination bothers me the most. That's why I got my face PMMA'd when it became haggardly. I hate attracting attention to my status, in the world at large.
-
Zeb,
I read some of your older messages so infer you found out your HIV status within the last year. If true or even if you know you have HIV longer each person takes amount of time needed to deal with shock. It sounds as you are in early phase of coping. With passing time life improves. I think many people with HIV will tell you same. There are no promises of easy life but many drugs are available to act against HIV. Drugs now are easier to take with fewer bad effects but your body must adjust all the same. I started 3 years ago with no problems at all.
My major concerns are
- 1) Physical health
- 2) Financial issues
- 3) Mental issues and depression
Number 3 has been issue all my life before and after HIV. My physical health declined from another chronic disease and depression has not been helped. I live on Social Security and barely make it month to month. If a big expense happens I don't have money to pay. I believe depression made coping with HIV easier because I was so low it was hard to get lower. After a good time I knew I was not to die soon so live with HIV as fact of life.
I wish you best of luck!
Klaatu
-
I guess after 14 years HIV is taking a back seat in my life. The virus is currently controlled and I'm not experiencing any debilitating side effects. The issue that concerns me at this point in my life is that my parents are in their 80s and I know they won't be healthy and active too much longer.
-
Nowadays, I tend to find worrying about something a complete waste of time and energy.
As an initial reaction to something, fair enough, understandable. But as a constant state of mind? Well, like I said, complete waste of time and energy.
I prefer to address issues that concern me head on and get proactive in resolving or alleviating them.
Prolonged worrying really doesn't resolve or alleviate anything. In fact it's more likely to exacerbate a problem or even bring about other problems. Especially when the concerns are health issues.
However, addressing your concerns, facing them head on and getting proactive? Well, for me, it helps me feel much less of a victim of my circumstances, no matter what those circumstances may be.
It's also important to be able to recognise and accept those things that can't be changed. For me, that's where the serenity prayer (one of my mantras - thanks Ann ;)) comes into play.
Melia 8)
-
Prolonged worrying really doesn't resolve or alleviate anything. In fact it's more likely to exacerbate a problem or even bring about other problems. Especially when the concerns are health issues.
However, addressing your concerns, facing them head on and getting proactive? Well, for me, it helps me feel much less of a victim of my circumstances, no matter what those circumstances may be.
It's also important to be able to recognise and accept those things that can't be changed. .
What Melia said...
Mike :)