Almost 7 months on medication

[npm9]

Hi everyone,

I guess this is just an update post (this https://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=75292.msg774335#msg774335 was my first post in this forum). I have been on medication for almost seven months now. I can't believe how fast time flies and I don't even feel like I've been taking the pills (Dovato) that long! I haven't felt any side effects (although it's true that I've dreamed like three or four times that i had forgotten to take the pill) and my results after one month was quite good. I still don't know if I'm already undetectable because my next blood test is in December.

The only thing that does bother me a bit is that I'm constantly thinking about my status, which I guess is normal, specially at an early stage, but I would like just to be sitting on the bus and not having my mind drifting to my status. I guess we all go through this and one day it won't be a big deal (which it really isn't now, I've handled the diagnosis quite well).

I haven't told anyone else (only my parents and some friends know). It's not like I'm ashamed, because I actually don't feel any kind of shame, but, although I do want to be open about it, I also like the fact that it's something that belongs to me, and it's me the one who gets to decide whether I talk about it or not. I would like to be completely open about it in the near future, but I do feel like maybe it's better not to in this early stage, I don't know.

Anyways, sorry for the rambling. Just wanted to share that it's been 7 months already! And 7 really cool months, I must say, despite the diagnosis. I just try to remind myself that it's only 10 seconds of my daily life and I try to be grateful that I have the privilege to get my medication and healthcare for free, I will always be grateful for that. For those who have just started with the treatment, just stick to it. As I tell myself, it's only one pill a day, takes less than brushing my teeth!

Cheers

[RMalongo]

Hi,
 
I totally agree being on 5 months of treatment. It is the same for everyone I guess and then it becomes slowly less important daily (it takes an average of a year apparently to start and thinking about hiv and not feeling as bad); you told the right persons and I think you should keep it in your inner circle (no need to inform all the people around you as some can be ignorate and hurtful…) there is nothing to be ashamed of!! Do people who get covid get ashamed? No! We are not sick, we have a virus in us that needs to be controlled with meds not harm us and others and thank you for the advancement in medicine.

Cheers

[Tonny2]

          ojo.         Hi there!…it’s nice to read you two newly dx’Ed members, giving each other support and sharing experiences. You two will be fine, it’s just a matter of time to learn how to live with hiv. I envy you, just one pill a day, lucky you!…I’ve been living with hiv for 27 years and just my family knows about my dx, I think that my health is a private matter, I’m not telling everybody about my hemorrhoids or my ties fungus, but I also understand, that telling your status is a personal choice, I don’t tell my friends because if they knew about my status, they will treat me as if I were made of glass, taking care of me and I don’t want that…ok, again, happy to read you guys…good luck

[npm9]

Hi,
 
you told the right persons and I think you should keep it in your inner circle (no need to inform all the people around you as some can be ignorate and hurtful…) there is nothing to be ashamed of!!

Yes, I totally agree there. It's not like I'm gonna tell every person I bump into but I would like to tell some more friends who are really close to me as well.

[npm9]

      I don’t tell my friends because if they knew about my status, they will treat me as if I were made of glass, taking care of me and I don’t want that…ok, again, happy to read you guys…good luck

Yeah, I also feared being treated as weak or something, but my friends and my parents saw that I just kept living and doing everything as I did before the treatment and know that it isn't a big deal. Since my father has diabetes, I told them that nowadays it's like having diabetes but with a pill. My parents realised that the diagnosis or the treatment isn't stopping me from doing anything and I'm sure that that comforts them. We also talk about the medication just like we talk about any other pill.

cheers and hugs!