Author Topic: "Full Blown AIDS"?????? (Read 27738 times)

woodshere · « **on:** December 07, 2006, 10:14:02 am »

A couple of months ago I was at a local bar and this hot guy walked by. The guy next to me leaned over and whispered, "He has full blown AIDS." I just looked at him strangely and asked him what he meant by "full blown AIDS". He said something like you know man AIDS. I just shook my head and walked away. And then yesterday I was at an Pre/Post HIV test counseling training and one of the participants said her best friend had "full blown AIDS". Once again I asked what she meant. She said he had CD4 numbers in the low 100's.
I am fully aware that the CDC has set the benchmark for classifying someone with AIDS as when the CD4 count drops below 200. I also understand that getting an AIDS diagnosis helps many people qualify for govt. assistance under the ADA. Now, I might be mistaken and if so someone correct me, but early on in this disease I think that as a person progressed toward death with a host of OI's people would toss around the term "full blown AIDS". But now with HAART and what it can do for someone with a CD4 count below 200, is that phrase needed or for that matter was it ever needed. I think someone needs to set straight those that throw out the term "full blown AIDS" or maybe since at my diagnosis I had a CD4 of 179 and "full blown AIDS" I should quit my full time job, shut down my side business, stop volunteering at church 10-15 hrs a wk, quit attending church, not plan to become a volunteer with the local HIV prevention program, give away everything I own, except for the bed. I need that so I curl up in it and wait for death. I know it is petty, but the phrase just bothers me, especially when someone who uses it has no fucking idea what it means.
Just needed to get that off my chest,
Woods

aztecan · « **Reply #1 on:** December 07, 2006, 10:35:05 am »

Hey Wood,
The term "full blown AIDS arose somewhere in the turmoil of the early days. The entire way the syndrome was named was a farce at best, starting with GRID.

For many people HIV infection, HIV disease, etc., are too confusing. If you get HIV, they say you have AIDS, which isn't necessarily correct.

The CDC has a criteria for labeling someone with AIDS. What is sometimes disconcerting is that, once you've got the label, you can't shake it, even if your CD4s rise to 1,000 and you don't have a sign of an OI.

Adding to the confusion was the policy of many states to only report AIDS cases, not HIV cases. That is changing now, but for years, people with HIV, but without an AIDS diagnosis, weren't even on the federal government's radar screen.

Is the tern needed? Probably not. I have heard the term "advanced HIV infection" used more often these days, which sounds a little better.

But I think we're stuck with it. On the brighter side, it beats "Gay Plague" all to pieces.

HUGS,

Mark

RapidRod · « **Reply #2 on:** December 07, 2006, 10:43:06 am »

You guys remember all the guys at school telling us that they got laid by this one or that one? I can show evidence that I was sexually active. It doesn't bother me which term they use "Full blown Aids or Advanced HIV disease." My doctors have always used the terms interchangeably.

chm02 · « **Reply #3 on:** December 07, 2006, 11:02:33 am »

I agree that "full blown" is a useless quantifier, unless we want to include terms like "half blown" or "sorta blown"...

ACinKC · « **Reply #4 on:** December 07, 2006, 11:10:50 am »

Shit guys QUIT throwing around the terms BLOWN and AIDS together or Rod will be typing his PAWS off for DAYS on the "AM I Infected" boards!!!

You can't be blown anything and have HIV!!!

As for the term, I had this come up this weekend with a disclosure to a friend. My mom told him before I could, and he said yeah I know your dying of AIDS. And I said... quite SNOTTY, "Ummm technically NO, I have HIV and besided I call it cooties! And NO im not dying!"

So i guess it irritates me that people dont know the difference, while at the same time I understand why they dont.

bear60 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 07, 2006, 11:35:05 am »

In my lifetime, our language has changed greatly. There are now sub cultures that have a language I dont even understand.
I am sure that the use of the term "full blown AIDS" is going to fade away, like a lot of terms used in this epidemic. Who ever sees ARC anymore. Or the use of the term "clean" to refer to someone who is HIV negative.

AlanBama · « **Reply #6 on:** December 07, 2006, 11:44:07 am »

Woods, when the hot guy walked by and the other guy told you he had 'full blown AIDS' you should have said "Wow, isn't that wild? Even with that he still looks a lot hotter than you.".....

no wait, that would have been ugly

woodshere · « **Reply #7 on:** December 07, 2006, 11:45:58 am »

"....The CDC has a criteria for labeling someone with AIDS. What is sometimes disconcerting is that, once you've got the label, you can't shake it, even if your CD4s rise to 1,000 and you don't have a sign of an OI."

It is my understanding that in some states you would not want to loose the diagnosis of AIDS after your CD4 rises above the 200 level because that would affect any assistance one might be receiving.

".....But I think we're stuck with it. On the brighter side, it beats "Gay Plague" all to pieces."

Mark, you are too funny!!

Woods

PS: Could someone please PM me and tell me how to do those nice purple quote boxes. I am so computer stupid!!!

Life · « **Reply #8 on:** December 07, 2006, 12:09:20 pm »

High Five!

"Full-Blown-Aids" Rise to meet the challenge!

Lwood · « **Reply #9 on:** December 07, 2006, 12:15:44 pm »

I also wondered about the term not long after I was diagnosed, and had it pointed out that it was probablly a term used by Journalists for dramatic effect, and had no use in current medical terminology.
I dont think Ive seen or heard it in Years..

DanielMark · « **Reply #10 on:** December 07, 2006, 02:07:08 pm »

Ah well, you know, the clueless are roaming the earth in droves these days. I don't take such things personally.

Besides, I'd rather have full blown "AIDS" than full blown "IDIOT."

dgls44 · « **Reply #11 on:** December 07, 2006, 03:04:08 pm »

thunter34 · « **Reply #12 on:** December 07, 2006, 03:17:38 pm »

I HAVE 'FULL BLOWN AIDS ! ! !

I never do anything halfway, people!

I'm from the below 200 club. No major OI's thus far to speak of (except maybe throat thrush- ouch!).

But, as mentioned above, I guess it is still better than 'Gay Plague'.

Anybody remember the term 'GRID'?

~+

GSOgymrat · « **Reply #13 on:** December 07, 2006, 04:32:08 pm »

I've heard coworkers at the hospital use the term "full blown AIDS". It's used to describe someone with a severely impaired immune system that has opportunistic infections. If someone says a patient has HIV no one blinks but if they say full blown AIDS then we start asking questions like if they need physical assistance or have special requirements. It's not precise but I don't find the term objectionable.

ACinKC · « **Reply #14 on:** December 07, 2006, 04:38:35 pm »

Quote from: Eric on December 07, 2006, 12:09:20 pm

High Five!

"Full-Blown-Aids" Rise to meet the challenge!

LOVE IT ERIC!!!

By the way, I had a dream about you and Will last night. Except, and Im sorry Will, Will was a cross dressing QUEEN almost like Cruella D'Ville or whatever from 101 Dalmations!! I swore I was goint to post it today so there!!!!

blondbeauty · « **Reply #15 on:** December 07, 2006, 05:07:53 pm »

Full blown AIDS is an outdated expresion. All of us have HIV infection (that is the diagnosis) and depending on how much damage has the virus done to your immune system you can be classified in diferent states: IA, IB, IC; IIA...

poet · « **Reply #16 on:** December 07, 2006, 06:52:24 pm »

We have more or less said this: way, way back in ancient AIDS history, long, long before cocktails and such, there was being hiv positive, having arc (AIDS related complex) and full blown AIDS. And then it really, really mattered because when someone in a support group 'crossed' from being hiv positive to having 'full blown AIDS' it brought a chill to the room: how long would he be around; what horror stories would he soon be sharing with us? (And horror stories were always there to be shared.) These days, it is more or less where the CDC wants to draw lines, as noted, for benefits, etc. Win

HIVworker · « **Reply #17 on:** December 07, 2006, 07:04:16 pm »

I have full blown munchies

Life · « **Reply #18 on:** December 07, 2006, 09:18:04 pm »

Ouch! I have an immune system boo boo.

Cruella gives good head AC...

AlanBama · « **Reply #19 on:** December 07, 2006, 10:28:33 pm »

Quote from: poet on December 07, 2006, 06:52:24 pm

We have more or less said this: way, way back in ancient AIDS history, long, long before cocktails and such, there was being hiv positive, having arc (AIDS related complex) and full blown AIDS. And then it really, really mattered because when someone in a support group 'crossed' from being hiv positive to having 'full blown AIDS' it brought a chill to the room: how long would he be around; what horror stories would he soon be sharing with us? (And horror stories were always there to be shared.) These days, it is more or less where the CDC wants to draw lines, as noted, for benefits, etc. Win

Very true, Win and very well-stated.

Alan (who remembers those early support group evenings)

Eldon · « **Reply #20 on:** December 07, 2006, 11:10:26 pm »

Quote from: bear60 on December 07, 2006, 11:35:05 am

In my lifetime, our language has changed greatly. There are now sub cultures that have a language I dont even understand.
I am sure that the use of the term "full blown AIDS" is going to fade away, like a lot of terms used in this epidemic. Who ever sees ARC anymore. Or the use of the term "clean" to refer to someone who is HIV negative.

Yes, our language changes daily.

Happy Holidays!

Amosboy · « **Reply #21 on:** December 08, 2006, 01:46:29 am »

I'm glad this post came up. It was something that used to bother me for years, especially in the early days of my diagnosis. Because so many people were/are quick to base any opinions on HIV solely on what they see in movies or on TV, it can lead to much misunderstanding and fear. Nobody wants to be associated with the words AIDS, especially if it is coming out of someone's mouth that hasn't even tried to put any real effort into understanding what it means or feels like to have such a label on their head.

Furthermore, just trying to educate yourself or others on what "the numbers" mean doesn't even begin to touch the personal and emotional implications of what the word means to people who are struggling to sort out where and how they fit into a society that still views it as a disease of damaged goods. I am fortunate in the fact that I have a partner who is able to see beyond my virus, even more than I can at times. I haven't ever been one to play "victim", because I got this virus from recklessly enjoying unprotected sex. At 19 (in 1986), I was one big "hard on"...still am to some degree

. However, before I was partnered, I was troubled by how my HIV status would be perceived in a dating scenario or even in a less intimate arena, like sharing a bite to eat or a drink. You'd be surprised at how uneducated people still are about the HIV virus.

I will still catch myself feeling a little uneasy when the subject comes up in conversations at social gathering where people do not know my status. It used to really bother me to hear people make comments about other people who they thought had AIDS, not unlike it used to bother me how they would make comments about "fags or queers" at a party. I guess over the years I sort of got immune to the name calling and sort of made a personal mission and promise to myself to actually put my neck out and explain to people what the difference between HIV and AIDS is. At the very least, I give them my interpretation of what the difference was and how it was sort of hurtful how people just casually throw those things around.

For someone (unlike myself) who isn't quite comfortable with their HIV status, it can be horribly disturbing. I think putting a personal spin on HIV in those type situations really help dissipate the myths about the look of AIDS, etc. My generation and older knew AIDS like the face of Rock Hudson plastered on the front of the Inquirer. The lines are much more fuzzy these days, but I think the fear and misunderstanding still are lurking around in people's minds. You can be below the magic 200 mark and still look HOT...there really isn't a recognizable face anymore. The successful drugs treatment (and lipoatrophy) sort of give us clues in the faces of survivors...another new cross to bear, but get stronger from. It's sort of ironic to me that there is sort of a secret society of people who know that look, mostly because they've been there. It is yet another reason to self-accept and educate, though I am still not to hip to going up to complete strangers and saying, "So how is the medicine treating you?" and then sharing my own story.

In an ideal world, that would be great. In not so short terms, I'd like to acknowledge your dismay with the fullest of understanding, since I've been there. It's harder when it comes with a slew of other negative connotations, but try your best to let people know how it really is...to live with the disease. It's hard not to say "Fuck off...you stupid idiot", "Do you even know what the Hell you are talking about?", "You're talking about someone else's heartache and cross to bear, not some juicy tidbit of gossip to gleefully spread".

I can still get a little pissed, obviously. If I would have heard that comment, I'd just try to let it roll off and then make a pass at the stupid fuck. Get him to grab my crotch and give him a big kiss while whispering in his hear..."Do I look like I am HIV positive or have full blown AIDS?"

That's right asshole, "I do".

Brooks

md · « **Reply #22 on:** December 08, 2006, 01:54:36 am »

Quote from: poet on December 07, 2006, 06:52:24 pm

We have more or less said this: way, way back in ancient AIDS history, long, long before cocktails and such, there was being hiv positive, having arc (AIDS related complex) and full blown AIDS. And then it really, really mattered because when someone in a support group 'crossed' from being hiv positive to having 'full blown AIDS' it brought a chill to the room: how long would he be around; what horror stories would he soon be sharing with us? (And horror stories were always there to be shared.) These days, it is more or less where the CDC wants to draw lines, as noted, for benefits, etc. Win

Well, yes - the term "AIDS" is really just an arbitrary label that governmental agencies attach to a particular stage of HIV infection, but I am afraid that the term "Full Blown AiDS" is still useful when I have to describe my partner's condition to other people.

Unfortunately that "ancient AIDS history" that you mention isn't so "ancient" or far away and the "horror stories" are still with some of us.

By the time my partner was diagnosed earlier this year he had a CD4 cell count of 38, a very high viral load (sorry, can't remember the exact number), PCP, advanced HIV associated encephalopathy, AIDS Dementia Complex and virtually no long term or short term memory. He was incontinent, barely able to remember his own name and barely able to communicate. He has been in a nursing home for the last 6 months and has been on HAART since he was diagnosed, but his mental condition has not improved.

Iif I just tell people that he has HIV or even AIDS they do not get the picture - their next question is almost always something like "But, it can be treated can't it?" or "But he's still OK isn't he?" - at which point I have to explain that "No, he fucking isn't OK and as far as anyone tell he never will be again". But I don't usually do that - I just say "He has full blown AIDS" and leave it at that.

jntmax39 · « **Reply #23 on:** December 08, 2006, 02:30:35 am »

I feel you on this one
My roomate came home from a counseling group today and she says this guy in group just came out and said he was HIV+.Then she says I was shocked he looked so good. Then she pauses and says well he didn't seem like the type. I looked at her and,said what is HIV suppose to look like? She knows my status.Then she just looks at me like oh no what did I just say,then she says well you know what I mean.
I wanted to cuss her ass out. So I just politely said to her be careful on who you judge in your life it might just turn around and bite you in the asssssssssss.My husband just looked at me and shook his head.

Maestro · « **Reply #24 on:** December 08, 2006, 08:25:15 am »

I must say that I agree that Full Blow AIDS might be an outdated term, but I don't think the term AIDS is just a label. I mean it is the name of a disease. It is actually one of the more clear to understand names of a disease out there. I mean, Cancer isn't just a label. It is a term for a specific cellular disorder. Or if I say someone has Sandhaus Ben-Ami syndrome that doesn't exactly explain to me what they have. So I don't think AIDS is just a label...it's the name of a disease. There are other types of immune deficiencies out there (for example genetic) that are not acquired.

However, I am not going to deny the weight the word AIDS carries. I watch my uncle use it all the time! In fact, any time I take him out and he feels he is getting horrible customer service, he tells them he has AIDS and they usually snap to attention!

Anyways, that's my 2 cents as someone who doesn't have HIV, but is constantly caring for someone who does.
M

sdcabincrew74 · « **Reply #25 on:** December 08, 2006, 12:10:08 pm »

I was told "end stages AIDS" I had PCP and MAC. That was 18 months ago. I am now undetectable with a CD4 in the 450's instead of a VL "off the scale" and a CD4 of 22. I wonder now, am I early stage AIDS or what. Who cares it is just a stupid label we should be using anyway.....

chemistry001 · « **Reply #26 on:** December 08, 2006, 12:24:43 pm »

The photo on my profile here was taken 4 days before i went into hospital with PCP a CD4 of 9 and VL off the scale, I've always said that its one of my best pics, so if i am classed as having 'full blown Aids' and look this good then I'm happy

Most people feel comfortable with labels and putting people in pigeon holes, so i guess that's why the term is still knocking around, for what is its worth my label is Paul, fun, fantastic and always looking to flirt

feel free to use that when you refer to me.

xXx

allopathicholistic · « **Reply #27 on:** December 08, 2006, 12:37:00 pm »

Quote from: Maestro on December 08, 2006, 08:25:15 am

I must say that I agree that Full Blow AIDS might be an outdated term, but I don't think the term AIDS is just a label. I mean it is the name of a disease. It is actually one of the more clear to understand names of a disease out there. I mean, Cancer isn't just a label. It is a term for a specific cellular disorder.

Based on the hospital paperwork I get (patient's copies) it's an outdated term at Roosevelt Hospital where I get treatment. I assume years ago they did use the term - Now they just say HIV or AIDS. (Again, based on the paperwork I see)

Quote from: chemistry001 on December 08, 2006, 12:24:43 pm

The photo on my profile here was taken 4 days before i went into hospital with PCP a CD4 of 9 and VL off the scale, I've always said that its one of my best pics, so if i am classed as having 'full blown Aids' and look this good then I'm happy

Most people feel comfortable with labels and putting people in pigeon holes, so i guess that's why the term is still knocking around, for what is its worth my label is Paul, fun, fantastic and always looking to flirt feel free to use that when you refer to me.

xXx

chemistry001: That's a whole lotta "f"s

Knowing us, we can come up with a few more for you

chemistry001 · « **Reply #28 on:** December 08, 2006, 12:55:12 pm »

Allopathicholistic: Do your best big boy

tsw923 · « **Reply #29 on:** December 08, 2006, 09:46:49 pm »

This is a really interesting thread. I have asked my doctor about the AIDS vs. HIV thing. When I was diagnosed, my cd4s were 145 (vl 39000) and I had had shingles and mono, both on the OI list. But now after 2 months of medication my cd4s are 245 and my vl is 762. My doctor never said I had AIDS, rather that I was HIV+. I think most folks have no idea really and when they think 'AIDS' they think of someone at death's door. To be honest, before I was diagnosed 3 months ago, I really didn't even think about it at all, and if I did, I lumped HIV and AIDS into one big category; 'going to die soon'. Now that I have to face the realities, it is important to differentiate and to educate folks on that difference.

FiercenBed · « **Reply #30 on:** December 10, 2006, 12:47:12 pm »

my doc said once u drop below 200 you alwyas have 'aids' no matter what the meds get u back to for social secuirty 'disability' purposes.

btw chemistry001 ......that really is a good pic

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