Hello for the UK

[pipmonk100]

Hello,
I've not yet put a pic up, I will do soon.  I'm 62 and have been living with HIV since the mid 90's, actually its unclear when I was infected but that is when I tested positive. Been on meds now for some years and am generally okay.  At the moment having a period of lows as I'm a reflective kind of guy and miss my friends still.  But on good days I am a glass half full type, and love the friends I do have.  Anyway I'm due for my daily walk and thought I'd say hello now I'm registered here.  Will spend more time this evening having a look around the site and putting some details on my profile.  I hope to open up some chats .  Cheers, Philip

[Jim Allen]

Hi Philip,

Welcome to the forum, and sorry to hear you are feeling low at the moment.
I hope you have a good walk. Is it the same walk every day?

Best, Jim

[Loa111]

Hey Philip,

Welcome to the forum. We'll find this a great place to get support & indeed a great place to have a few chats around the topic. It has been a great help to over over the last 5 years.

Hope you enjoy your walk.  Nothing like a nice walk to clear ones heads. Had a nice one last night myself.

[pipmonk100]

Hello both,  thanks Jim.  The walk was good.  The spring emerald green helps lift my mood, the sunshine too.  Though, we've been having so much rain of late.  I take the same route, but can alternate - clockwise and anti-clockwise - I live dangerously!!!

Cheers, Philip

[Jim Allen]

Glad the walk was good and helped

I take the same route, but can alternate - clockwise and anti-clockwise - I live dangerously!!!

Cheers, Philip

👍 That's living on the edge alright. I bet you didn't put on sunscreen? Rebel

[Jim Allen]

Our monthly virtual forum members meeting is this Saturday if you are interested https://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=76748.msg783558#new

[leatherman]

I'm 62 and have been living with HIV since the mid 90's.

woohoo! another one of us. I just turned 61 last month, and have been living with HIV since the mid 80s. Thanks to the volunteer work I did through the US's Ryan White Care program I've met a good handful of us from the 90s who are still kicking

At the moment having a period of lows as I'm a reflective kind of guy and miss my friends still.

Boy aren't we lucky to have made that cusp between no meds and HAART? I'm sure you have list of your friends and partners who have been taken from us. 

But on good days I am a glass half full type, and love the friends I do have.

I'm a glass full type of guy so my take on those we've lost isn't so much about how they are gone but how happy I am to have even known them at all. I lost two long term (10 yrs each) partners and even though it rips my heart to say this, if I could do it all over again, I would! If all I could have had of them was those 10 yrs, I'd take the 10 yrs knowing the end was coming. I feel the same way about the 12 cocker spaniels I raised through the last 4 decades.

The spring emerald green helps lift my mood, the sunshine too.  Though, we've been having so much rain of late.

I'm a summer kind of guy, so i agree with the green and sunshine, just throw in some clear
pool water and I'll be all set. Right now here in South Carolina, I keep trying to be happy at least pleasant about the rain. I mean I am thinking about all the seedlings I've got going for my garden and how by the end of May we're normally into drought conditions for the rest of Summer; but it's rain and rain ruins my pool time.

So how's your health doing with your dangerous life?!?!? And how are your meds? Are you doing some one a day pill or are you on some combo? BTW there's a Pre-HAART Long-Term Survivors Forum  here that you might be interested in, especially if you have some issue the rest of us might empathize with or know about.

[pipmonk100]

Hey Philip,

Welcome to the forum. We'll find this a great place to get support & indeed a great place to have a few chats around the topic. It has been a great help to over over the last 5 years.

Hope you enjoy your walk.  Nothing like a nice walk to clear ones heads. Had a nice one last night myself.

Hey Loa111, thanks for your welcome earlier.  As you see I'm new around here, well, for a few years I've dropped by as a guest to see what is happening. 

I notice you had a post last January? Feeling low, like me, sorry to hear that, how have you been since. 

I'm in a bit of an isolated place both geographically and socially.  Due to health issues I can't walk far which is a bummer,  I still get out every day but only short walks.  I've taken up yoga and that has helped lots. 

But the lows return pretty regularly and I feel like screaming.   

I hope to be around for the meet up on Saturday , bit nervous and may chicken out.  Never done anything like this before. 

Anyway, again, thanks for reaching out.  and all good vibes to you.

Cheers, Philip

[leatherman]

I hope to be around for the meet up on Saturday , bit nervous and may chicken out.  Never done anything like this before.

Ok, while I'm not certain if I'll make the call on Saturday (my mother-in-law is here from Arizona), you should try to make it. It's just a bunch of people (sometimes 2, sometimes 4, one time 6. In all about 8 or 9 people have been on the chats) chatting. We talk about the weather, where people live, what's going on in their lives. Sometimes we don't discuss HIV at all and sometimes we talk about a lot of HIV related stuff. It just kinda depends on the people on the video call and what they need/want to talk about.

When all is said and done, I think these meetings are a good thing as a little bit of peer support, even if the support is just a good time meeting new people and not all about HIV