Jaz7days:
My baby was diagnosed hiv pos 10 days ago. He is 23 years old and was released out the hospital for battling pneumonia since the end of March, he was getting treated incorrectly. Until he was admitted in the hospital is when he found out. 😞 My baby is skin and bones. 😞 He told me he is disgusted with himself. That killed me. All I could do was get on my knees sternly hold his cheeks look him dead in the eye with all my motherly pride in me and tell him he is smart, beautiful, kind, creative, and I better not never ever hear him call himself that again. He is all those things plus more and it broke me that he saw himself in that light. It’s like God was preparing me, although he kept telling me no, I would gently ask or suggested if he is sure he tested for hiv, he would tell me, the test came back negative. Think I was asking or suggest for a month and a half because he couldn’t shake the pneumonia. Only reason I found out yesterday is because I went to get his scripts and saw the Biktarvy. I asked him to sit with me and that’s when he told me. I also told my baby his is not the first and unfortunately he will not be the last and we will get thru this. I have always supported my two kids always up lifting them regardless of what this cold 🌎 dishes. God made me to be a mother, Cancer ♋️ woman. I had his sister at 18 and him at 20. They are my everything , and they know this. I don’t play about my 2!! I need help!! He is on my insurance and After Cigna the copay for the Biktarvy is $1400.00 bucks. I downloaded the coupon to see how that does. Any suggestion on ensuring he gets that Biktarvy, hospital gave him only a courtesy 7 day, I’m freaking out. One more question. What can I do to help with his low self worth right now and depression and anxiety. He is currently on 10mg of lexapro and we are looking into groups or counseling session. I pray everyone on this forum is abundantly BLESSED. May any financial, health, personal issues be memories of your PASS in Jesus name!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 Amen. God bless you and appreciate the help.
Thank You, Mama Bear 🐻
leatherman:
Sorry to hear about your son's diagnosis but glad that he's already getting onto treatment. Treatment these days is pretty phenomenal and, with some time, your son should go on to live a healthy long life. People living with HIV may have to take daily meds to keep HIV suppressed but that's no different than the hundreds of reasons people take meds to get better and/or stay alive.
Did the hospital refer to a local HIV health care provider?
As far as paying for these meds, you could contact a local HIV health care provider about getting Ryan White/ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistance Program) assistance or you may want to check out the Ryan White Care Program in your state. Go to your state's health department website and look for information about Ryan White, ADAP and/or HIV. Depending on income level, the federal Ryan White Program administered at the state level can either cover the cost of meds outright, (in most states) cover the cost of insurance premiums, and/or cover the costs after insurance.
As far as mental/emotional issues, these earliest days are always the worst. It takes time to adjust to this diagnosis. Thankfully it's 2023 and nothing like the old days. After the time it takes to recover from the pneumonia (PCP pneumonia I would suppose and get used to taking daily meds, your son should plan on a long life and plan to live it to it's fullest.
Many people have been diagnosed in their early 20s and many have been hospitalized with very serious illnesses - and have gone on to live long happy lives since these days HIV is a manageable illness with the daily meds. Actually since 1995 and the advent of 3-drugs regimens for HIV, that's the way it's been for people living with HIV. I myself was diagnosed at 24, was hospitalized and almost died twice with pneumonia, and yet here I am 40 years later married, happy, and healthier than most other 61-yr old people I meet. That's the kind of life your son has to look forward to as long as that's what he works toward. ;)
oh, since I don't know what state you're in I can't link to that health dpt. website but here's a poz.com link that should help you locate a local HIV care provider. https://www.poz.com/directory
Best wishes to you and your son, and a speedy recovery for him!
Tonny2:
ojo. Hello there!
I’m sorry to thread about your son’s diagnosis, fortunately, now having HIV is so easy to treat, all he needs to do is to take his medication as prescribed. DON gave me were on, but getting an HIV. Diagnosis is still some thing very hard to digest, but there is hope. Did he tell you about his cd4 levels?. Well, right now for me is difficult to post, because I just got laser surgery in my eye, but please tell him to read my thread, and ate my help him, because I was also bone and flesh when I got diagnosed. “ hope dice last.”. Tell him to read stories on these photos. Please keep us maybe someone else can help you with my information about a copayment assistance program… good luck
Try, patience advocate, Co Payment Assistance Program. that’s the one that I use for my car payment assistance although my copayment is $75 for each of my medication.
Jaz7days:
Thank you so much appreciate you and I hope ur eye starts feeling better soon
Jaz7days:
Appreciate everyone’s kind words and inspiration. I am in CT but he has been living in NY for the last year. Been doing a lot of research and there are tons of programs and assistance in NY. I have my list of calls ready for Tuesday morning, he literally have 5 Biktarvy left. I don’t know this morning I woke up just angry. Angry at him, feel like I prepared him for this, am very open with my kids and candid, we talk talk, I keep it very real with them. I am angry at the man he contracted it from, I am angry. I know he will live a very long and healthy life goal is to get him undetectable. There is something going on with his kidney and there is protein in the urine. We have an appointment and he did a biopsy in the hospital. I was reading and the poor kidney function is a very prominent hiv symptom. Any thoughts? Any one dealt with this issue?