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Author Topic: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND  (Read 8247 times)

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Offline Theyer

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LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« on: September 27, 2009, 06:14:35 pm »
Greetings LTS---- after fleeing to the city aged 16 I have returned to the country . It is what I want but the hiv+community is me and I am missing that part off my life. I have good friends here but sadly I have over the years lost friends with hiv,---- so it goes. I have been reading your blogs and relate to a lot off it. Though as a U.K. citizen I do not have to deal with US health care, off which I am gratefull.As was my late partner a U>S cit whose parents way back in 1989 where relieved he got the care he got.
I will post more this is by way off a hello, remember I am English so I think I am OK with answering any ? but it may take sometime to tell you about myself----love to all off you   Theyer
"If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people ."  Tony Benn

Offline weasel

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2009, 08:37:19 pm »
Hi  Theyer  :)

 Nice to meet you !

  I hope to hear more from you !

 This is a great place to  talk , vent ,  whatever  :o

                                   be well ,
                                                  Carl
" Live and let Live "

Offline BT65

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2009, 05:45:45 am »
Theyer, welcome to the forums.  How long have you been diagnosed (HIV+)?
I've never killed anyone, but I frequently get satisfaction reading the obituary notices.-Clarence Darrow

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Please check out our lessons on PEP and PrEP. https://www.poz.com/basics/hiv-basics/pep-prep

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Offline Ann

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #3 on: September 28, 2009, 08:18:57 am »
Hi Theyer, welcome to the forums.

What part of the UK are you in, and by "small island", do you mean what I call the mainland (I live on the Isle of Man), or are you also on one of the islands? The Rock (as I call the IOM) is a nice place to live, but the local hiv care leaves a lot to be desired. I go to Liverpool for my hiv needs.

Like your late partner, I'm also a US citizen, but I've been living here for nearly 19 years now. The next time I get my passport renewed, I'm seriously considering changing it in for a British one. I have no desire to go back to the States. If I had to get an illness like hiv, I'm glad I got it over here and not in the States. The state of healthcare over there is frightening. I thought it was bad years ago when I left, but now.... ::)

Again, welcome to the forums.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Theyer

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2009, 05:14:22 pm »
Many thanks for the replies and ?
I live on westray one off the small Orkney Islands and have been pos, since 1991, though this was a confirmation off knowledge I had since 1987. Medical care has been and will continue to be with the Chelsea and Westminster, London Ann. I have found the local GPs great they say when they don,,,t know The local HOS not so good.After 2 days in there for dental treatment the local Orkney newspaper Front page headlined 2 weeks later FIRST HIV CASE REPORTED IN ORKNEY...I felt even skinnier than ever for quite a time. Theyer
"If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people ."  Tony Benn

Offline anniebc

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2009, 05:28:17 pm »
Hi Theyer

Welcome to the foums, I'm originally from Scotland but now reside on a little Island..the South Island of New Zealand..there is not much here in the way of HIV support either, it all happens in the North Island, but we get by.

When you read this:
Quote
FIRST HIV CASE REPORTED IN ORKNEY...I felt even skinnier than ever for quite a time. Theyer
was it you they were talking about was it?..just curious.

Hope to hear more from you.

Hugs
Jan
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Never knock on deaths door..ring the bell and run..he really hates that.

Offline Theyer

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2009, 05:50:42 pm »
Yes it was me, I was not named , the managers put out a spoiler stating that it could off been a visitor to the Islands, I realize now that I still have feelings about the event,
I am enjoying the replies, thanks, maybe this will lead to the International Group off Small Island Dwellers,
Theyer
"If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people ."  Tony Benn

Offline anniebc

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #7 on: September 28, 2009, 06:05:25 pm »
I like that "The small Island dwellers" forum... ;D

Even though you were not named it is still a bit of a worry I would say..people by nature are suspicious and would probably wonder why the paper would go out of their way to write and article about a "Tourist" with HIV

I'm assuming of course that people on holiday in Westry don't normally go around telling everyone they are HIV+..or do they?.

Just be careful and mindful of the laws regarding disclosure that's all I'm saying really.

Hugs
Jan
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Never knock on deaths door..ring the bell and run..he really hates that.

Offline allanq

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2009, 09:36:21 pm »
Being a geography buff, I did a little research on the Orkney Islands and on Westray.

When you say Westray is a small island, you really mean it! Its area is 18.2 square miles, and the population is about 550.

Here's a bit of geographic trivia that I really like: The world's shortest scheduled airline flight is the two-minute flight from Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland to Papa Westray.

(Courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westray)

Offline rondrond

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #9 on: September 29, 2009, 01:25:35 am »
Hi Theyer,

Welcome to the Forums.

Ronnie
"I'm not done yet"....Glen Campbell

"I may not be exactly where I want to be, but I sure as Hell am not where I was"
Wynnona Judd

Diagnosed/HIV
1993
AZT
Norvir
1994-2001
Crixivan/Epivir/Zerit
No Meds for 7 Years

04jul07/DVT-right leg/Bi Lateral PE's     
16oct08/DVT-left leg
Aug09 Diagnosed: COPD

05may2015
Un-detectable
Tcells 700
44%

Offline Ann

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    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2009, 09:45:48 am »
Hi Theyer,

Wow, Westray, huh? You're now officially the most northernly person I know. My bf's brother (a fisherman) lives in Wick with his family - but you've usurped the title. ;)

I used to be a commercial fisherman - queenies and scollops - and I fished some of the Western Isles (Islay, Jura, Mull...) but I never made it as far north as the Orkneys. The farthest north I went was through the canal to Lossiemouth, McDuff, Fraserburgh, and down the east coast as far as Arbroath. We based in Stonehaven that summer. Stonehaven is a lot like the town I live in on the Rock.

My diagnosis was also published in the local paper - front-page, headline news. "HIV Alert Rocks Town" or somesuch garbage. I was diagnosed as a part of a cluster of eight and while they didn't name names, they did name our town. It still pisses me off the way it was reported and it caused a lot of heartache. I talked a little bit about it in this blog.

I take it the city you fled was London and that's why you're still receiving your hiv care there? And I thought I had a long way to travel to Liverpool. Do you have to take a ferry to the airstrip in Wick, or is there an airstrip in the Orkneys? For me, a trip to clinic is a whole-day affair, for you it must be a couple days, at least. I hope you manage to fit some R&R in during your trip. Have you considered going somewhere closer like Glasgow or Edinburgh?

If you want to read more about my days at the fishing, click here and here.

I don't know about you, but when all is said and done, island life is wonderful.

Ann


edited to fix a broken link
« Last Edit: September 29, 2009, 09:58:56 am by Ann »
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Theyer

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2009, 02:34:43 pm »
allanq-----Plus the air line gives you a certificate stating that you have made the trip. Its one off the many oddities that made me fall in love with the place.Its also a very cool commute when you take the plane into Kirkwell the capital (14Mins 18 if u go via another island)


Ann-------No I can go from Kirkwell and yes I am considering other locations.If any body wishes to share info re guarding Glasgow or Edinburgh please do However I have known some off the medical team a long time and it would be an awful lot to give up .I also like London its more that I like Westray more I feel less disabled here. It also allows me the space to have a studio. So you chased the crustaceans you truly must have no fear. I often think when I am buying clams in big cities the waiter should bring out an i-phone saying would sir like to  see how the clams where gathered in February......
"If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people ."  Tony Benn

Offline allanq

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #12 on: September 29, 2009, 03:32:28 pm »
It's horrifying that a small-town newspaper would run a story that someone in town is HIV-positive. I can just imagine the malicious gossip that would result from such a story. Actually, I don't have to imagine it, since Ann's blog entry describes it so well.

I wonder if anyone in small-town U.S.A. has had a similar experience. There are strict privacy laws here, but I'm not sure if they would apply if specific names aren't given.

Allan

Offline smalltown66

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #13 on: September 29, 2009, 07:14:02 pm »
Welcome Theyer!

We are pleased to have you in this forum. We hope you feel free to share questions and experiences with us. Life on a small island sound very interesting.


Hello,


Smalltown66
Lifting the weight of the world sure is easier with others with the same goal.

Offline rioz

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #14 on: September 30, 2009, 12:43:52 pm »
Hey Theyer,

WOW! I thought I lived in a remote area (Upstate New York).

Good wishes to all,
Richard
Living with HIV since 1985
Living with AIDS since 2007

Truvada, Lexiva, Norvir, Levothyroxine, Testim, Sertraline, Crestor

Offline Ann

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #15 on: September 30, 2009, 01:20:50 pm »
Hi Theyer,

heheheh.... yes, I chased crustaceans. Never heard it put quite like that before though. ;D As for having no fear, I wouldn't go quite that far - I had more than one scary experience out at sea. I still loved it though.

I've heard good things about hiv care in Edinburgh, but I can't say first hand. I've been very happy with the clinic in Liverpool though and would happily recommend all of the staff at the Royal. If you can get direct flights to Liverpool, that might be a place you'd want to look into. Of course, your doctors in London would probably be able to give you excellent references too, so don't hesitate to bring the subject up with them. They'd understand that you are interested in a shorter traveling time.

And I don't blame you for feeling uneasy about leaving a health care team you've come to know well and respect. I'd feel the same if I had to leave the clinic at Liverpool. But, I'd also be concerned about having a good team as close to where I live as possible, so I guess it's a trade-off.

And ok, I'll bite. (don't worry, I don't bite hard!) ;D You mention having room for a studio - do tell! What sort of studio, what art, what medium etc?

Ann
(The Crustacean Chaser)
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline bear60

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #16 on: September 30, 2009, 03:44:38 pm »
Hi Thayer
I live at the corner of Orkney and Olive streets in Philadelphia Pa USA.  Small world.
I am a LTNP here and keep kind of low key.
Welcome to the forum.

Joel
Poz Bear Type in Philadelphia

Offline dixieman

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #17 on: September 30, 2009, 04:54:24 pm »
Hey Theyer, Well I thought it was remote hear in Alabama... but, I think alot of people travel to get their care... I drive 200 miles round trip for my visit with the hiv docotors in Birmingham, AL... I could get treatment in Montgomery but, UAB has an awesome clinic specifically for hiv... I am extremely fortunate than many people in the states... I have an Excellent insurance policy... unfortunately many do not... I support Universal Health Care in the states but, unfortunately the insurance industry is lobbying to squash any type of change...

Offline anniebc

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #18 on: September 30, 2009, 06:06:24 pm »
Hi Theyer

Although I was born in Perth (Scotland) I spend quite a few years in Edinburgh, and like Ann I have also heard good things about HIV care in the Capital..not only that, it's a beautiful City, and if I were to ever leave NZ, that's where I would like to live again...wonderful old city and the history is amazing...I like old things..just ask my husband.. ;D ;)

Hugs
Jan
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Never knock on deaths door..ring the bell and run..he really hates that.

Offline Theyer

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #19 on: October 03, 2009, 07:53:47 am »
Thanks everybody for the welcomes, news and ?

Ann.. I am looking at  getting my pics up on the web, I cringed when I read your post as the studio is a 30 ft mobile home which in a few weeks will be moved to my backgarden.And there are so many things that could go wrong on its very short journey, so I could well have an ex studio....

I am away to the south coast for brothers 40 wedding bash on Monday 5, so will be off postings I guess , I will miss it,

love to all
trailer trash artist
"If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people ."  Tony Benn

Offline AndyArrow

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #20 on: October 03, 2009, 05:37:44 pm »
Hello Theyer,

I just wanted to send you another stateside welcome to the forums.

God, Save The Queen!
AA
It is not the arrival that matters.  It is the journey along the way. -- Michel Montaigne

Offline Theyer

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #21 on: October 03, 2009, 06:23:55 pm »
Why thank you mr a .
"If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people ."  Tony Benn

Offline AndyArrow

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #22 on: October 04, 2009, 01:46:11 am »
I forgot to mention the strange coincidence. 

I don't know if you are familiar with Lyn Hamilton but she writes archaeological mysteries -- I do love a good mystery.  Anyway, I'm actually reading one of her books right now that is a few years old.  It's called The Orkney Scroll and references the old Viking Earls of Orkney.  I just thought it amusing that I was reading this now.  :)
It is not the arrival that matters.  It is the journey along the way. -- Michel Montaigne

Offline aztecan

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  • 36 years positive, 64 years a pain in the butt
Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #23 on: October 05, 2009, 10:05:14 am »
Hey Theyer,

I wanted to welcome you to the forums.

I live in the far northwest corner of New Mexico, near the spot where New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona collide. ;D

Looks like its chilly where you live. Glad you're here.

HUGS,

Mark
"May your life preach more loudly than your lips."
~ William Ellery Channing (Unitarian Minister)

Offline Theyer

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLANDpart2
« Reply #24 on: October 20, 2009, 02:11:48 pm »
Health wise I have come along way this summer and am ready to start painting again.Unfortunately I was told yesterday that the mobile home that I use for painting will not stand the move  to my Garden, too much rust on the under carrage. The MH has to go as the people who own the land its on are moving.Apart from being a financial setback I guess I resent having to use my energy to hassle the money, get something else built in the garden and see the disruption off my van.As I have now decided to give up my lease on London flat and live here full time DEC and Jan where already lost to  clearing the flat.This also means letting go off stuff related to late husband,I hate wishing my life away but if I am to get I want from now to March all energy is going to have to be used doing stuff I hate.Sorry about the whine but this is a bummer. 2nd division bummer but top off the table.
"If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people ."  Tony Benn

Offline WildcatCC

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Re: LIFE ON SMALL ISLAND
« Reply #25 on: October 26, 2009, 01:39:25 pm »
Howdy and welcome to the Forums. You sound like you have life by the small island balls. Good to hear from you.  :-*
Apr  08 - Diagnosed
Apr  08  cd4 8, vl 150k
Meds: Prezista/Norvir/Truvada
June 08 cd4 250, vl 1600
Aug  08 cd4 275, vl 450
Meds: Atripla
Nov  08  cd4  386, vl 255
Jan   09  cd4  415, vl 2100 (spike?)
Feb   09  cd4 460, vl 212
May   09  cd4 515, vl 1200
Aug   09  cd4 717, vl 1535 % 23
Sept  09  cd4 535  vl 1710 % 18
Oct   09  genotype shows mutation. Discussing w/ ID Doc
Nov  09   cd4 480  vl 650   % 19
Dec  09 genotype slight mutation to Epivir and Retrovir
Jan 10   cd4 508 vl 250 (21%)  low vitamin d - on supplement 2000 iu/day
Mar 15 Change to Isentress and Truvada
May 5 cd4 498 vl 1485
June 16 cd4 550 vl undect!!!! (finally dammit)

 


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