Tested positive one week a go

[LightandLove]

I am 22 years old, and I just tested positive last week. I still don't know what to think of it, it is what it is and it happened. And I am ok at times with it. What is scaring me is how am I going to financially afford all of this and live a normal safe and secure life if all those meds are so expensive. I currently don't have health insurance and idk if I can qualify for government health coverage. Just the thought of how am I going to pay for all this and myself and the basic things in life is scaring me.

I am sad at times too, I just can't believe this happened to me. It is what it is

Will I have to be living with government help for the rest of my life? Will I ever be able to get a better paying job cause will that effect my help. Idk this is all confusing me

[Tonny2]

I am 22 years old, and I just tested positive last week. I still don't know what to think of it, it is what it is and it happened. And I am ok at times with it. What is scaring me is how am I going to financially afford all of this and live a normal safe and secure life if all those meds are so expensive. I currently don't have health insurance and idk if I can qualify for government health coverage. Just the thought of how am I going to pay for all this and myself and the basic things in life is scaring me.

I am sad at times too, I just can't believe this happened to me. It is what it is

Will I have to be living with government help for the rest of my life? Will I ever be able to get a better paying job cause will that effect my help. Idk this is all confusing me

        ojo        Hi light...welcome to the forum...I've been living with hiv for almost your age (20 years), it is ok to feel sad, but you are right, it is what it is...there are people here who can help you with all your fianacial questions, there are programs to help with meds and health care, so, do not worry about this for now, you have enough already knowing you are positive...you make ask about what programs there are on the forum about that...wishing you the best, you are going to be fine, you got a confirmatory test, right?...hugs                            ojo

[zach]

I am 22 years old, and I just tested positive last week. I still don't know what to think of it, it is what it is and it happened. And I am ok at times with it.

Glad you found this board so soon, sorry you have to be here. In time, it gets better, and you'll be ok all the time. Promise.

What is scaring me is how am I going to financially afford all of this and live a normal safe and secure life if all those meds are so expensive. I currently don't have health insurance and idk if I can qualify for government health coverage. Just the thought of how am I going to pay for all this and myself and the basic things in life is scaring me.

Are you in the US? You'll need to get in contact with an ASO (aids service organization) You're ID specialist can probably point you the way. Yes, meds are expensive. Prohibitively, no one can afford them. Everyone of us, in some way or another, is getting help to access the meds we need. The system is fucked up, that's not our fault. There are programs, Obamacare, assistance, ADAP, Ryan White. A case manager at the ASO can assist you in navigating all this. It is torture. The process is the punishment. But you make yourself available to everything  you can qualify for. No pride, no shame. We didn't write the fucked up laws, we're just trying to live.

I am sad at times too, I just can't believe this happened to me. It is what it is

(((L&L))) you'll smile again

Will I have to be living with government help for the rest of my life?

maybe, probably in some form or another... but then again, maybe not. preexisting conditions are no longer a bar to healthcare because of obamacare. you'll be able to get insurance down the line in life.

Will I ever be able to get a better paying job cause will that effect my help.

yes, well, that is up to you though isn't it. drive and motivation, and don't let a fucking bug stop you in life

Idk this is all confusing me

yeah, it's just the way of things... we're tossed into the deep end of a big pool of sharks, and have to figure it out fast

edit to add: and welcome! ask anything, vent anything, drunk post, rage, whatever you need... it's ok, we've all been there.

moving forward, get to an ID (infectious disease) doctor. get a genotype, get your CD4 and Viral Load counts. figure out what meds are available to you. work out a care plan. go on meds, get control of your virus,

and keep moving in life.

[Richie_R2]

Welcome, youngster! (Sorry... I'm about to turn 39, this week, so I'm feeling old.)

As he said, get a 2nd test. There is a small margin of error of false positives. Get that straightened out, if they don't already have you doing so. But they're pretty accurate, these days, so don't hold out false hope... and, well, any news otherwise is just good news, eh? You got a glimpse into our world. If still positive, welcome to our world!

I was younger than you when diagnosed, so I understand how it is. There are programs that can help you pay for meds, doctors, tests, and even transport to and from the doc. Find your local support groups and support organizations, and they will help you immensely. You'll find a lot of useful advice from older Pozzies about how to determine your own comfort level of "openness", and the types of foods and other lifestyle choices that will help you remain healthy and happy.

Others here disagree with me, and don't let this put you off from seeking assistance from the government-funded orgs, as they have always proved to be very helpful to me and staffed by wonderful and caring people, but I do caution newly-diagnosed (we say Dx) poz persons to be careful in revealing any details of sexual history or personal inclinations. The same bill, the "Ryan White Act", which provided the funds for our meds and treatments came with a requirement that states pass criminalization bills for those who "intentionally" seek to infect others, but most states passed much more Draconian laws. The caseworkers at the agencies are not your enemies, and they are just filling out routine forms, to them...they're mainly collected for statistical reasons, but they do create a file that can be used against you in case a criminal charge is ever filed against you for this. Some states can be extremely aggressive and unethical in protecting "the Public" (of which we are apparently no longer members) from a pozzie accused of non-disclosure, even if it's lodged for revenge purposes by a girlfriend/boyfriend/partner. They can twist and manipulate in ways you cannot imagine, and the facts are very little defense. Prejudice is just too rampant. It is okay to say that you do not recall, that you had anonymous sex, and/or do not know the names of any partners. It is okay to conceal whether you are gay or straight or whatever.

As for work, there is no bar to anything you wish to do, if you feel up to it and have the skills and knowledge and education for it. Employers are NOT allowed to ask you about your health in screening you for jobs. Period.

For support, there are local groups and, of course, us. And we welcome you!

[Joe K]

As for work, there is no bar to anything you wish to do, if you feel up to it and have the skills and knowledge and education for it. Employers are NOT allowed to ask you about your health in screening you for jobs. Period.

^^^This is incorrect.  Depending upon which type of job you are seeking there are jobs where your status can be relevant.  Most of these jobs involve medicine, such as certain types of surgery, or care.  For the vast majority of jobs, your status as no bearing on your ability to do the job.

Joe

[Richie_R2]

That is true, Joe. Right... I meant the kinds of jobs a 22 year old would be looking for. Heh.

[LightandLove]

It's just hard, I never expected this to happen to me. Sometimes I am ok I can accept that I am positive because honestly that's the only way. There isn't any looking back from here, I already have the illness so I just must accept it. Then other times it just brings tears to my eyes, I've cried in anger and in sadness wondering why me? I guess I will never know, but I know God has a plan for me.

What I was getting at earlier in my first post is that I am just scared of the financial aspects of this illness and this new lifestyle. I am just so scared that I won't be able to get help because I make good money, I don't qualify for healthcare or government assistance, and the fact that I don't come from a wealthy family at all and we including myself have money issues. It's like I was already dealing with that in my life  how is this not going to complicate it

I just think I am mainly worried about the finances of how I am going to live the rest of my life with HIV. But I know if there is a will there is a way

Another thing is that I'm scared for the medicine, I am a very skinny tiny guy and I'm scared about the side effects and what not

I still have a lot of questions but I'm taking it day by day

I also want to say thank you for you kind words of support, they really do mean a lot dealing through all this, thank you

[LightandLove]

I feel lost :/

[Tonny2]

I feel lost :/

        ojo      Hi again...it is normal you feel this way, take it a day at a time, we sll went through the same feelings when dx, but it will get better, you will see it....when I found out I had aids, and the doctor told me I would live just two more years, imagine how I felt, I decided to fight aids, and just last Saturday, I was on my niece's graduation ceremony, twenty years after my dx, I never thought I would wittness this ocasion, next year, will be my nephew's turn, and I'm planning to be there too....wishing you the best, and hoping you get better soon, it is ok to cry, but it is also ok, to fight and keep moving forward...more hugs 4 u          ojo