Celebrate or What ?

[Sherbert]

So I know when contracted and who I had contracted from, due to the time line of the situation and through talking with him... Technically though I wasnt diagnosed until Febuary 23, 2007...Well as you know it's January now...I know that I have been positive for a year and half, but the 23rd of next month will be one year since being diagnosed.  Although still a little more than a month away, I seem to be having mixed feelings on this...Do I celebrate, Am I going to be depressed, Should it just be another normal day of my life ?? I'm not sure how to feel, and I dont understand why ?  Is it just a marking stone in my life ? How did you guys feel, and what did you do ?

[Desertguy]

I am confused!!!

Why would you care or worry about celebrating it???
And why would you be depressed?
I was diagnosed in Sept 2007 an just getting on with my life.  I know we are all different in the way we handle being told we are + but why celebrate?
AT least you know where you got it!

ANyway hang in there just remember it's all good!!

[Funkengruven]

I decided to celebrate my 1 year anniversary.  After 365 days of knowing I was HIV-positive, I was still healthy, not really wealthy, but definitely wiser.  I thought that in itself was worth a little celebration.  My friends and I went out for a nice dinner and sprung for a bottle of Dom Perignon.  The night made for some great memories, and mentally it put me in a good place to begin tackling the next year of living with the virus and whatever it may bring.

[Sherbert]

I like your answer...That sounds like a good idea....

[thunter34]

I didn't so much celebrate the date so much as mentally marked it - took stock of the previous year and inventoried myself physically, psychologically and emotionally.  Once I did that, I found that there was indeed some reason to celebrate.  Not so much the infection or diagnosis, but the fact that I recognized that I actually had grown up a little. 

Dates that I did actively invest in celebrating were dates such as getting my VL down to undetectable and my CD4s hitting the 300 mark (which they never actually did, but came close enough). 

[leatherman]

There will probably be as many different answers to your question as there were situations for receiving that news.

I got diagnosed poz on 12/26/92

Near the one yr anniversary, my partner was just out of the hospital with an OI, and I busy caring for him and dealing my side effects from AZT. The second yr anniversary was just 6 months after my partner died and the first holiday season alone. By the fourth year anniversary, I had been in the hospital with PCP and it had officially become AIDS. By the fifth anniversary, I had been hospitalized again (pneumonia) and couldn't imagine I'd been alive much longer.

As you can see my first few anniversaries sure weren't worth celebrating.

However, when the fifteenth anniversary just passed a month ago, I planned a nice dinner with my current partner and a few close friends. We talked about all the horrible years I went through and had some somber, yet pleasant, reminiscing about my departed partner; but we also spoke about how amazing it is that I'm doing as well as I am now - even with the problems I have. We also started planning a nice bday party for me coming up in Mar when I'll be happy to celebrate a decade (ten years!) since that last time I was in the hospital!

I would imagine a little depression happens with each of us on this kind anniversary. I mean, no one can be happy to have gotten this diagnosis. But how you chose to remember the date probably depends on how you life is going at that time. If HIV is complicating your life, it probably won't be a time of celebration; however if your recovering from some issue, it probably will be a good time to celebrate still being alive. Regardless, it will probably be a day that you'll never forget.

best wishes,
mikie

[BT65]

We all have different ways of "remembering when."  Why project about how you're going to feel right now?  Just wait until the day comes, and see how you're feeling.

[yes2life3]

I say live everyday and enjoy it..10 years here and feel like nothings wrong..

[404error]

Feb 10th will be my two year anniversary.  Since I consider being diagnosed with HIV as being the worst day in the history of my life, I will make a point to do something nice for myself on the anniversary of that date every year until I die.  Last year was a nice dinner out with a small group of friends.  This year, I'm not sure but it'll be something once again.  If marking the day somehow makes you feel a bit better, by all means go for it.

[sacinsc]

I don't know how I am going to feel either. I know I wont have a party or anything but don't know what my feelings will be that day. I to know the exact date I was infected and then Sept 4 as the day I got the call from the doctor. So the two dates are going to be interesting to say the least.

[lonewolf]

My Three year "anniversary" is coming up this March.  I try not to think about it at all, even tho obviously it I "celebrate" it every day.  One of the worst days of my life.  but moving on, and living day by day,  no meds yet, thank goodness.
I try to focus on the positive things of my life, and realize, even tho, I failed myself fatally, I will live the rest of my life as productive as I can.  We all will pass on from this life in some fashion,  some less "heroic" than others.  Obviously my obit will never read, "Bruce died after a courageous battle with HIV/AIDS."   Somehow, society doesn't accept that  like someone who has battled with cancer, diabetes,  heart conditions.   No I am not bitter,  but still trying to accept my self inflicted fate.

[BT65]

Lone, welcome to the forums and try to ease up on yourself.

[aztecan]

Well,

Truthfully, I cannot remember the exact date. I know it was sometime in July. So, this July, I will officially be positive for 23 years.

Maybe I'll celebrate the entire month of July. In fact, I think I will continue to celebrate every day I'm on this side of the sod.

HUGS,

Mark