When did you test poz ?

[OzPaul]

Hi everyone !!

In light of the new Forum titled 'I just tested poz'. I thought it might be insightful to tell others when you first tested positive.

I tested positive in 1985 while living in Southern Calif. It is believed by my doctors that I seroconverted in 81 while living in NYC. As many folks here know that was when the seeming ' bomb' went off. I have the blessed miracle of being what is termed a long term non progressor.

We all have are own stories  about our poz status. I'll look forward to hearing from other 'family' members about their journey.

in Peace and Love
Paul

[AlanBama]

tested poz in March 1987, then went into full-fledged 'denial' state of mind...until I could no longer avoid it, and received an AIDS diagnosis in Feb 1991 (MAC of the liver).   Lost 35 pounds, and it NEVER came back in the 'right places' .

PCP, sepsis, molluscum, bacterial endocarditis, bone marrow failure, crypto, blah blah blah......I stopped counting when blood transfusions went past # 50.....

It all seems like a ghoulish nightmare now....it comes back to me sometimes, at the weirdest times, and something can trigger a memory so vivid it brings tears to my eyes.  I have so much to be thankful for, there are no words for me to begin to tell you.

And emotional?? like a soap opera......I can cry over a photo, or even over a book cover....I guess 'coming back from the dark side' does that to you.

Thanks Paul, for jogging my foggy memory......

[BooBoo]

I got my positive results during the first week of August 1992....so I will be coming up on my 14th anniversary with HIV.

The earliest that I could have been infected was September 1991 as I had tested negative in December 1991 (I could have still been in the window period at that point...not sure though).  I actually received those results on Christmas Eve, so the holidays were pretty fucking great that year!!!

[allopathicholistic]

Spring of 2000. I think I caught "it" in 1999.

I let 5 years pass without treatment.  NOT RECOMMENDED - i.e. - Anyone not on meds reading this please realize not knowing your numbers/denial/living in a fantasy world are all very foolish things to do . Know your numbers as soon as you can and structure an action plan with your healthcare provider.  Your healthcare provider might recommend starting meds immediately OR recommend holding off on meds based on your CD4 count OR some other plan of action. Every body is unique and every case is different.

Started treatment Autumn 2005.

[Matty the Damned]

I was diagnosed at 20:33 hrs (8:33 pm) on May 3rd 2002 by my General Practitioner Lady Jane. It was a routine blood test that she performed because I'd reported risky sexual activities. I had 15 minutes of panic after which I pulled myself together and rang my drug dealer.

The next three months were a bit of a blur.

Since we're talking to the newly diagnosed, I'd have to say I disagree with Alex (allopathicholisitc) about HIV treatments. They're important and need to be taken, but you don't have to rush in too quickly. They can be toxic and hard to take. You have to be prepared to take them properly. Most importantly, don't feel pushed or harrassed into doing something you're not ready to.

It's your health, nobody elses.

MtD

[david25luvit]

I tested positive in July 2002 after my first test came back inconclusive...almost two years after David and I got together.

[bocker3]

I tested positive on August 24, 2005 -- could possibly be almost a year already -- what a roller coaster it's been!!!???.  Not sure when the virus found me, but my last negative test was April 2001, when I applied for life insurance (making sure THAT bill gets paid first each month now.......)

[emeraldize]

August 20, 2003. No meds to date.

[Teresa]

Hubby....May 5, 2006

[Eldon]

Hello Paul, it is Eldon. I first tested positive in August of 1990. I can't forget that day when I was standing in the parking lot of my job when the guy....Steve from the Health Insurance Company told me point blank, flat out that I was HIV positive!

I immediately went into denial and said ther must be some mistake (as I had only one lover for (5) five years at the time), and I requested to be re-tested and the results had come back positive.The good news then was that they would still insure me only to find out a few years later Blue Cross/Blue Sheild dropped me because the premium was so high and I couldn't afford it.

I did not go on meds  immediately and I went on and lived my life. Recently, in Feb 2006 I went on meds as prescribed by my Doctor to supress the virus.

[ademas]

January '94.
It was no surprise, but it still took my breath away.
I can remember the week in '81 that I was so sick with the strangest mix of symptoms, and I lived in fear of the test for the next 13 years. 
After the initial shock of the immediate AIDS diagnosis, I felt an enormous sense of relief.  Who knew it would be easier to know, regardless of the prognosis at the time, than to live in constant fear of the unknown?

[AIDS2HIV]

Ive posted my story a few times, so without getting to deep into it.....

i was diagnosed positive on valentines day of 05, while waiting on the confirmatory tests i was hospitalized at deaths door, late stages of aids, OI's in full swing,etc That was the first day of a new life, a life everyone said i wouldnt have....

God Bless*

[Life]

I was Diagnosed in September 2005, and my partner, October 2005.. I started on ARV's 6 months ago.  I am now coming up on 365 days of perpetual thinking about HIV/AIDS.  I have every hope to cut the thinking in half in year 2.  

[J.R.E.]

Hey Paul,

I tested positive, around October 24th of 1985. Was infected around the 4th of July in 1985. Still have the original paper work from the Pinellas County health department on this. I guess some things I never threw away. Because I was never ill, I tested again at least 3 more times through the next 15 years, two more times at the Pinellas county health dpartment (north) and once in St. Petersburg. Always positive positive test results...



Ray

[joemutt]

6/22/97.
I had done a bloodtest because I was tired. I had asked to look for metals such as lead, living in Bangkok with it's pollution.
No said the dr. No metals. But you are hiv positive.
(Hadn't asked for that test, serious case of denial, I think  )

I called my two boyfriends at the time, one chose to get tested ; negative, the other didn't. I didn't practise unsafe sex but with the guy from whom I acquired the virus. He has passed away in 1995. He was a wonderful guy.
I remember how I got infected, not using condoms during this torrid affair in 1992.
I think my bf's wanted to stay with me, but I got in a very agressive survival mode (or was it self hate  ) and within 2 years both were out of the picture.

I also got diagnosed as chronically depressed, actually that was a relief, I was able to name my demon. The depression is genetic (grandmother, father, sister) but also traumatic, since I was abused sexually and physically as a child, sometimes over a period of years. I remember 3 abusers and 5 molesters. I also started to adress that issue from 1997 on but slowly, and more thoroughly since August 2005. These things take time. I tell this here because in my case one lead to the other. The trifecta sexual abuse-depression-hiv contamination might deserve more research.

I feel I'm still isolated now but have started to reach out. January 8, 2006 : aidsmeds, Siang, Herman, Eirin. Also Ann, Andy and Aztecan have meant so much.
As for meds I jumped right into that as my cd4 s were low 200's and VL 500,000 and the dr. advised I get on them. 1997 was also the 1st year meds became re imbursed by social security in my country.

Now cd4 1440, 38%. My health is purrrfect.

[libra11_dj]

I find out late march 2006....now on meds and waiting for my first results after meds(august 9th) can't wait....I still remember calling Leo....my new 2 weeks boyfriend at that time...."everything will be OK...I loved u he said and I wanna be with u"...That was the last time I saw him. Edwin  my ex by then...was the only one who really support me and was there for me(he is HIVneg and didn't care)...he said was his chance to show me he loved me so much so after 2 months of dealing with waiting rooms..lab test, med side effects and crying rivers  ..we got back together...what a story huh Leo was ur lost,,,but I understood ur reasons. God bless u.

[bluelove]

Oct.8th 2002 at 11:30 am.

Two hours later l walked into a church to help my best friend through the funeral of his mother.

Those things will be forever linked in my mind.

[newt]

2002 or 2003, I can't remember now, I am sure it's in my medical notes.   I was not at all cut up about the news. It went back to work. I had to see the health adviser first though, who was good, but it was a little inconvenient time-wise cos I had an important meeting to make. Later I went home and told my partner and we immediately had the most amazing sex.  No condoms. Magic.  3 weeks later we compared genotypes.  The same virus as far as we could tell.  He had been HIV-positive since he was 16.

[DanielMark]

September 1988. No meds for the next 14 years because I "felt" fine.

Little did I know the big v was working its attack behind the scenes. Had a major collapse in 2002 with a viral load above 500,000. The little bugger had been spreading and eating white matter from my brain and spine too, causing me to progressively lose fine motor skills, balance, even clear speech toward the end. I was going into a mental fog as well.

I’ve been taking Kaletra/Combivir since then, and initially Septra too till I got my CD4s up enough to be out of danger of developing PCP pneumonia.

[heartforyou]

July 17th, 1987
My GP and collegefriend  called me and bluntly announced : there is a new disease out, AIDS, and you've got it.

Infection must have taken place early 80's in the States.

My naturopath adviced me not to take meds, so until 1995 I lived, worked and loved as if there was no HIV.
Then  suddenly Apocalypse struck. PCP , CD4 count of 17, viral load  of over 1.000.000 and total loss of energy.
I had to stop my job as flightattendant and came back from the other side.
Started meds, got all sort of side effects but finally resurfaced one year later.
Started to work in the fitness world.
Since April 2000 my husband and I run our own fitness/wellness/saunacenter.

We are in the final salesprocess of it now.
A new life is waiting for me.

At almost 51 I spent half my life with HIV. And I still learn new things everyday and plan my future.

Good luck to all of you and for the newbies....yes, there is a life after an HIV diagnosis.
Keep a close look at it and you will see many new roads in your life, some hard and bumpy and challenging, but some emotionally forfilling at a level most people will never ever reach.

Love

hermie

[OzPaul]

Hey everybody

Thanks so much for your moving stories !!

We have all been through a myriad of experiences and come out as strong, kind and caring people.  My personal joy in being here at AM is that we are one big global family who share a  challenging diagnosis.
I'm looking forward to reading more accounts of how we cope, survive and about our inner strengths.

Cheers
Paul

[Trish]

I tested poz in November 1989.  I tested the very next day after burying my husband who died of AIDS on October 28, 1989.

From the moment of my results I went into denial and chose not to seek medical attention until I got sick -- and that took 11 years to come... I was diagnosed with AIDS in April 2000 (cd4 - 187 and VL at 57,000 or 27,000 not sure, some of my medical records are missing,) at which time I started HAART.  Today, my cd4 is 918 (51%) and VL is undetectable.  The meds are doing there magic... thank goodness.

[jerry]

I tested Poz in January 2005.

[ryeguy]

I was notified on the telephone from a potential employer(Lufthansa)  that I would no longer be able to go to the flight attendant training program due to a positive hiv test. The flight doctor then urged me to seek immediate medical help. This was 27th Of Aug 2001. About two weeks later I broke up with my boyfriend of 5 years. Then the 11th of September...... man talk about 2 falling towers, those were mine.

Life is much better for me now.

[angels4kelly]

I tested positive October of 1990 about a week before my birthday
I didn't actually begin any treatment for 10 years. This was only because of my lifestyle.
NOT RECOMMENDED!!
I was extremely ill when I finally began taking meds.
Really low CD4 count and a very high Viral Load.
I was unable to even realize how sick I was feeling because of the drinking and drugs.
I thank God that part of my life is OVER!
I began taking meds 6 years ago and I feel great!
Of course the change in lifestyle also helped tremendously!

Peace & love,
Kelly

[bear60]

I tested poz in 1989.  I probably seroconverted in 1987. The hardest part of this whole experience has been loosing friends to AIDS.

[lydgate]

I was infected on August 21, 2005, around 3 a.m. Later that morning, freaking out a little, I thought of PEP; the guy I'd slept with assured me that he'd tested negative six weeks ago and that he was "clean." (Hate that use of the word.) He may not have been lying; it's entirely possible that he had seroconverted very recently.

Twenty-seven days later (September 16) I convinced the PA at the clinic to order a DNA Qualitative PCR, depite knowing the drawbacks of this test as a diagnostic tool; result came back positive on September 26.

For various reasons, I didn't get confirmatory antibody tests until January; EIA and WB positive on January 9.

First set of numbers, six months after infection (March 1 2006): CD4 757, 38%, VL 70 copies. Will get the second set of numbers (the results) tomorrow. Not on meds at present.

Jay

[zephyr]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for posting this thread, honey.

One morning in June of 1992, I woke up after having dreamed that I was HIV+. The local Health Department's initial Elisha test came back 'indeterminate'. (I was sero-converting at that moment). A long month later, the State Lab confirmed my status with the Western Blot, on July 13th.

I just passed my 14 anniversary date, confounding the Public Health Nurse who had stared into my eyes as she stated: "You know you are going to die from AIDS, don't you?"

I did not believe her then, and I still don't.

There is life after diagnosis, folks, despite mis-information and fear. Education is the key, and support through venues like our 'cyber family' here is priceless.

All my best,

Zephyr

[BassMan]

December 20, 2002 during seroconversion illness. I *suspected* it, but didn't *expect* it, if that makes sense. What a Christmas present that was......

[manchesteruk]

November 2005 for me, exposed in July of the same year.  Picked up Syphilis at the same time which I found the most uncomfortable aspect of the whole thing.  Didnt really have any sero-conversion illness apart from a few swollen glands in my groin but not sure if that was the syphilis as well.  Tested neg initially in August but then positive in November I went for a checkup.

[Quarter Horse]

August 24, 2004...my mother died August 24 2005. This date is one that I will never forget.

Brian

[rocket]

I tested in April of this year,but I suspected i was in november.Im not on meds yet and im waiting for my second test after getting my baseline results.I never thought i would catch hiv until I found out the guy i had sex with three times had aids,and tb. :I thought it was cute how skinny he was at the time.

[Matty the Damned]

Brothers and Sisters,

Without wanting to sound proscriptive, I think it better not to lecture our newly diagnosed family members on when or when not to start treatments. It's a very personal thing and no-one should feel pressured either way. It would be better just to talk about our diagnoses and the things that came after.

Really I think it better not express a firm view on starting or not starting treatments in this thread. Let's allow each poz bod to raise that issue in her (or his) own way.

With love,

MtD
(Who struggles with this question)

[Dachshund]

Hey Paul, I believe I also seroconverted around '81 in NYC. Was that you downstairs at the Anvil?

[Life]

I graduated High school in 81 and was thinking about the Anvil? chuckle??

[lydgate]

I was more of a St. Marks and Mineshaft kind of guy.  J/k.

[Dennis]

December, 1991.  Started meds February 2003.

[Buckmark]

August 14, 1990.

[livingpositively]

March 16th, 2006...a day that will live in infamy.

God that was a horrible day.  Even though it didn't come as a TOTAL shock, I didn't want to "know"...ya know.  I was kind of forced out of a state of denial.

At the end of the day, though, I'm glad I got the test done.  Now I can take care of myself the way I need to.  And just look at all of these fabulous people that have come into my life (everyone grab a mirror...yep, that's who I meant).

Thanks for being here

Shane

[purplerain]

My last neg test was APRIL 2005 my first Poz test (rapid test) was on June 20th 2006 and the confirmation western blot on June 30th 2006

[schnitzer]

i tested poz when i was 16y/o.  back in april 2000..
i had my first gay experience not too long ago, maybe around december. and the guy fucked me without a condom and came inside.  we've been dating casually for a few months, and my friend suggests i get tested... bingo!

6 months out, and i'm already poz..  soo sadd..   
 i'm sure everybody has a sad story to tell.

[Alain]

.

[gemini20]

September 11th 1991 - so I was actually 'celebrating' survival ten years later until world events took over!

Emma

[Lis]

1986... i guess that gives me 20 years with my friend HIV

lisbeth

[jae3]

My poz test came back on my sons 14th birthday, May 25, 2005.
My last neg test was in July of 2003. I still have no idea who infected me other than my own stupidity!
Started meds in Feb of 2006.

[SouthSam7]

I tested poz in Nov 05

[fearless]

January 2004

[DCGuy511]

October 19, 2003.  My doctor called me on my mobile phone; I was pulling into the garage at work.  The next few minutes are a total blank. I remember finding myself on the top floor of the garage, not sure whether I should park. My doc asked me to come into his office, his schedule was packed but said that he really wanted to see me. I immediately called my ex.  When I got to my doctor’s office, he gave me a big hug and said that he was going to take care of me. I burst into tears. He had the nurse draw lots of blood.  He did his best to tell me that HIV is not necessarily fatal, that it is much more of a chronic, manageable disease than it was before. He must have hugged me 12 times.

When all of the blood work came back, my ex (who is my best friend) and I went to see my doc. He spent the entire afternoon with us, explaining how the virus works, the immune system, the particular strain I have, medication options, research, etc.  Usually it takes a few weeks to get an appointment with him and he gave me an entire afternoon.  God bless him. 

From the dates of my previous negative tests and my sexual history, we determined that I was infected in mid August 2003.  I had unsafe sex three times that summer. Two of my partners are still HIV- to this day.  One I have not spoken to since we slept together.  I know he infected me. I got confirmation of this when I picked up my first Kaletra prescription and remembered seeing that same bottle on the counter in his hotel bathroom.

[thirtysomething]

March 14th, 2006.

March 7th, indeterminate result
March 9th, Negative
March 10th, Positive (that 20 mins test)
March 14th, confirmed Elisa / Western Blot test

sucks!

No meds yet and hope don't need them for a long time.

[aztecan]

I won't go into the gory details, because I have already and I don't want to bore everyone.

But, as for dates:

Tested positive July 1985.

Seroconverted (doctor's estimate) June 1980.

Does that make me a golden oldie or simply "past it," as our British brothers and sisters say?

HUGS,

Mark

[Joe K]

I tested poz in March of 85 through blood screening.

[penguin]

 I think it was july, 96. Pride was on Clapham common that year. I was chaotic, lifestyle, mentally &  physically then, so really, one year was much as the next. I got results in A & E of St Thomas’s London, while being treated, sort of, for various nasties including pneumonia. I remember laughing, and promptly discharging myself, canula still in arm and hurting like hell.

For next few years, I rebounded in and out of  various casualty departments and hiv wards. I was homeless, mostly, so had no access to gp or healthcare. Or anything really. They would patch me up, give me some meds, try and sort things,,.and then I’d mess up,and back to square one. 

And then one day, me, delirious with fever and fed up of the general shitness of everything, walked into The Royal Free, high as a kite, & announced that I’d like some help, please. And bless em, all of em, they stepped up & have stuck with me to this day.  Have helped and watched me go from talons of the crack and smack club to sober, clean relatively sorted individual, with own house, nice garden, nicer hydrangeas, meaningful career direction, and so many good, wonderful people around me who I love n care about more than I ever remember  or find words to say.  And these things, no, they are not amazingly miraculous…not curing cancer or climbing everest.  They matter though. They keep me here, still.

Sometimes, I wonder about nurse and dr who told me, all uncomfortable eyes and shuffling feet, & I wish they could see me, yesterday, sat on canal boat on river Wey, sun shining, chugging along at 4mph…it was a good day, maybe not health wise, but me-wise, yes. And those are the ones I count & remember & value most.

Kate

[otherplaces]

And on we go...

I was infected Aug. 1st, 2005.  Tues. will be my one year with my new "friend".

I tested pos. Sept. 19th, 2005 via pcr VL 6,000.  One month prior my doc (who truly is quite an experienced HIV doc) told me he didn't think I had HIV while I sat sick as a dog in the examination room.  Why do I always have to be right

Getting to the Spet. 19th result was quite an arduous process...but that's a story for another day.

love,
brian


 

[blondbeauty]

October 2005 tested +. But I think I became HIV+ in July 2002 although I had been with my HIV+ partner since May 2001 (without him knowing he was hiv+). I had all synthoms of reconversion in summer of 2002.
I immediately called my friend Felix who has been poz for a long time and joined this forum a few months later.
Those where hard days. Now everything looks much better thanks to all the people in Aidsmeds.

[tendai]

April 5 2005

[RapidRod]

May 1984 I believe. It's been long ago.

[Moffie65]

Hey Oz Paul,

Thanks for wording the question so that us oldies just have to guess here.  I was "Diagnosed" with AIDS Related Complex on September 14, 1983.  I had most likely sero-converted in May or June of that year.  The Infectious Disease doctor at the time told me I wouldn't see Christmas 1983 and should get my affairs in order.  He has since died and gone to wherever.

I was first tested in 1994, and came out with a CD4 of 20.

I am still here, still stirring the shit, and still making sure nobody forgets about the worst pandemic of modern times.  

In Love and Understanding.

[Dachshund]

I think it was july, 96. Pride was on Clapham common that year. I was chaotic, lifestyle, mentally &  physically then, so really, one year was much as the next. I got results in A & E of St Thomas’s London, while being treated, sort of, for various nasties including pneumonia. I remember laughing, and promptly discharging myself, canula still in arm and hurting like hell.

For next few years, I rebounded in and out of  various casualty departments and hiv wards. I was homeless, mostly, so had no access to gp or healthcare. Or anything really. They would patch me up, give me some meds, try and sort things,,.and then I’d mess up,and back to square one. 

And then one day, me, delirious with fever and fed up of the general shitness of everything, walked into The Royal Free, high as a kite, & announced that I’d like some help, please. And bless em, all of em, they stepped up & have stuck with me to this day.  Have helped and watched me go from talons of the crack and smack club to sober, clean relatively sorted individual, with own house, nice garden, nicer hydrangeas, meaningful career direction, and so many good, wonderful people around me who I love n care about more than I ever remember  or find words to say.  And these things, no, they are not amazingly miraculous…not curing cancer or climbing everest.  They matter though. They keep me here, still.

Sometimes, I wonder about nurse and dr who told me, all uncomfortable eyes and shuffling feet, & I wish they could see me, yesterday, sat on canal boat on river Wey, sun shining, chugging along at 4mph…it was a good day, maybe not health wise, but me-wise, yes. And those are the ones I count & remember & value most.

Kate

Kate, that was beautiful, and well worth repeating.

You go girl!
Hal

[ACinKC]

December 2003.  Merry Christmas!  Infected by own stupidity sometime between Aug. and Oct. 2003.

[CaptCarl]

January 25th, 1989, infected in the summer of '88. Had broken up with my lover at the time. Unfortunately, we got back together between the time of infection, and the time of diagnosis. I infected him. He died back in the fall of '95. I sometimes wonder about all of this shit, and am amazed that I haven't totally snapped and gone off the deep end. The only thing I can do is to remember that I'm still here for a reason.

[kcmetroman]

May of 2005.  I had been infected for many years prior, however. 

[ACinKC]

NICE new pic METRO!

[skeebo1969]

 private

[clarke]

Valentine's Day, 1994 at 3:30 p.m..  We have only in the last couple of years started to "celebrate" that day.

I had ARD (AIDS Related Dementia) when diagnosed.  I was so "out of it" the guard had to guide me to the elevator and push the button for me so I would get to the proper floor.  2 weeks later while at an AIDS specialist office, I asked when I would "have" AIDS.  He was stunned that I didn't know, or wasn't told that I DID have AIDS.

We had been married 3 1/2 years, and our son was 7 1/2 months old at the time.  By Labor Day of that year, after monthly blood tests, we were called by St. Jude's specialists and told he was going to be okay, and he "escaped" acquiring the virus.

[jack]

1989

[anniebc]

After starting PEP on the 15th of January 2002 and throwing up every day for a month..I was diagnosed on APRIL 5th 2002...the day my beautiful Border Collie girl Annie was born.

Hugs
Jan

[cph9680]

September 2001

[Ithaca_Nights]

I tested HIV positive in June of 1988 in Ottawa, Ontario.  I was probably pos for 5 to 8 years before that.  I went into denial and just went on meds July 23 of this year.  My ts finally fell below 350 and my viral load went to over 305,000.  Go back for bloodwork tomorrow for the first check on the meds.

[dario]

Tested + January 2006. My first labs were: VL 660,000; cd4 154.  Probably infected November 2005.

[Sdgirl]

Tuesday, February 21st, 2006 @ 7:48am

[Lou-ah-vull]

Wednesday, October 5, 2005.... I was on a business trip to San Francisco (of all places.)  I had applied for term life insurance a few weeks before and had taken an HIV test.  Prior, I had tested negative in February, 1994 and had not been tested since.  I was not that nervous about the 2005 HIV test because I did not think it was likely I had been exposed to the virus.  I had not had unprotected anal sex since 1983.  The few instances of protected anal sex I had since that time (I can remember each instance...there were only six) I was certain the condom never broke and in three of the cases the guy did not even come.  There were some instances of unprotected oral sex (not a great number--although as well all know once is enough if you are unlucky.)  So, I wasn't worried.

Well, I got a phone call that morning from my insurance agent who informed me my policy had been turned down for health reasons.  He did not know the reasons but he was concerned because he said this would only happen for life threatening reasons.  As he said these words, I suddenly knew I was HIV+. 

I have racked my brain and remain certain there  have been no instances of unprotected anal receptive sex.  There were two instances where I served as the top (so they could be the candidate) and after 2000 my mouth became a disaster area with crowns, bridges and a partial over a four year period.  My best guess is that i seroconverted in May, 2000.  I was sick with fevers, diarrhea, fatigue and chills for about a ten day period.  So as I think back, unprotected oral sex was probably not a good idea in my case.  Oddly enough, these symptoms started within one day of receiving a series of vaccinations before I took a church trip to Peru.  My own doctor felt certain I had a reaction to those shots.  I thought the same, the timing was so precise.  I remember calling the clinic where I got the shots to report my symptoms.  I remember the nurse saying authoritatively that their shots would not have caused that reaction.  I dismissed it then, but now as I read others describing the seroconversion process--it seems like a dead ringer. 

I got shingles in 2003 and never thought anything of the possible connection to HIV and neither did my doctor. 

I guess I would like to know how I got infected (yes, it was still negligence on my part and not someone else's fault.)  But I guess I will never know when and how and who as some of you do. 

At the time it was unwelcome news.  I would never have gotten tested except for applying for that life insurance.  I shudder to think how sick I would have gotten before it triggered the need to take an HIV test.  As a result of the insurance test, I was able to start meds at a time when the worse thing that had happened to me was two cases of shingles (the second one just a few months ago.) 

Furthermore, the fear of being alone and unable to discuss this with anyone has been greatly alleviated by this forum. 

I am still a man of faith...so I believe someone (most likely my deceased partner) was looking out for me.  It  has been fascinating reading all of your posts on this rather lengthy thread.  I finally decided it would be good for me to write up my own story too. 

Thanks for the opportunity...oh and yes, Montreal here I come!

Gary   

[OzPaul]

Thanks so much everyone for telling us about 'the date' of turning poz.

Some folks stated the date, simply, nothing further and we have ready many stories as well.
For me each post has had a big impact. I am reminded how we all came to be here at the forums. While we as people are quite different from one in another in some respects we do share this one devastating diagnosis.

I am moved by the heart and spirit we possess and how we have been able to move forward despite our status.
I have become a better person since finding out about being positive. Though that was 21 years ago and i have been remarkably blessed in my wellness I have developed a compassion and caring I might not have had otherwise. For me, hearing that I would likely die ( back in 85 there were no medications) when I was only 28 years old was  a key turning point in my life. I decided to 'seize the day' and have not looked back since.

I have had my share of medical problems, not the least of which being diagnosed as having bi-polar disorder. That certainly helped explain the certain amount of chaos in my life. I still cherish every day. Each one is more precious than the last.

It has been and is a continued joy that I have found this AM Forum family. I feel quite connected though I am by geography very far away from most.

Take good care
Paul

[joyluckclub]

7/26/06  Wew.  I think I was infected between 2002 and 2006....I tested negative in 2002.  I stopped having protected anal intercourse in 2002.  I had oral sex about 5 times between 2002 - 2006.  I think unprotected oral sex infected me.

[Miss Philicia]

July, 1993 at the age of 28.

It was the first time I'd ever been tested for HIV though and my first labs has cd4 of only 200 so I must have been infected quite some time before that.  Could have been as early as 1987 if we're looking at the first time I had anal sex.   I pretty much immediately started meds so that's 13 years now of pills.

[Oceanbeach]

Hi Paul,

All I got for Christmas was HIV, that was 1994.  For my Birthday in 1996, I was gifted an AIDS diagnosis.  I must have been a real type A over-achiever to accomplish so much in such a short time...  You would not know this about me but I stopped celebrating Christmas in 1984.  Have the best day
Michael
(who really asked Santa for Multiple Personality Disorder so he could become his own best friend)

www.Commission-on-AIDS.org

[robbie6206]

December 2005

[Beatz4me]

Wednesday April 5th, 2006 at 5:24PM..Slightly overcast day and a little on the damp side...That is the only hour I can replay so vividly in my mind.

I remember walking to the clinic for the results after work thinking..Either way, life (as I know it now) will change in the next couple of minutes. Even though I knew the results could be poz...No one really ever expects to hear it.

Coincided with a bad case of Sinusitis which lasted for over a month. Was expecting to be put on Meds right away. To my surprise, even though the VL was/is mid-range, CD4s were / are in the 900s....

Fingerz crossed

[TampaBob]

Aug 1997 HAPPY TENTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

Readers digest version:
- Ex calls and tells me to get tested for HIV (u can imagine that conversation)
- My current lover is next to me and hears the whole conversation (we'd been having raw sex for almost a year)
- We'd both tested NEG before we had unprotected sex
- I got tested, yep, poz - IN-FUCKING-CREDIBLE Doctor probably saved my life when he told me that "If you just take your meds, watch your health and live a normal life you will most likely die of a car accident than hiv" - he was 100% on the money
- Started on meds right away (Combivir and Viracept) and withing 6 months my VL was undetectable and has been ever since.
- I have MAYBE missed a total of 12 doses in the last 10 years (I think thats been the key for me)
- I do NOT use recreational drugs of ANY KIND! (Another key for my success i belive)
- I DO NOT abuse alcohol (haven't gotten blind-drunk in 10 years)
- I don't use my hiv status as a "green light" to have bareback sex with other poz guys
- I don't live my life as a HIV Person.
- I am a person who happens to have HIV
- I only see my Dr. 2 times a year for bloodwork! (I know some may say this is stupid, but after doing it for the last four years (going only 2 times a year) my counts have steadily improved.

Ok, My TCells are just over 1000 and my VL is undetectable with ultrascan (less than 34 copies i think is the number)
- My body fat is 11%
- My cholesterol is 108
- BP 120/80
- Liver functions 100% normal
- all other key indicators are normal or better than normal.
- No Opportunistic Infections
- Just a bit of wasting on my legs from the Viracept (but i'm taking care of that with excercise)
- Libido (OFF THE CHARTS)

So.....after 10 years things continue to go very well for me - but most of this is due (i belive) to my overall mental health, outlook on life, focus on taking things one day at a time, NOT giving into stress or problems no matter how bad they seem, surrounding myself with a great circle of friends and lovinig family, a HOT and wonderful husband, and a fully supportive employer (i'm not the #3 exec. in my company and i am 100% out)

It's been a while since i posted here. I stopped because i got tired of being "bashed" for my posts and that i needed to keep my "happpiness" to myself as it made others feel bad or that  i was not fair to those who were having more of a struggle with their hiv. But, I've decided to come back from time to time just to see how things are goinig on AIDSMEDS forums.

The last time i posted on here i was told that i was "fortunate" and that i should keep in mind that one day the "other shoe will fall and i too may be facing life-ending issues." Ya know what, we ALL face those issues every day as humans. From walking across the street to dealing with HIV. For me, I choose not to give into the "what if's" in life and focus on the WHAT IS in my life at this time. I love the Serenity Prayer:

GOD, grant me the serenity

to accept the things
I cannot change,
Courage to change the

things I can, and the
wisdom to know the difference.

[Jeffreyj]

Winter of 1984...ARC Aides Related Complex...I was told by my DR that I had The HTLVIII Virus...It became HIV about A year later, when the French and Americans both claimed cret for discovering HIV.

[BB]

I was infected, the specialists think, in November of 2003 and began seroconverting in December of 2003. After the third seroconversion episode at the end of March, 2004, I was diagnosed with hiv in early April, 2004. I started meds in August of 2004 and became a permanent bathroom fixture shortly there after. Changed hiv doctors in August of 2006.

Remember when only birthday, anniversary and graduation dates were important?

BB

[lydgate]

Jeffrey, going to be a bit of a nerdy pedant: AIDS was named as such by mid-1982 (replacing GRID), ARC just a bit later. The French discovered the virus in 1983, naming it LAV, the Americans dicovered it in 1984, naming it HTLV III. In 1984 also, researchers in San Francisco (not affiliated with Gallo) isolated the virus, calling it ARV. In 1985, LAV, HTLV III, and ARV were compared and found to be very similar. In 1986, an international body renamed the viruses HIV.

Jay

[jinghua]

i was tested positive 13/03/06 on my firend's birthday!!!   tuesday will have my 2nd test result ( pray with me), currently having shingle.....hoprfully it'll recover....

[Gilles]

I was tested positive 21st of March 2006. Had a test because I wanted to start having unprotected sex with my then boyfriend (he was tested negative).

 I was definately infected in November 2003, because that was the only time I had unprotected sex when I ran out of condoms. I remember this guy was one of the fittest guys I have ever slept with...and even though it was one night stand I have rememberd him quite often, because the sex was amazing....now I definately won't forget his face.

I am not on meds yet and my second test results were CD4 count: 732 VL: 3000....hope I won't need meds for a long time and will stay healthy....because I am very career driven and would hate this virus to prevent me from achieving my lifetime goals!

[jkinatl2]

April 17, 1993.

[ndrew]

March of 2006, during seroconversion, my viral load was over 8 million!!  I don't remember very clearly, as I was pretty sick with a really bad "flu", but my doctor smartly thought we should do an HIV test.  I think he called me and told me the results were positive the next day and wanted me to do a blood test to confirm it.  I had very high fevers, so I don't remember a lot of the details...

[David_CA]

March 3, 2006. 
I have no clue when I was infected.

[cubbybear]

September 17th 2006 though I have been positive for about 5 years.

[chrism1973]

I tested poz on june 18th of 2004. Fathers day weekend....That will never be thet same again..
Chrism

[MoltenStorm]

April 11, 2006 @ 3:50PM

I dove right into seeking treatment, contacting a case manager, theurapist, dietrician, and, of course, doctor.

I will be starting meds soon just as soon as I get the state paperwork finished. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," I say.