What to expect

[Undead_Radio]

Hey all

Long post but I could really use some advice.

I am wondering what to expect with an HIV diagnosis from a home test kit and what the next steps will be. Obviously finding a doctor and getting started on treatment is a priority.

First and foremost I am an extremely private person and I am very worried about people finding out. I am originally from this small southern redneck town and I know most people in the community. I am not out. I am not married or have kids or any of that. I travel a lot and most all of my friends are from out of town. HIV is not prevalent here. Here are my concerns:

1.  I work at a local hospital with a good-paying job. Im worried about losing my job if they find out.  I have good insurance but the way it is designed, in order to get the best price for medications is to use the hospital’s pharmacy. Since I basically know most of the employees there I’d rather not have meds filled there. I realize HIPAA is a thing but people still talk. I do have the option of getting meds at a pharmacy of my choice but it would be basically double the co-pay of my hospital’s pharmacy. Depending on the “Tier” the medication is on, the co-pay could be in the hundreds of dollars if not filled at my hospital’s pharmacy. With the sky-high price for this treatment I’m worried about being able to afford it.

Does anyone get their initial treatment/on-going treatment/labs/follow-ups from online sites such as "Redacted by Admin" ? I’ve looked into them and they have doctors who treat HIV via telehealth. This would be most ideal for me in my current situation. There’s no infectious disease services readily available in my area, the closest would be nearly 3 hours away. And with my work schedule, multiple appointments would be difficult to accommodate.

How does switching jobs work with insurance? I am looking to move to a bigger area where I can live a more “anonymous” life without the small-town “everybody knowing everybody” stigma. I would also like to live in an area with a better support system and opportunity to make friends who are going through this also. There are not many resources here in my community. If I move I am very worried about losing insurance coverage. I would not qualify for Medicaid or assistance programs (I don’t think) since I make 100K+ per year.

2.  Diagnosis being reporting to the health department. I’m not sure how this works and how notifying previous partners works. I don’t hookup in my hometown so no one to notify here, most of my partners were from using anonymous apps when out of town. Will I be asked to provide names or my hookup apps account information so they can be notified? I am frankly mortified of all this. Will the health department be contacting me? Working in healthcare in a small town I’m worried I might know someone who works there.

3.  I am not ready nor do I know when I’ll ever be ready to tell my family. My parents are in their 70s and getting older and I have 1 sister.

4.  I realize a lot of these concerns may be irrational. But they are still weighing heavy on my soul right now. Hence why im wide awake at nearly 2am and I have to be up for work at 5am. I’m scared but I know the treatment is good and it works and I’ll be living a long healthy life. But I’m still scared. I hope if haven’t offended anyone on this subreddit with my questions / concerns. If so I apologize.

Any advice regarding the above concerns would be welcomed.  I posted this over on reddit but didnt get much help there.  I came across this forum today and hoping I can get some advice.

[Jim Allen]

Hence why im wide awake at nearly 2am and I have to be up for work at 5am

It's not 2 am where you are. It's not even close to 2 am.

I realize HIPAA is a thing

So the states, current time:

17:45      Chicago (GMT-6)
16:45      Denver (GMT-7)
16:45      Phoenix (GMT-7)
15:45      Los Angeles (GMT-8)
14:45      Anchorage (GMT-9)
13:45      Honolulu (GMT-10)

I will also mention, without disclosing details, that I tracked the IP address you used, and the IP used is also not close to 2 am.

[Undead_Radio]

well like i said, i had posted it over on reddit and didnt get many replies, so copy/pasted over here hoping for more replies.  It was 2am when I posted on Reddit.  Apologies for not noticing or remembering that I left that in there.  I've had alot on my mind and i certainly was not expected to be treated as such on this forum.  wow.

[Undead_Radio]

It's not 2 am where you are. It's not even close to 2 am.

So the states, current time:

17:45      Chicago (GMT-6)
16:45      Denver (GMT-7)
16:45      Phoenix (GMT-7)
15:45      Los Angeles (GMT-8)
14:45      Anchorage (GMT-9)
13:45      Honolulu (GMT-10)

I will also mention, without disclosing details, that I tracked the IP address you used, and the IP used is also not close to 2 am.

well like i said, i had posted it over on reddit and didnt get many replies, so copy/pasted over here hoping for more replies.  It was 2am when I posted on Reddit.  Apologies for not noticing or remembering that I left that in there.  I've had alot on my mind and i certainly was not expected to be treated as such on this forum.  wow.

[Jim Allen]

Summary: You are a hospital worker with insurance, currently earning 100K+, and for whatever reason, took an OTC HIV test that's reactive.


To start, it's just a reactive screening test, not a diagnosis and follow-up testing is needed to rule out HIV. We see false reactive results all the time, they are common enough, but it does mean you should schedule testing with the clinic or hospital to rule out or confirm HIV; until you have a diagnosis, there is no need to overthink things.

So I recommend you go and get tested to confirm your HIV status.

1) These are"what if" issues right now; the priority is firstly testing and knowing your HIV status.

2) Again, These are"what if" issues right now, but Micheal is the expert on this topic. So, HIV is a notifiable illness. but they will not be asking for access to your hookup app account information, they might be asking for details to trace your contacts. There was a recent thread on this that might be helpful: https://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=77261.msg

3) It's a manageable medical condition, just like so many health conditions nowadays that many people keep private or on a need-to-know basis.

Why would you feel the need to tell your parents? What do you hope to gain from that? Many people you know have some manageable medical conditions, and I am sure they haven't shared with you, like common enough issues to the population, herpes, diabetes or recurring fungus to pick on some of the common ones, and why would they tell you so why would you tell them?

4) Already covered.

I work at a local hospital with a good-paying job

I realize HIPAA is a thing but people still talk.

Being a whistleblower jumps to mind, that is, if you can prove fellow healthcare providers or hospital staff are violating HIPPA but consult a lawyer first if you decide to go down that road.

Here's what you need to know to reduce your HIV risks:
Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse correctly and consistently, with no exceptions. Consider talking to your healthcare provider about PrEP as an additional layer of protection against HIV

Keep in mind that some sexual practices described as safe in terms of acquiring HIV still pose a risk for other easier-acquired STIs. So please do get tested at least yearly for STIs, including but not limited to HIV, and more frequently if condomless intercourse occurs.

Also, note that it is possible to have an STI and show no signs or symptoms; testing is the only way to know.

Kind regards

Jim

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[leatherman]

First off, like Jim suggested, you definitely need to have a confirmed diagnosis before worrying about any of the issues you have posted. What a waste of your time, if you haven't really been infected.

I've had alot on my mind and i certainly was not expected to be treated as such on this forum.  wow.

This site uses moderators, rather than AI, to reply to posts regarding possible HIV exposures. Unfortunately, we get a lot of people with zero exposures who needlessly worry, a lot of spam, a lot of site attacks, a lot of crazy, and a lot of nonsense. Since we get questions from around the world, sometimes something like a time-stamp discrepancy can help point out someone just messing around. TBH, a claim of being a health care worker is often a red-flag because quite frequently those claims are false. Right now, you're just a person with a possible exposure (did you test for a specific reason? Did you actually even have an exposure? Was that a false positive on a home test?) and until you've got a confirmed diagnosis, we're always a little skeptical in the Am I Infected and Do I have HIV forums.

Living here in rural SC, I can understand many of your possible concerns; but, based on my having lived with HIV for 40 years, most of your issues are actually non-issues. In reality, no one really cares about your health issues and unless you tell them, no one will know. I know, I know. You would tell me about how everyone gossips; but quite frankly, after HIV being around half a century, there's hardly a county in every state that doesn't have at least a handful of people living with HIV. Maybe the Dakotas with their small population has a county or two free of people and therefore HIV; but in the South HIV is quite prevalent and every county is affected. Believe it or not, you will certainly not be the first person in your local area to be diagnosed and living with HIV, IF you get a positive diagnosis.

Now to answer one of your points, if you turn out to be HIV positive

2.  Diagnosis being reporting to the health department.

So an official notice of an HIV diagnosis is given to a state's health dept. Depending on their funding level and employment level, eventually a person diagnosed receives a letter or call. The health dpt determines if the person contacted understands they are HIV+, understands the need for treatment, and understands how HIV is transmitted. They will be asked for information for anyone that they were in sexual contact with. However, the person diagnosed with HIV is under no requirement to give any information about their partners if they don't wish to share. These /partners people are contacted and told they may have been put at risk for HIV and testing is suggested.

Working in healthcare in a small town I’m worried I might know someone who works there.

Well, if you would have to travel 3 hours to get treatment, there's probably no state infectious disease outreach/contact employee in your area either.

Just so you know, if you do have a positive HIV diagnosis, you can deal with most of your what-if scenarios that concern you. You simply have to not treat an HIV diagnosis with the shame that you seem to have about that kind of diagnosis now. When you treat HIV like any other chronic manageable disease and can easily explain about U=U, you can easily dispel can possible criticisms or issue you might experience if your diagnosis is discovered.

For now, you need to get a confirmed diagnosis and then worry about what happens next.