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Author Topic: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried  (Read 13865 times)

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Offline skips

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  • Posts: 17
My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« on: April 07, 2012, 07:28:55 am »
So many many months ago I posted about my then partner contracting HIV, which he contracted through what I would consider safe sexual practice (oral sex).

I don't know what I want from this post, I'm just worried about him. How do I know he'll be okay?

He started medication almost immediately after finding out, and his VL has dropped from 50,000 to about 500. This is great, obviously.

His CD4 isn't the greatest though, about 350.

I can't help but worry about him most of the time. How do I get comfort that he'll be okay? Is HIV really a chronic condition these days, and sticking to his medicine he'll be okay?

How do I ensure he has the best care possible?

We live in London by the way. Is private care the best?

Thanks in advance.

(He says that he still loves me, he just can't have sex with me now that he has HIV. He doesn't want to harm me.)

Offline skips

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  • Posts: 17
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2012, 08:03:58 am »
Thank you to the 82 people who viewed and said nothing.

Offline TabooPrincess

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  • Posts: 314
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2012, 08:18:04 am »
You don't need private health-care in England - NHS is just fine and well up there with  all the latest research and options, also governed by better policies so I'd avoid private.  His numbers sound ok to me (take a look at mine below to compare) and he'll get even better now he's on medication. 

I know it's a scarey time and you probably want loads of answers and re-assurance instantly.  Believe me when I say that nothing happens quickly - he's not just gonna keel over and die, he'll be ok. 

Not sure about the oral sex thing though....Although I've not taken the time to read your story so I don't know the background to this. I'd presume there was more to this than he's letting on.

He'll be fine, don't panic *hugs*
09/ 2008 - Seroconversion
11/2008 - Tested pos, cd4 640 vl 25400
12/2008 - cd4 794 vl 27798, 35%
03/2009 - cd4 844 vl 68846, 35%
06/2009 - cd4 476 vl 49151, 33% (pregnancy confirmed)
08/2009 - cd4 464 vl 54662, 32%
Started meds for pregnancy (Kaletra, AZT, Viread)
09/2009 - cd4 841 vl 3213, 42%
10/2009 - cd4 860 vl 1088, 41%
11/2009 - cd4 771 vl 563, 38%
12/2009 - cd4 885 vl 151 42%
Discontinued meds after baby born
02/2010 - cd4 841 vl 63781, 38%
05/2010 - cd4 1080 vl 113000, 39%
08/2010 - cd4 770 vl 109242
12/2010 - cd4 642 vl 111000, 34%
06/2011 - cd4 450 vl 222000, 33%
11/2011 - cd4 419 vl 212000, 24%
03/2012 - cd4 280 vl 118000, 26% (repeated Cd4 at 360)
05/2012 -cd4 360 vl 99,190
10/2012 Atripla, cd4 690, vl 80
12/2012 Darunavir, norvir, truvada, Cd4 680, vl u/d
07/2013 cd4 750,ud

Offline MarkB

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  • Posts: 292
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2012, 12:44:11 pm »
Thank you to the 82 people who viewed and said nothing.

I can see that you are upset about your friend, but your post is a bit harsh, in my opinion. This website is read by many more people than its members alone; and of those members who did view it, not all may have felt able (or even perhaps had the opportunity) to comment at that time.

However your partner may have contracted the virus, you are where you are; the past is not the issue, however incomprehensible it may seem to you. Of course you are worried about him, and understandably so. But to address your question: How do you know he'll be okay? Well, already you can see that the medication which he has been prescribed is working. His viral load has reduced; his CD4 is not impossibly low even now, and may well rise in time. As TabooPrincess pointed out, he is not going to keel over and die.

You ask: Is HIV really a chronic condition these days, and if he sticks to his medicine will he be okay?

By way of answer to the first part of that question, in a nutshell, yes; HIV remains a chronic condition, as is (for example) diabetes, which I also have. But while I am no doctor, if your friend adheres rigorously to his medication, takes care of himself, and continues to be monitored by his clinic on a regular basis, there is every chance that he will be fine. To put it in context, someone who attends the clinic I go to is now in his nineties, and he is fine too.

You say you live in London. Is your friend entitled to treatment under the NHS? If so - again, as TabooPrincess has said - he will receive excellent care, and will not have to pay a penny towards his meds. There are a number of very good clinics in London: you do not have to go private.

I hope this helps.


/ ... edited for clarity.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2012, 12:51:15 pm by MarkB »

Offline TabooPrincess

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  • Posts: 314
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2012, 01:11:48 pm »
Mark - just to add, everybody in England (illegal or otherwise) is able to get treatment under the NHS for hiv.  I guess it's considered a public protection issue or something.

To quote
  Furthermore, people either entering and/or remaining in this country without proper authority are a matter for the Home Office and the Immigration Services, and it is up to these services to enforce immigration regulations robustly and swiftly. While they remain in this country, whether illegally or legally, people with untreated HIV pose a threat to the nation's public health, which is why the Department of Health's primary concern must be providing treatment for them to protect public health.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2012, 01:16:18 pm by TabooPrincess »
09/ 2008 - Seroconversion
11/2008 - Tested pos, cd4 640 vl 25400
12/2008 - cd4 794 vl 27798, 35%
03/2009 - cd4 844 vl 68846, 35%
06/2009 - cd4 476 vl 49151, 33% (pregnancy confirmed)
08/2009 - cd4 464 vl 54662, 32%
Started meds for pregnancy (Kaletra, AZT, Viread)
09/2009 - cd4 841 vl 3213, 42%
10/2009 - cd4 860 vl 1088, 41%
11/2009 - cd4 771 vl 563, 38%
12/2009 - cd4 885 vl 151 42%
Discontinued meds after baby born
02/2010 - cd4 841 vl 63781, 38%
05/2010 - cd4 1080 vl 113000, 39%
08/2010 - cd4 770 vl 109242
12/2010 - cd4 642 vl 111000, 34%
06/2011 - cd4 450 vl 222000, 33%
11/2011 - cd4 419 vl 212000, 24%
03/2012 - cd4 280 vl 118000, 26% (repeated Cd4 at 360)
05/2012 -cd4 360 vl 99,190
10/2012 Atripla, cd4 690, vl 80
12/2012 Darunavir, norvir, truvada, Cd4 680, vl u/d
07/2013 cd4 750,ud

Offline MarkB

  • Member
  • Posts: 292
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2012, 01:23:42 pm »
Good call, TabooPrincess - I stand corrected.

M

Offline MarkB

  • Member
  • Posts: 292
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2012, 01:37:42 pm »
I can see that you are upset about your friend, but your post is a bit harsh, in my opinion. This website is read by many more people than its members alone; and of those members who did view it, not all may have felt able (or even perhaps had the opportunity) to comment at that time.

However your friend may have contracted the virus, you are where you are; the past is not the issue, however incomprehensible it may seem to you. Of course you are worried about him, and understandably so. But to address your question: How do you know he'll be okay? Well, already you can see that the medication which he has been prescribed is working. His viral load has reduced; his CD4 is not impossibly low even now, and may well rise in time. As TabooPrincess pointed out, he is not going to keel over and die.

You ask: Is HIV really a chronic condition these days, and if he sticks to his medicine will he be okay?

By way of answer to the first part of that question, in a nutshell, yes; HIV remains a chronic condition, as is (for example) diabetes, which I also have. But while I am no doctor, if your friend adheres rigorously to his medication, takes care of himself, and continues to be monitored by his clinic on a regular basis, there is every chance that he will be fine. To put it in context, someone who attends the clinic I go to is now in his nineties, and he is fine too.

You say you live in London. Is your friend entitled to treatment under the NHS? If so - again, as TabooPrincess has said - he will receive excellent care, and will not have to pay a penny towards his meds. There are a number of very good clinics in London: you do not have to go private.

I hope this helps.


/ ... edited for clarity.

Apologies all round for the double posting - I corrected a word and it posted again. I'm having a bad day ...

 ;D
« Last Edit: April 11, 2012, 01:39:38 pm by MarkB »

Offline skips

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  • Posts: 17
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2012, 09:54:25 am »
Thanks for the replies, I feel a bit better, I suppose I will always worry though.

We're both British and live in London so yes he receives free health care (go NHS!!!) but I just wondered if private was any better.

As for the disbelief in catching it through oral sex, you can believe what you like but I know he's honest. He caught it through oral sex, swallowing cum. All anal sex was protected. I was shocked he caught it that way too.

Offline mecch

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  • red pill? or blue pill?
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2012, 10:02:53 am »
(He says that he still loves me, he just can't have sex with me now that he has HIV. He doesn't want to harm me.)
Did you two break up because he got HIV?
You can have sex without you getting it, too.  That's a fear he needs to get over.  You still want to be with him? You still love him that way?
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline skips

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  • Posts: 17
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #9 on: April 13, 2012, 11:21:31 am »
Did you two break up because he got HIV?
You can have sex without you getting it, too.  That's a fear he needs to get over.  You still want to be with him? You still love him that way?

Yes, we broke up because he contracted HIV. He now can't be with me because he can't have sex with me, because he has HIV. I'm fine with it, but he's not.

I still love him just as much as I always did. I'd do anything for him and it kills me not to be with him.

Offline mecch

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  • red pill? or blue pill?
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #10 on: April 13, 2012, 04:40:40 pm »
Im sorry to hear that.  It would be nice if you two could be together officially with the agreement that he needs time to work out the phobias about HIV.  Sex is important for a couple but its not the only thing right.
Did you propose that? 

But given that you are officially not a couple, I dunno maybe, be patient, maybe in a few months he will get more comfortable.  Is he reading a bit about HIV and finding out that there isn't a risk if you have safe sex?  In a short time he will be undetectable, maybe that will be the kicker.
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline Dachshund

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Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #11 on: April 16, 2012, 03:32:57 pm »


As for the disbelief in catching it through oral sex, you can believe what you like but I know he's honest. He caught it through oral sex, swallowing cum. All anal sex was protected. I was shocked he caught it that way too.

How do you know all his anal sex was protected? Maybe the condom broke.

Offline Joe K

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  • Posts: 5,821
  • 31 Years Poz
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #12 on: April 16, 2012, 07:05:31 pm »
As for the disbelief in catching it through oral sex, you can believe what you like but I know he's honest. He caught it through oral sex, swallowing cum. All anal sex was protected. I was shocked he caught it that way too.

Skips,

If you are going to learn about HIV, you need to know the REAL methods of transmission.  You don't become poz by swallowing cum.

Joe

Offline jkinatl2

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Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #13 on: April 17, 2012, 02:25:23 am »
Skips,

If you are going to learn about HIV, you need to know the REAL methods of transmission.  You don't become poz by swallowing cum.

Joe

I no longer linger in any meaningful capacity in either the Just Infected forum or this one, despite the wording on the forum rules themselves. I have been HIV positive since April, 1993, and have held a position as an HIV/AIDS educator more or less consistently since 1996.

Here's the deal.

We have not, for a decade or more, been in the least concerned about oral transmission. The money spent on flavored condoms and absolutely useless oral transmission guidelines were a joke. As soon as patient report-based HIV transmission theory studies started coming out (post-HAART, post 1995) the research data was clear.

I do what I can not to engage infected people in a war or transmission. You want to believe you got HIV from a haircut? Fine. Just take your meds and try not to ask for a lot of science.

But it's HARD for me to provide any real discourse when the elephant in the room lingers. And Goddess knows, it has cost me a lot of popularity in these forums. But I base my risk assessment AND my HIV medication/treatment information in the SAME first tiered peer-reviewed scientific data. To deny some of that is to question the Socratic method, period.

So here is what we routinely state in AM I INFECTED:


No incident HIV infections among MSM who practice exclusively oral sex.
Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. WePpC2072)??Balls JE, Evans JL, Dilley J, Osmond D, Shiboski S, Shiboski C, Klausner J, McFarland W, Greenspan D, Page-Shafer K?University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States

Oral transmission of HIV, reality or fiction? An update
J Campo1, MA Perea1, J del Romero2, J Cano1, V Hernando2, A Bascones1
Oral Diseases (2006) 12, 219–228

AIDS:  Volume 16(17)  22 November 2002  pp 2350-2352
Risk of HIV infection attributable to oral sex among men who have sex with men and in the population of men who have sex with men

Page-Shafer, Kimberlya,b; Shiboski, Caroline Hb; Osmond, Dennis Hc; Dilley, Jamesd; McFarland, Willie; Shiboski, Steve Cc; Klausner, Jeffrey De; Balls, Joycea; Greenspan, Deborahb; Greenspan

Page-Shafer K, Veugelers PJ, Moss AR, Strathdee S, Kaldor JM, van Griensven GJ. Sexual risk behavior and risk factors for HIV-1 seroconversion in homosexual men participating in the Tricontinental Seroconverter Study, 1982-1994 [published erratum appears in Am J Epidemiol 1997 15 Dec; 146(12):1076]. Am J Epidemiol 1997, 146:531-542.

Studies which show the fallacy of relying on anecdotal evidence as opposed to carefully controlled study insofar as HIV transmission risk is concerned:

Jenicek M. "Clinical Case Reporting" in Evidence-Based Medicine. Oxford: Butterworth–Heinemann; 1999:117

Saltzman SP, Stoddard AM, McCusker J, Moon MW, Mayer KH. Reliability of self-reported sexual behavior risk factors for HIV infection in homosexual men. Public Health Rep. 1987 102(6):692–697.Nov–Dec;

Catania JA, Gibson DR, Chitwood DD, Coates TJ. Methodological problems in AIDS behavioral research: influences on measurement error and participation bias in studies of sexual behavior. Psychol Bull. 1990 Nov;108(3):339–362.

Flame on.  And I am sorry for butting in.

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline skips

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  • Posts: 17
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #14 on: April 17, 2012, 04:25:12 pm »
This seems to be going somewhat off topic but I'll respond none the less.

You first have to trust that my ex is honest, if you don't, then stop reading.

All of his anal sex was protected. No condoms broke. If those two things are true, then my understanding is that he couldnt have caught HIV through anal sex.

His only possible exposure to HIV was through oral sex, swallowing cum. He always brushed his teeth before going to meet someone - my understanding is that a break in the mouth can allow transmission?

If there is some sort of breakdown in my logic then please, genuinely, educate me.

Offline Joe K

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  • 31 Years Poz
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #15 on: April 17, 2012, 09:35:08 pm »
This seems to be going somewhat off topic but I'll respond none the less.

You first have to trust that my ex is honest, if you don't, then stop reading.

All of his anal sex was protected. No condoms broke. If those two things are true, then my understanding is that he couldnt have caught HIV through anal sex.

His only possible exposure to HIV was through oral sex, swallowing cum. He always brushed his teeth before going to meet someone - my understanding is that a break in the mouth can allow transmission?

If there is some sort of breakdown in my logic then please, genuinely, educate me.

Skips,

Please understand that nobody is attacking either you or your boyfriend, however you cannot get HIV from swallowing cum.  It doesn't happen for so many reasons and if you read many of JKs references you can see the science for yourself.  As to your logic, I see two distinct faults.  First trusting that your ex is totally honest and the second that he has never had unprotected sexual intercourse, or that a condom never failed.  Just because you want to believe something, does not make it true.  Nor can you ignore what 30 years of HIV transmission research has show to be the only ways to contract HIV.

Again, you can't become poz by swallowing cum, so maybe your initial logic is somehow flawed, because the science never lies.

Joe

Offline jkinatl2

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Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #16 on: April 18, 2012, 12:03:59 am »
Maybe the OP would get more educated replies if she didn't expressly forbid those of us with the most HIV experience and knowledge to post.

At some point in dealing with HIV infection you simply have to trust the validity of the science. Picking and choosing might work for progressive Lutherans, but it spells trouble in the world of HIV.

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline Assurbanipal

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  • Taking a forums break, still see PM's
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #17 on: April 18, 2012, 09:14:21 pm »
It should be noted that while the list of references cited above is very helpful it is not generally "first tiered, peer reviewed" science.

Peer review generally applies to published journal articles, not to colloquia, notes, many presentations at meetings, interpretive or speculative papers ... Furthermore, while "first tier" is arguably defined by the community of researchers in a particular area, it generally references the status of the journal in which the science is published. Science, Nature, PNAS and the top few journals in a field are "first tier"  "Oral Diseases" is not.

This does not make it bad science.  But when someone asserts that scientific work has had a higher level of review and authority than is evident, it causes one to question the scientific training of those making the claim and limits the credibility one assigns to their intrepretation of the results of the studies.

In that respect, it should be noted that the authors of the articles cited DO NOT generally draw the conclusion that there is no risk of transmission via oral sex.  Instead they note that they did not find transmission in their "modest" sample of individuals but that other studies have found transmission and thus characterize the risk as "rare", "very low"... 


This seems to be going somewhat off topic but I'll respond none the less.

You first have to trust that my ex is honest, if you don't, then stop reading.

All of his anal sex was protected. No condoms broke. If those two things are true, then my understanding is that he couldnt have caught HIV through anal sex.

His only possible exposure to HIV was through oral sex, swallowing cum. He always brushed his teeth before going to meet someone - my understanding is that a break in the mouth can allow transmission?

If there is some sort of breakdown in my logic then please, genuinely, educate me.

Skips

You may find the following discussion material useful (it is from the scientists who published one of the main papers).  Basically it points out that many individuals who engage in both protected anal sex and oral sex attribute any infection to oral sex -- whereas transmission rates are significantly higher among those who report both behaviors. (I've highlighted this portion in bold)  One might speculate,based on this discussion, that it is much more likely that something went wrong in the protected anal sex your partner had, than in the oral sex.

The absence of HIV infections detected in this sample confirms previous
research that orally acquired HIV infection is rare. HIV prevalence and
incidence among MSM who tested at the same anonymous testing sites in
San Francisco during a similar time period (December 1999 to February
2001) were appreciably higher. The overall prevalence of HIV infection was
3.3% (95% CI 2.9-3.9), and among repeat testers the incidence was 1.9/100
person-years (95% CI 1.6-2.3). Among those who reported unprotected RAI,
HIV prevalence and incidence were 5.1% (95% CI, 4.1-6.3) and 3.5/100
person-years (95% CI, 2.7-4.5), respectively. Among those who reported
protected RAI, HIV prevalence and incidence was 2.3% (95% CI, 1.7-3.1) and
1.7/100 person-years (95%CI 1.2-2.3), respectively (T. Kellogg, San
Francisco Department of Public Health, personal communication). These
figures reveal the striking difference in the risk of HIV between those who
report exclusively fellatio and those who report higher-risk sexual behaviors.
A strength of this study is that participants were queried about behaviors
before HIV testing. Consistently, studies that rely on individuals identifying
'how they got infected', report a higher proportion of orally acquired infections
than can be reliably established [4,5]. HIV-positive MSM may inaccurately
report higher-risk exposures for reasons including social desirability and
recall. Men may also report having only oral sex as a risk behavior because
that is the only 'unprotected' sexual behavior they engage in, not
acknowledging anal sex when a condom was used. Vittinghoff et al. [3]
hypothesized that condom breakage or slippage could account for the higher
per-act infectivity of protected anal sex compared with unprotected fellatio
.
Our results are based on a modest sample size; therefore, we cannot rule out
the possibility that the probability of infection is indeed greater than zero. Our
data and those of others (D. Osmond, San Francisco Young Men's Health
Study:  3%, unpublished data) show that the proportion of individuals who
engage exclusively in fellatio is very low, thus obtaining precise and reliable
estimates of the per-partner and per-contact risks of acquiring HIV from
fellatio will be difficult. The likely importance of heterogeneity of susceptibility
and infectiousness add further uncertainty to quantifying risk.
Our calculations showing very low PAR% are consistent with the findings of
extremely low individual risk. In addition, if one considers that only a fraction
of those who report fellatio are actually exposed to semen (35%), the PAR%
will be considerably lower.
These data confirm that the risk of HIV infection attributable to fellatio among
MSM and in the MSM population is especially low. It is important that health
professionals, including HIV counsellors have valid information to impart to
their sexually active clients. If individuals believe that the risk of HIV from
fellatio is high or on a par with well-documented high-risk exposures such as
anogenital sex, they may not feel that sexual behavior choices make a
difference. Acquiring HIV through fellatio is significantly less risky than from
anal sex, and therefore one's choice of sexual practices do matter.


http://www.sidastudi.org/resources/inmagic-img/dd1765.pdf
5/06 VL 1M+, CD4 22, 5% , pneumonia, thrush -- O2 support 2 months, 6/06 +Kaletra/Truvada
9/06 VL 3959 CD4 297 13.5% 12/06 VL <400 CD4 350 15.2% +Pravachol
2007 VL<400, 70, 50 CD4 408-729 16.0% -19.7%
2008 VL UD CD4 468 - 538 16.7% - 24.6% Osteoporosis 11/08 doubled Pravachol, +Calcium/D
02/09 VL 100 CD4 616 23.7% 03/09 VL 130 5/09 VL 100 CD4 540 28.4% +Actonel (osteoporosis) 7/09 VL 130
8/09  new regimen Isentress/Epzicom 9/09 VL UD CD4 621 32.7% 11/09 VL UD CD4 607 26.4% swap Isentress for Prezista/Norvir 12/09 (liver and muscle issues) VL 50
2010 VL UD CD4 573-680 26.1% - 30.9% 12/10 VL 20
2011 VL UD-20 CD4 568-673 24.7%-30.6%
2012 VL UD swap Prezista/Norvir for Reyataz drop statin CD4 768-828 26.7%-30.7%
2014 VL UD - 48
2015 VL 130 Moved to Triumeq

Offline jkinatl2

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Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #18 on: April 20, 2012, 01:10:35 am »
Wait, the page-shafer and romero  studies were not first tiered peer-reviewed science?

Says who? They absolutely were.



"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline jkinatl2

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Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #19 on: April 20, 2012, 01:29:10 am »
SO you are comfortable lumping in pre-HAART reported sexual behavioral science with not one, but THREE POST-HAART studies which circumvented the use of what has long been established as being an unreliable source of accurate information?

Hell, while you are at it, let's put kissing back on the menu.

Also, "oral sex: means one of four distinct activities. Can you at least be accurate in discerning which one you reference?

I'm sorry, but the studies I quoted are absolutely peer-reviewed. They involved hundreds of couples followed for ten, five and three years respectively.

I find it both odd and disingenuous that, YEARS after these studies have been used as evidence of the relative risk (or lack thereof) or oral copulation as risks for HIV transmission, you JUST NOW choose to weigh in.

You want to discredit me? Go on, do it. I will happily resign from monitoring the AM I INFECTED forum.

But until you present clear evidence that I am doing harm by asserting the science I assert, then I shall continue to do so on this forum and outside of it.

The Page-Shafer studies and the Romero studies are NOT:

colloquia, notes, many presentations at meetings, interpretive or speculative papers .

They are indeed published works at the top tier of their respective fields. That I also add a discussion is irrelevant- it only adds to the conversation, not waters it down.

And what of the studies which discredit patient report as a reliable source of sexually transmitted disease information?

You wan to undercut the basics? Where were you a decade ago when I started this discussion?







"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline Ann

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    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #20 on: April 20, 2012, 11:01:38 am »
Can I suggest the debate about studies be taken elsewhere? Beating Skips (or each other) over the head with scientific journals is not going to change the fact that his boyfriend is hiv positive. They're both very new to this and they'll come to grips with how hiv came into their lives in their own time.

In the meantime, all we can do is be supportive, while doing out best to not be preachy. I know, difficult balance to achieve at times.

Skips, the most important thing right now is that your boyfriend is getting the medical and emotional support he needs. Calling him out on how he was infected won't achieve either aim, so let it be. At least for now.
Condoms are a girl's best friend

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"...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 TabooPrincess

  • Member
  • Posts: 314
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #21 on: April 20, 2012, 01:57:56 pm »
 jkinatl2 - FOUR ways?!!   ???
09/ 2008 - Seroconversion
11/2008 - Tested pos, cd4 640 vl 25400
12/2008 - cd4 794 vl 27798, 35%
03/2009 - cd4 844 vl 68846, 35%
06/2009 - cd4 476 vl 49151, 33% (pregnancy confirmed)
08/2009 - cd4 464 vl 54662, 32%
Started meds for pregnancy (Kaletra, AZT, Viread)
09/2009 - cd4 841 vl 3213, 42%
10/2009 - cd4 860 vl 1088, 41%
11/2009 - cd4 771 vl 563, 38%
12/2009 - cd4 885 vl 151 42%
Discontinued meds after baby born
02/2010 - cd4 841 vl 63781, 38%
05/2010 - cd4 1080 vl 113000, 39%
08/2010 - cd4 770 vl 109242
12/2010 - cd4 642 vl 111000, 34%
06/2011 - cd4 450 vl 222000, 33%
11/2011 - cd4 419 vl 212000, 24%
03/2012 - cd4 280 vl 118000, 26% (repeated Cd4 at 360)
05/2012 -cd4 360 vl 99,190
10/2012 Atripla, cd4 690, vl 80
12/2012 Darunavir, norvir, truvada, Cd4 680, vl u/d
07/2013 cd4 750,ud

Offline spacebarsux

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Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #22 on: April 20, 2012, 03:02:23 pm »
jkinatl2 - FOUR ways?!!   ???

1. Person performing oral sex on male
2. Male receiving oral sex (insertive partner)
3. Female receiving oral sex (Cunnilingus)
4. Performing oral sex on a female.

« Last Edit: April 20, 2012, 03:04:35 pm by spacebarsux »
Infected-  2005 or early 2006; Diagnosed- Jan 28th, 2011; Feb '11- CD4 754 @34%, VL- 39K; July '11- CD4 907@26%,  VL-81K; Feb '12- CD4 713 @31%, VL- 41K, Nov '12- CD4- 827@31%

Offline Ann

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  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #23 on: April 20, 2012, 05:04:11 pm »
jkinatl2 - FOUR ways?!!   ???

Can you think of a fifth or sixth? If you can, we're all ears!
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 TabooPrincess

  • Member
  • Posts: 314
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #24 on: April 21, 2012, 02:02:00 am »
Lol for some reason I could only think of 3 - but it's obvious now!
09/ 2008 - Seroconversion
11/2008 - Tested pos, cd4 640 vl 25400
12/2008 - cd4 794 vl 27798, 35%
03/2009 - cd4 844 vl 68846, 35%
06/2009 - cd4 476 vl 49151, 33% (pregnancy confirmed)
08/2009 - cd4 464 vl 54662, 32%
Started meds for pregnancy (Kaletra, AZT, Viread)
09/2009 - cd4 841 vl 3213, 42%
10/2009 - cd4 860 vl 1088, 41%
11/2009 - cd4 771 vl 563, 38%
12/2009 - cd4 885 vl 151 42%
Discontinued meds after baby born
02/2010 - cd4 841 vl 63781, 38%
05/2010 - cd4 1080 vl 113000, 39%
08/2010 - cd4 770 vl 109242
12/2010 - cd4 642 vl 111000, 34%
06/2011 - cd4 450 vl 222000, 33%
11/2011 - cd4 419 vl 212000, 24%
03/2012 - cd4 280 vl 118000, 26% (repeated Cd4 at 360)
05/2012 -cd4 360 vl 99,190
10/2012 Atripla, cd4 690, vl 80
12/2012 Darunavir, norvir, truvada, Cd4 680, vl u/d
07/2013 cd4 750,ud

Offline sshortguy1

  • Member
  • Posts: 118
Re: My ex, and now best friend, I'm worried
« Reply #25 on: April 25, 2012, 04:38:51 pm »
ive read these comments 4 the ease of mind the issue isn't how he got it or anything its in the past the issue now is learn how to manage his immune system and stick with the medication but i do know stressing others out doesn't do a bit of good

 


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