1 month positive

[widow87]

Hey everyone, figured I had better start an account an introduce myself since I been reading this website like crazy.    I'm a 27 year old widow who lost my wife in March to suicide.  To compensate for my failures and having never been alone (with my wife since 17)  I had sex with anything that walked by me.  Alcohol and easy woman caught up with me.  I was gearing up for my first cage fight which required bloodwork to participate.  Well I came back positive.  Never even expecting it.  So no longer able to fight or possibly train I have been going crazy trying to figure it all out.  I just started Atripla 3 days ago.  My dr says no reason I can't train once my vital load in undetectable but I have a feeling the owner of the gym won't let me.  About all I got right now.  I do have a good support system though.  My 2 buddies have been great and my gf said she is supportive of me and has been.  Not really sure what else to say lol

[Dan0]

Welcome! 

Good steps in starting tratment - and you don't mention any side-effects so that's even better.  Probably one of the most difficult adjustments to all this is the 'routine'.  It takes a LOT of organization and determination with appointments, diet, exercise, and the usual changes that we have to do to manage the disease along with those things that we should do to successfully manage all this.  I suspect that with your training, you're no stranger to determination, protocols and organization.  You got this! 

I don't really know about the gym requirements. I suspect that there are more than a few individuals who participate in these types of activities who are HIV positive and *hopefully* undetectable. There is something to be said for that milestone of 'undetectability', which you'll find out soon enough.  Atripla does a great job of doing what it's supposed to do.

30 days down.......congrats!

[Andy Velez]

Hello, Widow.

It's good to know you are under the care of a doctor. That's one of your best tools for staying healthy.

You might also check and see what support is available from any AIDS service organizations in your area. Getting accustomed to living with HIV is not something to do alone. You will also find a lot of support and informed knowledge available here from members, so bring up anything that's on your mind or ask questions you may have.

Gradually you're going to see your life is going on. So hang in and come here as often as you want to.

Welcome.

Andy

[widow87]

Thanks guys.  Yeah I fell apart when I first found out.  No exercising, eating like crap figured what's the point.  But I'm back to working out tomorrow.  Oh I had th dizziness from the Atripla so bad that I started taking it at night last night and no problems today.  I have also been dreaming like crazy but except for one night they have all been good or goofy dreams.  I did have a social woke type nurse stop by and give me some info on support groups and what notm. Haven't really looked into it yet.  The only major issue I have had is adjusting to usING condoms all the time and me being petrified of infecting my gf to the point I'm not interested in sex.  So yeah.  Go back to the Dr's January 8th for my first check up after starting Atripla.

[gam65]

Widow, atripila had me with the wild dreams as well and the only side affect that I had was depression but I contacted my doctor and he switched my meds.  I was like you sex was put on the back burner for a minute and I slowly came back to reality and today I'm doing better and It'll be 2yrs for me in march of 2015.  I've found this site to be a great support group after reading everyone's comments for about 2 months.  Keep your head up and we'll check on each other.

[bordem]

Welcome Widow, glad you are doing well on meds!! Same for me, once I started Stribild, its been working pretty good. Waiting to get my 3rd set of labs drawn. My county health dept does not have the ryan white clinic, I have to go the the next county for that about an hour away. Thankfully they send my meds to my local health dept, and I might see if I can get my labs done there when I get my 2nd Hep A/B shot, or at my family doc sometime tomorrow when I call my case manager to check on my refill order and ask her about the labs. My ID doc has been great about working out for my family doc's office to do xrays and such, instead of the hospital since they need a faxed order, and an appt for outpatient ( no promise they could get me in while I was down there), benifits of a rural area I guess lol.