dopetalk
Core Topics => HCV and HIV => Topic started by: candy on July 22, 2015, 08:21:28 AM
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Have you been tested for HIV?
Testing for HIV can be a very scary experience for most, if not all who are tested.
If you have had unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex, shared needles or injecting equipment, or even shared a straw used to inhale drugs, you could be at risk for the HIV virus.
If you have been tested in the past and were negative, it is always a good idea to be tested a second time, especially if you engaged in any risky behavior after testing the first time.
It is always a good idea to be sure.
If you are negative, and have not shared since your last test, I still advise that you take a second test. This is due to the window period in HIV transmission.
What is the Window Period?
When a person becomes infected, HIV multiplies in the blood and the body develops antibodies against the virus. HIV has most commonly been diagnosed in adolescents and adults using tests that detect antibodies. However, newer tests can detect both antibodies to HIV and certain proteins of the virus itself.
The “window period” is the length of time after infection that it takes for the virus to become detectable by HIV diagnostic tests. The length of the window period varies depending on the type of diagnostic test used and the method it employs to detect the virus.
The window period varies slightly from person to person. It is extremely rare for an HIV-infected person not to develop antibodies by 3 months after a potential exposure. A person who tests negative for HIV antibodies 3 to 6 months after an exposure does not require further testing unless he or she has had repeated exposures to HIV or if the antibody test results are incompatible with the person’s clinical history.
Getting a second test to be sure is an option and one I have recommended. Even if you have not engaged in any risky behavior, it is best to be sure.
Looking for a testing site in the U.S., check here: https://gettested.cdc.gov/
Contact me if you have any questions.
Any information you share off the site will always remain confidential. That is a promise!
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They have places in New Orleans that pay you to be tested on the spot. Find one near you and get tested while getting paid!
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YAY CANDY!
I can say that I have been terrified every time I had to get tested
thats right, HAD TO GET TESTED
as in I was feeling much worse psychologically NOT KNOWING!
We all do at least some questionable behaviors
please just check and make sure its not biting you in the ass so hard ya?
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Everyone please get tested,
Living HIV+ isn't nearly the death sentence it was in the early 80s, and many many many many people (one's you know but remain ignorant of their health condition) are managing their condition with the ever expanding therapies available and living great quality lives. So don't be scared, if anything, you should be scared about spreading that shit unwittingly.
IDK about you, but I don't fuck with condoms, so getting tested regularly is a no-brainer. 100% raw dog, and even though I don't have casual sex anyone, my partner is human and we all make mistakes.
Getting tested was actually really hard; at one point I was certain I'd been exposed, and growing up in Maryland (Baltimore and DC constantly switch back and forth with highest infection rates in the USA) I actually grew up with a lot of kids who became positive in their teens. However, they are all doing great, clean, and still healthy
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I've always been pretty much a one-woman dog.
Nevertheless, I got tested for HIV and other STDs after every breakup (My ROA has never been IV), through my primary care physician.
It was occasionally a tense situation (not every partner was a one-dog woman), but the actual experience of being tested was always professional and as comfortable as possible. So far so good.
Better to know than not know.
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Home Access also offers an in-home HIV (and Hep C) test. You prick your finger, swipe some blood on a special card, seal it and send it off. You're given a code # and you call after a certain number of days, punch in your code, and get your results over the phone. They can also find free in-person sites for you to test:
HIV Information: 800-HIV-TEST (800-448-8378)
Hepatitis C Information: 888-888-HEPC (888-888-4372)
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Yes, they do offer the mail in testing, if that is what you prefer.
The only reason I would suggest getting tested in person is the counseling that comes with it.
I have had to give many people their positive test results and it can be a very frightening experience.
Having someone who is trained to counsel clients can really make the whole experience a little easier.
It is true that today many HIV+ people are leading long healthy lives.
If you are involved in risky behaviors (unprotected sex (both anal and vaginal) with multiple partners, IDU, snorting drugs, positive for other STD's, oral sex) you should be tested.
Is it scary? Yes!!!! But, not knowing and potentially passing it on to others you come into contact with sexually or by way of sharing equipment, is not cool.
Knowing your status is a good thing.
The only way we can continue to decrease the number of new infections is by spreading good information, using condoms and lubrication during sex, and not sharing any of the equipment you use to inject or snort with, and by sharing your status if you are positive.
There is so much information out there on how to stay safe and there is no reason not to be safe.
Anyone who is HIV+ and knows they are HIV+, and does not share that information with potential partners/those they share equipment should be really ashamed of themselves. I know it can be hard to tell someone that you are HIV+, but it is a great responsibility that comes with this diagnosis.
If anyone needs any further info, please contact me anytime.
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In NYC I know there is a free clinic in Jamaica across from the social security building.
Free and it takes 20 minutes tops.
I had to get a new ss card and I lost all my id. The only way to get a new ss card is to have a doctor confirm your id (which would have taken more time than I had)but the loop hole is they send you to that clinic and they Will ok you if you have some kind of id and get tested.
I used the clinic just for the sake of getting them to ok my id and all tests were good aka negative.
If anyone in NYC needs the addy pm me.
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Idk if this is exactly relevant
But Cook County Jail
Tests you for HIV, HEP C, and other STD's
Upon intake
Not saying go to jail
To get tested
But...
If you find yourself there
Defo take advantage of it