Reactions to HIV diagnosis

Dear Eve

with Rosie Stone

Monday, March 22, 2010

Dear Eve,

My friend just found out that she is HIV positive and after she told me she locked herself away from everybody for a whole week. Is this normal? How did you behave when you just found out about yourself? Since you talk to a lot of people, do you know if anybody else behaves like my friend?

Dear FP,

The best thing you can do for your friend is to be there for her in the way you know how. If you have access to a computer you could go online and read any information you can about HIV.

Encourage your friend to go back to the clinic and talk to an adherence counsellor who will advise her about the steps she needs to take to determine her physical state as it relates to HIV. She will also be given information about support groups in her area.

In relation to your friend's response to her finding out that she is HIV infected, I think that there is no wrong or right way to respond to shock and disbelief. One person I knew, after hearing that he was HIV positive, asked the doctor, "What exactly is that doctor?" The doctor explained. He thanked the doctor, refused to converse anymore, went home, did not tell anybody and for three months did not allow himself to think about HIV and anything connected with it. Another person fainted when she heard her results. There are others who start crying immediately and are sometimes emotionally spent by the time they leave the doctor's office.

Personally, I already knew that the possibility of a positive result was likely because my husband had tested positive the week before. However, when I heard I immediately started to cry.

Since your friend confided in you, encourage her to talk to you if you can. She trusts you, so try not to betray that trust.

Curious

Dear Eve,

I am curious. After diagnosis, some people live for years and some die within a year, why is this so?

Dear AW,

For some people the diagnosis of HIV is not made until the virus has caused irreparable damage to the immune system. This sometimes leads to a low CD4 count, a high viral load count and opportunistic infections developing which lead to the disease AIDS.

If you are fortune enough to be diagnosed early after your HIV infection, before the virus can do much damage and your immune system is in a stronger position to defend your body, then your survival rate is quite high if you follow certain guidelines. For example, get regular check-ups, be aware of your CD4 and viral load counts, get regular exercise, have a balanced diet, avoid stress and if it becomes necessary to go on ARVs, adherence to the drug regimen is essential.

You can send your questions or comments relating to HIV or related issues to info@eveforlife.org or write to Eve for Life, C/O Jamaica Observer.

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Reactions to HIV diagnosis