Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Maintaining a Combat Attitude
• Part 2 of 3: Getting started
• Part 3 of 3: Staying in Good Health
• Tips
• Warnings

If you are diagnosed with HIV / AIDS, then it is quite normal to feel destroyed and overwhelmed. However, these days HIV / AIDS is no longer a death sentence. By taking medication and living a healthy lifestyle - physically and mentally - you can live a long and happy life. Yes, there is no doubt that it will be physically and mentally difficult for you to live with such a burden. However, with the right approach, you can live a long and fulfilling life even with HIV / AIDS. More than a million Americans are now living with HIV / AIDS, so you should at least remember that you are not alone. To learn how to live with HIV / AIDS, read this article!

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Maintaining a Combat Attitude

1. 1 Remember HIV / AIDS is not a death sentence. And yes, it can be nearly impossible to stay positive after being diagnosed with HIV / AIDS - however, you must remember that life does not end. Quite frankly, recent research has shown that life expectancy expectations are very similar for people with and without HIV / AIDS. In other words, if you pull yourself together, then your life not over. And while you’ve hardly ever heard the worse news, remember that if you work on the mood, you can cope with it!
   • According to studies, the average HIV-positive resident of the United States will live to 63. The average homosexual man, in turn, will last to 77. Of course, it all depends on many factors - existing diseases, conditions of infection, type of virus, the transition from HIV to AIDS and reactions to medications, as well as from taking them.
   • When basketball player Magic Johnson found out in 1991 that he was HIV-positive, many thought his life and career were over. Twenty-three years have passed, and Johnson is alive, healthy and vigorous!
2. 2 Give yourself time to get used to this thought. Do not think that you will get used to all this for the next couple of weeks, realizing that you have lived wrong all this time and that now you need to start looking for real joy in life. You will not become a ray of goodness, you may not impress your loved ones with how positively you took the sad news about HIV / AIDS. But after you give yourself time to understand that life is not over, to get used to your HIV-positive status, you feel yourself better. Alas, there is no specific date (3 weeks / 3 months) after which you will feel "normal" again, but if you are patient, you exactly you will feel better.
   • This does not mean that you do not need to find out about treatment methods as soon as possible. It only means that you need to be patient mentally.
3. 3 Don't blame or blame. HIV / AIDS can be contracted in many ways, the most common of which are unprotected sex, sharing needles, giving birth to an HIV-positive mother, or contact with HIV-positive blood (which is especially true among doctors). If you get AIDS because of reckless behavior and now blame yourself, then ... better not. Yes, you may have slept with the wrong person, or you might have swapped needles in vain ... but whatever you do, make it a thing of the past so you can live on.
   • If you get sick with AIDS due to reckless behavior, then you should first come to terms with it, and then move on. Remember, history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood.
4. 4 Tell people who care about you about your illness. Another way to maintain your fighting spirit is to share it with loved ones, friends, or family. By the way, it is also extremely important to warn the sexual partner - current or past, but more on that later. Be prepared to face anger, fear, or shock — you’re not telling everyday news. Yes, it will be difficult to say - but if you are really close to those people, they will be with you. If you have someone to talk to, then it will be much easier for you to live.
   • If you intend to tell a close friend or relative about everything, then you need a plan. Don't just dump the news on them. Choose a time and place when and where you will have the opportunity to have a quiet conversation, and be prepared to answer the many questions that will be asked.
   • And while you may be upset that you won't be able to share your situation with everyone, it is important to share it with a close friend or relative as soon as possible so that if something happens to your health, they can help you.
   • Remember that the law does not require you to report your illness to your boss or colleagues, unless your work environment requires it. Alas, if you have HIV / AIDS, then you will not be able to occupy certain positions, so you may still have to tell your boss about everything.
5. 5 Look for support in the HIV / AIDS community. Yes, the support of family and friends is invaluable and useful, but sometimes it will be very useful to get help from strangers who have encountered the same thing with what you, who have been living with it for a long time and are more experienced in this regard. Here's where to go:
   • If you are in the United States, call the National AIDS Hotline (800-CDC-INFO). This line works around the clock, there they will help you with advice and a kind word.
   • Find your local HIV / AIDS Support Society. For example, in the same USA there is “UCSF’s Alliance Health Project”. This organization can help HIV-positive people; they gather groups based on, so to speak, experience, in which both a person who has recently become ill and someone who has been struggling with the disease for many years will find a lot for themselves.
   • Again, US residents will benefit from this useful site, sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration, where you can find clinics, hospitals and other services for HIV / AIDS positive people in your area.
   • If you are not yet ready to speak openly with other people in person, communicate with them virtually. The Poz forums are helpful in this regard.
6. 6 Find comfort in faith. If you are strong in faith, then perhaps you will not find a better one in such a difficult time. If you are not religious, then this may not be the best time to go to church (although it may help). Nevertheless, if you are not a stranger to religion, then try to attend services more often, take an active part in the life of the religious community and find consolation in the fact that everything is His will!
7. 7 Ignore those who start to hate you. Prejudice about HIV / AIDS is no secret to anyone. Many people may think that if you have HIV / AIDS, something is wrong with you.You may become afraid and avoided, thinking that HIV / AIDS can be transmitted through the air. If you want to stay unencumbered by all of this, then you need to learn not to pay attention to these people. Learn as much as possible about HIV / AIDS so that you can explain to people how things really are on occasion, and do not hesitate to cut off contacts with those who will not hear you.
   • After all, you now have more urgent problems than worrying about. what other people will think, right?
8. 8 Try to see a therapist. After being overwhelmed by a diagnosis of HIV / AIDS, it is not surprising to experience severe depression. What is there, such news will break through even the thickest-skinned, it can be difficult, almost impossible to cope with it. You may need help not only from family and friends, but a more ... professional approach. If you talk to someone who can look at the problem in a new way, you might. will be simpler.

Part 2 of 3: Getting started

1. 1 Talk to your doctor. If you have found HIV / AIDS, it is extremely important to see a doctor as soon as possible and start treatment (unless the doctor himself told you about the disease). The sooner you start treatment, the better it will be for you. After informing your doctor, it is imperative that you see an HIV / AIDS specialist. If your doctor is not that kind of specialist, then he should write you an appropriate referral.
2. 2 Get tested to determine the best treatment option. Your doctor will not prescribe you a bunch of pills blindly and will not let you go home - he will conduct a series of tests and tests that will show you exactly how to treat you. These tests will include:
   • Counting the number of CD4 cells. These are the white blood cells that are destroyed by HIV. In a healthy person, these cells are in the order of 500 -> 1,000. If you have less than 200, that HIV has developed into AIDS.
   • Viral load test. Strictly speaking, the higher the load, the worse your business is.
   • Drug Tolerance Test. There are different types of HIV, so it's important to make sure you don't have a tolerance for certain medications. This will help the doctor find the best medicine for you.
   • Analysis for complications or infections. Among other things, the doctor will need to find out if you are sick with something else - hepatitis, liver or kidney pathologies, or other diseases that will make treatment an even more non-trivial task.
3. 3 Take your medications. You should start following your doctor's instructions if you have severe symptoms, if your CD4 cell count has dropped below 500, or if you are pregnant or have kidney disease. Yes, HIV / AIDS cannot be cured - but a combination of drugs can block the virus. A combination of drugs is used so that it does not turn out that this or that drug does not work for you. Chances are, after you find the best option for yourself, you will need to take several pills at different times of the day for the rest of your life.
   • Do not stop taking your medication under any circumstances. If you have a very bad or severe reaction to medication, tell your doctor right away so that he can make changes to your treatment program. If you stop taking medications on your own, then the consequences can be the most sad (in front of which feeling unwell from taking medications will be a mere trifle).
   • You may be prescribed transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), which turn off a protein that HIV uses to replicate, reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), which are pseudo versions of proteins that HIV uses to replicate, protease inhibitors (PI), another protein that HIV uses to replicate , entry / mixing inhibitors that prevent HIV from destroying CD4 cells; and inhibitors of integrase, a protein that HIV uses to inject its genetic material into CD4 cells.
4. 4 Be prepared for side effects. Alas, the side effects of some drugs will be unpleasant, but if you find a combination that for real does not help you, you should consult a doctor for making adjustments to the treatment plan. And yes, it's better to be mentally prepared for the fact that you will physically be ... bad. Of course, all this is individual - for someone it is really bad, for someone, for many years, they practically do not have to face discomfort. In general, here's what to expect:
   • Nausea
   • Vomit
   • Diarrhea
   • Abnormal heartbeat
   • Dyspnea
   • Feed
   • Fragility of bones
   • Nightmares
   • Memory loss
5. 5 See your doctor regularly. At the beginning of treatment, a viral load test must be taken, and then repeated every 3-4 months during treatment. In addition, a CD4 cell count test should be repeated every 3-6 months. Yes, in other words, you will have to go to the doctor often. But this is the sacrifice that will have to be made if you want to make sure that treatment is working, and if you want to live your life with HIV / AIDS as best and fulfilling as possible.
   • If medications work, then your viral load should be invisible. This is not means that your disease is cured, it does not mean that you cannot become a source of infection. It only means that your body is doing well.

Part 3 of 3: Staying in Good Health

1. 1 Remember to be careful. If you have HIV / AIDS, then you must be extremely careful not to infect others. Yes, you can still hug others, touch them, and live a relatively normal life. Now, however, you need to use condoms, not share needles or anything that has traces of your blood on it (razors, toothbrushes), and just keep your ears on top of your head.
   • If you know that you have HIV / AIDS, but at the same time you did not warn your partner while continuing to have sex with him, you have violated the law and can be prosecuted.
2. 2 Past and current partners need to be informed about your illness. It's important to warn everyone you go to bed with after your diagnosis. Yes, even those with whom you would like to live the rest of your life. This is unpleasant, yes. However, this is a necessary precaution if you want to protect those around you. Be aware that there are websites that can help you alert your partner anonymously. Believe me, “warning” is a very important step, because many people are simply unaware that they could have contracted HIV.
3. 3 Eat right. Proper nutrition is beneficial anytime, anywhere, including even HIV / AIDS. If you eat right, then your body and immunity will be in order, they will have more strength so that you can live a healthy life. So eat at least three times a day, and do not forget about healthy carbs, proteins, fruits and vegetables. If you are hungry, then eat snacks, snacks, do not skip breakfast-lunch-dinner, especially do not skip breakfast. Proper nutrition and medication are what your body needs.
   • Lean meats, whole grains, and legumes are also helpful.
   • And yes, there are some foods that should be avoided as they can make you feel worse. These include sushi, sashimi, oysters, unpasteurized dairy, raw eggs, or raw meat.
4. 4 Get flu shots. Getting regular pneumonia or flu vaccinations will help you stay healthy. Your body will become more resistant to such diseases, so do not neglect prevention! The main thing is that the vaccine was from dead viruses, otherwise it can become worse.
5. 5 Exercise regularly. If you want to live a healthy life, then you just need to give your body a load to stay strong and more resistant to the blows of infection (less infections, less risk of complications). Exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Practice yoga, jogging, cycling, or just walking. It may seem to you that this has nothing to do with the diagnosis of HIV / AIDS, but you feel yourself better - physically and mentally.
   • And also, if you are really thinking about health, you should quit drinking and smoking (both nicotine and alcohol do not combine well with medications). Smoking, for example, will make you more susceptible to infections that afflict smokers - do you need it?
   • Having learned about the diagnosis of HIV / AIDS, you have every moral right to plunge into depression. Exercise, of course, will not fix it ... but you will definitely feel better, believe me.
6. 6 If you cannot work, you will be disabled. If you pulled out an unlucky ticket and you have symptoms of HIV / AIDS that interfere with your normal work, you need to get a disability in order to start receiving the appropriate benefits.
   • You will be granted disability if you prove 1) that you have HIV / AIDS 2) that your illness prevents you from working normally.
   • More information on how to get a disability due to HIV / AIDS can be found on the websites of the relevant government health organizations.

Tips

• HIV / AIDS is not a reason to forget about the joys of life!
• Eat healthy, eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, healthy fats, and drink plenty of water.
• Exercise regularly to stay strong and healthy. Half an hour of charging a day, three days a week - is that a lot?
• Find a way to deal with stress - meditate, listen to music, or just go for a walk. Clear your mind of your HIV / AIDS anxiety and you will soon feel better.

Warnings

• According to scientists, every fifth HIV / AIDS patient does not know about it yet. This is why you shouldn't have sex with people whose HIV-negative status you are not 100% sure of. In addition, pay attention to what piercing needles / instruments you will be injected with, whether they are sterilized, etc., this will also reduce the risk of infection.