Sometimes we think we know everything. Well, most of the time. We think that we can save money by getting over the counter medicines and supplements but recently I’ve proven this very wrong.
Tag, my partner, is HIV negative. Caused by a recent bout of cold, he got a chronic cough which won’t go away. We tried our home remedies, from the over the counter robitussin, benadryl, nyquil and dayquil but still the cough persisted. It lasted for a month and we spent a lot of money for his medicines. Then I forced him to my pulmo doctor. Upon checking his chest Xray, which there was nothing showing but his normal lungs, he was diagnosed with cough induced asthma and was given a few meds and an inhaler, all good for 1 week. After a week, his cough was gone.
Recently Tag had chronic diarrhea for 2 weeks. Once again, being “quack doctors”, we prescribed him with imodium and pepnobizmo. We even believed another “quack doctor” friend who “diagnosed” it as amoebiasis and told him to take flagyl. Still the diarrhea persisted. So again, I forced him to go to my gastrointestinal doctor. Showing fecalysis result which was basically nothing in it, my doctor prescribed meds for 3 days only worth only P300. That night his diarrhea stopped. That’s it!
We have to admit that we are all “quack doctors”. We believe in what we read and in what is adviced by our fellow “quack doctors”. We try everything and we spend more money.
With us pozzies, it is more scary because most of us are already taking ARV’s already and we still try to be “quack doctors”. Our ARV’s, aka, highly active antiretroactive therapy (HAART) are already powerful and yet we still take them for granted. My gastrointestinal doctor warned me to consult first with Dr. Ditangco every time I would take anything, even supplements. My body is already full of medicines and I don’t need to complicate my condition anymore. He is right and I would rather believe him than believe myself being a renowned “quack doctor”.
Believe your doctors. Ask them first. There are a lot of information about HIV meds and studies about supplements that still are unproven that can assist in weakening our virus.
Always remember that our doctor knows best. I, for one, has the best HIV/AIDS doctor in the Philippines and I always ask her first if I am going to do anything about my body.
You better ask your doctor first too!