Questionnaire Answered

Screen Name: Pozzie Pinoy

Sex: M

Location: Manila

Work: Works in a Local Bank

Questions

1. When did you found out that you have the infection? What was your initial reaction?

I got tested when I got confined in the hospital for pneumonia. It was the second time that year, when I had pneumonia so the day after I got confined in the hospital, my doctor politely asked me if I want to have an HIV test. 

2. Where do you think you got it? Was there regret?

I got it from unprotected anal and oral sex. I was having fun with different sexual partners then. I guess at that time, even though I had the idea that HIV is around, I still wasn’t careful and at times didn’t use any kind of protection. 

At first, I had regrets about it but at that time, my partner Tag, comforted me and told me that he will be there for me and that my priority is to get better fast. During the days that I was confined, I never thought about it, but instead I focused on getting well. There were times that I cried myself to sleep but the I thought I needed to fight back and being depressed is not the way to heal myself.

After a month, we talked about it again and everything came out: that I should have been careful, that I should have used condoms more often. However, after that, we never talked about it again and just focused on how my immune system can rebound once again

3. Who else in your family/friends knew about it? What was their reaction?

My entire family and Tag’s family know about my HIv status and they are all supportive. Even my nephews and nieces know about it. They are all educated people and their initial reaction was being supportive and caring. They somehow know that having HIV/AIDs is not a death sentence anymore. There was also a sign of relief when they found out that treatment in the Philippines is free.

4.  Did you feel some symptoms to make you have a test? If yes, please specify what you felt?

My recurrent pneumonia which had me confined triggered my pulmonologist and my friend doctor to request me to have an HIV test. They said that it is uncommon for a young person like me to have pneumonia again within one year, with 4 months of interval.

I got confined because I complianed of difficulty of breathing, chest pains and dry cough. It was hard for me to walk for even a short distance without me catching my breath.

5. What was the first advice of your doctors for the cure of this infection?

There is no cure for HIV. But treatment is available and it is for free in the Philippines. even consultation with HIV specialists from government HIV/AIDs treatment hubs is free.My doctor reassured me that HIV is no longer a death sentence. she said that treatment of HIv is like treatment for hypertension and diabetes. Since there is no cure, there is maintenance medicines to lower the strength of the virus. These treatments are the HAART or the highly ractive antiretroviral therapy or antiretroviral treatment. It is a cocktail or combination of medicines to “tame” down the virus.

The first advice of my doctor is to go to a treatment HIV/AIDS hub and finish all the requied lab tests, CD4 and Viral load test. This is the only way wherein they will know the level of my immune system and the amount of virus in y body.

6. Did you try to ask for help from an organization which supports HIV/AIDS patients, or you prefer treating it yourself?

My HIV doctor was there with me all the way. She always answered my questions that I didn’t seek the help of HIV/AIDS organizations.

7. What are the medicines you take now and what are the improvements do you feel?

I am taking lamivudine, tenofovir and efavirenz and I am proud to say that for one entire year, I have never been sick, even a simple cold and flu. My CD4 count also jumped from my initial 70 to 487 in just 8 months. I honestly believe that my immune system now is strong because of my ARV’s.

8. Until now, we know that there is still no cure for the infection and the medicines are for treatment only; how do you feel about that?

For me it doesn’t matter as long as the ARV’s are available for free. I believe this will change in case our government and the Global Fund won’t subsidize the ARV’s in the Philippines as the medicines from what I’ve heard are very expensive.They have become my maintenance medicines but I think of them as just taking my regular vitamins.

9. Since when do you start blogging about your life? What is your inspiration that made you share your stories to people?    

I started blogging since day 1. At first I said that I needed an outlet. I told myself that I have to do my researches and record them in the form of a blog. The blog itself became my diary of researches. later on, when people have been finding my blog that I changed it. I started answering questions, communicating with my doctors to get the best possible answers and solutions to HIV related problems. I also started the Love Fund which helps support the indigent patients who can’t afford the lab tests and for medicines for opportunistic infections.

My first inspiration is my partner Tag who showed his love and support for me no matter what. He gave me strength when I needed the most. He was always there for me and never judged me for what I had done in the past and for what I have right now.

The second inspiration is my new life. Everything changed for the better. I have a better perspective of life because of my family and friend’s support. I was able to fight back because of all of them.

The third inspiration is my new mission in life which is giving back to those who needed support and inspiration. The blog served as a venue for others to find answers to questions, to find the best treatment, to channel their energies to productive mean. Through The Love Fund, people have been pouring in their support and never could have i imagined that even strangers are willing to help those who are in need.

The fourth inspiration is my health workers, my doctors and nurses who unselfishly are giving a part of themselves to their patients. they all give me the courage to fight back and to assist others as well.

10. What are your goals in life? Does the infection made you change it, or drop some of it?

My goals is to be successful in my career, to travel and for me and Tag to have a family someday.

The infection never changed a thing. Well, to be honest, since I got the disease, all the blessings started pouring in. A lot of doors have started opening for me and Tag. We are so blessed that we are getting our goals quicker than before. We are also back to traveling more. Life is precious and we are living it to the fullest even with HIV. 

11. Some of our questions may be answered through some of your blog entries. We would like to ask your permission to site those answers from your blog? 

Sure, you can site your answers from my blog. It will be an honor for me that you are even part of spreading information about HIV/AIDS in the Philippines.

Thank you so much and God bless you!