Three Emails ~ Living with HIV in the Philippines

Three Emails

Posted by Pozziepinoy on 7:17 AM

EMAIL 1

hi gud afternoon!

i juz wana share what i feel,, and base on my story can u please comprehend or tell what am i feeling..

after having sex, it has been i month from the date when i had my last sex..

i experienced the following after a week of contact.

1. dura ng dura (saliva)

2. my stomach ache when i eat food.

3. then nag susuka aq after eating foods. kumbaga lahat ng na intake q eh gustong isuka.

4. my pennis hurt before and after umihi (pee)

5. my groin and other parts of the body is very itchy.

6. minsan namamanas (getting numb) ung paa and hands q.

7. there are black spots in some part of my body

that's what i feel after having my last contact. it has been one week after nung ma feel q lahat yan..

what does this mean? am i prone to HIV positive?

thank you for your response and i hope u can give me substantial information about my condition.

XXX

EMAIL 2

am afraid i got infected. I feel weak. I often times get headaches. I feel like i would loose my balance sometimes but can still keep it up all through out the day. I do not feel this way ever since just now. I feel feverish but i really do not have a fever. I sweat a lot. I feel this way for 14th time. Can it possibly be i am in a window period. Is it possible i got the virus? i just got tested 5days ago and the result says i am nonreactive. But i am still afraid i got the virus. I am already worried about my future. Can you help me? Can you answer all my questions to those who got infected and to those who had counseled and see others having been infected with the virus?

EMAIL 3

hi pozzie

im so very confused about the HIV/Aids. way back in high school i got mumps after a week i noticed that theres something in my neck (left part) then years are passing by until i graduated in college the little cystic form in my neck never disappeared, i went to manila doctors (opd) the doctor prescribed me a medicines that i have to take in 1 week then after a week the little cystic object never healed or what soever we called it then i went to an urban health clinic the other doctor told me i need to undergo xray as what he think, it would be related to tuberculosis but the result was negative then later on i go to manila doctors again to let the doctor know whats the result about my case she told me that i need to go biopsy then i lose hope i dont take the biopsy i searched what kind of ill i have i visit youtube, livestrong blog, etc. then later on my friend shared me about his partner before he died in aids (his partner's cousin told to him what is the symptoms) do you think pozzie this little cystic on my neck would be one of symptoms of having HIV/Aids because some of the blogs that i searched a sweeling lymph node will be one of the symptoms of having HIV/Aids i feel so scared right now i dunno what to do what would be my parents reactions my friend and my relatives its really hard for me to accept if im positive i want to take a test but facing the truth or the result is really hard for me, since i visit your blog and read all the story it always bother me every minute and every second i always think what if i had,! ano ang gagawin ko (what should I do?) do i need to commit suicide to stop spreading this disease natatakot ako na pandirian ng mga taong nkapaligid sa akin maganda ang reputation ng pamilya nmin sa probinsya at dito sa manila auko mabahiran un ng dahil lang sa akin auko din ipaalam sa parents ko kung may sakit man akong ganito dahil aukong kaawaan nila ako it takes time sa parents ko na matatanggap nila un pero feeling ko ipagtatabuyan nila ako if ever na malaman nila un pero i hope na negative ako i also include dito kung ano ung nararamadaman ko since i had a little cystic on my neck (Translation: I am scared that people might get sick of me, our reputation is good here in the province and here in Manila. I don’t want that to be tarnished. I don’t want to tell my parents if ever I have this disease because I don’t want their pity. I know eventually they will accept it but they might throw me out but I do hope that I am negative. I included here my little cyst in my neck).

i got cough with phlegm since high school
i always sneeze when i exposed to dust or a smoke comes from puv's

i don't experience any symptoms from HIV/Aids like:
i dont feel that im tired
i dont experience of difficulties of breathing
i dont sweat at night
my little cystic on my neck is not swelling actually it is hard unlike other cyst it moves when u touched

i hope u can help me solving this problem and im confident that i dont have HIV/Aids i used condoms when i had anal sex

POZZIEPINOY’S RESPONSE

Hi to both the email senders.

The reason for answering both of your emails at the same time is that they are somehow related. However for the first email sender, do what the second email sender has done. Take the test if you believe you have been exposed to the virus and don't ask questions anymore. It is as simple as that. Don't pretend that nothing happened and don't wait for the symptoms anymore. Go and get tested ASAP. For email sender 3, if you had protected sex all the time, why even worry?

Now to answer what you guys are feeling, like what I have been writing even before, HIV symptoms are non specific. You can email me all the symptoms that you are experiencing but even the wise doctors won't know based on your history alone, until concrete tests have been done. The best advice that I can give you is for you to go to the doctor and have yourself checked. If you don't know any, since both of your symptoms are general, just go to the ER of any hospital and the doctors there will then refer you a specialist later on. They will definitely do some tests to make an initial diagnosis of your condition. For email sender 3, please do what your doctor has told you to do. If you won't follow your doctor then you will just worry forever!

Like what Dr. Ditangco, the head of RITM-ARG has told me before, don't wait for symptoms. If you feel that something is wrong, go to the hospital fast. You know when you are healthy and when you are not. Don't wait for symptoms because they can can be anything. Why wait and make matters worst. Go now!

Sorry for not answering directly your questions but that is the best advice I can give you.

Stay healthy,

Pozziepinoy

"WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

NO PLHIV is alone with his or her struggle with HIV!"

-Pozziepinoy-

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