Living with HIV in the Philippines: Email 713: Do I Have HIV?

Thank you for this blog. I am really happy that you are really hands on for all the questions about . Sana paunlakan mo din lahat ng mga tanong ko about this matter.

Heres my story, just call me Mr. Confused. I am 20 a fresh grad. Meron akong karelasyon na lalake. We’ve been together for almost 1 year na din. Naging kame November last year. So probably magcecelebrate na kame ng 1st anniv namen next month. We’ve been practicing safe sex the entire relationship pero one time, dala nadin siguro ng sobrang love namen sa isat isa. We did it without protection, not sure of the exact date, pero probably May or June yun this year. At once lang po yun nangyare yung unprotected sex at din namen inulet.

As a fresh grad, naghahanap na po ako ng trabaho then part po nun is the medical examination. Nagmedical po ako nung July 9, 2013 to be exact, then on kinontak ako ng employer ko nung last august 26, 2013. Then may suspicious spot daw yung xray ko then nagrepeat ako nung august 27 din. Ayun they found out na I was diagnosed by minimal pulmonary tuberculosis. Bago kasi yung repeat ko, nagkasakit ako. Nagkatrangkaso, ubo. So kala ko may koneksyon yun don kaya nagconduct ako ng second opinion ako. Pinatest
lang saken yung sputum ko, then negative naman daw. So hindi ako nakakahawa. Pero now undergo ako ng 6 months na pagpapagaling para gumaling for tb. Then sabi nung pinagpacheckupan ko reliable naman daw yun xray palang makikita na daw. Tinanung ako kung may mga nakasalamuha ba kong may tb? Basta they keep on asking kung san ko daw probably nakuha yung sakit ko. Sinabi ko naman before na may tb yung pinsan ko, siya kasi kasama ko sa bahay eh, nag undergo din siya before ng tb medication for 6 months din so baka sa kanya ko yun nakuha.

Then marami akong nabasa about TB na isa sa mga reason kung bakit nagkakatb ang isang tao kasi mahina yung resistensya nya (which is siguro isa ko dun kasi for my entire life lage ako nagkakasipon at ubo everytime taglamig na or magnight swimming lang ako.), nahawa (which is baka ako din sa pinsan ko) at yung isang reason ay baka may hiv ang isang tao.

So tanong ko lang, possible po bang magkahiv ako, even if we did it once ng partner ko. Ako po yung top samen. I assure na monogamous po kame. Tinanong ko sya kung sa past niya if they did it without protection sabi niya oo daw. So nagworried ako. Paranoid talaga ko ngayon. Baka kasi meron na ko. Eto po yung mga tanong ko? Possible po ba magkaron ako ng _ even if a single unprotected sex encounter? Di ba po mas risky pag ikaw yung bottom. Eh wala naman po syang nararamdamang symptoms now. Saka wala po ako
naeexperience na symptoms except for having colds and cough where everyone has it now because of the weather, and sa mininimal pulmonary tb ko po? Hope you can answer my question. Please. Im really paranoid. Takot lang po kasi ko magpatest eh. Thanks.

Mr. Confused

POZZIEPINOY’S RESPONSE

Hi Mr. Confused.

Thank you for your email. Thank you for sharing your story with me and all my readers.

Although you assumed the role of being "top", since you had unprotected sex even just one time, still it is a risk to getting the virus. One can't identify HIV from having any symptoms since HIV has non specific symptoms. A lot of people don't have any and yet they are HIV positive.

If I were you, just take the HIV test to calm your mind. I know you are scared but it is the only to find out if you have the virus or not.

If you want to talk to a Certified Peer Counselor, you can call Yomi: 0926-697-2240

If you want to assistance to the HIV test, you can call Marky: 0916-346-2538

I hope I was able to answer your concerns. Feel free to email me again if you have other questions.

Stay healthy,

Pozziepinoy