Living with HIV in the Philippines

The official blog of The Project Red Ribbon Care Management Foundation, Inc. (TRR).

  • TRR LOVE FUND

    TRR Love Fund is the arm of the foundation which provides medical assistance to the financially challenged PLHIV.

  • Care assistance for HIV Test

    The Care Assistant Program involves assistance to HIV testing and HIV and AIDS Treatment hubs in the Philippines. Our volunteers schedule the client to the clinic or hub, assist with the procedure in the clinic or hub and conduct peer counseling

  • HOTLINE ASSISTANCE

    With the TRR Hotline Numbers, our volunteers answer concerns and inquiries about HIV and AIDS, do counselling, refers clients to nearest HIV Testing facility, HIV and AIDS Treatment Hub and government and NGO organizations for support

  • PEER COUNSELING

    The foundation volunteers conduct one-on-one counseling either on the phone or in person. They also conduct group counseling

  • SUPPORT GROUP TALK

    The support group talk (SGT) is a program that involves giving HIV lectures by guest speakers, discuss topics about HIV, care, treatment and support, discussion issues related to HIV

  • OUTREACH PROGRAM

    The foundation's outreach program is geared towards providing support to our fellow PLHIV's in the HIV and AIDS Treatment Hubs. Volunteers hand out of donations of medicines and special gifts to PLHIV, give inspirational talks by invited guests to a group of PLHIV, bonding over snacks or meal, visit the sick who are confined in the hospital

  • Referral System

    As part of treatment, the foundation's referral program involves our volunteers referring clients to specialized doctors who are HIV friendly. The foundation has it's own list of specialty doctors of low cost for the indigent PLHIV.

  • Online Support Group

    The foundation has a private Online Support Group in facebook. This group of advocates, supporters, counselors, health Workers and PLHIV

  • Home Health

    Aside from client counselling, the foundation volunteers also do family counselling and home visitation for awareness and continuance of care.

  • Health Fitness

    The foundation believes in holistic approach to treatment and care, thus inclusion of these programs: yoga, dance, swimming, jogging and running, boot camp workouts

  • EVENTS

    As part of awareness and education program, the foundation organizes its own national events to coincide with the international AIDS events: World AIDS Day and International AIDS Candlelight Memorial

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

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Pozziepinoy

HIV Stops With Me!

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Pozziepinoy

Questions for my Doctor

Tomorrow I will have a consultation with my doctor, Dr. D. I want to do it on a monthly basis, whether sick or not. Treatment is a partnership and I want to report to her my condition on a regular basis. I already took my ALT test yesterday, but somehow I forgot to get my regular CBC. Anyway, my ALT seemed to be the priority last time I saw her. Good thing, it was great news to tell her.

Whenever we go and seek consult, I always prepare a set of questions for my doctors in my iPad. I want to be informed. I just need to be educated. I feel that I am doing my part. Also I want my doctor to see that I am cooperating and that my health is a big deal for me.

So here's my list of questions for my doctor tomorrow:

1. The cotrimoxazole and azithromycin are for the treatment and prevention of PCP, MAC and toxoplasmosis. Will I stop taking them once my CD4 level goes up? What is the cut off level? I read that if my CD4 level goes up to 250, I can stop them.

2. What OI's or infections can halt or stop my ARV treatment?

3. Will I be needing vaccinations to prevent infection? What CD4 level do I have to be on to get the vaccinations?

4. Are my vitamins ok? I'm taking multivitamins, Vit C and E and fish oil even before I got sick.

5. Who will I call when you go out of town or country?

6. I sometimes have itchiness with no rashes, most often when I am in a hot  environment or under the sun. Will they disappear? Are they from my ARV's or my prophylaxis?

7. I work as a _______. When do you think I can get back to work? Is it safe for me to work there or will I have to wait awhile just to be safe?




FOR TOPIC SUGGESTIONS, please email me at pozziepinoy@yahoo.com
DONATE to The Love Fund : The Love Fund
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Just Don't Get Sick!!!


I read it somewhere that colds and flu can make your HIV multiply at a faster pace. I researched it again after a friend of mine who is a pozzie too said he has cough. I found this from an article:

Every time your body has to crank up your immune system to fight an infection, the HIV living inside the immune cells gets cranked up, too. “HIV replicates most effectively within immune-competent cells when these cells are activated,” says Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. “When a person gets another infection, the immune system gets activated, or ‘turned on,’ to fight this infection. This activation puts the immune system in a more vulnerable state for the replication of HIV.” So, although the fever and aches and pains related to an infection may be all you’re feeling, what’s going on beneath the surface may include rapidly growing HIV.

This issue is not just a concern for those not on HAART. Although HIV activation is definitely greater in someone with unsuppressed virus, even people on HIV meds who have undetectable viral loads may have problems. Dr. Fauci says that although HAART generally lessens the increase in HIV activation that another infection can cause, if your immune system has to work overtime to fight other infections that activity can end up making your meds less effective at suppressing HIV. So preventing (where possible) or otherwise quickly treating infections may help preserve HAART’s ability to keep HIV in check.

Which infections are of most concern? In general, the infections most likely to boost HIV replication are those that cause body-wide (systemic) symptoms: fever, muscle aches, fatigue and “malaise” — that all-over yucky feeling. You know how you feel when you get a cold or flu or your sinusitis starts acting up? That’s what we’re talking about. These symptoms are indicators that your immune system has been activated enough to likely increase HIV activity.

Those are some reasons why it’s important to prevent infections — and treat them quickly when they do occur.

Prevention is still the best. Due to congestion in public places in Manila, one has to be careful whether you are on ARV's already or not. Almost every quarter is a flu season here in the country so we have to be watchful. Our immune system is weakened already by the virus and we don't want it to be activated all the time when we get an infection. 

This is what I usually do:

1. Always have an alcohol sprayer in my bag, car or main door. 
2. I have a hand sanitizer in my bag, pocket or inside my drawer.
3. I wash my hands whenever possible.
4. I always bring a handkerchief.
5. I always bring a mask (in case of crowding in a public place).
6. I always put in my mind that other people can make me sick so I have to be vigilant all the time!



FOR TOPIC SUGGESTIONS, please email me at pozziepinoy@yahoo.com

DONATE to The Love Fund : The Love Fund

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Pozziepinoy

Im Getting Fat.. and Happy!

Stepping on our Detecto weighing scale, I was shocked that I am already 167 pounds. That is 27 pounds two and a half months ago when I got confined in the hospital. Despite of my belly getting big and the fullness of my face, I feel good. At least I look healthy and I don't look thin.

It started when I got scared that the virus will make me thin. It came from my friend whom we revealed my status to when I was in the hospital. When I came out, the first thing that she asked was if I was getting thin. I said, I gained a few pounds more. Then I realized the common image of a person with AIDS. Thin, depressed and weakly. I told myself I can't be like that. I said to myself I must counter the effects of my virus and the meds. From that time on, I prepared myself.

Prior to taking my ARV's while still recuperating from the pneumonia and while on the cotrimoxazole and azithromycin, I started eating more. I ate six to seven meals a day! I became a pig. I even set my phone alarm to time my meal intervals. Tag was happy about it  because my appetite was so good. Even my doctors were happy. Then my face started to swell.. it became fuller. My clothes started to get tighter. I was happy!

Whenever I leave my place, everybody I know would always say, "hey you look fat!". It seems crazy but sometimes I think, why not just say, "hey you look good". Most know that I got sick.. people always saw me with a cotton ball in the front of my elbow from blood extraction, so why not just say, "hey I am glad you're ok now." But that is ok, I guess. At least I am the only sick one who is getting fat! I am happy!

But of course, getting fat is not really good. Being a person who has always been fit, I have to do something about it, sometime, somehow. I just like the feeling that I am still in control of my body even though I am being molested by the virus. What I know is that right now, I look and feel healthy, still. I am happy!




FOR TOPIC SUGGESTIONS, please email me at pozziepinoy@yahoo.com
DONATE to The Love Fund : The Love Fund


Monday, November 14, 2011

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Pozziepinoy

Latest ALT

We had a candle light dinner tonight. Tag prepared it while I was taking a shower. We ordered CPK for dinner and he surprised me with all the preparations on the table. Sweet!

We just got home from hospital and got my ALT result. I promised Tag I won't read the result and he will be the first one to see it. When I handed it to him, he asked me if I want to know. Of course I wanted to so he said it was 450! I was quiet, then he suddenly smiled and said that it was down to 110! Yey. After 3 weeks of taking my ARV's it went down from 328! It is still high but my GI doctor and friend doctor were relieved. My liver is safe now.



FOR TOPIC SUGGESTIONS, please email me at pozziepinoy@yahoo.com
DONATE to The Love Fund : The Love Fund

Friday, November 11, 2011

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Pozziepinoy

Need To Talk??

I have AIDS. I am HIV positive. I understand your predicament. I understand your burden. I know you're hurting. I know you're confused. I am here.

If you want to correspond just email me. pozziepinoy@yahoo.com  or follow me at pozziepinoy @tweeter. Everything is confidential. I am here to listen to you...

IT'S OK TO TALK!



FOR TOPIC SUGGESTIONS, please email me at pozziepinoy@yahoo.com
DONATE to The Love Fund : The Love Fund


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Pozziepinoy, ,

I'm Proud of You!


A fellow pozzie who reads my blog regularly just told his partner about his HIV status. I've been advising him to tell him the truth but weeks ago, he was sacred of rejection. He was scared of the consequences of his revelation of his disease to him. He was basically not ready because he loves the guy so much and he was scared to lose him.


But today, he told him. And I'm proud of him. I'm proud of YOU!


Sometimes it really is hard to disclose something as serious as our disease. But it really helps if we know who and how strong our support system is. It really lessens the burden. It makes us not worry anymore.


It takes a lot of guts to do this when we know that there is a potential for rejection. Still, we have to do it. It is our responsibility. We need to be loved without pretensions. We need to be accepted by who we are and not by what we have.


Disclosing our disease to our partners is our responsibility. It is our obligation to tell the truth. It is relevant, to  establish a line of communication regarding HIV. It is very important to discuss, after educating ourselves, about our options.


I'm proud of YOU! For being brave, for being responsible.


FOR TOPIC SUGGESTIONS, please email me at pozziepinoy@yahoo.com
DONATE to The Love Fund : The Love Fund
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Pozziepinoy,

HIV in the Philippines

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