Aids/HIV information, Symptoms, treatment

Taking an active part in your own health care can make you feel better. Making your own informed decisions, rather than leaving all the decisions to your doctor, is an important part of this. Although information on treatment may seem overwhelming, you can learn the basics. Staying informed is a good way to have more control over your health care.

Being involved with an AIDS group and its activities helps you keep up with new information. And volunteer work can be very rewarding. You may want to try public speaking, peer counselling, or working for a food bank. If there isn’t already a support group in your area that meets your needs, you may want to think about starting one. An AIDS group may be able to give you a hand, and other people would benefit from your efforts. Contact your nearest AIDS group to find out how you can get involved.

 Activism has been an important force in improving government policy and getting services for people who have HIV or AIDS.

Spirituality, whether in the form of organized religion, shared beliefs of a specific culture, or individual personal beliefs, is an important source of support for many people who have HIV/AIDS. Some find renewed purpose in their lives as they come to terms with HIV. You may find support and strength in exploring the spiritual traditions of your own culture.

Meditation has helped many people who have HIV or AIDS find peace and acceptance and get in touch with their s pirituality.

Priests, rabbis, ministers, nuns, imams, Aboriginal elders, and other spiritual leaders may be able to give you emotional support. They offer religious and spiritual advice, as well as company and comfort. But be aware that some organized religions don’t accept homosexuality, sex outside of marriage, drug use, condom use, or the right to abortion. You can check out HIV support groups to find people who share your religious or spiritual beliefs.

Or you may want to try attending a church, synagogue, temple, or sweat lodge that has a supportive membership.

 Exploring spirituality has helped some people deal with HIV and AIDS. If you’re thinking about checking out programs or workshops, do some investigating. You can spend a great deal of money going to workshop after workshop. If you look around, you may find something that works for you at very little cost. Talk with other people who have HIV or AIDS and find out what’s worked for them.

  When you can’t quite figure out how to deal with a situation, when you feel overwhelmed, or if you want a regular time to deal with emotional troubles, you might want to go to a counsellor or therapist. There are different kinds, including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, peer counsellors, and religious and spiritual counsellors.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors with specialized training. They often deal with emotional problems as diseases which can be treated by prescribing drugs. Some also use psychotherapy. Their fees are covered by provincial or territorial health insurance and they usually need a referral from your doctor.

Psychologists are not medical doctors and therefore can’t prescribe medication. Their fees are not usually covered by health insurance, although some private insurance plans may pay part of them.

“Therapist” and “counsellor” are general terms that refer to someone who practises any one of many kinds of counselling. Anyone can say he or she is a therapist or counsellor, without having special training or a licence. Talk to a few counsellors over the phone before you make an appointment. Ask about what training they have had. This will give you a sense of what to expect and may help you decide what you want in a counsellor. Good counsellors will encourage this kind of research. Don’t hesitate to ask about fees before your first appointment. Many counsellors charge on a “sliding scale” basis: if you can’t afford their usual fee, they will charge you less. You have to negotiate this, though. You may have to be persistent, as many counsellors are difficult to reach and it may take several calls to make contact.

Counsellors usually use the first appointment as a “getting to know you” session. This allows both of you to see whether you can get along with each other before you decide to go on. Counselling can only help if you feel comfortable with the person you’re talking to.

Many AIDS groups have counsellors or peer counsellors (people who are HIV positive who you can speak to) on staff or as volunteers. Counsellors who work for AIDS groups don’t charge for their services. You can also ask other people who have HIV, your friends, or your doctor for suggestions.

 Being HIV-positive means having to face life and death issues. Thinking about death is difficult in our society, which doesn’t deal with this subject openly. You may think about death more than usual when you first find out that you’re HIV positive, when tests show a drop in your T4 or T8 cell count, or when a friend gets sick or dies. The prospect of pain and suffering is disturbing. Thinking about death brings up feelings about the possibility of losing loved ones, or about things that you may not get to do. It’s important to remember that having HIV doesn’t mean you’re going to die right away. But thinking about death is important, and may help you focus on what’s important in your life.  Some people who have HIV think about suicide. This is not unusual. If you have such thoughts, don’t panic or keep them to yourself. Talk to someone who will really listen, and who you know and trust. You may want to see a counsellor or psychiatrist if these feelings continue for more than a couple of days. It is important to be aware that psychiatrists are obliged to prevent you from harming yourself, so there is some risk that you may receive unwanted psychiatric treatment. Most areas have crisis lines that you can call (these are anonymous) - check the front of the phone book or call your nearest AIDS group.

Changes in your physical condition or reactions to medication can cause shifts in your emotions. These feelings will often disappear when the infection is cleared up or the drug or treatment is finished. Ask your doctor about side effects related to drugs and treatments, and tell him or her about changes in your emotional state. Be careful about getting treatments for mood changes. Some doctors are quick to prescribe medication without giving thought to the long-term effects of drug dependency and overmedication. This is especially true for women. If you have questions about your medication, ask your doctor, and get a second opinion if you are uncertain. Complementary therapies can provide an alternative for dealing with some mood changes.

Drug reactions or interactions, and infections of the central nervous system, can cause depression or confusion, which seem like psychological problems.

 You may have to cope with the emotional effects of specific illnesses. Chapter 7 deals with many of these in detail. In addition to these illnesses, you may experience physical changes such as weight loss or skin problems. You may worry about not looking as attractive as you once did. This can be damaging to your self-esteem. Talking with other people living with HIV/AIDS who have had similar experiences can be helpful.