Your Health

Living with HIV

Disclaimer: Be aware that we do not advocate any particular point of view, treatment or regimen. Every situation is individual and needs to be treated as such. This information is provided under the assumption that you are an adult and will make your own decisions. ALWAYS ALWAYS work with your physicians and/or other medical/social service providers whenever making any decisions regarding your health and happiness.

HIV Knowledge & Involvement

A proactive and involved stance regarding diagnosis, health issues, treatment options and medications is most likely to effect overall health outcomes in a positive way. Therefore knowledge about health, the immune system, symptoms and treatment is very important. Many long-term survivors are actively informed and educated about HIV+ health and have developed an overall plan for their healthcare in cooperation with their physicians.

HIV Basics

This page on the CDC website covers information about the virus and its origin and history in the U. S. It also discusses risk factors for transmission and preventing that, symptoms of infection and finding testing.

This page on the SFAF website is the entry page to their AIDS 101 "course". Starting with some very basic information about the virus and its effects, it also contains links on the upper left of the page to more base information about HIV infection reduction, testing and treatment.

This page on the GMHC website includes information about the virus, its transmission and preventing that, symptoms of infection, testing and the rights of persons with HIV / AIDS.

The HIV Virus

This is a good layman's introduction to the science of the virus and how it works in the body. Designed for use mostly by younger students, the information is short, sweet and to the point.

These three videos are designed for the scientific community, but if you follow them you can learn a great deal that relates to how the virus actually works in the body. That can help you understand the biological terms that then relate to how HIV drugs interfere with the virus.

Symptoms of HIV Infection

This is a brief overview of initial, chronic and late stage symptoms of infection.

This short article describes succinctly what to look for with initial infection. It also answers the question "How do I tell if someone else has HIV?

Testing for HIV Infection

A brief but complete answer to how HIV testing is done, what types of tests are currently used in the U. S. and how they work. The rest of this FAQ is a worthwhile read as well.

A comprehensive article on HIV testing. Discusses types of tests, results, pregnancy and HIV and counseling after testing. Many links to other web based resources on the subject and to glossary information related to the subject.

A good overview of testing questions in the form of an FAQ (frequently asked questions). Information on who should test, why, where and what to watch for/be aware of.

Assertiveness, Stress Management and Coping Skills

There are a variety of behaviors that range from passive to aggressive and assertiveness is somewhere between them. Here assertiveness is defined as the ability to ask for what you want, and the ability to say no to what you don't want. Research shows that long term survivors are assertive.

Stress management is accomplished with good coping skills. Long term stress and ongoing or unresolved grief are two psychosocial factors that can have an adverse effect on immune system function. Medical research indicates that an active coping style increases immune system activity while a passive style may actually be detrimental.

Assertiveness

This article is actually a chapter in an on-line book by the above authors. This is a well written and understandable introduction to what passive, assertive and aggressive behaviors are and of what assertiveness and its training does and does not consist. Not actually assertiveness training and well worth the read.

This short article is geared toward business communication training, but it's a quick read and a good "refer back to" source on Assertiveness. The six tips are readily memorable and help to keep communication from veering toward aggressive or passive.

This is a good one to print on a page or two and pack around. Just the gist of the issue.

Stress Management

This group of articles is mainly intended for use with job related stress, but gives good pointers on stress recognition and management in general. Of special interest are two sections giving direct techniques for discovering what your stress levels are and what is causing them. The first step in fixing stress, of course.

This is an article for physicians, but it's in layman's language and covers many good common sense causes of stress and their remedies. It also has a follow-on section for patients and a suggested reading list.

This is a one page article that is a relatively quick read if your in a hurry or need reminders about working on stress. Succinct information on recognizing and managing stress, and it's health effects, and links to solid non-commercial information on the subject.

Coping Skills

This is a test consisting of 64 "scale of 1 to 5" questions, and some demographics questions at the end, that gives a 0 to 100 score on your ability to cope. You get a score number and a paragraph on your coping level, but more in-depth analysis and recommendations require purchase of full results. Still, the questions themselves will make you think and understand, so be brutally honest.

This site has a wealth of information on coping with stress, grief, loss, anger... the list goes on. Scroll down the homepage just a little to the "Adults' Tool Box" section for the more generalized tools. Includes a self-esteem inventory and other tools to get you started, and many articles on coping skills for specific situations.

Another short but succinct article that's a good reminder page for those moments when you need to cope and are forgetting how.