John’s HIV Information Page

After having an HIV scare of my own (luckily negative), I decided I should post some stuff about HIV on my site.  I will emphatically state that I am NOT a professional.  I am posting this information in the hopes that someone will read it and not put themselves through the unnecessary anxiety that I put myself through.  My knowledge of HIV comes from three years as a peer educator, extensive independent research and personal experience (yes, even those of us who know better sometimes slip up and put ourselves at risk). 

Although I have tried my best to make sure everything on this page is accurate, I make no warranties regarding the information.  If, after reading the information here, you happen to have any information that differs from mine, that can be backed up by facts, I would be very interested in hearing about it.  Also, due to the nature of this disease, the language may be too graphic for some readers, so if you’re easily offended by terms relating to sex, be aware, I could care less about your prudery. 

If you are already infected and are looking for information on treatment options, side effects or long-term disease progression, this may not be the site for you.  My intentions with this site are primarily to discuss prevention, diagnosis for the disease and emotions related to the disease.  My knowledge of treatment options, side effects and long-term disease progression is rather basic, and I can’t guarantee I will have any information you don’t already know.  If you are looking for information on those topics, I recommend talking to your physician for the best information.  You can also go to my Links To Other Sites page and go to some of those sites, all of which do contain information on those topics.

However, I am a professional when it comes to health insurance matters (been in the industry almost five years), so I may be able to provide guidance in that realm that doctors and HIV experts have no idea about.  Feel free to ask me questions about that, and I’ll try to answer them the best I can.

Since I’m not a professional with HIV, you may not want my information at all.  The only thing I can really offer to you that a professional cannot is my personal experiences related to the disease as being someone who is in a high risk group (I’m a gay man) and has known HIV infected people.  Where experts/doctors need to keep a professional distance from the people they talk to, I have no such obligation.

Having said those disclaimers, here are the things I have learned:

What Do “HIV” And “AIDS” Stand For? (Basic Definitions)

How Is HIV Transmitted?

What Is Safer Sex?

What Is HIV Testing?

What Is Acute Retroviral Syndrome (ARS)?

Is There A Cure For HIV/AIDS?

What Is AIDS?

Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

John’s Thoughts On The Disease

Links To Other Sites

Contact John

Discussion/Q&A

 

Chat (I will post times when this room is open)

HIV Chat Room