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)
What Is Acute Retroviral Syndrome (ARS)?
Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
John’s Thoughts On The Disease
Chat (I will post times when this room is open)
HIV Chat Room