Get Tested!
Yesterday I did what was probably one of the scariest things I've ever had to do in my entire life. I took my first official HIV test.
I may have been tested in the past but am not sure, and didn't have any proof or certificates showing past results. I can't remember ever explicitly asking for an HIV in the past. Which in most countries means that I probably haven?t been tested before. Always remember that getting your annual checkup and getting blood work done does not mean you have been tested for HIV, you always have to ask.
I am a safe person. I am more knowledgeable then the average person about the disease, how it's transmitted, how its not, about its effect on people, on families, on children and friends. However, I must admit, as I sat there talking to the counselor prior to the testing, answering questions, talking hypothetically about the potential results - I started thinking about the maybes, the mistakes and the what ifs?
Can you say with absolute CERTAINTY that you know the status of those in your past? What about those in your present? The answer is most likely a wavering no.
Everything we do - HIV/AIDS Learning Networks, Volunteering, Donating, The AIDS Walk, talking, understanding, reading - means nothing if we don't know our own statuses and work to ensure we remain uninfected OR control the spread of the disease ourselves.
35 minutes later, I sat in the waiting room - I'd already read People's 100 most beautiful people cover to cover - they called me into the room and handed me an official piece of paper with "NEGATIVE" printed in big bold letters. I breathed a sigh of relief, walked home and called 5 friends to convince them to get tested NOW.
The moral of this post is GET TESTED. Ask for a HIV test. Demand to be tested!
If you live in New York City, GMHC offers free confidential testing.
I may have been tested in the past but am not sure, and didn't have any proof or certificates showing past results. I can't remember ever explicitly asking for an HIV in the past. Which in most countries means that I probably haven?t been tested before. Always remember that getting your annual checkup and getting blood work done does not mean you have been tested for HIV, you always have to ask.
I am a safe person. I am more knowledgeable then the average person about the disease, how it's transmitted, how its not, about its effect on people, on families, on children and friends. However, I must admit, as I sat there talking to the counselor prior to the testing, answering questions, talking hypothetically about the potential results - I started thinking about the maybes, the mistakes and the what ifs?
Can you say with absolute CERTAINTY that you know the status of those in your past? What about those in your present? The answer is most likely a wavering no.
Everything we do - HIV/AIDS Learning Networks, Volunteering, Donating, The AIDS Walk, talking, understanding, reading - means nothing if we don't know our own statuses and work to ensure we remain uninfected OR control the spread of the disease ourselves.
35 minutes later, I sat in the waiting room - I'd already read People's 100 most beautiful people cover to cover - they called me into the room and handed me an official piece of paper with "NEGATIVE" printed in big bold letters. I breathed a sigh of relief, walked home and called 5 friends to convince them to get tested NOW.
The moral of this post is GET TESTED. Ask for a HIV test. Demand to be tested!
If you live in New York City, GMHC offers free confidential testing.
posted by Asha at 3:37 PM
6 Comments:
That's a pretty good turnaround for your restult. I got tested in Montreal, and it took me about a week before I could breathe a sigh of relief in knowing my result.
4:07 PM
I took a test called RAPIDTEST - done via oral swab or finger prick. It has the same accuracy but is not always covered by insurance. Its good to ask about it.
4:13 PM
cool. walk the talk.
4:33 PM
i got it done last year as part of my visa requriement for russia, but frankly speaking for me it was very casual, probably becuase i was sure that the answer would be negative. but after reading your post i feel i should get it done again...maybe something happened in the last year.
5:46 PM
I did the same earlier on this week - one of those things that you're sure would never happen to you, but at the same time it could so easily have. Learnt some new stuff at my appointment too, so it was definitely a worthwhile afternoon. It reiterated in my mind why it's so important to be safe, and when it's free and takes less than an hour there's no reason not to get checked.
6:23 PM
Check this out:
www.lovelife.ch
4:53 PM
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