...Or do they?
I just wanted to reflect up the closing of a challenging semester. I have gained so much from this course, more than any other, this one has effected the way I view the world, people, emotions, and myself. It has taught me the power of people to do good and bad, to be kind and compassionate or judgmental and full of hate. The fact is, those lessons will be with me always, even as the semester closes.
I am in disbelief, and will even miss blogs, questions of the week, and papers that ate up my free time. They were impactful tools in my growth as a person. I feel more equipped to be a good health care professional.
I looked the world clock for our question of the week and I realize as the numbers fluctuate my feelings have completely changed. When I first looked at that clock, I felt shocked, and helpless. I no longer feel that way. I hurt that the number keeps rising, but I DO NOT feel helpless. I feel empowered. With what we've gained here, we can drastically affect that number.
Calling all activists. Let's get to work.
http://www.sexetc.org/story/2992/
This website provides some basic steps to becoming an AIDS activist. Some of them are very involved, and some are simple, like VOTE! Our voice makes a big difference and if politicians would rather fight with each other than to recognize and make it a priority to press the educational system to educate everyone on prevalence and prevention, we need to speak our dissension. One of the biggest things of all is really simple, just prevent ourselves! Use protection. Simple enough.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Walk a mile in another person's shoes...
This class continues to amaze me. It's so rare I can say a class has a profound effect on my views. So much of my course work as an science major has been about facts and mechanisms. I always thought that HIV meant the end of life. I never knew about the life expectancy after diagnosis being many years given the right circumstances. So I think I subconsciously have approached most questions in our assignments with an idea that people who lived with HIV took a few pills everyday. There was no real realization of the life changes that the condition would bring because not only is there a bulky treatment regimen to remember each day, that regimen is also a constant reminder of the virus in their system. I know for me, I tend to overthink, and mull, and relate little things to meanings in life and for me, having to manage my simulated HIV each day for the M&M was a constant reminder of not only the virus but of the complications the virus would bring to my life. The stigmas especially. Even when people were not looking at me differently... taking the pills made me feel like I was, "different", an outsider to the carefree people who could roll out of bed with coffee in hand and go about their day without the worry of missing a pill...
It's a very profound place where I am at in my growth in this class and as a person...
I have to go finish my summary now... :)
It's a very profound place where I am at in my growth in this class and as a person...
I have to go finish my summary now... :)
Monday, November 2, 2009
What 50 cents can buy you...HIV and AIDS in Vietnam
These days, what can 50 cents get you? Unfortunately not much. I just went to get something from the vending machine and everything was $1.25 or more. The funny thing about that is, according to UNAIDS, most of the more than 1000 people that get infected with HIV in Asia EACH DAY could have been averted with less than half of the US dollar per person.
In the conservative Asian and Vietnamese culture, a lot of things are "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Even as things progress before my eyes, I still notice many things that people refuse to discuss. I think that HIV and AIDS are definitely on that list. Growing up I heard adults talking about AIDS as a joke. Sadly enough, it was a joke that people said plagued the promiscuous girls. I once heard a man say, "Don't you touch her, she's got AIDS bugs jumping all over her." Ridiculous to us, but it's really sad...ignorant... and risky to keep thinking that way.
Some Facts at a Glance... (From UNAIDS Viet Nam)
Did you know?...
*Prevalence in the general population is estimated at 0.53%.
*According to the 2005 Estimation and Projection Report, there were an estimated 293,000 people living with HIV in 2007.
*Of all reported HIV cases, 78.9% are in the age group 20–39, with males accounting for 85.2% of total reported HIV cases.
*People living with HIV are getting younger and heterosexual transmission is becoming more significant.
*As of 31 August 2007 were 132,628 cases of HIV and 26,828 cases of AIDS. There have been a total of 15,007 deaths due to AIDS in Viet Nam.
In a country as small and as impoverished as Vietnam, 15,007 deaths is huge. I can't help but wonder if many of those people did not received all the possible treatments they could have due to not only the level of poverty many of the high risk populations possess but also because of the stigma of discussing anything sex-related, or anything involving HIV/AIDS.
I was so proud of myself after last week's quizzes... and especially on the questions that involved the Myths regarding HIV... I continue to be confident that we are learning more than any of us expected or had set out to.
http://www.unaids.org.vn/sitee/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=413&Itemid=1
In the conservative Asian and Vietnamese culture, a lot of things are "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Even as things progress before my eyes, I still notice many things that people refuse to discuss. I think that HIV and AIDS are definitely on that list. Growing up I heard adults talking about AIDS as a joke. Sadly enough, it was a joke that people said plagued the promiscuous girls. I once heard a man say, "Don't you touch her, she's got AIDS bugs jumping all over her." Ridiculous to us, but it's really sad...ignorant... and risky to keep thinking that way.
Some Facts at a Glance... (From UNAIDS Viet Nam)
Did you know?...
*Prevalence in the general population is estimated at 0.53%.
*According to the 2005 Estimation and Projection Report, there were an estimated 293,000 people living with HIV in 2007.
*Of all reported HIV cases, 78.9% are in the age group 20–39, with males accounting for 85.2% of total reported HIV cases.
*People living with HIV are getting younger and heterosexual transmission is becoming more significant.
*As of 31 August 2007 were 132,628 cases of HIV and 26,828 cases of AIDS. There have been a total of 15,007 deaths due to AIDS in Viet Nam.
In a country as small and as impoverished as Vietnam, 15,007 deaths is huge. I can't help but wonder if many of those people did not received all the possible treatments they could have due to not only the level of poverty many of the high risk populations possess but also because of the stigma of discussing anything sex-related, or anything involving HIV/AIDS.
I was so proud of myself after last week's quizzes... and especially on the questions that involved the Myths regarding HIV... I continue to be confident that we are learning more than any of us expected or had set out to.
http://www.unaids.org.vn/sitee/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=413&Itemid=1
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
So I've had a lot of time to think the past couple of weeks. After facing the painful loss of someone I loved recently, I've been reflecting a lot about time and about life. The question of the week this week really hit me hard. I realize how precious time is... so I've been thinking a lot about those people who have loved ones who are battle HIV and AIDS on a daily basis. I've been trying to consider what the "battle" is.
With viable treatment options, is the battle all the medications they must remember to take?
Is it affording the ARV drugs?
Is it the doctor's visits?
Is it worrying about what others will think?
Is it the worry that any condition brings that you may miss out seeing a milestone of your child?
I'm sure it's a combination of all those things and more. And this week, I feel a special emotional connection towards those people. I know a lot of my peers have brought up the concept of "quality of life". I think quality of life is defined on an individual basis. Some people think having to take medicines everyday is a diminished quality of life.
I think that a life without those I love is meaningless, but as long as I have them, I would have something to live for. As an extension to my question of the week I realize now that we have to continue improving treatment options. We may be racing to the cure for a long time before we get there... but the better our drugs get, and the more we know about the virus, the lesser the burden on those who are HIV positive. If those drugs allow someone to live a little longer and love a little more of those around them, I think that is a huge blessing. Being HIV positive no longer has to mean a couple of years left to live, it means a lifestyle change, and sacrifice, but thanks to those who have care enough to research the condition, people now have options to prolong their lives many years. It's still a burden, but one that many people are proving can be lived with. I do believe that the stigma, although still very existent, is starting to lift little by little by those who care. People like our professors and those in this class who refuse to be a part of the ignorance are making the difference and I am so proud to be witnessing it. There is still much work to be done. I just can't stress how important love is right now. I know it probably sounds so corny, but love today, love now. It's the best time. Leave nothing unsaid that could lift someone's spirits. Those sentiments and time are priceless.
As for a Did You Know?
http://www.npaihb.org/images/epicenter_docs/aids/2008/Adult%20HIV%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
This is a PDF regarding American Indians and Alaskan Natives. They are not perhaps the demographic that we first think of when we think of HIV. After being in this class, I realize the dangers of stereotypes. This is a call from American Indians and Alaskan natives to their brothers and sisters within their cultures to "Stop the Silence". They even mention how stigma is costing lives. I think a lot can be learned from this. It's a reminder of how global HIV is... it's a threat to everyone. It all goes back to that common theme.
With viable treatment options, is the battle all the medications they must remember to take?
Is it affording the ARV drugs?
Is it the doctor's visits?
Is it worrying about what others will think?
Is it the worry that any condition brings that you may miss out seeing a milestone of your child?
I'm sure it's a combination of all those things and more. And this week, I feel a special emotional connection towards those people. I know a lot of my peers have brought up the concept of "quality of life". I think quality of life is defined on an individual basis. Some people think having to take medicines everyday is a diminished quality of life.
I think that a life without those I love is meaningless, but as long as I have them, I would have something to live for. As an extension to my question of the week I realize now that we have to continue improving treatment options. We may be racing to the cure for a long time before we get there... but the better our drugs get, and the more we know about the virus, the lesser the burden on those who are HIV positive. If those drugs allow someone to live a little longer and love a little more of those around them, I think that is a huge blessing. Being HIV positive no longer has to mean a couple of years left to live, it means a lifestyle change, and sacrifice, but thanks to those who have care enough to research the condition, people now have options to prolong their lives many years. It's still a burden, but one that many people are proving can be lived with. I do believe that the stigma, although still very existent, is starting to lift little by little by those who care. People like our professors and those in this class who refuse to be a part of the ignorance are making the difference and I am so proud to be witnessing it. There is still much work to be done. I just can't stress how important love is right now. I know it probably sounds so corny, but love today, love now. It's the best time. Leave nothing unsaid that could lift someone's spirits. Those sentiments and time are priceless.
As for a Did You Know?
http://www.npaihb.org/images/epicenter_docs/aids/2008/Adult%20HIV%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
This is a PDF regarding American Indians and Alaskan Natives. They are not perhaps the demographic that we first think of when we think of HIV. After being in this class, I realize the dangers of stereotypes. This is a call from American Indians and Alaskan natives to their brothers and sisters within their cultures to "Stop the Silence". They even mention how stigma is costing lives. I think a lot can be learned from this. It's a reminder of how global HIV is... it's a threat to everyone. It all goes back to that common theme.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Post #5-The POST! (It plays to be a good citizen.)
So continuing on from my discussion post, I realize how much I continue to grow every day from this class. The accident I described was very much a private thing I didn't share with many people before today. I struggled every since that accident to continue to believe that despite people like that driver that hit me and ran that day, that there are plenty good people in the world, and plenty of good deeds done. What always upset me the most was that that man did not just total my car, a graduation present from my parents who had worked so hard to save and get it for me. He didn't just cost me thousands of dollars in damage that wasn't my fault that I would work a year to make up repair and replace, but he stole away so much more than that. He stole away my sense of security. I felt a heighten sense of risk every time I walked out the door. He stole away my faith in people, and if I couldn't believe in love and people I see all the time, how could I not question my faith in a God I couldn't see? It was a turbulent time in my life. But I have grown so much from it, just as I have this class.
I've learned that there is a risk in everything we do. Every step we take. Every decision we make. Small, large... Anything could happen, at any second. What we do with each breath makes all the difference, or no difference at all.
So would helping a person a bleeding person on the side of the road who could potentially have HIV, who most likely does since they have mumbled something about it be a risk? It would be. Is the risk worth it? I think it's important to self reflect here. What if it were you? There would be no question you'd want someone to help you.
I was looking hard to find a way to relate this back to my focus area of Women and HIV. The degrees of separation, but I find this topic seems human more than either gender. So I go back to, did you know?
Did you know that... turning our heads the other way is a very human trait? May it is more of a flaw. If you guys have ever turned on E! or Oprah, it's nearly impossible that you haven't heard of actor, Tyler Perry. In his blog he describes a run in he has with a homeless woman with AIDS. He describes all the feelings I know are familiar to me, like how he hope she wouldn't approach him, and how he kept expecting her sales pitch for money. It turns out that her family had turn their backs on her and she was delayed placement in a shelter because she had been diagnosed with AIDS.
You can read it here: http://hivaidsandme.wordpress.com/2007/08/08/tyler-perry-reflects-on-helping-a-homeless-woman-with-aids/
It was very touching. Even celebrities feel the way we do, and even a celebrity like Tyler Perry was humbled by the woman in this story. I hope you will check it out. I really moved me.
Also, did you know that there is a organization called "The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS"? It is a wealth of information and provides support to women all over the world, working with other groups as well as the United Nations. They don't just support the cause to protect women and girls but one of their "key principles" is to engage men and boys, it about "uniting the world against AIDS". They have 8 areas of focus they'd like to use for change:
"Preventing HIV infections among women and girls
Reducing violence against women
Protecting property and inheritance rights of women and girls
Ensuring equal access to treatment and care for women
Supporting improved and properly resourced community-based care
Promoting access to new prevention options that women can initiate, including the female condom and microbicides
Supporting ongoing efforts towards universal education for girls
Promoting women’s leadership in global, national and community response to AIDS."
They are absolutely awesome. They tackle all levels of prevention, (primary, secondary and teritary.)
They can be found at: http://womenandaids.unaids.org .
I've learned that there is a risk in everything we do. Every step we take. Every decision we make. Small, large... Anything could happen, at any second. What we do with each breath makes all the difference, or no difference at all.
So would helping a person a bleeding person on the side of the road who could potentially have HIV, who most likely does since they have mumbled something about it be a risk? It would be. Is the risk worth it? I think it's important to self reflect here. What if it were you? There would be no question you'd want someone to help you.
I was looking hard to find a way to relate this back to my focus area of Women and HIV. The degrees of separation, but I find this topic seems human more than either gender. So I go back to, did you know?
Did you know that... turning our heads the other way is a very human trait? May it is more of a flaw. If you guys have ever turned on E! or Oprah, it's nearly impossible that you haven't heard of actor, Tyler Perry. In his blog he describes a run in he has with a homeless woman with AIDS. He describes all the feelings I know are familiar to me, like how he hope she wouldn't approach him, and how he kept expecting her sales pitch for money. It turns out that her family had turn their backs on her and she was delayed placement in a shelter because she had been diagnosed with AIDS.
You can read it here: http://hivaidsandme.wordpress.com/2007/08/08/tyler-perry-reflects-on-helping-a-homeless-woman-with-aids/
It was very touching. Even celebrities feel the way we do, and even a celebrity like Tyler Perry was humbled by the woman in this story. I hope you will check it out. I really moved me.
Also, did you know that there is a organization called "The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS"? It is a wealth of information and provides support to women all over the world, working with other groups as well as the United Nations. They don't just support the cause to protect women and girls but one of their "key principles" is to engage men and boys, it about "uniting the world against AIDS". They have 8 areas of focus they'd like to use for change:
"Preventing HIV infections among women and girls
Reducing violence against women
Protecting property and inheritance rights of women and girls
Ensuring equal access to treatment and care for women
Supporting improved and properly resourced community-based care
Promoting access to new prevention options that women can initiate, including the female condom and microbicides
Supporting ongoing efforts towards universal education for girls
Promoting women’s leadership in global, national and community response to AIDS."
They are absolutely awesome. They tackle all levels of prevention, (primary, secondary and teritary.)
They can be found at: http://womenandaids.unaids.org .
Post #5-(Preface)-It pays to be a good citizen.
So I wanted to just continue with the theme of the question of the week.
Here was my post:
"You can never be to prepared. I get made fun of all the time for having everything in my bag from hand sanitizer, a mini bottle of Lysol, to get this... a CPR Kit! I won it at my CPR certification for helping the instructor take the 3 huge boxes of dummies out to his car in the parking garage 4 miles away from the Union. I also have a full First Aid Kit in the car, and equip with gloves. I would be fully ready for this situation as far as equipment but what about my nerves? I think that would be the biggest barrier here. Would I be mentally ready to handle that situation?
I hope so. Imagining these situations really tests my faith in myself, not only my potential to be a medical professional, but also the strength I possess as a person. I hope and believe that my character would overcome my fear here. About a year or two ago, I was in a bad accident. I was just driving home from work, minding my own business, seatbelt on, paying attention to the road when a car came out of no where... no lights... cut through two lanes of traffic and totaled my car leaving me trapped inside the vehicle. It was the worst possible time to have an asthma attack, which is exactly what I had. I was trapped in the car, gasping for air. The man who hit me came out of the car, tapped on my window, asked me if I was all right, and proceeded to watch me, what looked like to him I'm sure, dying. A wonderful woman came out of her house to ask both of us if we were all right when the man told her to go back into her house right away, as he ran back to his car unscathed and sped away. The police never found him.
She stayed with me until the paramedics came, trying to get me out of the car. She probably saved my life by calling 911. She didn't hesitate for a second although I easily could have had something infectious, I couldn't breathe much less be able to tell her.
There are always potential risks involve with being around any kind of person much less clearly open blood gushing, but could I live with myself ever again if I selfishly walked away from someone who needed help? HIV or not, that would be a heavy weight on your conscience. And that would be the selfish reason why I would help. But I feel such a moral obligation after being helped by someone else that my automatic response always is to help if I can. Unless I had cuts on me the chances of me contracting HIV from her if she was HIV positive would be just that. A chance. A chance I'd be willing to take because I'd hope someone would do the same for me."
Here was my post:
"You can never be to prepared. I get made fun of all the time for having everything in my bag from hand sanitizer, a mini bottle of Lysol, to get this... a CPR Kit! I won it at my CPR certification for helping the instructor take the 3 huge boxes of dummies out to his car in the parking garage 4 miles away from the Union. I also have a full First Aid Kit in the car, and equip with gloves. I would be fully ready for this situation as far as equipment but what about my nerves? I think that would be the biggest barrier here. Would I be mentally ready to handle that situation?
I hope so. Imagining these situations really tests my faith in myself, not only my potential to be a medical professional, but also the strength I possess as a person. I hope and believe that my character would overcome my fear here. About a year or two ago, I was in a bad accident. I was just driving home from work, minding my own business, seatbelt on, paying attention to the road when a car came out of no where... no lights... cut through two lanes of traffic and totaled my car leaving me trapped inside the vehicle. It was the worst possible time to have an asthma attack, which is exactly what I had. I was trapped in the car, gasping for air. The man who hit me came out of the car, tapped on my window, asked me if I was all right, and proceeded to watch me, what looked like to him I'm sure, dying. A wonderful woman came out of her house to ask both of us if we were all right when the man told her to go back into her house right away, as he ran back to his car unscathed and sped away. The police never found him.
She stayed with me until the paramedics came, trying to get me out of the car. She probably saved my life by calling 911. She didn't hesitate for a second although I easily could have had something infectious, I couldn't breathe much less be able to tell her.
There are always potential risks involve with being around any kind of person much less clearly open blood gushing, but could I live with myself ever again if I selfishly walked away from someone who needed help? HIV or not, that would be a heavy weight on your conscience. And that would be the selfish reason why I would help. But I feel such a moral obligation after being helped by someone else that my automatic response always is to help if I can. Unless I had cuts on me the chances of me contracting HIV from her if she was HIV positive would be just that. A chance. A chance I'd be willing to take because I'd hope someone would do the same for me."
Monday, September 28, 2009
Post #4, Sniffle sniffle!
Good morning,
Well sorta. I woke up with a really raspy throat and the sniffles. No fun. General aching... fatigue, and an owwie headache. Yikes, sounds like I'm getting sick! Noooo!!!! Better not be the flu, any sort, I sure can't afford it. Oh wait, it could be the flu, it could be the cold, it could be nothing...
Or...it could be symptoms of HIV? What?! Relating back to the course, I wondered if the symptoms of HIV were different between men and women. The results I found overall were pretty interesting. Although there are some subtle different symptoms more specific to gender, the initial of both sexes are so non-specific, they are hardly good indicators that you need to see a doctor.
According to wrongdiagnosis.com about 1-2 months after exposure, these are the symptoms you can expect:
* Flu-like symptoms
* Fever
* Headache
* Tiredness
* Enlarged lymph nodes
The funny thing is, many individuals don't experience any early infection symptoms at all! Following this phase is the "latent phase" where the same website listed that again, it was likely and still possible to not experience any symptoms at all or possibly,
* Swollen lymph glands
The tricky part is, none of the symptoms listed so far are of course, specific at all to HIV. They are very general symptoms that could be just the flu, or a nasal infection, or something more serious. But none of them actually specific to any condition. Nothing significant enough for someone to automatically think, 'Hey, maybe I need to get tested for HIV.'.
It is not until the early stages of AIDS that the symptoms are really severe enough that I think a normal person would go to the doctor. Even then, I'm not sure that they'd go suspecting they might have HIV.
* Fatigue
* Lack of energy
* Weight loss
* Frequent low-grade fevers
* Night sweats
* Frequent yeast infections (oral or vaginal)
* Vaginal yeast infections
* Bacterial vaginosis
* Abnormal PAP smears
* Genital ulcers - not necessarily from herpes
* Persistent skin rashes
* Flaky skin
* Pelvic inflammatory disease - especially if it is difficult to treat
* Short-term memory loss
* Shingles
* Severe herpes infections
* Abscess
Most of those symptoms may not be specific, but they are bothersome enough for someone to go see a doctor, and hopefully the doctor would encourage them to be tested for HIV. Many of the symptoms are at least a sign of another underlying condition. Many of those listed in the preceding list are more specific to women, such as the vaginal yeast infection and abnormal paps smears. These are two of the most common symptoms in women according to Patrice K. Nicholas, D.N.Sc., M.P.H. who wrote an article for "The Body" website which I've used before entitled Women and HIV: Symptoms and Quality of life in Women.
What about women in other parts of the world? Their symptoms are similar except can be more severe due to their inaccessibility to OTC drugs such as Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen. (The Body)
I have a good feeling this is the cold my roommates keep passing around like a hot potato, but it did make me think twice about why people may not get tested right away. How often have you had flu-like symptoms and thought nothing of it? Hmm....
http://www.thebody.com/content/art2529.html
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/h/hiv_aids/symptoms.htm
P.S. What is even funnier, and I think I'll never get over this... As I am looking up "Symptoms of HIV", people in close proximity can't seem to keep their g-dang eyes off my screen. Could they think I was suspecting it for myself, maybe that's why they are looking so closely? How bout we all keep our hands on our own keys, and our eyes on our own shiny LCD screens. I'd appreciate that. Even funnier... I guess the one to my right just realized I was probably writing about him... he's packing up and leaving. Awesome. I love blogging! hahahah!!!
Well sorta. I woke up with a really raspy throat and the sniffles. No fun. General aching... fatigue, and an owwie headache. Yikes, sounds like I'm getting sick! Noooo!!!! Better not be the flu, any sort, I sure can't afford it. Oh wait, it could be the flu, it could be the cold, it could be nothing...
Or...it could be symptoms of HIV? What?! Relating back to the course, I wondered if the symptoms of HIV were different between men and women. The results I found overall were pretty interesting. Although there are some subtle different symptoms more specific to gender, the initial of both sexes are so non-specific, they are hardly good indicators that you need to see a doctor.
According to wrongdiagnosis.com about 1-2 months after exposure, these are the symptoms you can expect:
* Flu-like symptoms
* Fever
* Headache
* Tiredness
* Enlarged lymph nodes
The funny thing is, many individuals don't experience any early infection symptoms at all! Following this phase is the "latent phase" where the same website listed that again, it was likely and still possible to not experience any symptoms at all or possibly,
* Swollen lymph glands
The tricky part is, none of the symptoms listed so far are of course, specific at all to HIV. They are very general symptoms that could be just the flu, or a nasal infection, or something more serious. But none of them actually specific to any condition. Nothing significant enough for someone to automatically think, 'Hey, maybe I need to get tested for HIV.'.
It is not until the early stages of AIDS that the symptoms are really severe enough that I think a normal person would go to the doctor. Even then, I'm not sure that they'd go suspecting they might have HIV.
* Fatigue
* Lack of energy
* Weight loss
* Frequent low-grade fevers
* Night sweats
* Frequent yeast infections (oral or vaginal)
* Vaginal yeast infections
* Bacterial vaginosis
* Abnormal PAP smears
* Genital ulcers - not necessarily from herpes
* Persistent skin rashes
* Flaky skin
* Pelvic inflammatory disease - especially if it is difficult to treat
* Short-term memory loss
* Shingles
* Severe herpes infections
* Abscess
Most of those symptoms may not be specific, but they are bothersome enough for someone to go see a doctor, and hopefully the doctor would encourage them to be tested for HIV. Many of the symptoms are at least a sign of another underlying condition. Many of those listed in the preceding list are more specific to women, such as the vaginal yeast infection and abnormal paps smears. These are two of the most common symptoms in women according to Patrice K. Nicholas, D.N.Sc., M.P.H. who wrote an article for "The Body" website which I've used before entitled Women and HIV: Symptoms and Quality of life in Women.
What about women in other parts of the world? Their symptoms are similar except can be more severe due to their inaccessibility to OTC drugs such as Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen. (The Body)
I have a good feeling this is the cold my roommates keep passing around like a hot potato, but it did make me think twice about why people may not get tested right away. How often have you had flu-like symptoms and thought nothing of it? Hmm....
http://www.thebody.com/content/art2529.html
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/h/hiv_aids/symptoms.htm
P.S. What is even funnier, and I think I'll never get over this... As I am looking up "Symptoms of HIV", people in close proximity can't seem to keep their g-dang eyes off my screen. Could they think I was suspecting it for myself, maybe that's why they are looking so closely? How bout we all keep our hands on our own keys, and our eyes on our own shiny LCD screens. I'd appreciate that. Even funnier... I guess the one to my right just realized I was probably writing about him... he's packing up and leaving. Awesome. I love blogging! hahahah!!!
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