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!!!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Blog #3-Striking Contrast!
I am reflecting on this week's Question of the Week, as if I were interviewing myself, before I ask 3 others how they feel about those questions. Hmm... as the class progresses I definitely feel a deal of growth. I've felt an emotional attachment to many of the assignments and also a great deal of responsibility to invoke a change. This is more than I can say about many of the classes I've taken. I don't typically feel an attachment to numbers and reactions between molecules. But I think perhaps the biggest marker of growth of all for me, has been the sense of guilt I've felt in answering these questions honestly for myself. That sounds a little of kilter, how could guilt be a marker of growth? ...
Did I ever possess a feeling of judgment for someone with HIV? Did I assume anything about their lives or how they contracted the virus, did I believe they participated in risk behaviors and not take the proper precautions? I must have seen the world in black and white...
I realize sometimes that we forget how difficult situations can be with the added pressure of psychology, emotion, societal pressure... Do our decisions ever truly get made without some outside influence, even if we do not let those influences make the decision for us. They are often present nonetheless. I know this is true for me.
I feel as if this growth will transfer into a lot of other facets of my life, and I am really proud of that feeling. It's a striking contrast to the feeling of guilt, the movement to change for the better. And that I believe, ladies and gents, is the definition of progress. So let's progress together!
So on that note, and without judgment, what about women and HIV....
Last week, I ran across The Body website's analysis of the risk factors of men in acquiring HIV. The source pointed out some factors that I hadn't really previously realized or thought through that males as a population are at a higher probability to participate in high risk behaviors such as multiple partners or other "high-risk behavior such as violence, sexual risk-taking, excessive drinking or drug use." These things they attributed to social expectations of men.
This week I was looking at the risk factors specific to women. I wondered if they too would have to do with social stigmas...
Some of the following reasons may seem kind of absurd to us, (especially us very independent women in the class) but they are very real issues faced by women as a group in society.
According to the CDC, women are less like to use protection because:
-"...some women may not insist on condom use because they fear that their partner will physically abuse them or leave them." (CDC 2008.)
-our higher risk is not limited to possibly preventable factors either, what about biology? "A woman is significantly more likely than a man to contract HIV infection during vaginal intercourse." (CDC 2008.)
-this is perhaps the most striking one to me, like in men, a excessive use of alcohol can raise risk for contracting HIV, in women "with a history of child sexual abuse (CSA) or later sexual assault (SA), who it is estimated comprise over 20% of all women" are more likely to use alcohol to the point of intoxication. (University of Washington: Dept of Psych.)
There are a lot of things that bother me about the last fact. 20% of all women have been a victim of of child sexual abuse or sexual assault (which directly or indirectly increases their risk for HIV). As progressive as we have become, 1 in every 5 of women are a part of this group! That's awful!
I would like to see if women are less likely to seek help, or medical care if they suspect they might have HIV, but I haven't found a concrete source yet. More to come.
http://web.psych.washington.edu/research/project.php?GrantID=87
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/women/resources/factsheets/women.htm
Did I ever possess a feeling of judgment for someone with HIV? Did I assume anything about their lives or how they contracted the virus, did I believe they participated in risk behaviors and not take the proper precautions? I must have seen the world in black and white...
I realize sometimes that we forget how difficult situations can be with the added pressure of psychology, emotion, societal pressure... Do our decisions ever truly get made without some outside influence, even if we do not let those influences make the decision for us. They are often present nonetheless. I know this is true for me.
I feel as if this growth will transfer into a lot of other facets of my life, and I am really proud of that feeling. It's a striking contrast to the feeling of guilt, the movement to change for the better. And that I believe, ladies and gents, is the definition of progress. So let's progress together!
So on that note, and without judgment, what about women and HIV....
Last week, I ran across The Body website's analysis of the risk factors of men in acquiring HIV. The source pointed out some factors that I hadn't really previously realized or thought through that males as a population are at a higher probability to participate in high risk behaviors such as multiple partners or other "high-risk behavior such as violence, sexual risk-taking, excessive drinking or drug use." These things they attributed to social expectations of men.
This week I was looking at the risk factors specific to women. I wondered if they too would have to do with social stigmas...
Some of the following reasons may seem kind of absurd to us, (especially us very independent women in the class) but they are very real issues faced by women as a group in society.
According to the CDC, women are less like to use protection because:
-"...some women may not insist on condom use because they fear that their partner will physically abuse them or leave them." (CDC 2008.)
-our higher risk is not limited to possibly preventable factors either, what about biology? "A woman is significantly more likely than a man to contract HIV infection during vaginal intercourse." (CDC 2008.)
-this is perhaps the most striking one to me, like in men, a excessive use of alcohol can raise risk for contracting HIV, in women "with a history of child sexual abuse (CSA) or later sexual assault (SA), who it is estimated comprise over 20% of all women" are more likely to use alcohol to the point of intoxication. (University of Washington: Dept of Psych.)
There are a lot of things that bother me about the last fact. 20% of all women have been a victim of of child sexual abuse or sexual assault (which directly or indirectly increases their risk for HIV). As progressive as we have become, 1 in every 5 of women are a part of this group! That's awful!
I would like to see if women are less likely to seek help, or medical care if they suspect they might have HIV, but I haven't found a concrete source yet. More to come.
http://web.psych.washington.edu/research/project.php?GrantID=87
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/women/resources/factsheets/women.htm
Friday, September 18, 2009
Preparedness?
I was replying to someone's answer to the Question of the Week and I wasn't able to find an answer to my own question... it will require further research, but here is an excerpt.
"You know what I wonder though... no one ever goes on a trip anticipating getting into a severe accident or situation like this, if they did, they wouldn't go. But then how would you really prepare for a situation like this? I've heard of people giving blood (their own blood) before a big surgery in anticipation for the possibility of them needed a transfusion, but should we have some on hand while we are away in countries like those in Africa? Is that an even feasible option? I'm not sure how they store blood or how long it keeps out of the body...."
I searched third world country travel, or travel to Africa, and I wasn't able to find one mention to consider the threat of not being able to get a clean blood transfusion, or the threat of HIV in a blood transfusion in the event you would need one. There were warnings for food safety, for getting ripped off because the native peoples will know you are foreign, and mentions of less developed medical care, but no specific mention of blood. I will keep looking, but I hope someone in class will reply if they have any info...
"You know what I wonder though... no one ever goes on a trip anticipating getting into a severe accident or situation like this, if they did, they wouldn't go. But then how would you really prepare for a situation like this? I've heard of people giving blood (their own blood) before a big surgery in anticipation for the possibility of them needed a transfusion, but should we have some on hand while we are away in countries like those in Africa? Is that an even feasible option? I'm not sure how they store blood or how long it keeps out of the body...."
I searched third world country travel, or travel to Africa, and I wasn't able to find one mention to consider the threat of not being able to get a clean blood transfusion, or the threat of HIV in a blood transfusion in the event you would need one. There were warnings for food safety, for getting ripped off because the native peoples will know you are foreign, and mentions of less developed medical care, but no specific mention of blood. I will keep looking, but I hope someone in class will reply if they have any info...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Aloha! There is help!
Aloha!
Hawaii, often considered a paradise (I came back from there right before fall semester started...they had to pry my clenched fingers off the the cabana posts but I came back) has regions that currently facing drug problems and because of the often unsafe needle handling practices associated with illicit drug use, the threat of HIV is as real there as anywhere else. Also as we have learned, HIV doesn't discriminate.
The Maui AIDS Foundation was originally founded to in 1986 as a resource for homosexual men suffering from HIV/AIDS but now is resource available to anyone in the Maui area to help them to "not only to survive with a debilitating and chronic disease but also to live with dignity, honor and respect."
Their webpage can be found at www.mauiaids.org.
Hawaii, often considered a paradise (I came back from there right before fall semester started...they had to pry my clenched fingers off the the cabana posts but I came back) has regions that currently facing drug problems and because of the often unsafe needle handling practices associated with illicit drug use, the threat of HIV is as real there as anywhere else. Also as we have learned, HIV doesn't discriminate.
The Maui AIDS Foundation was originally founded to in 1986 as a resource for homosexual men suffering from HIV/AIDS but now is resource available to anyone in the Maui area to help them to "not only to survive with a debilitating and chronic disease but also to live with dignity, honor and respect."
Their webpage can be found at www.mauiaids.org.
Men are from Mars... and Women are from Venus, or was that the other way around?
Men are from Mars... and Women are from Venus, or was that the other way around?
...I never could get that straight, who was from where. The take-home message though seems to be that as human and as one and unified as we can be as a species, men and women still drastically differ. Gender and cultural issues have always fascinate me because so much of our behaviors, and how we make decisions. This concept naturally seeped over to my fascinations with HIV and this class. How do cultural norms and gender roles affect people perceptions of HIV?
There's this great site called "The Body: the complete HIV/AIDS Resource" that I'm sure many of our fellow students have come across, as it's a top hit on google, that offered a whole section of Men, Culture and HIV/AIDS. I've used it in the past as a resource for projects relating to the physiological impacts of HIV, but never realized the wealth of information it possessed for the other impacts. I personally have always thought that gender roles would have affected this topic, but I don't think I ever sat down to consider the specifics, I just knew that they must have since so many HIV statistics are broken down by gender and race. This week I want to look at the psychological issue of the social norms of considered masculinity.
Some people, and I may be guilty of this too at times consider some double standards and dominance of males in many societies as men having it easier. I am finding more and more that this class is causing and requiring me to think outside of the box, and outside of what I'm often naturally inclined to consider without further dissection. When it comes to sexual expectations, I know the most often heard stereotype at least that I've heard is that, if a man is to be sexual active with many partners, he is considered to be a "real man", and if a woman were to do the same, she'd be considered promiscuous. I think to a certain extent, that idea is starting to level out between genders, but on that note, I've always considered that it was many an "advantage" that guys have. They could do what they want, and there would be no stigma towards them. But wait... I've never taken the time to consider that in a way, it is a disadvantage. It is very much a social PRESSURE. I don't know what it's like to be a guy growing up around other guys who all presumably talk about sex and getting girls, and numbers and figures of partners, but I would imagine like anything else that happens while you're growing up...people, particularly young people, just want to belong. We want to be accepted...liked... and fit in. Point blank, I think to some degree, that desire is always there.
So does the pressure of being engaging in dangerous behaviors more concentrated on males? How does this have an affect on the number of men vs. women who are living with HIV or AIDS? Hmmm.....
According to this article, these dangerous behaviors that put men more at risk for becoming infected with HIV are more than just sexual behaviors but also "high-risk behavior such as violence, sexual risk-taking, excessive drinking or drug use." These the website defines as "macho" behavior. An interesting point too was that because of this so-called, "macho" behavior "many women cannot negotiate condom use and are often forced to have unwanted sexual relations". So both sexes face challenges in this way, men are pressured to having multiple partners putting them at greater risk, and women are often pressure to be less dominant/more submissive and have unprotected sex.
The website is: http://www.thebody.com/content/art715.html
Really especially cool, at the end of the article, it has a section called "Ideas for Action" with questions for self questioning and reflection... the first step to change.
I plan on dissecting each of those questions further and looking into more resources in the coming days...
...I never could get that straight, who was from where. The take-home message though seems to be that as human and as one and unified as we can be as a species, men and women still drastically differ. Gender and cultural issues have always fascinate me because so much of our behaviors, and how we make decisions. This concept naturally seeped over to my fascinations with HIV and this class. How do cultural norms and gender roles affect people perceptions of HIV?
There's this great site called "The Body: the complete HIV/AIDS Resource" that I'm sure many of our fellow students have come across, as it's a top hit on google, that offered a whole section of Men, Culture and HIV/AIDS. I've used it in the past as a resource for projects relating to the physiological impacts of HIV, but never realized the wealth of information it possessed for the other impacts. I personally have always thought that gender roles would have affected this topic, but I don't think I ever sat down to consider the specifics, I just knew that they must have since so many HIV statistics are broken down by gender and race. This week I want to look at the psychological issue of the social norms of considered masculinity.
Some people, and I may be guilty of this too at times consider some double standards and dominance of males in many societies as men having it easier. I am finding more and more that this class is causing and requiring me to think outside of the box, and outside of what I'm often naturally inclined to consider without further dissection. When it comes to sexual expectations, I know the most often heard stereotype at least that I've heard is that, if a man is to be sexual active with many partners, he is considered to be a "real man", and if a woman were to do the same, she'd be considered promiscuous. I think to a certain extent, that idea is starting to level out between genders, but on that note, I've always considered that it was many an "advantage" that guys have. They could do what they want, and there would be no stigma towards them. But wait... I've never taken the time to consider that in a way, it is a disadvantage. It is very much a social PRESSURE. I don't know what it's like to be a guy growing up around other guys who all presumably talk about sex and getting girls, and numbers and figures of partners, but I would imagine like anything else that happens while you're growing up...people, particularly young people, just want to belong. We want to be accepted...liked... and fit in. Point blank, I think to some degree, that desire is always there.
So does the pressure of being engaging in dangerous behaviors more concentrated on males? How does this have an affect on the number of men vs. women who are living with HIV or AIDS? Hmmm.....
According to this article, these dangerous behaviors that put men more at risk for becoming infected with HIV are more than just sexual behaviors but also "high-risk behavior such as violence, sexual risk-taking, excessive drinking or drug use." These the website defines as "macho" behavior. An interesting point too was that because of this so-called, "macho" behavior "many women cannot negotiate condom use and are often forced to have unwanted sexual relations". So both sexes face challenges in this way, men are pressured to having multiple partners putting them at greater risk, and women are often pressure to be less dominant/more submissive and have unprotected sex.
The website is: http://www.thebody.com/content/art715.html
Really especially cool, at the end of the article, it has a section called "Ideas for Action" with questions for self questioning and reflection... the first step to change.
I plan on dissecting each of those questions further and looking into more resources in the coming days...
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Hello! Good morning, good afternoon and goodnight!
I woke up from the few hours of sleep I got this morning and completely aching all over. I knew it'd be one of those mornings that would be very difficult to get through, and even harder to get over. Whenever I start off the morning in a funk, I can't help sometimes but let it seep over to the rest of the day. I got a nasty email from my boss, and I had a huge exam in a matter of hours. All I could think of was how hard my life was. I continued to complain in my head the whole way to school, then after I found a parking spot in a matter of seconds since it was so early, rather than celebrate (which I normally would have done, a a parking spot does merit some celebrating around here), I continued to think of how hard classes were, how I was really sick of being stuck in the house studying for hours on end without the luxury of knowing for sure I'd end up in medical school or knowing anything for sure for that matter.
I found a seat with an electrical outlet, almost instantly as I walked into the HPA building...this too merited some celebration, but I just buttoned up my sweater and thought about how freezing the room was. Why was God torturing me today? It wasn't bad enough I was aching, exhausted with school, annoyed with work issues, and feeling ragged. I was also going to be freezing cold for the next few hours. I got settled and login to check the usual email, myUCF, then Webcourses and looked at the assignments I had before me.
First was our Question of the Week #2. I had looked at it over the weekend and wondered about how real I wanted it to feel. So I decided to hold off until the week got rolling and look back on it as if it happened over the long weekend. I knew if it had really happened I would have thought about it all weekend and into the work and school week. Something about it being a family member, and something about being the only one who knew made me feel important and needed, and even more concerned. It did feel real, and I realized I didn't know nearly enough abotu HIV to have been there for my virtual cousin. I know this class will make a big difference in how confident and comfortable I feel in the future being able to talk to someone about or with HIV.
Anyway, so once I finished writing my answer to the QOTW, that's when my day began to turn around. I thought about the cousin... how did my little complaints measure up to the amount of worry she had keeping such a big secret to herself? What about how she felt. Sure, I felt achy and tired this morning, but how often did she feel "not-so-good"? How often did she feel cold? How often did she feel alone? I suddenly felt very embarrassed by my attitude this morning. How narcissistic of me... what did I really have to complain about?
I found a seat with an electrical outlet, almost instantly as I walked into the HPA building...this too merited some celebration, but I just buttoned up my sweater and thought about how freezing the room was. Why was God torturing me today? It wasn't bad enough I was aching, exhausted with school, annoyed with work issues, and feeling ragged. I was also going to be freezing cold for the next few hours. I got settled and login to check the usual email, myUCF, then Webcourses and looked at the assignments I had before me.
First was our Question of the Week #2. I had looked at it over the weekend and wondered about how real I wanted it to feel. So I decided to hold off until the week got rolling and look back on it as if it happened over the long weekend. I knew if it had really happened I would have thought about it all weekend and into the work and school week. Something about it being a family member, and something about being the only one who knew made me feel important and needed, and even more concerned. It did feel real, and I realized I didn't know nearly enough abotu HIV to have been there for my virtual cousin. I know this class will make a big difference in how confident and comfortable I feel in the future being able to talk to someone about or with HIV.
Anyway, so once I finished writing my answer to the QOTW, that's when my day began to turn around. I thought about the cousin... how did my little complaints measure up to the amount of worry she had keeping such a big secret to herself? What about how she felt. Sure, I felt achy and tired this morning, but how often did she feel "not-so-good"? How often did she feel cold? How often did she feel alone? I suddenly felt very embarrassed by my attitude this morning. How narcissistic of me... what did I really have to complain about?
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