Well, I’m still married (I thought you needed to know that after my last blog). Honestly, things are going better. While not great, definitely much better. It’s difficult to explain, but when I ‘think’ with my head, I think maybe I should leave. Yet when I ‘think’ with my heart, I think I need to stay. After much prayer and thought, I’ve decided to stay with my husband. He has been willing to put forth an effort, which is really all I wanted. For example, my husband has some addiction problems (alcohol, cigarettes), which consumes a lot of money. This seems to be the majority of our arguments...
katie06's blog
My marriage is falling apart. I’m not going to deny it any longer. Not only must I consider all of the typical issues when contemplating divorce (like where will I live, how will I pay for everything, who gets the house, the car, etc.), I must also consider my HIV status. I’m scared to get a divorce and leave my husband with no health insurance, since it’s through my employer. While there are programs to help people in that situation, it takes effort on one’s part to participate. I don’t have faith that he will do all of that. Regardless of our marriage or relationship, I do want him to be...
My experience at AIDS 2012 allowed me to feel free and to feel accepted. For the first time, I could share my status openly. I was not in fear of rejection or judgment of any kind. There were over 20,000 people after the same goal…to end HIV/AIDS…to fight HIV/AIDS…to stop stigma! I was left with a feeling of joy and love. I was so sure that I was going back to Ohio to change the world. It was going to be a ‘coming out’ party. I would no longer be ashamed or embarrassed of my status. I was going to use my voice and share my story with so many to educate and reduce stigma. While in Washington D...
I’m incredibly fortunate that I have not had many barriers in access to treatment for my HIV. I have great insurance, the ability to pay for my medications (through my co-pay) and even a Health Savings Account (HSA). A Health Savings Account (HSA) allows you to specify a certain amount of each paycheck toward health care expenses, such as co-pays. This is great because it is pre-tax, is deducted from your paycheck each payday and the amount you allocate is available in full at the beginning of each year. Honestly, the HSA has been my saving grace because I don’t have to budget for my family’s...
I arrived in Washington, D.C. a few days ago for AIDS 2012. To summarize my experience in one word….Inspiring. The women I have met are some of the strongest, most courageous and inspiring women I have had the pleasure of meeting. To meet women of different ethnicities, ages, sizes, and even HIV status working so hard to help the HIV community overwhelms me with joy. Particularly meeting women who have been positive for 20+ years gives me hope and ambition. Meeting women like myself, who are wives, mothers, educated, successful and HIV positive has been simply inspiring. The atmosphere is here...
Once you’ve made the decision to take medication, it is crucial to adhere to your prescribed regimen. I’m prescribed Truvada and Isentress. I take one of each in the morning and one more Isentress in the evening. Honestly, it’s not bad to take three pills a day. Although, they are rather large pills! I’m fortunate in that I don’t notice any side effects. My husband, on the hand, has some side effects from his one pill a day regimen of Atripla. The worst side effect for him is the dreams and they way it affects his sleep. He has VERY vivid dreams and falls into a deep sleep. With being husband...
My sister and I recently attended a volunteer training session with a local AIDS Service Organization (ASO). To be honest, before I became positive, I had no idea what an ASO even was! The training was interesting and allowed me to see some of the service areas that the ASO provides in the community. They not only help those infected with HIV/AIDS, but also reach out to the community as a whole. They do so much more than I expected, including a political portion to maintain active within the political aspect of things; a religious portion to reach out to local churches for help and acceptance...
Well I’ve been away for awhile. However, I’m excited to return! I had a family crisis which consumed all of my spare time. I fell behind in work life, home life and personal life. Now that the problem is resolved I have had to play catch up for awhile to get back into the swing of things. I’m happy to put that chapter behind me and enter this new chapter. Life is very unpredictable. Just as you begin to say, “Hey, it’s going to be okay” life gives you something else to overcome and it seems that you are right back to where you started, or even further behind. The only positive thing I can say...
Well I received a reply to my email from Senator Campfield, it was disappointing to say the least. My initial email to Senator Campfield was my first attempt at any type of political activism for HIV. Unfortunately, his emailed reply was certainly not an apology. It was clearly a "copy and paste" answer that he must be sending to many people who have written to him. The email essential quoted many misleading facts to "support" his position. Honestly, I believe he has manipulated some facts and figures to fit his position. He most certainly did not apologize or waiver on his stance. At first, I...
I recently read the below article describing Tennessee Senator Stacey Campfield comments regarding HIV. http://www.thebody.com/content/65600/tennessee-senator-its-virtually-im… I was so disturbed by his comments that I chose to write the following email: Dear Senator: While I am not a constituent of your state, I felt compelled to email you upon reading your comments which were posted on www.thebody.com. It is people like yourself that help spread the ignorance and intolerance of HIV. I, like yourself, believed much of what you said in relation to risk. However, I...