This article is cross-posted from TheBody.com's Resource Center on Starting HIV Treatment. I've been HIV positive for 20 years, 10 of them without any HIV meds; and for the last 10 years I have been on HIV medication. If I could go back 20 years, I wouldn't change a thing. I really believe (and this is only my opinion) that not taking the high dosages of AZT (Retrovir, zidovudine) that were offered 20 years ago saved my life. Not everyone should wait this long to get on meds. All bodies are different. My T-cell count went down to a dangerous 39; that is when I said "It is time." I always...
MariaHIVMejia's blog
YES! Not everyone is an activist! And we must respect this...not all people are prepared to come out of their HIV closet because others want them too! They are not less than anyone..many of them are still dealing with the shame that comes with the illness. Or they are trying to protect their family members.... especially when there is so much ignorance and stigma with HIV/AIDS.We have to respect other peoples' choices and views! We are their role models ...so if we have it in us to be activists and advocate, let us do that for those that don't feel prepared or ready yet! Or maybe they will...
I want to be the voices of those that have been discriminated for living with HIV/AIDS or for supporting us! There are stories of people from all over the world that wrote me in my international group for people with HIV/AIDS, and the people who loves us on Facebook!! The stories moved me and I had to tell them! It is very sad most of the discrimination and stigma comes from our own families and loved ones! WE MUST END STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION! 30 years with HIV/AIDS and the stigma is stronger than ever! HATE! IGNORANCE! How do we fight them??? With EDUCATION! I really believe that by telling...
The big part your Doctor plays in your life! It's like a marriage...if there is no communication or respect , there will be a divorce! or a person being less adherent to your hiv medications..I tried to tell them how we feel as patients! We have to be proactive with out illness. Ask for tests, even if your doc does not ask for it! Like vitamin D! I was vitamin D deficient and I didn't know...and if I would have never asked, I would not have known! We have to respect our doctors and they should encourage their patients to research and investigate. I am the one that decided to stop taking...
I want to start by saying I am not a doctor or a scientist! I speak from my own experience as many of you know! I have been positive for 20 years, and I decided not to be on medication for the first 10 years and talk about it in my vblog...for ten years I did everything I could to be off meds! Everything holistic you can think of! We have to realize that everyone has their moment when they make the choice to go on meds…Your body will feel it! I wouldn’t dare tell someone to get off medication as some of this movement of dissidents/denialists tell people! Not only do they tell people this...
I remember my first memory at the age of three, unlike some children that have wonderful memories of their childhood mine was a very traumatic one! I was molested by a family member at such a young age...It is hard to open up about this, because it has impacted my life in so many ways..I was a baby..no one is supposed to hurt a child! And the damage stays with you forever! [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":null,"attributes":{"class":"media-image alignleft size-medium wp-image-790","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"148","height":"300","title":"maria_child","alt":""}}]...
Once again my blog will be about something that happened in my Facebook. I have the name there 'MariaHIV'. I created that name not because I am HIV, but because I wanted to attract people to it..so by now I have met wonderful people from every continent! Awesome advocates, activists, people that are recently diagnosed and long term survivors like myself..and everything in the middle :) many people that are suicidal and feel like their life is over, some very secretive because they are in the stage of denial...people that don't know what to do because in their country they have no medication...
Love, how beautiful it is! This is so important for people living with HIV/AIDS...to have someone who loves you for you and can see past the illness, that is if they are negative..I am very blessed that after all these years of being positive and thinking way back ( I WILL NEVER MARRY), I have been blessed with such a loving and caring partner. :) She is a key element in my health, believe it or not! When you are loved and cared for..your heart and soul fills up inside. You are happier and feel complete, all these things make your immune system go up..and it is not only the love of your...
Well, well, well. Where the hell do I start??? I am going to try to be as nice and sweet as possible! I had to give myself a day to write this. It started as another thing I posted on my facebook HIV space, I posted an ugly, disgusting picture of a scorpion wrapped around a man and it is about to sting him and kill him! And I wrote how I really feel about this horrible, nasty campaign! I mean, what the hell?? Is this how we want people to view us?? Like a lethal scorpion? I don't think so..I am a beautiful, good, loving, caring human being...I take care of my beautiful partner and protect her...