Hey Everybody, it's been a long while since I've been on so here's a bit of an update….
July 9th 2011 – I started meds – side effects were bruttal for the first 4 weeks, then got better, but occasionally, even now still experience nausea…I find eating a small snack (like an apple and a slice of cheese) just before taking them at bed time helps
July 20th 2011- marks my first year of living postitive…yay!!
July 31 2011 – I told my 13 year old I was positive, mostly because she was accepted into a camp for kids who are effected by HIV. Two very important things came out of this…first is our kids are way smarter then we give them credit for (she knew she was going to this camp, knew the name of it, but orginally I hadn't told her ALL of the details…by the time I disclosed to her…She had googled it!!! I almost didn't know what to say) the second is she got to meet other kids from all over Canada, some of them have been living with HIV thier entire lives and she could see first hand, hear thier stories and know that I (her mom) will live a long life too…what an amazing experience for her. It also opened many doors for discussions about STI's and sexuality.
Aug 2011 – found a family dr that has done AID's work with patients in Africa, and she's a very funny woman
Aug 31 2011 – First Dr appointment since starting Meds – Viral load is undetectable, CD4 count is still under 350, but my percentage is up by 3 – so I was excited – yay
Sept 25 2011 – My daughter and I participated in the Walk For Life – a fundrasing event for my local ASO, next year we hope to actually raise somemoney, if I can get organized in time.
– Generally health is good, all my "other" types of blood work are excellent. Im generally happy, have good friends and stable work. I'm continously grateful that I live in Canada and my meds are covered by our government…I feel for all the people who live in US that constantly struggle to pay or get health insurance or are on long waiting lists for meds – god bless you and keep strong.
Until my next update…keep well and live postitive.
PS I will try and visit the site more often.
Cheers
