Have you been tested for HIV?
By shawntrell
@shawntrell (135)
United States
8 responses
@bronie123 (4587)
• United States
31 Dec 06
I have never been tested for HIV becasue i am positive i do not have it! I am very safe and i have have the same partner for 6 years
@shawntrell (135)
• United States
31 Dec 06
Is this the only partner you have had? Has he/she ever had another partner? Why not have the test and no for sure? You can do it via cheek swab. I would be willing to find somewhere for you to be tested for free if you would like.
@shawntrell (135)
• United States
5 Jan 07
I urge anyone who has not been tested, even if the believe they are negative to get one done. Your regular doctor or ob will be thrilled to order the test and your insurance will cover it. Your partner does not have to know you are getting tested. If you have no doctor or health insurance, there are many places that will do free confidential testing.
@shawntrell (135)
• United States
4 Jan 07
Thank you for sharing. Being positive, are you thankful you found out when you did or do you wish you never knew? I've seen both reactions in the positive community, especially at the beginning of a diagnosis.
@shashimangu (259)
• India
8 Jan 07
I have never got tested for HIV.Coz, iknow that i havent done anyhting wrong for which i have to be afraid and get tested.
@memaw_of_8 (73)
• United States
1 Jan 07
As many surgeries as I have had I am sure I have had an HIV test. I would think that they still do that before surgery. I know they did when I lived in VA.
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
5 Jan 07
Actually, you cannot be tested for HIV as a routine pre-surgical procedure without your consent. If you do not remember consenting to an HIV test, then you cannot assume that it was done. You can go to your doctor or the health department in any city for a free test.
@ShadowWriterNy7 (9)
• United States
1 Jan 07
Yes, I have been tested for HIV. And I am grateful to say I tested negative for the disease; it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, and one of the most rewarding.
To anyone who has yet to be tested, for any reason, I would encourage you to do so. I can say as one person, who has had a shady past (but gratefully I now live a life of honor, with a beautiful family and I have over ten years of sobriety and clean-time from narcotics) I understand your fears. What got me in the end is that of not knowing; it became more important to know the truth and deal with anything that came my way, rather than to walk in ignorance never knowing the truth about who I am as a person in that area of my life. ~Rj
@shawntrell (135)
• United States
4 Jan 07
Thank you for sharing your story. Knowing is very rewarding and congrats on 10 years of sobriety!
@Lady_Vincy (1538)
• United States
3 Jan 07
I get tested every 6 months even though I always use protection. I am a member of a group against AIDS, so to show that I am really serious about ending the AIDS pandemic I get tested. Everybody should.
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
5 Jan 07
I have been tested several times now, and I am also a regular blood donor, which is an automatic test every 8 weeks. I worked in the HIV field for 2 years before I got up the nerve to have my first test, believe it or not! I was never promiscuous or high-risk, but I wasn't an angel when I was younger, either. There was always that "what if" nagging at the back of my mind. Now that HIV is such a treatable illness, and he science proves that early diagnosis and treatment will most likely result in a long, healthy life with delayed progression to AIDS, I urge everybody to get tested. Even if you feel that there is NO WAY that you could be positive; I've cared for women in their 50's who have been married to the same man for years and years who found out that they were positive. It is possible to be infected for years without any symptoms, although this is the exception rather than the rule. It's best to know.
