They Call Them Cracks...

I call them sinkholes.  This article discusses something I've mentioned before.  The farther you are away from the "norm" or socially desirable, the less apt you are to get help.  Rates of HIV average 3X higher in Latino communities & 7X higher in Black communities in comparison with White communities.  Everything that can be used to describe you that isn't utterly mainstream puts  you at risk in the realm of HIV.  Risk of not being  educated, not being screened/tested & not having access to resources to get survive the illness.

It's like being back in school & someone's picking teams for dodgeball in P.E.  All those things they used not to pick you then are the same things that are holding you back now.  I guess by that reasoning the worst thing you could be is a heavy-set, unattractive, lesbian, African-American, female who practices some non-Christian religion & is poor.  Oh yeah & she dresses funny too.  I'm not trying to make light of this, but I am trying to make a point.  The people with the resources seem to be mostly interested in saving those like themselves or those they think most deserve their pity.  Nothing new.

Cya...

Dirty White Fan...

The beat goes on & the fans keep whirling until they look like this.  The pic above isn't one of ours, just the same type.   House hold fans get nasty fast.   They get gunked up & blow who knows what at you.  I've talked about cleaning fans before, but mostly from a fix-it perspective.  

Think about how many fans are in your home; ceiling fans, box fans, oscillating/tower fans, exhaust fans, computer fans, etc...  They all have the same purpose to move air from place to another.  They all suffer from the same problems as well.  They get filthy & need maintenance.  It's fairly easy to take a box fan apart, clean it, lube it & put it all back together again.

Once cleaned, it should look more like this.  Not only is it more attractive, it's healthier.  The fan will last longer.  You'll save $ because the fan will work more efficiently & not have to be replace.  Cleaning your computer fans will may your system run better.  Most exhaust fans have filters that need to be cleaned or replaced.  Ceiling fans are fairly easy to clean. 

I know clean, clean, clean.  But all that cleaning means you're getting allergens, grease, dander & who know's what else out of the air.  A lot of times when you're trying to stay healthy, it's the little things that can really help.

Cya...

Deepsouth...

This trailer is for a movie depicting HIV in the Southern USA.  It's due out in July of 2012.  The trailer is a reminder of how thin the veneer of HIV being handled well n the USA actually is.  We're told to look out for all the other people in the world that have HIV.  That's great & all, but before we all go & join Bono, why not take a closer look at home?

Are the citizens of the southern states not as worthy as the rest of the world to receive aid?  Are they too rich to have medications sold to them for the same costs as those sold in Africa & other struggling economies?  Do they somehow not deserve assistance because they're Southern, Gay, Black, poor, under educated...?  

I'm not sure how wide an opening this film will get.  Probably not much at all.  It'll take until it's for rent for most people to get a chance to see it.  Then I'm sure some jerks will complain how well off these people have it because they live in America.   Guess what?  Not everyone living in the States is rich or even getting by from day to day. 

Keep your eyes open for this one,  It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Cya..

Adjusting...

I just posted about the warming trend in the weather.   This morning was the 1st time I really took note of it though.  The days have been warmer & the nights, a lot more humid.  The morning light is peaking through my window around 5 AM.  Yuck...

I've been waking up earlier due to the light & humidity.  This is messing with my sleep schedule & the amount of rest I'm actually getting.  As the heat cranks up, the fans go on.  This combo of heat & moving air is dehydrating me like jerky.  I wake up with a head ache that should be reserved for the morning after a hard party night.  

I'm doing my best to stay as cool & hydrated as possible.  For now, I'm adjusting to the hotter weather.  To think Summer used to be my favorite season.  Not any more.  Now it's hot, buggy & infested with screaming, bothersome children.  Strange thing is they won't let you call Terminex on those little hellish vermin.

Remember to stay hydrated & cool.

Cya...

The Weekend...

It's Memorial Day Weekend & everyone from Cartoon Network to Military Supporters are telling us how to spend our time.   To hell with that.  If you are going to spend to memorializing fallen soldiers, then more power to you.  But, someone shouldn't force you to pay homage you weren't already going to, that's just hypocrisy.

Maybe you'll spend your time at work, or with friends/family.  Maybe you won't even notice the day.  That's up to you.  I think there are a lot more important things going on right now than having to worry about someone being mad at you over how you spent your Memorial Day Weekend.

If on Tuesday someone asks you, "Did you spend your weekend honoring dead soldiers?"  By all means say yes.     They most likely don't even care in you did, they just want a head count.  If you tell them no, then you'll hear about it all day.   These people don't really care about the truth, they just want an illusion they feel included in.

For me & mine, we'll do the SOSO.  Oh & watch gimp kitty's eye.  She messed it up again.  Woohoo, another trip to the vet.  This cat is determined to go blind.

Have a great weekend, whatever you're doing...

Cya...

This article, HIV 101:  discusses prevention.  Great topic, but really do we still need that nowadays?  It's be 30+ years.  Unfortunately, we do.  

As a teen of the 80's, it baffles me, I can vividly recall the AIDS ads & PSA's.  They were every where & it was a bewildering at first, like some foreign movie that needed translating.  Then it got scary.  These ads were every where you looked.  I remember them as clearly as I do the space shuttle Challenger disaster, new wave hair & mall rats.

Those ads held on into the 90's, still just as troubling.  HIV was the new boogeyman, the new divine wrath, whatever it was, it was killing people & would kill you as well if you got it.  If  you did get it, you might as well party til you drop, cause none of the meds really worked.

Then, somehow, we became complacent.  We adapted to the horror of HIV & it was no longer feared.  Some even embraced it.  Others thought, so what if I catch it, there are better meds now.  People complained about the PSA's & ads until they all but vanished.

30 years later, we're still having to tell people how HIV is spread.  Still telling them to use condoms & not to share needles.  Having to convince them, HIV is just a virus, not some divine judgement.   The boys in the band may have hit that perfect beat, but the world stuck its head in the ground & played dumb.  This is one time when ignorance will deadly, not blissful.

How many times must be say this?

Cya...

The Weather's A Changing...

Summer isn't quite here, but the weather is warming up.  We've hit the 90's F the past few days & it's bringing on the Oklahoma humidity as well.  Yesterday wasn't that hot, but it was like swimming through the air.

Why am I talking about the weather again?  The weather can make people in the best of health feel like crap.  For + people it can be even more intense.  Here are some pointers I've learned over the years of being +.  The warmer weather can be a problem with:

• Warmer weather can deplete you.  Make sure you stay hydrated & watch your nutrients
• Warmer weather can also make it more difficult to sleep, so do your best keep up with your rest
• Summer is brighter.  Many HIV meds can cause you to have adverse reactions to light & heat.
• Being overly warm can cause a host of issues like heat exhaustion or even heat stroke, as a less than perfectly healthy person, you're probably more apt to suffer from these if you're not careful
• Summer weather can be taxing on your mental state.  Being hot is tiresome, physically & emotionally 

Those are just a few of the things to watch out for as we enter the warmer part of the year.  Hopefully this summer won't be as hot as last year.

Cya...

HIV & Psych...

No pic today, but the article is interesting.  The article states that for many people diagnosed with HIV today, one of the most important factors to consider is the psychosocial  aspects of the patient's life.  How does this person relate to their social environment & what impact does that ecology have on them?  

For people in more stable environments, treatment has fewer complications & is often more successful.  The opposite is often true if the person views his/her environment as dubious, inhospitable or even dangerous.  A person who has a loving home-life with people who support them through their treatment is going to better than someone living on the streets with a drug addiction.  The person trying to hide their status won't fair as well as those who are open about it at least with some people in their lives.

Support & acceptance are as important as $ & meds in being treated for HIV.  Why bother if no one cares?  Why bother if you have nothing to look forward to?  Those without support or reasons to look forward are going to have a rougher time with treatment.  Every time some asshat makes a comment against HIV people or wants to cut HIV funding, these people may feel directly targeted.  This type of thing can weaken their resolve to stay on a treatment.regimen.  These people have enough going on without insensitive jerks piling more on.

Cya...

Another One Of Those Days...

There are days that just aren't worth talking about & this is one of them.  It's the SOSO & it's just too irritating to focus on at the moment.  There are certain activities in my day to day life right now that are about to be abandoned.   One's I've done in the past & quite frankly am fed up with.  I've got better things to do with my time than to waste my energy on something that gets me nothing. 

In short, I'm not in the best of moods & will try to get back to a better place tomorrow.  I know I've been hitting these a lot lately.  Hopefully, I can make some changes to alleviate that.  

Cya...

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish...

This article deftly uses the saying in the pic above.  It's about someone who will pinch every penny & take the cheapest route only to pay more in the long run.  It's like buying a $20 pair of shoes that will last 3 months or buying a $60 pair that will last for 5 years.  The 1st pair may initially cost less, but in the long run you'd have to spend $400 to get equal wear to the 2nd pair.  You'd spend $340 more in order to save $40.  Silly, isn't it.

But that's exactly what Illinois plans to do to save $.   Their governor has proposed a plan to cut spending on HIV to save $ in his state.  He might very well save some in the short time.  However, when all of this falls apart & the HIV that was left untested & untreated spreads like wildfire, the real bill will come due.  Trying to save $ but cutting HIV spending, is like trying to douse a fire with gasoline.

I'm really not trying to slam anyone here, but it does seem like the hetero-normative, straight, HIV- people in power are about dense as you can get.  They are willing to put their agendas above the needs of public health.  Maybe it's their approach to population control, after all they don't support birth control, Planned Parenthood or abortions.  I think the real problem here is these politicians just don't give a damn about anyone other than their own & to hell with everyone else.  Even if it means damning the whole population.  I'm really getting tired of the cutting off my nose to spite my face mentality that is so pervasive in politics these days.

Cya...

Underrepresentation...

The pic of above may not have anything to do with HIV, but it makes a very relevant point in HIV research.  While true the majority of + people are male, women are still highly underrepresented in these medical studies. This article gives some more specifics.  The point is simple, we need more women involved with HIV studies.  We need for women of color in these studies.  Of the women who do contract HIV, a large part of the population are not White.

Some may say, OK, women metabolize meds differently & may even have different reactions to the meds than men, but does it really matter whether or not we take into account racial background?  Yes, it does matter.  It matters because some of these racial stocks have differing health histories & ailments that are more common among their groups than in Caucasians.  That doesn't take into account the environmental factors these other women may have in their lives.

I fail to see why it is so hard for researchers to understand that women need to be included in medical studies that will affect them.  Maybe this article & others like it will  move researchers enough to include more women in their efforts.

Cya...

Frustrated...

I'm not talking about articles.  I'm talking about something most people don't tell + people when they're diagnosed.   HIV not only takes a toll on you physically, it can knock the hell out of you mentally.  HIV can leave you stressed, tired & weakened.  A prime place to become angry, exasperated or depressed.  

This last couple of months has been very taxing on my household.  Last summer's hellish heat  is still making itself known in some of the breakage we're facing.  It's been one thing after another & this proverbial shit storm shows no signs of ebbing soon.  

I can't tell you how to fix this matter.  For one thing, I don't think you can fix it. For another, it's different for everyone.  The best I can do is try to refocus.  To get as many stressful things out of my life as possible. To remember that I am tired & frustrated.  If you're into counseling, then this might be the time to go.  If not, you need to realize half of what you're feeling may be due to exhaustion & illness.

To me, this is the hardest part of HIV, the emotional hell it can play in your life.  I hate the diarrhea & the alopecia, but I can deal with them.  I hate being tired & feeling weak, but I can get by.  It's the frustration & irritation that are the hardest to deal with on a day to day basis.  Sorry, but I really don't have any answers for you on this one.  But I can tell you, it's not just you.  Hopefully, you can find others near you going through the same thing. 

Cya...

Yesterday...

I am not a fan of yesterday.   I allowed myself to think the series of breakages would be confined to April. HAH!  Yesterday was stressful because a standard thing with the car turned into a big thing.  A $600 thing.  We don't need that.  But, here it is.  I'm not sure how we'll deal with it but I'm sure we will.  The problem is with the AC & after last summer I can't say I'm surprised it's on the fritz.  The van is a 2001 & in car years that's 12 years old.  Some things are bound to break.

Still, yesterday sucked & it drained the life out of my day.  I did not need to hear that then or ever for that matter.  It seems that everything around me is in a constant state of breakage & I'm really tired of it.  It's stressful & I don't need anymore stress in my life.  It messed with everything yesterday.  Yes, I know, I let it mess with everything.  But I'm way past that last straw.

To top it off, the cat I took in to have the hole in his head fixed go into another fight & has another gash on his head.  This time he's on his own.  I don't have the $ to deal with it again.  Heaven knows what else is going to break this year.  So much for getting anything I wanted done for myself this year.  I know I'm whining, but I'm really just tired of this crap.   Something is going to have give.  I'm still processing yesterday, fleas & cat crap.  Hopefully I'll be in a better place tomorrow.  This last week has sucked.

Cya...

Still Debating...

I'm still wondering what direction I want to go with this blog.  The articles today were a little lacking.  The one that stood out the most was about San Francisco deciding that the city would cover the loss of Federal $ to be spent on HIV.  That's great.  Actually, it's awesome for them, but what about every other city out there.  I'm really happy that SF has the funds to cover the loss, but there are a lot of cities that don't or simply won't spend the $ on something like HIV. 

Governments really need to learn that pulling $ out of treating communicable diseases is never the answer.  That only allows the problem to get worse & spread further.  It's not just the USA, many countries in the world are pulling $ out of HIV/AIDS treatment.  Sure, they'll save a little now, but the they'll pay a lot more in the end.

I really wish when it came to treating illness & funding medical programs, the politicians, religious kooks & warmongers would keep their noses out of it.  For once, it'd be nice to make a medical decision purely on medical advice & not politics, religion or corporate greed.

Cya...

Day After...

It's the day after that little mile stone & I'm left wondering if I should make any changes to my approach.  I'm not sure what's going to happen. I'm still stunned I kept up with it this long.

Today is a bit of a down day for me.  I'm not feeling that well & I'm not sure what's wrong with me.  At least I can tell it's not my HIV, my roomie feels off as well.  The problem here is that the HIV aggravates whatever this   is & vice verse.

I'll try to figure out what's next for the blog & hopefully feel better tomorrow.  

Cya...

500...

No articles or discussions of apps today.  Today is my 500th post.  I'm shocked I stayed with something this long.  I'm very happy I have.  My posts may have wandered here & there, but they always got made & were relevant to me & my interests.

Knowing I can keep up with this gives me some indication I can keep up with other things in my life.  I've been at my exercise sense February & have had it mostly where I wanted it since the beginning of this month.  I've been trying to cut back on other things I don't need in my life & incorporate more of what I do. 

Maybe placing such emphasis on something like a number of blog posts may seem silly, but not to me.  You have to start somewhere & for me it was this.  I doesn't really matter if anyone else reads it.  What matters is that I was dedicated enough to it & myself to do it.  A journey is really about taking the first step & consistently moving onward.

To anyone who reads this, thanks for sticking with me.  I wonder where the next 500 will take me. 

Cya...

Apps...

I didn't find any articles I wanted to discuss today.  So, I took a different rout & was surprised.  I looked at apps concerning HIV.   To my surprise there were quite a few.  There were:

• Apps concerning HIV & your heart
• HIV/AIDS dictionaries
• Medication Interaction Apps
• Apps for Doctors needing the latest info
• Med reminders

I think it's pretty wonderful that the market actually sees this a viable need for production.  These apps can provide needed information & reminders.  This info can be found on the web & reminders can be set on most phones, but these apps are means to make accessing these things easier.  Kudos to the makers of these apps.

Cya...

Prevention Pill...

It looks like Truvada will be available as a preventative. The FDA is moving for it to be accepted & this will allow the med to be sold to HIV- people as a means to stop transmission of the virus.  Funny, I thought that was what condoms were for.

I get what they're trying to do here.  They say they're trying to prevent HIV.  To me it seems like they're trying to make more $.  What insurance agency is going to pay for a med you don't actually need?  A med you only need due to risky behavior.  We aren't talking about giving this to medical staff that might potentially become infected.  We're talking about people who engage in unsafe sexual practices.  This med costs $10,000+ a year.  That's a huge investment.  Who's going to pay for that?  The state, the individual, insurance...?  

Add to this that this drug comes with a host of reactions like all HIV meds.  These aren't easy to deal with.  This med must be taken consistently as prescribed for it to be effective.  Not doing so, could not only render it ineffective, it could lead to viral resistance.  That resistant HIV could then be shared with others.

At this point in time, with the meds as they are, with the costs as they are & the dangers as they are, I can honestly say I do not support this approach to HIV prevention.  Not that anyone would listen to me.  But that's my opinion.

Cya...

Generic...

This article discusses how Lupin, an India based company, is ready to release a generic form of Combivir in the  USA.  Once the FDA clears the way, another generic HIV drug will hit the market.   Each & every generic med for HIV that can be produced makes it easier for + people to gain access to meds.  I'm sure the originator of the drug is crying foul, but they've had their bite at the apple for quite some time now.  Previous statements have been made that other HIV drugs like Norvir may soon have generic counterparts in the USA.  Great news.

Cya...

More Of The Same...

When it rains, it pours.  At least this article over discrimination has a better ending.  This document covers 2 separate incidents in which people were denied medical treatment due to their HIV status.  These + people were disallowed proper care all because they were +.  Guess what docs, there's this little thing called the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) that not only prohibits such behaviors, it also includes HIV + people.

The Department of Justice leveled suits at both & the two medical institutions came to settlement with the suits.  This type of behavior will not be tolerated.  That's what this outcome said.  While there were monetary damages, the damage to these establishments credibility was probably a bigger blow.

Again, even though we're seeing a more positive ending, there was still the need for it to progress to a legal matter in the 1st place.  1 of these medical professionals was a chiropractor.  How in the world did treating a + person via chiropractic manipulation endanger the doctor, staff or business?  Answer, it didn't.  The doctor was either being ignorant, an ass or both.  The chiropractor didn't even have the nerve to tell the client face to face the clinic would no longer treat him.  Instead he hid behind a subordinate.  

Cya...

Running Slow & Late...

I have a morning routine & I usually get up between 7:40 & 8:00 in the morning.  Until recently I've just been getting up & feeding the cats, getting myself around & looking at the net before I go & get breakfast around or go do errands.  Lately though I've had to add things that are slowing me down.

Now somewhere between 8 & 9:30 I am trying to fit in:

• Bathroom, brush teeth, clean face, etc...
• Feed cats & clean up their messes
• Get my tea & other beverages ready for the day
• Plug in the phones to charge
• Deal with outdoor cats
• Clean up flea traps & vacuum the house
• Do about 7 minutes of exercise
• Look at my email, newsgroups, Facebook etc...
• Figure out what to have for breakfast

& that fails to include anything impromptu or unexpected.  Between all this & the fact that some mornings I move at the amazing speed of a snail, I've run out of time.  Something will have to give or I will have to get up earlier.  I don't want to opt for getting up earlier, I need my sleep.  Something will have to give & it won't be my early morning me-time.  Unfortunately all the est of it seems to be pretty necessary too.

The problem with all of this rushing around in the morning is that it frustrates me & leads into a crappy mood for the day.  Oh well, I'll figure out something.  I just don't need the stress of it. It puts my whole day off kilter.

Cya...

Nothing New...

Not much going on the world of HIV related articles that I haven't already covered a lot lately.  There's still talk about a preventative med & gene therapy, but nothing new.  So, I'll catch you up with me. 

May is my 4th month of exercising.  I'm up to somewhere between 25 - 27 minutes a day.  I'm using a tension cord.  That thing has more bite than I thought it would.  Am I shrinking?  Not that I can notice yet.  But this will be the 1st month that I'm even been near the recommended level of daily exercise.  I am noticing that I'm having a lot less stiffness & aches.

The housework is ongoing & the war on fleas seems to be progressing well.  We recently whacked bushes & hauled them to the front of the yard to be taken away.  All that's left of the yard work is to put the tools away  There isn't much new going on at the moment, so I'm happy we're wrapping somethings up, before anything else lands on our plate.

Cya...

Brief...

I've got stuff to do this afternoon that might run long so this will be brief.  Over the past several days I've had links to & discussed some articles over negative things.  I could continue, I saw one today about a 4 year old boy from New Zealand who was ejected from his daycare because he was +.  Never mind he he was born with it or that he is under treatment or the fact he is highly unlikely to transmit HIV to anyone.  No, the daycare management decided to show their asses & base their decisions on fallacies.

However, before the onslaught of nastiness, I was going over articles concerning the advancements in the medical realm regarding HIV.  Even though most of these were done by greedy, big Pharma, they were still better than the blind, willful ignorance embraced by people in those discrimination articles.  Imagine that a $ grubbing mega corp is friendlier than a neighborhood daycare worker.  Just goes to show, prejudice is right in front of you.  At least Pharma sees + people as a source of $.  

Cya...

Discrimination...

I talked about this a little bit yesterday, but today's leading articles took me right back into it.  Prejudice, discrimination & stigma are something gays & + people have to deal with as a reality.  The first article talked about how a Yemeni man was so affected by the stigma in his nation over HIV that he literally punished himself to death.  That's a nicer way of saying he killed himself.  Once he found out, most his friends, family & fellow villagers avoided him.  He locked himself in his home & refused food or water, later dying from these decisions.

Let's bring this closer to home.  A man in Virginia claims he was fired after he disclosed his HIV status to a higher-up.  He only revealed his status due to concerns he might miss work because of complications from his meds.  After 7 years as a manager for the company, he was let go due to "performance issues."  Maybe his performance did change, maybe it didn't.  Maybe Burger King just wanted rid of a HIV + manager.

In Connecticut, the State Supreme Court decided that employers could be held responsible for not protecting workers from anti-gay harassment.  This is a great thing, but remember it still happened.  Not only did it happen, it took going all the way to the top of the state legal system to get someone to tell these jerks their behavior wasn't acceptable.  They had to go that far to get employers to get off their asses to protect their employees.  So, while the court decision was good news, it still remains that it was necessary to have to go that far just to keep from being harassed, bullied & discriminated by fellow workers & management.  It's a mixed bag.

If you ever think that gays or + people are pushing too hard.  To hell with that.  They're just trying to get treated properly like anyone else.  Anyone that has a problem with that is just an ass, no matter what their politics, peers, religion or other ideology tells them.  All those things are just excuses for intolerable behavior.  If you're going to be a dick to someone, at least have nerve to do it just because you're an ass, not hide behind some religious/politcal BS.

Cya...

Not You...

This article talks about discrimination involving a person's HIV status & an academic scholarship.  This piece may be about Namibia & China, but the implications are the same everywhere.  People will discriminate against anything, especially illness.

I know full well it's present in my area.  If I had to get a job in this area.  The second they discovered I was +, they'd find a way to get rid of me.  I wouldn't be able to get insurance.  I wouldn't even tell a place I was trying to rent from I was +.  What, you say, isn't this illegal in the USA?  Yes, it is, but try proving it.  

There isn't much more to say on the matter.  Unfortunately the prejudice is there & some people will always act on it.  

Cya...

Mice Schemes...

My plans went awry alright.  Even now as a + person for over a decade, I sometimes still have trouble making plans as such.  I still see in my mind what a normal person my age could do, my efforts to meet these achievements often leave me frustrated & exhausted.  

I'm not frustrated today, but I am very winded.  The shrubs in the yard needed a serious whacking & a whacking they got.  They look like a blind barber gave them a splotchy high & tight.  I'm OK with that though, the bushes will fill back out over Summer, only to need another whacking in the Fall.

There are several clusters in the yard & I'd planned for 3 days of whacking & a day of clearing the mess.  But I got ambitious today & thought I can do more.  Hah!  I didn't even try.  I figured the bushes in the backyard would take me about 30 minutes.  Here comes the mouse plans.  The wicked Virginia Creeper has attempted a come back, nasty stuff.  It doubled my time to get through the backyard.

Then the exhaustion hit.  There are many things about HIV I hate, like the diarrhea & alopecia.  But, I think I may hate the unpredictable fatigue more than anything.  I was going OK.  I knew I wasn't going to do anymore, I'd just finish what I had & take the tools inside for the day.  Didn't happen.  I nearly dropped like a rock.  I had to go in & get my roomie to retrieve the tools.  Again HIV has screwed with my plans.  Hopefully tomorrow will go better.

Cya...

$ Cuts...

Alabama is looking at doing a major health cut back.  30% in Medicaid & 30% in Public Health.  This will be extremely problematic for HIV patients dependent on these things for their meds.  Problematic is an understatement.  

Yes, there is Ryan White & ADAP/HDAP, but those are spotty at best.  Yes, some drug companies will aid people with lower incomes, but the process can be long & tedious.  Those two things could cause these people to no longer have access to their meds.

Lack of access can lead to resistance in the HIV.  Lack of meds will lead to higher levels of the virus & a greater risk for transmission.  Cutting the budget in the health arena not only endangers people with HIV & other illnesses, it also risks the health of the general population.  Funny, the politicians don't seem to worry about that much.  Hey they may have cut health care but they're still getting paid & high school football's an absolute must.

Priorities, they don't seem to have any...

Cya...

Med Down...

It was announced today Lyrica has failed in it's attempts to treat pain associated with nerve-damage in diabetes patients.  Lyrica is used to treat similar pain in people suffering from fibromyalgia, shingles, seizures & a few other ailments.  

The study ended when the drug failed to treat the pain.  There was a similar study dealing with HIV & nerve pain.  It was ended as well when the study showed no difference between the effects of the drug & a placebo.

This isn't great news.  Some will count this as a failure, but they shouldn't.  While it's true Lyrica did not meet the needs of the diabetics or HIV patients, it did provide us with more information.  Treating HIV is a puzzle with a ton of missing pieces. Each piece we can fill in because of  a success or a failure gives a better idea of what we are actually looking at.  Eventually, we will have enough info to fill in all the pieces & solve the puzzle.  On to the next piece...

Cya...

Haute Couture T-Cells...

This article discusses research started in the 90's concerning the application of gene therapy in a wide range of ailments; Cancer, Leukemia, HIV...  The article is quite promising.  Albeit, at this time, it doesn't provide an outright cure, it does bring more hope & direction.  

It showed progress in fighting these illnesses. Again, they did so by introducing something that would strengthen the body & not weaken it.  This assists the body's own systems & defenses.  The T-Cells are modified, but still part of the person's natural immune response, unlike other medications, chemo or radiation.

I know it's strange to say that studies started in the 1990's are still in development, but this type of research takes time, diligence & access.  Doing medical research is not only costly, it is also filled with monumental levels of red-tape.  Still, here's to designer T-Cells & what good they yet do.

Cya...

OMG! Finally April Is Over...

Finally, we're into May.  This is a little OT, but oh well.  April has been a stressful month of screw-ups & breakage.  I can only hope May will be better.  What happened in April?

• The car's fuel pump went out - $300
• Ruffian Cat got an infected hole in his head - $100
• Roomie's computer needed a transplant - $150
• Alice Cat had an eye issue - $70
• Misc expenses incurred while getting these things fixed - $50

That's nearly $700 in additional expenses.  I hate April.  Those numbers are just the $, not the time & stress. I don't need another stressful month like that, it's bad for my health.  So long April 2012, hello May.

Cya...

+ Girls...

This article talks how lesbians are at high risk for HIV.  There isn't a lot of info on HIV transmission & lesbians.  This has led a lot of women to believe their sexual activities were safe or at least safer.  This is not the so.  This is a case of missing information.  So much of HIV has been focused at males, especially males who have sex with males, people with multiple partners, drug users & the like, that the focus on lesbians has been left out almost entirely.

Lesbians are at high risk for HIV.  Any activity that can transmit the virus vaginally or anally can transmit it orally.  Shared toys are also capable of spreading the illness.  This is just another case of a marginalized group being overlooked.  Without the proper info, a lot of women probably thought they were out of the woods, only to later be diagnosed as being +.  

Sex can always transmit HIV.   Even if the chance is utterly remote, there is still a chance.  The only safe sex is in your fantasies.  I was about to say cyber sex is safe, but you could still get a computer virus.

Cya...