To The Point...

 

This piece is brief but it's worth a read.  The state of New York is providing free at home HIV testing kits.   There is a short application, then the tests can be picked up or delivered.  Currently, this is only for New York, maybe other states will follow their lead.  More testing leads to more awareness & treatment.  It's the best way to fight HIV.  This is basic GI Joe, "...And knowing is half the battle."

Cya...

Needed...

 

I read fairly often stating this or that is needed for the  fight against HIV due to Race/Culture/Gender issues.  I somewhat call BS on most of that.  They often refer to things as telemedicine, at-home testing & mail order meds.   

They say these help people in racial & gender minorities or those living in restrictive cultures.   That may be so.  But it isn't because a person is not White that these things a beneficial.  These are socio-cultural matters.  What's happening here is that telemedicine & processes that can be handled remotely feel safer & more accessible.

This isn't so much a matter of type as it is of shame, poverty & lack of access.  These other methods work better because they can often circumvent those things.  Stigma/shame are things that aren't going  away, if telemedicine can help, that's great.   However, there is still an access problem for a lot of people in remote areas.

A person's health is a private matter.  If there is a way to better maintain anonymity than by all means use it.  If there are more secure means of accessing doctors, healthcare & meds, then they should be promoted.  Health professionals aren't going to change cultures.  But they can do end-runs around them & maybe bypass some of these issues.  HIV has never been just a medical issue.

Cya...

At Home...

 

I know the world of HIV/AIDS is very different from my younger years or even when I was diagnosed.  Still, it's a very difficult thing for most people to find out they're HIV+.  Like most aspects in the fight against HIV, there have been advancements in testing.  It's more accurate, precise & expeditious than before.  To the point it can be done at home via the mail.  

I just can't get myself entirely behind that approach.  I realize the benefits, but I also the pitfalls.  I think there a lot of people, even today, that would be so overwhelmed at the news, it might be the end of them.   HIV may not be a death sentence now, but it is very much the end of the life you were living as you were living it.  Everything changes once you're diagnosed with a chronic illness, especially a virus with such stigma & social baggage.

I hope these at home tests helps those it can.  I hope others are honest enough with themselves to realize this is the right approach for them.  I don't think I  would've handled an at home test well.  Once it came back positive, I'd probably just disappeared.  There  are some things you can find out that are just too much.  Maybe they wouldn't have been at another time, in another setting or with support.  But alone, they're like tidals waves crashing down on you. 

Take  care.

Cya...

Disease Free...

A lot of hookup sites have people who pitch themselves as disease-free.  According to this article, they may have to start proving it.  According to some clinical studies, people who were interested in the at home HIV tests, were interested in using them on would-be sex partners, as well as themselves.

I can imagine the shock if someone got a partner home & said OK I'll need about 30 minutes for you to take the test & the results to show.   Getting ready to hop into bed with someone is not the place you want to find out that you're +.   I get wanting to use every available means to be safe, but this is dubious.  

Any test can screw up.  What if the person you brought home does turn out to be +?  What if you do turn out to be + & your would be tryst partner is a blabber mouth?   So, if the test says the person is negative will you still use a condom?  Or will you risk the possibility the test was wrong or the person has another STD?

I don't support at-home testing for reasons I've already detailed in this blog.  I really detest the idea of would be F-buddies suddenly becoming lab techs.  This is just inappropriate.  I'm sure a lot of people will see it as being just fine & a literal godsend, but I see as a potential disaster in the making.    I haven't supported OraQuick for personal use & I won't support it for this.

Cya...

Concerns Acknowledged...

Recently I've been stating my concerns about the anti-aids pill (Truvada) & the at home quick HIV test.   Over the last few days I've been seeing more articles & blips on TV talking about those same concerns.  I feel sort of vindicated.  I know I'm not the only one who has made those statements, but most often statements such as those get ignored by the mainstream until it's too late.  You're left feeling like a scientists from a disaster flick, who keeps telling everyone about volcano in downtown Dallas only to have every one laugh at him.  Then when the volcano hits, they blame him for not being more convincing.

The problems with Truvada are adherence, boosting risk allowances & expense.  Adherence is pretty straight forward.  Some people are going to see this pill as a licence to take extra risks.  Then there is the fact of the $.  This drug will be way out of reach for many, if not most, of the at-risk people the med's makers were aiming at.

As for the test, there is the concern of accuracy & lack of support.  I've addressed both before & they are both dangerous.  Any person not in a great state of mind should probably be considered highly depressed & possibly suicidal after receiving the diagnosis of being HIV +.  I'd say it was even worse for those who never even suspected they were +.

There it is.  The concerns I had are being shared by others in places to actually have their voice heard on the matter.

Cya...

At Home Test... Again...

Another article questions the sensitivity of the at home test, OraQuick.  Apparently their own (OraSure) research is a bit cloudy on the matter.  In this case, sensitivity refers to the test's ability to detect HIV antibodies.  Part of the study said OraQuick has a 92% sensitivity & another stated 99.9%.  OK, lets try to clear that up shall we.   The 1st instance gives us 8 out of a 100 people receiving a false negative in regards to the presence of HIV.  That means those 8 people are actually +, but now think they aren't.  The 2nd number gives us a whopping 1 per person in 1,000 receiving a false negative. 

Which is it, 8% or 0.1%?  That's fairly significant difference there.  I'm keeping my stance in opposition on this matter.  This is not information most people are going to handle well.  Many won't even know where to begin to look for help.   This test is a curiosity device & will still require a professional test to be considered accurate.  I received an ELISA to determine my status & was still required to have a western blot to confirm it in order to receive any help.

I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this & it's pretty much a done deal.  Still, I'd rather have someone I know go to a professional to be tested before using this at home device. 

Cya...

Done Deal...

I've mentioned this before, the completely at home HIV self-test.  There have been others that require the samples to be sent into labs, but this is one utterly at home.  No more need for the labs, the FDA has approved OraQuick.

You can go from being totally oblivious to your HIV status to wrecked in 30 minutes with OraQuick.  I see the potential gains of this test, but I also see the pitfalls.  

• The cost will be over $18.00, so say $20 USD at least.  That may not sound like much, but for a lot of people it's enough for them not go that route.
• According to the article, this is not idiot proof test.  There are ways to screw it up & it has been known to give both false +'s & -'s.

Those 2 things alone should be enough to challenge this decision.  Oh but wait, the FDA is requiring the company to provide a call-in counseling service.   Oh what joy & yippee!   Like a call-in service is really going to provide someone who just found out they're + with any real support.  I seriously hope I'm wrong about this.  I hope all goes well with, but I doubt it.  

When I finally tested +, I was wrecked body & spirit.  If I had used one of these things, there is a good chance I wouldn't have said anything to anyone & just lived with it, at least until I didn't.  When you're this ill, you're exhausted & not in a mood for a fight or drama.  A person just might want it to end.  What about the people who know their families/friends will shun them, what are they really suppose to do with this info?  Oh well, that's just my thoughts on the matter.

Cya...