Reaction To Long Acting...

 

This is going to be short.  It's threatening to storm, so I want to get this over with in case it kills the net or power.  This article is an OpEd about a man's reaction to making the switch from HIV pills to long an acting injection.  It doesn't answer every question, but it's definitely a perspective.  It also asks the question of whether or not adherence would be any better.  It'd be easier yes, but not necessarily better.

That's all for take care.

Cya....

Not Expected....

 

I felt better yesterday morning, but that changed as by the early afternoon.  I didn't feel as bad as I had, but that booster wore me out.  I was tired after shopping.  

The unusual thing was the level of anxiousness I experienced from it.  I was nervous, fractious & stressed most of the day.  Anything worked my nerves & nearly sent me spinning.  It didn't help that the young cat was being a shit & that we're going to have  the car looked at.

I hope we can avoid any more major issues  during the dark of the year.  I'm already dealing with SAD & everything other thing is just another straw.  So much for December not being stressful.

Cya...

Serious Yuck...

 

I hope today goes better.  Yesterday was not fun.   The reactions to this booster haven't been easy.  Other than nausea,  it's been like having the flu.  Pain, chills, & fever topped the list.  I wasn't able to eat much & even drinking was an effort.  There was this weird disjointedness to it as well.  When I'd reach for something, I felt like I was either over or under shooting for what I wanted.  My steering was loose & off. 

I went to bed early & managed over 8 hours.  I can  only do that when I'm sick.  I woke up sweaty & feverish.  When I had to go to the bathroom, I  smelled like a sick person.  I hate the smell of being sick.

Here's hoping today goes better & these symptoms start to fade soon.  I really don't want another sick day.  This sucks

Cya...

Dreary Recovery...

 

It's a dreary morning & I'm not happy with that.  Sunshine would've been very helpful.  We're recovering after getting our COVID booster yesterday. So far, it isn't as bad as the 2nd shot, but this isn't fun either.  I'm tired, sore & slightly anxious.  I'm worried  it could worse.   I'm trying not to psych myself out about it.  

I'm too spent for more, take care. Get your boosters.

Cya...

Recovering...

 

We got our flu shots yesterday & that was rough.   The shot was fine, but a later, it hit. I don't react to every flu shot, but I did this year.  I felt like a sudden case of the flu.  I feel better now, but I'm still worn out.  Well, it needed to happen & it did.   

That's about it for now, more tomorrow. Take care.

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...

Newsish...

 

I saw a couple of pieces today, neither really worth citing though.  The 1st noted ViiV is filing with the FDC to lower the weight of person allowed to take Triumeq from 80 to 30 pounds.  This would allow the medication to be used in children's regimens.

The next piece was a continuance of the confusion surrounding HIV & COVID.  This focused on HIV+ people's strength of reaction to the vaccine.  This brief stated in their research HIV+ people had lesser responses to the vaccine, but I never saw a suggestion of how much weaker.  It also implied the recipients of  Pfizer's vaccine had a far weaker response than those who'd received Moderna's.  Info regarding everything connected to HIV & COVID has changed nearly weekly.  I'd wait & see how this plays out before putting stock in this.

Cya...

Vaccine Points...

 

Yesterday was a full week out  from the 2nd dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.   I'm glad to have gotten it.  However, at least in my case,  they amazingly undersold the reactions. 

After several hours, the 1st  dose was like having a bad cold or  light flu.  There were aches, exhaustion, slight  fever, dragginess...  It was like that for about a day & then it took about 3 days to be completely normal. A little over a  week later,  I develop COVID arm, it lasted a few  days.

The 2nd dose was a lot more intense.  I was very tired later that  day.  By late morning, the next day,  it felt like a bad case of the flu;  chills, pain,  aches, fever, exhaustion, distraction...   That lasted fairly intensely for 3 days.  It tapered off, but  it took a full week to feel close to normal.  The exhaustion & soreness lasted the longest.  I haven't redeveloped COVID arm yet.

That was my experience with the Moderna  COVID-19 vaccine.  Take care.

Cya...

WTF Next Day...

 The longer yesterday went on, the worse I felt.  They said there might be fevers, aches, chills.  That was an outstanding undersell.  At least for me.  I spent  much of yesterday achy, feverish & under covers.  I didn't want to eat & I couldn't get warm.  Even the idea of watching TV sounded like it was beyond me.  

It's a new  day.  I don't feel as bad.  But, I don't feel good.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

Allergy Pills...

I have an uneasy relationship with allergy meds.   I only take them when the allergy levels are soaring & I can barely function.   Still, today is like that & I won't be taking them.

Allergy meds can have a host of side-effects.  Google your specific med to check on those.  Reactions vary between medications.  For me, they range from annoying to borderline side-lining.  If I take allergy meds for more than a day or so, I often experience: 

• Over drying of my sinuses, throat & eyes
• Nosebleeds
• Higher levels of edginess & anxiety
• Lethargy, fatigue & the general blahs
• Heightened levels of S.A.D.
• More diarrhea
• Blurry vision
• Heightened heart rate & blood pressure

Unless my allergies are extreme, I avoid taking allergy meds for as long as possible.    My reactions aren't uncommon, but could  be boosted by my HIV status & my other medications.  If you react oddly to allergy medications, you're not alone.

Cya...

Reactions...

There've been reactions to things I've posted about the last couple of days.  To start with the matter regarding the New Jersey hospital & it's possible exposure of people to HIV & hepatitis.   The hospital has offered to pay for any testing needed, as long as it's done on site.   There lies the problem.  Some people have loss trust in the establishment & aren't comfortable going back to a place that may have exposed them to either virus.   It turns out the hospital had hired someone who had previously lost their pharmacist licence due to opioid theft.  The man's license was later reinstated, but still, he probably should'n't have been allowed to work with other opioids. 

The next reaction was to PrEP failure.  Researchers & activists are struggling to push the idea this is a rare event.  They desperately need the public to believe this is a 1 in a million type thing.   The fact is this is the only case we are aware of where PrEP failed.  There may be more.  There most definitely will be more.  As the use of Truvada spreads & more people feel safe go back into the proverbial water without condoms, the rate of failure is bound to increase.  That fails to mention the  drugs  making up Truvada are among the most apt for HIV to be resistant too at this time.  So, yes there was a failure & yes it may be rare at this moment, but that's likely to change as time passes.

The problem for these medical establishments & drug companies is we don't live in a bubble.  There are tons of factors in every action, many beyond our control.  People will continue to  contract HIV from hospitals until new protocols are established.  PrEP will continue to fail as the number of users increases & the presence of drug resistant HIV grows.

Absolutes are not present in this world.  We can only count on at some point something will fail or change. But even that main not be predictable or to our favor. All this shows us is HIV isn't being taken as seriously as it should be.  And, HIV is too much of cash cow not to be exploited by corporations.   Talk about a sad world.

Cya...

An Unwanted Reminder...

I picked up my roomie yesterday in Fort Smith.  No big deal.  We stopped for something to eat.  Again, should've been no big deal.  But, it was hot & it turned into a deal.  

Its easy to forget my medications make me very reactive to heat & light.   Its not that big of thing throughout most of the year.   But, I was in the sun & dealing with a muggy 96 F.  

I was OK when we got home, but within an hour I felt like crap.  I had to get the AC going & just set there for quite a while.   Dinner wound up being cold sandwiches, because anything more than  sounded like too much work & something that would've made me ill. 

I'm OK this morning, but I still feel worn out.  Its just 1 of those things when you're on certain medications.  You have to know how they're going to affect you in various situations.  My drugs hate summer time.   No more eating out & then travelling home until it cools off again.

Cya...