Not Just...

 

I see articles about how HIV is addressed dissimilarly due to differing patient  demographics.  These factors include race & ethnicity, sex, rurality & social vulnerability.  It's accurate to say these distinctions can & do impact HIV treatment, but there's something being left out.  These traits affect groups no matter what the issue. 

Any of these factors or combination of them can push a person further from the standard of care given the mainstream population.  I'm gay, rural, poor & on disability.  My access to everything is very limited compared to a middle class person living in a metro area.  Still, that affects everything, not just my HIV treatment.

Too many articles are written as if these were isolated assaults those HIV+.  Disparity in treatment has always been a reality.  It shouldn't be, but it is.  In many incidents, the more conventional, metro & affluent a person is, the better they will be treated.

Stigma & disparity are a given in any situation where there's a power imbalance.  From what I can tell, it's not a fight that can be won.  You can focus on it & waste a lot of effort, but it's unlikely any lasting change will come about.  Sorry, but society sucks.

Cya...

Starting...

I'm by no means at 100%, probably more like somewhere in the upper 60s.  Still, it's better than I was before.  I'm trying to get my normal schedule back.   Have to wait & see how that works out for me.  

This article, while a little wordy does discuss the importance of understanding HIV through the lens or race, gender & biological sex.   Many people getting twitchy about admitting the physical reality than all racial ethnic backgrounds can have some differing medical needs.  This a physical thing as well sociocultural.  

There is the idea of gender.  But perceiving yourself as a gender is not the same as being raised that gender.  There are probably still a lot behaviors closer to what the person was assigned than they feel like.  The sexual behaviors & attitudes of women; cis & trans, often differ.

Finally the aspect of actual biological sex does play a large role in how medicine works.  The body of chemistry & composition of a person born female does not match that of male or transgender.  There needs to be more research concerning this.

We live in a world where woman, especially those of color, are the most apt to be impacted by HIV.  Why are we still studying men & trans more?  If a cure is to be had, biologically born women will have to be at the top of the list, not all but pushed aside.

Cya...

Oh & Handled...

 

People think they understand HIV & that they get the elderly.  Well, people are still having sex.  This piece discusses the post surgical complications of a man in Spain.   He's in his 80's & is now the oldest newly diagnosed case of HIV.  His CD4 count was so low it put him the AIDS category.  You may not want to think about it, but the seniors are still going at it.

I signed with a new car insurance agency yesterday.   I went with State Farm, but saw no Jake.  I've used  4 online companies.  They all turned out to be unreliable & misrepresented themselves.  Twice they sunset & no longer exist.  Any remainders of the original form were bought by a company I avoid.  Looking at you Farmers.

That's done.  Now, we just have to switch our phones.  That can get handled next week.  Take  care.

Cya...

Genderfied...

It's Thursday & the trashmen have hauled off the garbage.  It's supposed to be 20 degrees cooler than yesterday.  Over the next few days there could have lows in the 30s.  Not happy about that.  I'm never going to get the Winter blankets washed.

This piece suggests any cure for HIV may have to be tailored by biological sex.  Estrogen has an effect on HIV latency & therefore how to be rid of the virus.  Less than 20 of research subjects are female.  Recently was there an all female study.   It appears estrogen causes enough difference, a single approach may never work.  Who knows what this means for people taking hormones.  Give it a read.

Cya...