Support System

When I was first knew I had HIV, I have no idea what to do. I had no one to turn to. I did not know anyone else.

I went on Twitter. I made some friends and gotten some kind of support system I was looking for, but it wasn't quite adequate.

Twitter pozzies are all over the world. I needed people in case anything happened, which looking back, there were times I needed help urgently like going to the hospital to getting emergency pills from friends.

Soon, it will come to three years. I've built up a network of people whom I can rely on in case I needed help, from physicians and pharmacists, friends and pozzies. They are like a gem.

So, to new pozzies and newly diagnosed, if you do not know where to turn or needed someone to talk to, I am all ears. You can email or tweet me.

If you are looking for something to say to someone who has HIV, my advice is, don't say anything. Saying the wrong things just make things worse
than it already is, unless you are a doctor specialising in ID or HIV. Just be the friend and be there because one day, this friend of yours will need your help, and in confidentiality. He will need it.

I've been there before and much more. I know what you are going through. But I am still very much up and running. It will be sometime before you come to terms and life blooms again. Cheers!




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Consultations, treatment & pharmacy at Klinik Kesihatan Kuala Lumpur (KKKL) Jalan Fletcher

Image
My consultation with Dr Nurul was for today, and since it's the first time I am at KKKL, I decided to write about the experience here, so that for those of you who are new to HIV care and need direction and advice, I hope this will be helpful. Overview of KKKL Public parking is on the right-side KLINIK KESIHATAN KUALA LUMPUR Where: Behind Pusat Darah Negara (if you are driving, enter at Jalan Temerloh which is beside Istana Budaya). If you still don't know, please Waze or google.  Operation hours: Monday-Friday 8am-5pm (lanjutan till 9pm & Saturday morning for selected services, HIV care is NOT in the list of lanjutan) Pharmacy: Ground Floor  Monday-Friday 8am-5pm (except Friday 12pm-2pm) Pharmacy Drive Through: Monday-Friday (12pm-4pm only). Terms & conditions apply. My visit to KKKL So I arrived at 7.15am and there are several people queuing by the main entrance already. Good thing there is plenty of parking available. The door open at 7.30am, a...
Read more

Taking blood in Klinik Kesihatan Kuala Lumpur

Image
So the time has come to draw blood at this new facility. As I was unfamiliar with the procedures here, I wasted about half an hour waiting in vain at the wrong place. My blood test schedule was almost once a year (if not twice at most), but since I was transferred to this new facility, I have not had my blood taken here before. So everything is new to me. And there is no online information on how to go about it. Again, here I am, writing and sharing the process with you all. The queue to draw blood is just horrendous, and it was all because there's only 1 counter serving. Only later the poor staff realised she cannot cope handling the registration, printing, assigning rooms, taking questions, directing patients all at the same time that she called for help to clear some backlog. Once registration is processed, nurse will assign a room to you. Each room has like 2-3 nurses inside drawing blood, which makes the process very fast. ...
Read more

3 months on

Well, just did my second CD4%, VL test last week, the results will be ready next week.. People asked me why I do it in a private clinic instead of a govt hospital? The answer is simple, time. I cannot afford to take time off from work to go to a govt hospital that only opens late into the morning and closes early in the evening. With a private clinic, I can go at night. But then, for CD4%, have to take it in the morning, no? It costs me between RM300-RM500 each tests every 3 months and it has now drained me of my financial resources.. I am quite tight at the moment.. Sigh.. Already defaulted on credit cards cos I cannot pay them on time.. .
Read more