What to do if your HIV test is positive?

What do you need to know about HIV?

Today, the diagnosis of «HIV infection» is no longer a sentence. Although scientists have not yet developed a drug that would completely defeat the virus, thanks to antiretroviral therapy (ARVT), HIV has moved into the category of a chronic infection that can be controlled. People who take antiretroviral drugs and get tested regularly can lead normal lives.

Ekaterina, mother of two children:

I was infected by my boyfriend, whom I met on a dating site. In a relationship, we had complete trust, we planned a joint future, so sexual contacts were unprotected. Once I found his personal diary, in which it was written: «I’m afraid to infect Vika with HIV.» I was in shock, I was shaking, I didn’t know anything about HIV then. I remember throwing a notebook in his face and running away to work.

Then I called him and asked: “How could you do this to me?” It turned out that he did not tell me about his diagnosis, because he was afraid of losing. Then the young man said that he had previously been in prison and used drugs. His ex-wife didn’t get it from him, even though he wasn’t on antiretroviral therapy, so he hoped I’d be fine too. Later I forgave him, and we even got married.

I then exhaled, but, apparently, at that moment I had a “window period” — this is when the virus is in the body, but its amount is so small that the test shows a negative result. After that, I came to the AIDS center more than once to be sure that everything was in order, but on the 3rd month, the girl who did the test changed her face and said: “In all likelihood, you have HIV.”

I cried right there. I was terribly embarrassed and scared. The world at that moment collapsed, I went through it very hard. I have always been a decent girl, never used anything forbidden and had no promiscuity, donated blood regularly and wanted to become an honorary donor. HIV was a terrible word for me, I could not even think that this disease could affect me. At the same time, I was even more afraid for the young man than for myself. I have complete codependency, I was scared that he would break down when he found out.

When I got pregnant, I immediately ran to the AIDS center and literally demanded that I be prescribed therapy — pregnant women take it, if I’m not mistaken, from the 13th-14th week. I was prescribed three drugs, a total of 9 tablets were obtained, which had to be divided into two doses per day and drunk with an interval of 12 hours. I even set alarms, I was afraid to miss it. And I had small side effects — constant diarrhea.

Thanks to the fact that the viral load was reduced to undetectable, I gave birth to a healthy daughter. Immediately after birth, she was observed at the AIDS center, given special drugs, then deregistered at 1 year old. Then I had a second daughter, also absolutely healthy!

Nothing really changed in my life, only I had to get used to taking therapy. Now I take 7 tablets once a day. I would like, of course, smaller, but the main thing is that they work. My husband also regularly drinks therapy, so we are absolutely safe for society.

Where can you go for help?

As a rule, in each region of the Russian Federation there are specialized medical institutions. In most cases, these are centers for the prevention and control of AIDS and infectious diseases (abbreviated as AIDS centers). They are located in large cities, and in smaller cities there are their branches or infectious diseases rooms at medical institutions.

There, additional examinations are prescribed, after which the doctor selects individual antiretroviral therapy (ARVT). There are now various regimens for suppressing the viral load, which involve taking from several tablets a couple of times a day to one tablet once a day.

Katya, schoolgirl:

I am 12 years old, now I am in school in the sixth grade. I have had HIV since birth — the virus was transmitted to me from my mother through breast milk. The news that I was ill with HIV was told to me at the age of nine, and I started taking pills even earlier — from the age of six.

One day I came back from school, and my grandmother said that we need to discuss an important topic with a psychologist. I was alert, I thought that I did something wrong and my grandmother found out about it. We went to a cafe where we met with a psychologist. She introduced herself, told a little about herself, then began to talk about HIV — what kind of disease it is, how it is transmitted. And she said that she herself had this virus.

I couldn’t figure out why I needed all this information. Then I was told that I also had HIV. At first I didn’t understand, I thought: “Well, HIV, now what?” Before that, I lived quietly, and now I will. I knew nothing about the disease itself. A little later we started playing a card game. I no longer remember the rules or the essence of the game, but the three of us burst into tears. The cafe workers were surprised.

I was afraid that I would not be able to become a doctor, as I dreamed that, in principle, I would not be able to work for anyone. Then I started going to trainings, to support groups. There I began to learn more about HIV, talked with the same guys and realized that if you take therapy, then it is not dangerous.

In principle, my life is exactly the same as that of an ordinary person. Unless you have to take therapy. Sometimes I can forget to take my medicines because I’m going somewhere for a long time and I forget to take them with me. Relatives then remind.

In addition to regular school, I go to art. I plan to become an architect or designer, I want to enter an architectural university. With the choice, I was helped by a career guidance course, which was taught by the career guidance specialist of the Svetlana Izambaeva Foundation in an online format for children with HIV. We analyzed the professions in detail, and some of the guys immediately decided where they wanted to go and who to study. This course was 3 days, there were many tasks, characteristics.

On the Online Fund now everyone can take a career guidance test, which will help you decide on your future profession and get a free consultation from a career guidance specialist. I think this is a great opportunity. I would like as many children with HIV as possible to know that they can choose absolutely any profession, they have almost no restrictions, with very rare exceptions. There is also information about this on the Foundation’s website.

How to accept HIV-positive status?

The news of an HIV diagnosis is a big psychological test, so you should definitely share it with a loved one you trust. If you don’t know who to talk to, call the helpline for people with HIV +7 (495) 366-62-38. There are also patient organizations that provide support to people living with HIV.

• The AIDS.CENTER Foundation organizes free and anonymous support groups for people with HIV.

• The E.V.A. Association is a network organization created to improve the quality of life of women with HIV, viral hepatitis and other socially significant diseases.

• The Svetlana Izambayeva Foundation carries out projects aimed at preventing HIV and drawing attention to the problems of HIV-infected people.

• The Children+ Charitable Foundation was created to support children and adolescents with socially significant diseases.

In organizations, you can also get the support of peer consultants — people who themselves live with a diagnosis, share their experience and help overcome fear of uncertainty, self-stigmatization.

Today, HIV is not a sentence: people with a positive status live a full and long life. Anyone can become infected with HIV, regardless of social status, sexual preferences or bad habits.