Heather Renee

When it comes to medical issues connecting the dots can be complicated. Sometimes it takes new doctors with new tests to start making the connections. When I started seeing a...

In 2017, I went on social security disability. At the time, I thought my disability was approved due to all my health issues. I would later find out that my...

As my boyfriend moved around the apartment, one of our dogs became overly excited. The next thing I know, his laptop hits the floor - hard. I flinch back and...

I recently returned from my very first cruise. I was super nervous to go for various reasons. These reasons ranged from being stuck on a ship for 6 days to...

Receiving an HIV diagnosis can easily knock you off your feet and stun you. This happened to me. Once the initial impact wore off, I realized that I had settled...

Sighing with frustration, I roll over on my back and stretch. I have been laying in bed, trying to fall asleep, for a long time at this point. Looking around...

Without the proper testing, some cases of HIV can persist for years without obvious signs of infection. I remember waking up in the ICU with an intubation tube down my...

Our various personal beliefs, in this case about safety issues, affect our mental health. These beliefs are relative to ourselves and to other people or groups. All these beliefs can...

Exhaustion. Lack of motivation. Blah! It is only noon, yet I feel like today has gone on forever. There is so much that needs to be done around my house...

One drink, 2 drinks. A whiskey drink or an Amaretto drink. As I look back over the last year and a realization hits me. I have only consumed alcohol on...

Vacation fun or shall we say vacation stress. I have always been a homebody. When I was diagnosed with HIV, I became even more of a homebody in all honesty...

Food. Love it or hate it, we must have it. My relationship with food has almost always been a complicated one. When I was growing up, my mother struggled to...

Receiving a positive HIV diagnosis was among the reasons I sought treatment for my mental health. I have previously shared my diagnosis story, and it was rough. Not only did...

Stress is not good for our health, and I have been living in a state of stress. My re-evaluation for my disability is coming up. I am beyond nervous but...

Content Note: This article describes abuse. If you or a loved one are struggling, consider reading our mental health resources page. Intimate partner violence, referred to as IPV, has been...

Over the years since my diagnosis, I have learned to closely guard my mental health. Learning to discuss my mental health with healthcare providers has been very important. I have...

There are times since my HIV diagnosis that I have caught myself settling in different categories of my life. Unfortunately, some of these categories have involved my medical care. I'm...

I have lived with anemia for most of my life. It has been a part of my life since I started having periods as a teenager. Generally, I can tell...

I have been dealing with chronic pain of one type or another since 2009. This is about the time they believe I contracted HIV. I have tried different types of...

Before I found out about my HIV status, I believe that my mental health was solid. I would not say that it was perfect but solid. My diagnosis story is...