How Do You Navigate HIV and Your Relationships?The challenge of being in a relationship and HIV positive can be daunting. We'd love to hear from people living with HIV who are in or have been in mixed...reactions9repliesTips & AdviceDating & IntimacyDisclosing
What I Do to Control the Anxiety of UncertaintyThis is the 30th year that some type of HIV testing has been a part of my life. From the first confirmation that I was HIV positive to checking on...reactionscomments
Support After Loss and Illness: Is It Okay to Not Be Okay?When my partner died of AIDS, the world became a maelstrom of dark emotions and platitudes. At the end of his lingering illness, what was left was fast-tracked to cremation...reactions4comments
Navigating HIV Disclosure, Love, and Health ChallengesI shared my HIV status with my husband on the very first day that we met. This was in 1998, and it was a risky thing to share. HIV stigma...reactions3comments
Why I Stopped Being an HIV Advocate, Then Started AgainIn 1988, I met an AIDS activist, and my life was forever changed. It was during my high school years when I first heard of GRID (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency) on...reactions2comments
Who I Had to Forgive When I Learned I Was HIV PositiveWhat is the most challenging act of forgiveness you have ever had to do? I began to understand what it meant to forgive someone when I learned I was HIV...reactions1comment
How I Handle Being a HIV Long-Term Survivor and a Long-Term CaregiverFor 30 years, I have been a caregiver to myself. I have managed doctors' appointments and treatment plans and built networks of support as a long-term survivor of HIV. But...reactions5comments
Why I'm No Longer Ashamed of My HIV BellyOver the decades, I have watched so many vibrant, young people pass away. I knew some of them, and I only saw others. Most of them disappeared and were never...reactions1comment
After a Diagnosis and Treatment, What do I do Now?I wasn’t expecting to be diagnosed with HIV for my 30th birthday. And I certainly wasn’t planning to be under treatment for HPV-related cancer thirty years later. Yet here I...reactions4comments
FeaturedActive 7 days agoLiving with HIV and HPV - How are you doing?This discussion is a forum for those living with HIV and HPV. A place to share your challenges and safely discuss or share resources for the newly diagnosed as well...reactions16repliesDating & IntimacyTreatment
Why I Shouldn't Be Afraid to Call My Doctor BackThe first time I heard the term AFRAIDS was several years before I tested positive for HIV. A friend said it was a new disease killing people. It made people...reactions3comments
How (and Why) I Took Control of My Treatment PlanI could not choose the time and place I became HIV positive. But I did decide when and why I would begin my treatment. I believe my ongoing participation in...reactions2comments
How I'm Handling My Cancer DiagnosisMy first opportunistic infection was Kaposi Sarcoma. It was a viral cancer that created dark purple lesions across my body. In the plague years, it was also one of the...reactions2comments
What It Means to Get a Late-in-Life HIV DiagnosisLike everything else in life, things weren't supposed to turn out this way. In 1995 I was told to get my affairs in order. The next thing I knew, the...reactions3comments
Why Letting Go of What I Lost Was Actually a MistakeDespite being HIV positive for 30 years, only recently have I processed what happened to myself and my friends. I thought that acknowledging those I had known was enough. But...reactions1comment
An HIV Test Saved My Life, but Not How You ThinkI took my first and only HIV test 3 decades ago. It saved my life, but not in the way you might be thinking. I already knew the results, even...reactions2comments
What I Do When I Can't AnymoreIronically, I did not consider pursuing a career until I became HIV-positive. I had been very happy working front-line service-level jobs in the food and beverage industry. But something changed...reactions5comments
How I Handled the Failures on My Path to Treatment SuccessAs treatment options for HIV have changed, so have my personal views evolved. When I was first diagnosed, I resisted taking AZT, and now 30 years later, I am discussing...reactions1comment
How Shingles Reminded Me HIV Health Is My Top PriorityYears ago, after a long Mardi Gras weekend, my partner woke up with a rash on his side. Within a few hours, it changed from a series of bumps into...reactions8comments
Planning a Vacation While Living with HIVI'm starting to get plans together for our upcoming Alaskan cruise. While I'm making sure I have the recommended attire and the suitable excursions planned, I know that as a...reactions3comments
