Positive attitude has made me live longer
Dec 01, 2011
The difference between you and me is that I know my HIV sero-status. It could be you are yet to test for HIV, but what if you are HIV-positive? You still have a long productive life ahead of you, and you can still live as long as you would have lived.There are several things that you can do to s
By Elvis Basudde
The difference between you and me is that I know my HIV sero-status. It could be you are yet to test for HIV, but what if you are HIV-positive? You still have a long productive life ahead of you, and you can still live as long as you would have lived.
There are several things that you can do to stay healthy and live longer.
These are the things that long term survivors have done, which have helped them to stay healthy for as long as 20 to 30 years or more after getting infected with the HIV virus.
This is only possible if you adopt a lifestyle to delay the onset of AIDS. It is about not infecting others, as well as not re-infecting yourself. It is also about having a positive attitude, healthy lifestyle and taking anti-retroviral drugs.
Some people still believe that an HIV diagnosis is synonymous with a suspended death sentence. Not any more. You can be as vulnerable to death as any other person.
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS so being HIV-positive means that the virus is in your blood. When you start falling sick often, then you have developed Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
Finding out that you have HIV can be scaring and it can torment you. This is natural. But you can live much longer if you refuse to interpret your condition as terminal, and learn to live positively.
The knowledge that you are HIV-positive is a transition. It is starting a new life where you must learn how to cope and focus on what is most important. It is like being in a strange country, which has strange rules.
When you go to Rwanda, you realise they drive on the right as opposed to us here in Uganda. You have to abide by the rules even when you are visiting. Just imagine the consequences if you insist on driving on the left in Rwanda. In the same way, when you are HIV-positive, you must learn how to cope with your new status. That is what is called Positive Living or Living Positively with HIV/AIDS.
Positive living is a term used to describe steps taken by people living with HIV that enhance their lives and increase their health. The importance of positive living is that it prolongs the productive lives of HIV-positive persons and increases their ability to contribute to the well-being of their families.
It also helps to decrease the discrimination and pauperisation, which can make surviving family members more vulnerable to HIV. Similarly, increasing investments in education, care, social support and general development efforts within affected communities strengthens their capacity to respond to the epidemic.
If you drove on the left in Rwanda, probably you would have a chance to appeal for ignorance and be given a light punishment. But there is no appeal if you fail to live positively. The consequence is death!
But you can still live a good and normal life as long as you adhere to positive living. We have lost people who would still be with us if they lived more responsibly. There are certain things that you must do, because positive living involves a number of undertakings. Many of us are already living positively.
Positive living
Acceptance
It is immaterial to ask yourself how, when and from whom you got the virus. Stop dwelling on the past because you cannot reverse what has already happened. Accept your new status.
Anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs)
It is important to know that anti-HIV drugs are not a cure, but improve quality of life. You have to take them for the rest of your life even after your viral load has reduced to undetectable levels. It is crucial to adhere to the drug regiment religiously to avoid resistant strains of HIV. Keep abreast with the latest on drugs.
No other medicines
Do not take any other medicine without consulting your doctor. Some drugs may react with the ARVs.
Exercise
You should have sensible and quality leisure that builds you. Avoid stress and other immune suppressing conditions. You should also have enough rest.
Discipline
Smoking and taking alcohol damage the body and make it easier for infections to attack it. Under the influence of alcohol you may forget to practice safe sex.
Counselling
With counselling and love, you can beat all difficult times, especially when handling social crisis like stigma. Emotional sharing through post-test clubs and HIV/AIDS networks is important to persons living with HIV. Think about disclosure because it is your own punch against HIV, and you may inspire others to live positively. Have a motivation to live on. Keep faith in God and pray and seek pastoral counselling.
Hygiene
Practice proper hygiene, such as bathing, brushing teeth and grooming nails.
Sex
Even when on ARVs, you can still infect others. Make sure your partner is tested. Use a condom if you must or abstain.
Balanced diet
Have a bala