i'm a long term survivor and doing great I would be happy to talk to you about it all. I was wondering if anyone ever came to this site.

24years and undergoing yet another great change.
I have lived almost my entire adult life positive.
the end of GRID, the stigma fo AIDS, the arrival of HAART, the reality of FART ( David Ho's assessment).
Now we are in a new world with new obsticales.
Failed AntiRetrovial Theraphy means that eradication is not possible.
The new problem is that we are living longer in a world not ready to accept the reality of LTS.
The world's failure to accept LTS is not surprising when we realize that we are not ready to accept Long Term Survival.
Where do we go from here? didn't die, most of my friends died, have a prespective on the world far outside the norm, dreams and ambitions made under the shadow of HIV.
I feel that as a LTS that I must make a life for myself. A life not as a diseased person but as "a person who has a special relationship with HIV ". I am not even sure how I want to define myself "a person who has a special relationship with HIV "??
We have a common bond, perhaps we could develop common goals? HIV liberation, HIV rights.

Looks like it's been eons since you've last checked in, but yes, there are some new people here that would really like to hear from you. I'm not on meds, and really, the more I think about it, the more it scares me. It sounds like the unwanted side effects could destroy ones quality of life. Makes me wonder if I should just stick it out, try and be good to myself and just wait and see how I hold up/and out without serious medical intervention. Honestly if it gets to that point, I think I'd just get my final arrangements in order and chose to voluntarily end my own suffering.

Is my mindset all wrong? Are you still around?

Hope to see you back in the group, or you can just be my friend if you are too burnt out to do the group chat thing.

Thanks so much,
gcg

Now they claim if you are undetectable for five years you are healed. So LTS get back to mainstream living trying to catch up with their lives. Each year for example this year I was ready to hAVE THE INTERFERON tx
again but then my heart went nuts while on the cruise so now the doctors will get heads together and decide the priorities, I am so obese that if I want to stY OFF THE HEART DRUGS AND LOSE WEIGHT AND EXERCISE. Well I Can do it ND BTW i SCROLLED DOWN AND i SEE THt I M Hppy to sY i m 3 1/2 yrs
SMOKEFREE at last!

Sorry all that I've been missing for so long. Loneliness had caused some hasty decisions. Still going strong though. Mag, I've been, or was undetectable for 15 yrs. After my wife passed, I stopped my meds & fell to 450 cd4 & I forget how many thousands detectable. Every class of med is still available to me, but I changed my combo to Atripla after 15 years of Combavir & Viramune ( never fell below 450 cd4 ). Many years ago, the DS Pharmacist told me the possible marrow complications I could aquire after long term Combavir / Viramune. Last year I decided to switch to Atripla. Not happy about it either ( may switch again )
GrantCounty, anytime you need to talk, hope all is well by now. Initial schock is a tough one to take.

I am ready to quit every thing get the lap band and do the hep c tx all this next fall. I have much to apply for to see if I am candidate for things. There s now an interferon free tx for hep c thats great my hair won't fall out. I have quit b4 taken drug holidays which I felt kept me going. I am so effin tired of this stoopid numbers game anyway. there are people with high vl AND LOVW T CELLS WALKING AROUND BY CHOICE AND FEELING WELL DOING WELL i MET SOMEONE a Gl younger thAN ME INFECTED THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME. i AM SO Md at myself the most becAUSE i KNEW BETTER i WASON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE BUT SOON TIRED OF THE CURE OF THE MONTH CLUB. ANYWAY GLAD YOU POSTED i LITERALLY FOR GOT THIS GROUP IS HERE AND NOW i AM FEELING SO OLD HAVE PROBLEMS DUE TO aging, See I am always blamed for being a fat thing, so obesity is my problem but I have now all the side effects and I been fat alla my life.

Hi Mag ( pozfem ), it's been a while since we talked. I didn't know you had hep c & I hope the new inteferon is the answer. As well as the lap band. Many have had success & are living normal lives. I can only hope to have aging problems, then again, never thought I'ld kast this long. I hope everything lands as hoped for in the coming fall. Good things happen to good people.

Expect Miracles! yes indeed! I have many more issues if you get a chance get look at my page and let's keep the name magdalena, when ppl change their nAMES IT IS FOR A GOOD REASON. Thanks so much for being there here and for being you! I look forward to keeping this dialogue moving as we are both going to be undergoing chANGES I am always interested in how different folks react to different meds. Hugs