Dear Readers,
A very special friend wrote me this letter.
I need to share it because I receive so many letters exactly like this one.
I was surprised to get it.
He's a VERY smart guy.
Innocent ignorance.
It's a plague.
Despite my best efforts to provide informative links (I have the BEST links covering EVERY issue imaginable) some people need/want their information directly from me.
I understand that.
I'm here for anyone who needs a friend.
Or information.
Advocacy is 24/7.
Many people contact me through Facebook, as they seem to trust the security over e mail.
I don't mind.
However you find me is great.
JUST GET TESTED!
Dear Bry,
I met up with a very good friend, we've been friends for almost 15 years, I've known him since grade school, he's kinda depressed for the past couple of months and yes, he's gay.
He confessed to me that he's having a suspicion of having HIV, but he refused to get tested because he's afraid of the result. he never told anyone about the HIV thing, even to his mom or dad or to anyone else but me. he was diagnosed of having a pneumonia last September and the doctor gave him strong antibiotics for his pneumonia..
Bry, I'm sorry if you are the first person that i remembered when my friend told me about it... i just really want to help him and i know you really want to help him, too. please please tell me what are the symptoms of HIV, i mean the early symptoms and until your stage now. i really want to help a friend who is really suffering.. ill be flying back in Hong Kong in couple of hours.. i hope when i get back in Hong Kong you already have your "detailed" symptoms listed and you already replied back to me, OK ? :)
OK dear.
Here you go.
**********************
Sourced from HIV.com and other links from my GREAT list.
HIV, or the human immunodeficiency virus, is a sexually transmitted disease that assails the immune system. The virus attacks your CD4 cells (or T4 cells), which are necessary to fight off illnesses. Eventually, the virus overwhelms the CD4 cells and your body becomes unable to fight off diseases and infections. Once your body's CD4 cell count falls below 200 per cubic millimeter of blood, and/or an opportunistic infection takes hold of your weakened immune system, you will be diagnosed with AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). Symptoms of HIV vary according to what stage of the infection you are in.
Early Symptoms of HIV
The earliest symptoms of HIV infection occur while your body begins to form antibodies to the virus (known as sero conversion) between six weeks and three months after infection with the HIV virus.
Those who do show early HIV symptoms will develop flu-like symptoms. This can include: fever, rash, muscles aches and swollen lymph nodes and glands. However, for most people, the first symptoms of HIV will not be apparent.
Although the infection is slowly taking hold of your body, the majority of those infected with HIV will be asymptomatic. Only by being tested for HIV can you know for sure if you have been infected. Yet, despite the absence of HIV symptoms, you are still highly contagious during this time making it very much a possibility to infect others.
HIV/AIDS Symptoms
As the infection progresses, people with HIV grow increasingly susceptible to illnesses and infection that don't normally affect the healthy population. Even though many of these illnesses can easily be treated, those with HIV often have such weakened immune systems that typical cures fail.
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