Love After HIV
Facing an HIV diagnosis means becoming aware that many things in everyday life will change from that very moment. Processing all these changes takes time, and it’s important to try to manage one thing at a time.
And one of these aspects that are necessarily affected is the person’s relationship with love and the concept of being a couple. When we talk about a single person who receives an HIV diagnosis, many times the catastrophic idea that they will never be accepted by anybody ever again invades the mind.
Fortunately, today there are many resources where we can look for information so people with HIV may have a better quality of life, and also obtain some tools in order to communicate their diagnosis whenever the decide to.
Sharing your diagnosis
However, we have to admit that a mix of emotions affect people with HIV who try to start a stable relationship. On one hand, like most people, anybody who lives with HIV wants to be accepted, and this may lead them to be afraid of sharing their diagnosis. On the other, staying quiet about their health situation may generate a feeling of guilt, whether it be because they feel they’re deceiving the other person or because they believe they are putting them in imminent danger.
Undetectable
This is why, a concept that needs to be made known as widely as possible is “undetectable”. An undetectable viral load, this means, so low that it cannot be detected from available HIV tests, makes the probabilities of transmitting the virus practically null.
Undetectability is a result of proper treatment. This confirms that the benefits of complying with treatment are not only for the person with HIV, but also for their next partner and ultimately, for the community in general.
With the proper counseling and medical attention, it will be easier to communicate a diagnosis by saying: “I live with HIV, but my infection is totally controlled, and this means 0% risk of transmission”.
It’s true that stigma and discrimination because of this health condition still exists, but visualizing this type of information is what will lighten the load associated to the infection. HIV diagnosis is not an easy road, but only precise information, the kind that topples myths, will be able to eliminate surrounding prejudices.
At AHF, we can help you. We offer counseling and we walk you through your HIV treatment all for free. Make your appointment today or write us via WhatsApp for more information.