Protecting yourself & others

You & your health

You may feel a rush of questions when you are first diagnosed. Will I be ill? What about treatments? How will I manage at work or college? What about my relationship, my family, my friends? Are my plans shattered?

Take one thing at a time. You count and your health counts. Not just HIV, but whatever makes you feel good about yourself and others. If you know someone with HIV who has kept well, use that as your goal and aim to follow their pattern.

Take a deep breath and try to to keep your day to day routine going.

On a practical level

• Make sure you eat well
• Get plenty of sleep
• Keep up your fitness and exercise
• Be sensible about your drinking and possible drug-taking

The better you look after yourself, the more likely that you will be able to look after others if you have a partner or family.

It’s worth remembering that you cannot pass on HIV easily, and certainly not through social contacts like kissing, drinking from the same cup, toilet seats, or coughing. Anxiety can play subtle tricks on our minds. When this happens, get back to the facts and what you know to be true.

It’s natural to care for others and want to protect them from HIV. Keep in mind:

• Use condoms during sexual activity
• Do not share needles or injecting equipment
• If you’re pregnant and HIV positive, talk to your doctor about HIV treatment
• If you’re a mother with HIV, don’t breast-feed your baby
• Cover and protect cuts and open sores