Do you stress during an HIV test? Is the Internet creating anxiety?
 

I suffer massive anxiety. The days it takes to get the result back are without question the most stressful days I live. I have always been a protection freak, but for some reason, once I take the test, I start thinking of every girl that I have ever been with and fill my stomach with a pit of regret. I become antisocial. I can't eat for days. I feel fatigued.

I am not writing this for the sarcastic retort of "you should not sleep around."

I don't sleep around anymore, I have a girlfriend. Nevertheless, I spoke with a doctor during my last test who brought up a great point:

He hates the Internet. He thinks the Internet in combination with the Media has really created an anxious society. When I got tested a while back, I came in with a list of symptoms. I told him the symptoms were of HIV. He laughed. He pulled out a book and showed me a list of those same symptoms for many other issues. I asked him if I am crazy. He said I was, but it is becoming the norm. Now, add on most of the symptoms are me creating them with stress.

I never used to be this way. Never a hypochondriac. But with the Internet at my hands, I am getting there.

I am vowing to never look up any health symptoms on the Internet again.

Do you stress during the days of the test?

What about other health issues? Does the Internet stress you out?

I haven't tested myself in about 2 years and I've had sex with like 7 girls unprotected. I'm really afraid.

I had my first one about 6 months ago..needless to say I have been around the block quite a few times..negative :glugglug

Oh man..haha

As much as I love both the Internet and technology, I also think they are both the downturn of society.

Cell phones are making people think they have to talk every minute of the day instead of observing every now and then. The Internet is doing what you already mentioned plus much more, any moron can have a website and share his ideas with millions, that isn't always a great idea. People are living their lives through TV and movie characters instead of chasing after their own dreams.

Its all just a mess. You're worrying too much. Relax my pug loving friend.

i have been a hypochondriac in the past - it's a horrible way to live - nip it in the bud because it won't stop. hypochondria is just masking other issues you're worried about.

I am a lot more relaxed now that I am only with one person.

2 years ago, I went in for testing with this long sheet of things to test for. The doctor laughed at me. He told me that I needed to have my Internet connection cut... haha

I agree. But more over, am I the only one that worries over testing? Not just HIV?

I mean, it can take days.........I am too much of a "need to know" immediately guy.

dude! you sound just like me!!

whenever my neck hurts, or i'm sore, or i have a headache or my eyes are strained or ANYTHING i try to think of a disease i have, like, "oh fuck i might have cancer" or whatever whatever....it sucks

I don't know. I haven't worried about a doctor visit since I was a kid. Just take it in stride. If something is wrong, deal with it, and move on.

I've been tested a few times, only been scared once

Thing is, for me, it is the Internet. I am fine with everything, then I go online, do a search, and hell if I don't find some ridiculous information.

I travel the world over. I eat food in other countries that most of you would choke on. I don't care about being around someone with the flu. But occasionally, I read the Internet and some stat pops up and I am doomed.

I can't be the only one.

If you are fucking non-commited partners without protection anxiety is the least of your problems :2 cents:

doesnt bother me at all.......... just needs to be done.

Well, damn. Back in my days I admit I have had sex with girls that were non-commited.

I guess I am alone on GFY in that respect....never knew!

The point was anxiety more than anything. Whenever I get bloodtest for anything, I get anxiety.

Sad but funny story.

I found out my ex was HI+ in 95 - we had been having sex for over 2 years and I was CONVINCED I was + as well.

I had the first test at 3 months... and it was negative. That was good but I was still convinced I would be positive at 6 months.

The day came for my results and my councillor came out and took me to the canteen - she said every office was busy.

She gave me the result and said I had taken it so well the 1st time she wasnt worried.

It was negative again but they had to take me to the ER in a fucking ambulance I was so freaked out.

Id convinced myself so much that I was positive I actually stopped breathing when she told me I wasnt!! :)

She never gave the results in the canteen again... even if they were good ones.

No offence but you are stupid.
Look them up at a reliable source, not super gregs personal home page.

Ah...damn, Just reread that...:)

Unprotected. I catch you brother :)

Sorry.

Even the good ones man....sometimes it is nerve racking.

To be honest, I just thought it would make for an interesting post / subject.

I was wrong :)

It happens haha

You sound strong to be honest.

I would have had a heart attack before 6 months.

I was more scared when i had a biopsy done than the last time i was tested for HIV...

amen to that............. i had that scare once...once was enough!

Small lump on my lip......... they removed it and after a few weeks got an all clear.

This is so true, I know someone who is somewhat hypochondriac and the net is
fueling it. It's getting A LOT better because he goes to work so he has less time to be so obsessive. But when I first met him he was a major nutcase.

He used to visit this site : http://www.actionlove.com everyday and read it for hours, he still does sometime. Just go to that website and read the nonsense, you won't BELIEVE what you are reading. And this person believes it's all true and would order medicine/vitamins from that place, $300 worth of crap sometimes!!

And then he would research in Google for HOURS and HOURS about diseases, and he would think he has most of them too. You should see his "favourites" folders, he has AT LEAST 1,000 bookmarks for all sorts of crazy medical crap. It is so long I cannot even scroll all the way down.

Oh yea, he also bought this http://www.lin-institute.org/Merchan...t_Co de=0-003
from the quack docttor. It is a vacuum cup and he uses it to pull out "stagnated blood" in his body. When he is through his skin is all read and leaves bruises.

The net can be a dangerous place for the wrong people.

And then he uses words like "acetylcholine" like it's normal that he learned from the quackdoctor, and he would tell me he is low in acetylcholin or whatevers. And he believes from reading that site that excessive masturbation in causing him to die early. No joke!!

HAHA, no shit, as soon as you go to the doctor and mention "I read on the internet" they lose it, they HATE people who try to self diagnose. As for the HIV, in canada men who have Sex with Men (MSM) account for 72.8% , or 63% of all positive HIV test reports - Damn it feels good to be a hetro! I know I am not safe from the virus, but odds of getting it are a lot lower. Just use a CONDOM and you will be O.K!

Also, I told him that site Actionlove is al "made up" and not real, just so they can sell their medicine. But he says no way is someone able to make something like that up because there are so many cases there, it must be real!

Yes, the internet definitely adds to the stress associated with not knowing what's wrong with you.

I about went crazy at the beginning of this year, not knowing what was wrong with me. The internet didn't help..I could find most of my symptoms associated with appendicitis, cancer, hepatitis, aids, diverticulitis, liver disease, etc. Turned out I have a bad case of mono. But when you don't know, you're brain just spins a lot of worst case scenerios it seems.

Women are at more risk for HIV. I read that lots of women get it now because
their partners cheat on them (usually with hookers) and then go back and fuck their wives/girlfriends and end up infecting them. I read that in some countries (mainly third world such as Thailand) the majority is that its women who is getting it and they are being infected because their partners fucked some whore without a condom.

Mine unfortunately wasnt as good and came back malign, but they are keeping it under control with a heavy but good treatment

Malign?.....

Back in "your day" which is also "my day" the worse we would get was cured by crab medicine or a shot of penicillin :upsidedow

Last week I went to the beach with my gf and some friends and I went diving and stuck an urchin in my finger. I went back to the beach and started digging out the thing with a victorinox knife `cos if you leave the spike in for too long it might get infected. I then had the brilliant idea to ask one of the beach necklace vendors for a needle to dig the thing out.
After I managed to dig it out it struck me that asking a random person in the beach for a needle wasn`t the most healthy thing to do.I am now worrying my ass off...

I can totally relate to being anxiety ridden! Stress has a huge effect on a person's health! That test is a stressful one for everyone, and the fact you have to wait so long, makes it even worse!!!

Ah, I pine for the good old days where the only lasting thing you could get from sex was herpes or pregnant (and not even the pregnant thing had to be lasting.......).

you should not sleep around

I had some probelms once and every thing I read on the net made it sound like I had some form of cancer it turned out to be nothing big at all. :1orglaugh

Tumors are commonly either benign when non-cancerous or malign when cancerous

dictionary.com
malign
adj 1: evil or harmful in nature or influence

be·nign (b-nn)
adj.
Of no danger to health, especially relating to a tumorous growth; not malignant.

and that concludes today's english lesson

Knowing is beautiful!!! My last test was in May and I am proud to say I am HIV - .

If you look at the studies, those male partners are with males....not females.

The only reason guys do not sleep around in their early 20's is because they do not get the opportunity to.

Where is Chris Rock when I need him?

My doctor shares your doctor's pain. She said people come in now with a print off from the internet and think they have tropical diseases when they have the flu or something.

However, where it does come in useful is when your condition is something that is fairly new in being something that is diagnosed. For example, when I was first told I had polycystic ovaries it was something new for the doctors (it still is really) and they were finding their feet as far as treatment. I used google and found a number of message boards people with polycystic had started up to find other people with it and to talk about the treatments their doctors were trying with them. It was there that I found someone whose doctor in the states had theorised there was a connection to it and insulin resistance. I printed that out and showed my doctor and they looked into it, made some calls to people and agreed to give medication a shot and now down the road it is accepted that insulin resistance and PCOS go hand in hand. I wonder how much longer it would have taken for that to be common knowledge on both sides of the pond without the internet.

Also, I don't know if anyone else does this but whenever I am perscribed a new medication I put its name into google before I take it so I read what other people that have taken it are saying about its side effects.

Wow, that is awesome.

I have a health BC book that the government gave out to help people take care of little bumps and scrapes at home. I try not to worry, but it's hard. The main health source I use the internet for is to look up drug white sheets. You can see exactly what the side effects, dosages, and studies are. Doctors don't always know the most recent research, they just prescribe what the reps give them (in the states) or what they're used to giving out (in Canada).

Not true

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:b...arri ed&hl=en


" Brothel going married men are the "main engine" behind the spread of HIV among the Thai population. They infect their wives with HIV, and then their children. Now there are approximately 8,000 HIV-infected children born each year. "

and from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract

"One researcher found that 72% of the low-class prostitutes were HIV-seropositive, while another examination of a few brothels found all prostitutes to be infected."

So just about 70 % of the hookers have aids and the men refuse to use condoms so they then pass it on to their wives. I bet some are stupid enough to have anal sex with hookers.

do what i do everydayget away from it. you live at newport, go to the sand and watch something bigger than the internet. i have to get out everyday and go walk around and see people in public. the ocean has alot of crazy unexplained powers. i can remember days where i thought life was over. i went to the beach, sat and looked out on the ocean for as long as i took to feel better. walking home i always felt better and didn't think the world was ending. living in digital world desensitizes you to life and turns you into a stress zombie.

Good call, I should have been specific.

I am talking the states. Check out African American women stats. It is crazy, most, and I mean most, are infected by their husbands whom had homosexual affairs.

I agree with that.

Its not just the internet its the tv as well. Drug companies are buying ad space and telling people they may have some made up disease so they will ask thier doctor about using thier drug.

My favorite is IBS. for those that don't know IBS = belly ache. Its hillarious watching them try to tell people that having a stomache ache might be cause to go to the doctor and get this new drug. LOL

i dont stress during the time between the test, but when im in the waiting room before i hear the results... thats no fun at all.

My doctor makes you wait 2 weeks plus for results. Now, I am guessing that if a result were unfavorable, they would contact you.

But, I got so frustrated with the wait time once, that I had a friend whom worked there check and ensure me it was ok.

But yes, the waiting room is bad.

You serious about IBS?