May 17, 201412 yr Active Members Recently, a colleague of mine informed me that he was recently diagnosed HIV+... I was shocked, and then saddened by his news.. Shocked, because I had always thought he was a person who practiced Safe Sex, and then saddened that he now had to embark on a lifelong journey and battle for Survival. However, I was more shocked to learn his feelings about his diagnosis; that he felt RELIEVED, that he now wouldnt have to worry about getting HIV when having sex....... For me, this was confusing, since if it had been ME, I would feel a GREATER sense of Stress and responsibility, to inform EVERY partner of my status before taking the plunge and letting them decide if they want to "play" with me, as well as making sure I do everything "medically" to insure the longest life I could have...... I suppose, like anything else, its all in the perception of whether you are a person that sees the glass half empty or half full.... I would be interested to hear others members feeling about this if you care to share ?
May 17, 201412 yr Active Members However, I was more shocked to learn his feelings about his diagnosis; that he felt RELIEVED, that he now wouldnt have to worry about getting HIV when having sex....... So what specifically does he now feel free to do that was stressing him out before his seroconverted? Bottom unprotected?
May 17, 201412 yr Suckrates, I am sorry to hear that your friend seroconverted. I do understand his sense of relief though, as negative guys seem to have to worry a lot about seroconverting. They get tested often, and then have to worry until the results come in. They have to worry if their current trick is being honest about his status or is secretly Poz. I'd rather have those worries myself than have to worry if the HIV drugs will work or deal with the side effects. Now he also has to worry if other guys will play with him. So he seems to have traded one set of worries for another. But my guess is that he isn't as relieved as he says he is. He either hasn't faced reality yet, or is just trying to put the best face on the topic. But that's just my guess.
May 17, 201412 yr Perhaps he is glad to have had the diagnosis when he did. He could have gone on in ignorance for years until his condition worsened to a dangerous degree. I would say that was seeing the glass half FULL.
May 18, 201412 yr Author Active Members So what specifically does he now feel free to do that was stressing him out before his seroconverted? Bottom unprotected? Probably, we didnt really go into ALL his sexual practices, but it seemed that where he might have thought about "safety" before, its NO issue for him now.
May 18, 201412 yr Suckrates, wonder how old is your colleague? I ask because when living in NYC, I saw a lot of fatalism and it'll-get-me-sooner-or-later in guys younger than 30, even more in those under 25. I say in NYC because when living in Boston before that, I very seldom saw that attitude in young guys.
May 18, 201412 yr Author Active Members Suckrates, wonder how old is your colleague? I ask because when living in NYC, I saw a lot of fatalism and it'll-get-me-sooner-or-later in guys younger than 30, even more in those under 25. I say in NYC because when living in Boston before that, I very seldom saw that attitude in young guys. late 40's
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