This website bares my name. I even dare to say that it is my personal brand. I have committed to my self that I will write only my own thought and they should be honest. Lately, to be honest to the public is something hard to do.

To tell the truth is not something hard. Not when you know people will take it as it is. Not when you know there will be no one to twist the story.

The internet is doing its best in keeping everything that once thrown in it. Including about my husband’s medical condition or my son’s Autistic tendency. It certainly also records every concern words sent our ways, every raised questions and every digital hugs.

To tell something like “I am an HIV positive”, the way my husband did it, could raise a lot of responses. Questions, endless questions, will come like a series of waves. Such news have the power to change. It will send new friends your way and send frends away to a place where you will hear nothing from them ever again.

Like it or not, such fact will raise pity. I do not like it.

No matter how inevitable it is, pity was not something I expect will rise after the news.

Pity will make people need at least two extra seconds to understand that it was not the reason why the news was send in the first place. In some people the clock ticks endlessly they never reach the understanding.

Pity will make some people come to lend a hand and think they then have the privilege to walk all over you whenever they want.

Pity will make people think that the unfolded truth was a tool to get privileges we might not deserve.

Oh we do want privileges, just like every other normal and healthy people, we do want them. We want privileges to raise our children in an ideal world. We want privileges to work and be productive like the rest of the no-way-I-could-catch-HIV people.

We want privileges where people would not have to concern about our medical condition.

We want privileges where every time we tell the world that today something less fortunate happens to us, people would not think that we want to raise pity.

What do we do when we can’t have any of that privileges? We move on. We do not have the privilege to worry about the negativity around us. We already have our plate full with so many unideal factors.

Fortunately, the world is less damaged than we think it is. We are given the chance to live the world like every other productive human beings.

We now have the privilege of walking away from people who offer us a plateful of pity with a series of terms on the side.

———

So I write again today to tell another truth. Life does smile.

Saya jadi teringat oleh sebuah artikel yang saya baca di sebuah majalah wanita yang sudah mengglobal franchise-nya, sekitar awal tahun 2000 lalu. Kalau tidak salah. Anyway, di artikel itu, sang penulis yang mewakili majalahnya bercerita bagaimana mereka melakukan sebuah eksperimen “membesarkan” sebuah figur.

Dipilihlah seorang wanita “bukan siapa-siapa” dan dipersiapkanlah sang wanita mulai dari perombakan total penampilan hingga pengetahuan-pengetahuan yang ia perlukan untuk menjadi seorang socialite sejati.

Wajahnya dipoles, rambutnya ditata ulang, pakaian dan semua hal yang menempel di tubuhnya didatangkan dari hasil karya mereka yang ternama dan dipastikan untuk membuat semua mata menoleh. Dan setelah semua lengkap, sang wanita dipastikan masuk ke dalam Daftar A, hadir di semua acara sosial papan atas dan direkam oleh semua kamera.

Mereka berhasil. Sang wanita socialite gadungan itu untuk sesaat berhasil menjadi kayaknya seorang Paris Hilton. Ia difoto dan foto-fotonya masuk ke semua halaman-halaman yang memajang foto-foto para selebriti dan kalangan milyuner. Namanya yang direka demi eksperimen tersebutpun ikut tercetak.

Sampai waktunya para memilik eksperimen itu mengumumkan semua rekayasa mereka. Pihak yang terkagum-kagum atas rancangan itu tidak lebih banyak dibanding dengan yang merasa bahwa itu adalah penipuan yang menjijikan. Sang wanitapun disebutkan sempat merasa terpojok karena disebut penipu.

Media memang mampu “membesarkan’ sebuah nama, menuliskan sebuah berita biasa untuk menjadi lebih bombastis. Namun sesungguhnya sebuah kredibilitas tetap diperlukan. Seorang “nobody” bisa dibuat begitu hebat di atas selembar koran atau di layar kaca, namun hanya mereka yang sungguh-sungguh dengan pencapaianlah yang mampu menggerakan publik dalam arti sesungguhnya.

Figur-figur yang memiliki pencapaian di bidangnya masing-masing boleh jadi menjadi besar secara publisitas oleh media. Tapi saya rasa besar di sana terkunci hanya pada kata “publisitas”, pencapaian mereka sering kali tidak terjadi oleh karena media.

Saya kini bertanya di dalam hati, sesungguhnya bagaimana media kita mengukur pencapaian mereka sendiri?

Today (07/23/09) something really surprising happened. He climbed up the swing with confidence. He rocked the swing quite harsh with a huge grin on his face. Everything seemed to be so wonderful for him.

Step by step he stood on his feet while the smile on his face never disappeared. As if it wasn’t fantastic enough for his parents to witness, he laughed happily when another boy climbed the swing and lay beside him. He did not budge or even freaked out. He enjoyed his company and the swing all together.

For you who are not familiar with Autism might not realize that this story means Igo is overreactive to motion. It is one of his biological challenge. In this therapy class he also bravely walked on an arch shaped leg table. He did not even refuse to use other tools that would let his body motioned in unfamiliar ways. Those showed how he finally starts to overcome the challenge.

Igo totally rocked the day. He was so happy and joyfully learn new things. For us those are more important than the progress itself.

Igo, you rock, my son!

Media Indonesia e-Paper wrote on Thursday June 4 2009 that the Religion Department of Bengkulu backs the suggestion of being free of HIV/AIDS to be a premarital precondition. The suggestion said to be given by the Vice Governor of Bengkulu, Mr. M Syamlan, Lc. in his concern of the rising threat of HIV/AIDS.

Nobody should be allowed to influence or interfere on that any marital decision as long as it is consensual. How could one party have any authority over another human being’s right to love and be loved?

Preventing HIV. Are you kidding me? On the contrary preventing people with HIV from getting married, will result in them looking for sex in extramarital context. And tell me how could that stop the spreading on the virus?

Should the institutions mentioned above would like to do a better prevention to the spreading of HIV, they must start by opening the line of communication to at least the Health Department. Indonesian Health Department - which despite of some might have said, have done a very good job in helping people with HIV to get access to Anti Retroviral Drugs for free for the last few years. It has managed to established clinics where people could have access not only to the ARV but also doctors and health educators. People who work tirelessly to help people with HIV to be productive and even to have free-HIV-offspring.

Both said officials above need to learn that HIV is a manageable virus. The only thing seems to be unmanageable here is their ignorance. The kind of ignorance that could do more damage in the future than preventing the spreading of the disease.

Instead of trying to find easy shortcuts to deal with the spreading of HIV, those officials should use their time to do actual works so that the young generations of this country can value the life of fellow human beings without any discrimination.

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Also Read:

HIV+ mothers could have free-HIV-babies with the right treatments:

- Pregnancy & HIV: If your viral load is undetectable, and if you take anti-HIV medication before and during pregnancy and delivery, your baby only has a 1 to 2 percent risk of being infected.

- Prevention of Perinatal Transmission of HIV in 2008: By receiving HAART, women can remain healthy and can bear children with a very low risk of HIV transmission. Certain conditions and treatments must be done to have free-HIV-offspring.

(images are taken from here and here)

Well, maybe they have changed their mind to use the latest test method, but the result paper was sent to our home this evening. Surprisingly it printed there:

Type of test                 Result               Measurement           Notes

IMMUNOSEROLOGY

HIV

HIV-RNA (Viralload):

- Conventional          Virus undetected         copies/mL       result <400copies/mL virus undetected

- S I                           Virus undetected          UI/mL

We took the test because for the last four months and two CD4+ test, the results trend to drop.

The Viral Load test result seemed to be too amazing to believe without any visit to dearest Google. We went through one article after another, tried to understand what does “Virus Undetected” mean. We stopped at one point by saying, this is a good news. It may not be the end of the battle but it is one freaking good news. So we went first to the place where we share our lives in 140 characters:

• Still need to be careful because my body is marginally weaker than normal; but the virus itself is contained and tamed for now.
• It means that I still need to manage my stress & lifestyle, - but the HIV inside is unlikely to push my body further downward.

These are some of the replies from our fellow Twitterers:

These kind of responses have accompanied Fajar for at least six months since his condition dropped to the stage where he needed to be medicated with Anti Retroviral Drugs (ARV). There were always tweets to support him in each high and low. Each may not contained more than 140 characters, then again LOVE only contains four characters. The impact may change a person’s spirit to live.

The battle is far from end. There is the possibility of new resistance to the current ARV, not to mention Fajar’s CD4+ counts which is not even half of the minimum requirement ( 14%, minimum requirement is 31%). Today, those numbers and every scientific calculation made on it would have to admit that something unmeasurable like love could make them undetectable.

————————————————————————–

LINKS:

Undetectable viral load :
Having undetectable viral load is desirable for two reasons:

• A very low risk of developing AIDS.
  

• A very low risk of developing resistance to the drugs you are taking now.

Viral load and drug resistance:

Suppressing viral load to undetectable levels (below 50 copies) is likely to delay the development of resistance for longer.

Viral load and CD4

T-Cells Dropping and Viral is now Undetectable

Love has been compared to many things,
from sunset to flowers;
But for me,
Love is simple.
It is you. Always,
always you

Three days away from my birthday, he said I should invite some friends to have a simple dinner at home. He also said some fried ducks would be perfect. He was right, everything was perfect that day.

A new friend and a “long-enough” friend came at late afternoon.  To saw how Ruby and Claudia enjoyed their lunch and gave-up their calories count made me feel so honored. Ruby was on her way to the airport for a visit to Paris. Claudia was as pretty as usual and soon on her way to another party. They both lead fabulous lives which I hope will never end.

The dinner planned to start at six. An expecting couple, Mandy and Ismet, showed-up surprisingly with a cake. I was frying the ducks. The room was filled with their aroma. It even filled the alley outside our unit, strong enough for Alfa and Aldo to follow to find our unit. When we opened the door, Alfa was video taping. Not surprising and still very sweet of her.

Another not so surprising moment was when we ate the ducks. We hardly spoke. Our parents would be so proud to see it. The ducks was originally marinated by a real Pecel Bebek merchant down at Wijaya. A little treasure Fajar and I found back when we were not yet married. Ever since, her ducks often become our signature dish to share in memorable events.

More friends came right after that. Ellen, Lisa, Nana, Pico, Patrick and Wita. My sister in laws Yemima and Tia who few days prior to my birthday had already sent some beautiful presents, came with boyfriend Ias and best friend Fanny.

To play the scene again in my head after it all wrapped is kind of touching. Never thought I would enjoy frying and serving dinner in a room so small. We don’t even have dining table. Friends and family were sitting on the floor. I made a table using two boxes of my kids toys and books covered with a piece of old cloth.

The laughter and the warmth filled the room so nicely, my children felt so comfortable in the surrounding of many new acquaintances. I may not have known them forever but it surely feels like it. It has been a very long time since I felt that I actually have friends.

There they were sitting on the floor, laughing, telling stories and jokes. Some of them met there for the first time since months of following each other on Twitter. You wouldn’t tell.

Some people might think that 32 is a scary number for an age. We are not young but not old enough to say we know life. Since that date, May 16 2009, I will always cherish that number. I will not be afraid that it keeps on adding-up every year knowing I have my friends. Friends who will not judge and making list of expectation in returns when we needed their favor. Friends who send me countless hugs, smiles for every happy and sad moments I countered. I feel that number is so perfect and life has been so perfectly kind to show me the kind of friendship these people offered me.

If one of them wrote from me she learned that life is beautiful. I write here that I learned from her and from all of them the meaning of friendship and love combined. And when a best friend wrote that I have a perfect life, I write I would not have it without her.

Thank you friends, your love brighten my year ahead.

It is nearly three months now that every Thursday Fajar, my husband, would get up from bed earlier than any other day of the week. I would take my shower earlier too. Thursday is also the only day we would wake Igo up instead of letting him get up from bed whenever he feels like.

Every Thursday at 11 AM, for another one month, a therapist would guide every of Igo’s step and evaluate every single response of Igo’s for forty five minutes in a class called sensory integration therapy.

My first born son was confirmed Autistic last year by his pediatrician who specializes on children with special needs. Based on his diagnose and the therapist’s observation, Igo must take the therapy class to make him feel comfortable in receiving inputs. After that he can continue to other therapies and treatments to help him to learn, talk and/or even socializing. And it will not be anytime soon.

Igo just celebrated his fourth birthday early February this year. Unlike any other four years old, Igo has not yet talked, refuses to be touched by almost everyone, does not like crowd or loud voices, does not tolerate his food and his bath in different temperature than he is accustomed to. Igo simply lives in his own mind and world, too sacred for anyone to let in.

Somehow like a planned scenario, two months ago I lost my nine-to-five job. With a help from some friends I got a home-based job which allows me to be closer to Igo, and  got involved with every part of his home program and therapy class.

Within those two months, as every progress of Igo’s is noted, somehow I feel I was rewarded more than Igo himself. I could not ask Igo how did it feel for him when he was finally able to call me “mama” but I can tell you I feel like… I feel like… I feel worthy. When I saw him stare me in the eyes, that very second I jumped off my chair because Igo rarely made an eye contact with me. He opened his arms, almost running toward me, and when he was just a step away from me……… he said “mama”, then his eyes disappear with his face bumped to my thighs. I felt my tears running down my cheeks and before the warmth disappears, Igo turned his body and walked away like it never happened.

But it happened. It happened very clear to me. I play that scene over and over in my head and heart almost every minutes because that was the first time I ever heard him call me intentionally. That moment will always be inside me. I hope one day I can tell Igo about it, and he will understand.

Igo brought back that moment several times since then. And every single moment felt like the first time for both of us. I remember one moment when Igo even ran down his little hand over my wet cheek and looked me in the eyes with huge curiosity. The thought of reporting the event to his therapist was blown away by a sudden hug he gave me afterward.

One of the home programs was to give Igo a bear-hug every other hour for ten seconds. Igo did not like it very much in the beginning. As if he understood how touching him was very important for us, he began to bear-hug us instead. He would came from behind me and gave me a tight hug and even kissed my back. In moments like that I could do nothing except accepting, receiving and embrace the warmth. If I tried to turn and hold him back he would run away. I must wait for him to hug me from the front if I want to be able to hug him back. None of my hug was received without at least a little shrug from him. When he finally let me hold him close, it was simply heaven. Most of them would not last long but who am I to complain?

—–

I received a hidden blessing by getting my new home-based job. I do not have to hear people using the word “Autis” (= Autistic) as a joke on daily basis. Igo does not understand the concept of such joke. Igo does not even know that he is different from most children. I am somehow glad that Igo does not have to understand that “normal” people could be that ignorant and cruel.

The more I see how Igo lives his life, I feel that in a way, he is a lucky special child. He could choose on few things he want to concentrate on and forget about the rest. If you see that Igo spends most of his days smiling, you get the feeling that the world he knows is a beautiful world without too much complications.

I no longer expect people to change and understand Autism. Not for Igo, not for me. If one day they choose to stop using the term as joke, I would think they might have found a new term to use. For most people it is only a matter of trend. It would be more heart-breaking to hope such mind to understand new knowledge, let alone to be sensitive.

I have Igo’s siblings to teach about what is Autism and why Igo does not behave like other people they know. I hope I will be able to brought them up to be people who will not be blinded by some temporary trends. I want them to be the people who use each word correctly, accordingly, with understanding and compassion. By then they will not have to say, “I’m sorry, I did not know what I said.”

*****

The Year 2008 was not the happiest year indeed but certainly the most inspiring one. That was the very year I found again the meaning of friendship. Before 2008 I have several people I could call friends but the real one was probably only my dearest husband, and he’s the best one. The world of web 2.0 had landed me on lands where many people, despite the cliché about people on the internet are not real, turned out to be genuine and kind hearted. Those are the people who I dare so very much to call friends, who have showed me that even though they have only met me very few times, the true meaning of friendship. From simple things like answering my miscellaneous questions, laughing at my silly jokes, sending me words of supports, checking up on me every now and then. They are also those people who did not leave especially when I was at my lows. They are those people who helped me in a very least expected way. For those friends, I thank the year 2008 and especially the Lord for allowing me to receive their kindness and friendship.

The Year 2008 also had given me a huge lesson about self strength. I am very much aware that I am a strong person and I’m not talking physically. My friends’ supports had somehow made me realize that even if I could be strong or at least play strong, it is never a mistake to lean on others. Strong people will always be strong. But being strong not necessary that we should be alone. Being strong not necessary to bear everything by our selves. With all these friends too, I am learning the new meaning of sharing. And to share my burdens, my pains, maybe… maybe I could share them too what was the meaning of strength. Inspirations will not be called inspirations until they are shared.

Another lesson about strength came from my struggling and recovering husband: do not expect people to be as strong as you are. Well, he meant that line very much for me. And at the end of our long hard argument, I must admit that it was my one of biggest mistake in life. I’m afraid I could not elaborate this part perfectly but I think this book: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Quitting Smoking, could:

Like many other things in life, quitting smoking takes a lot of practice. Remember when you were first learning to ride a bicycle? Sure, you fell off a few times, probably even got banged up a little, but eventually you were able to ride with confidence. Well, quitting smoking is just like riding a bicycle. You may fall off a few times, but if you keep on practicing, you will get it right

Now try to change the words “quitting smoking” and/or quitting with whatever you want to do, including “being strong”

So, the next time someone tries to tell you that quitting smoking “just takes will power,” tell him or her that he or she is wrong, dead wrong. Quitting takes motivation, determination, commitment, and specific set of skills. To put it another way, quitting takes practice.

I think the best way to close this post is by saying thank you very much to all my friends; it is an honor & a bless to receive your kindness and friendship. You all know who you are, friends. And to my dearest husband; for being such a pain in the ass, darling you are the best thing a wife could possibly ask for a husband. Enjoy every fall you must go through only because you will see that I will be there to help you back up.

Kade, a 45 year old woman from North Sulawesi told the group that after she was told she was HIV positive, her two sisters, both of whom are doctors, forced her to leave the family home. Displaying remarkable ignorance, they apparently feared that a HIV positive person could infect other people in the household. ‘They disinfected the bathroom every time I used the toilet’, Kade told the group. Since then she has only been allowed to see her children every other month through the fence surrounding her family home.

Dear angels,
I have never met your mom. The only thing I know about you mom is those five lines I copied from Inside Indonesia. I cried a whole night after I read it. I felt her pain. The pain of a mother who could not hold her children. I wish I could be there to hold your mom.

Angels, I truly believe your mother loves you very much. She does not want to meet you through the fence. I believe she would want to fight the disease just to be able to hold you close in her arms again. Yes, angels, your mother is sick. The sickness is very terrible; it makes your mommy lost her immunity to any other diseases. It makes your mommy very vulnerable. But angels, what makes your mommy even sicker than she really is, are not the virus. It is us with our ignorance. The blindness and cold heart of the people who refuse to seek the right answer to every question. The people who choose to close the door in front of her nose than to help her get better.

No, angels, do not start to hate. Instead angels, stand-up, stand strong. Embrace your mother because your love would make her stronger. She had given you the world; now please let her have her dignity back.

No, angels do not close your eyes and ears. Do not even close your mouth. Instead angels, learn. Learn hard. Because education will open the door of the world to you wider than before. Learn with your heart too, angels, because knowledge without compassion is futile.

It is the virus & the disease you should fight, angels. Not your mother or anybody with the same condition. To quarantine her, to put some microchips in her will not help her fight the disease. They will only break her until there’s nothing for her to live with. She could die because of such degradation.

She is sick right now, angels. Maybe because she made a mistake long time ago, maybe not. She is sick and medication is what she needs. She does not need any injustice prejudice nor to be blame for anything.

Today is Human Rights Day, angels. Today we cry for your mother who do not receive her rights. Would you be her hero? Love her so dearly simply because she is your mother. Then read this Universal Declaration of Human Rights because no matter how sick and whatever the disease a person could have, she or he is still a human being, entitle to every rights written there.

Be strong angels.

Love,

Leonnie

Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 25

1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

Fakta bahwa “ukuran pori kondom adalah 1/60 mikron (dalam keadaan tidak merenggang) menjadi 1/6 mikron dalam keadaan merenggang. Sedangkan ukuran virus HIV/AIDS adalah 1/250 mikron” seperti tertulis di dalam artikel itu bisa jadi memang benar. Namun tidak dituliskan di sana bahwa, virus HIV yang berukuran lebih kecil daripada lubang pori kondom itu TIDAK DAPAT BERPINDAH TEMPAT TANPA CAIRAN TUBUH, yang dalam hal ini adalah sperma dan cairan vagina. Sperma tidak dapat melalui lubang pori kondom, maka dengan demikian virus HIV tidak dapat berpindah.

Theoretical basis for protection. Condoms can be expected to provide different levels of protection for various sexually transmitted diseases, depending on differences in how the diseases are transmitted. Because condoms block the discharge of semen or protect the male urethra against exposure to vaginal secretions, a greater level of protection is provided for the discharge diseases. A lesser degree of protection is provided for the genital ulcer diseases or HPV because these infections may be transmitted by exposure to areas, e.g., infected skin or mucosal surfaces, that are not covered or protected by the condom.

————————————————————————————

Sulit sekali untuk tidak marah saat membaca artikel itu. Sulit sekali mengekang diri untuk tidak mengobarkan api permusuhan kepada golongan apapun itu namanya. Dan memang sulit untuk berperang melawan sebuah ideologi betapapun ngaco-nya dia. Jika saya menyadari bahwa semua itu ngaco dan terjebak di dalamnya pasti akan lebih ngaco lagi. Saat ini masyarakat lebih membutuhkan informasi dan fakta mengenai HIV/AIDS. Dan lebih penting lagi bagi semua pihak untuk mengetahui peran apa yang bisa dilakukan untuk mencegah penyebaran virus penyakit ini, sekecil apapun.

Jadi jika anda: pengguna narkoba, pekerja seksual, aktif secara seksual lebih dengan lebih dari satu partner atau aktif secara seksual dan tidak yakin dengan aktifitas seksual pasangan anda di luar pengetahuan anda, dan atau peduli dengan sejarah kesehatan anda. Lakukanlah tes HIV, sekarang!

Mengapa saya menjabarkan prilaku di atas? Karena hanya dengan mengatakan “jika anda menjalani gaya hidup beresiko” tidak akan memberi informasi bahwa: HIV hanya menular melalui darah dan cairan sperma atau vagina. Virus HIV tidak terdapat dalam air liur dan tidak menular oleh air liur. Air liur dapat menjadi berbahaya jika di dalam liur terdapat darah terjangkit virus HIV.

Kebijakan tes HIV adalah rahasia untuk menjamin privasi.

Tes HIV: Di Indonesia, yang lazim adalah Antibody Blood Test, tes ini mendeteksi hadirnya antibody HIV di dalam darah. Klinik dan rumah sakit mengenal tes ini dengan sebutan screening test. Ada dua jenis screening tes yang biasa digunakan: EIA (enzyme immunoassay) dan ELISA (enzyme-linked immonusorbent assay). Jika dalam darah anda terdeteksi adanya antibodi HIV, maka anda positif terjangkit virus HIV. Anda bisa melakukan tes kedua untuk memastikan yaitu Western Blot. Tes ini juga mendeteksi adanya antibodi HIV, bukan virus HIV.

Antibody Blood Tests

• Antibody blood tests are used to detect HIV antibodies in the bloodstream. The most common screening tests used today are EIA (enzyme immunoassay) and the ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). A second test, referred to as the Western Blot test, is run to confirm a positive result.
• When the EIA or ELISA is used in conjunction with the Western Blot confirmation test, the results are more than 99.9% accurate.
• Results from EIA/ELISA HIV tests are usually available several days to several weeks later.

Sedih, tapi anda masih membutuhkan surat pengantar dari dokter untuk melakukan tes tersebut di Prodia dan laboratorium medis pada umumnya. Saya tidak mengetahui jika ada klinik laboratorium lain yang memperbolehkan anda melakukan tes ini atas permintaan sendiri. Saya pernah melakukan tes di klinik tempat biasa saya berobat, mendapat surat pengantar dari dokter di dalam klinik yang memiliki laboratorium sendiri. Namun tes tersebut tidak dilakukan di dalam laboratorium mereka melainkan dikirim ke laboratorium RSCM dan hasilnya baru saya peroleh sekitar lima sampai tujuh hari kemudian. Biaya tes lengkap satu paket (dengan ketiga jenis tes tersebut di atas) tes penyaring berkisar antara Rp. 250.000 - Rp.300.000 Rp. 180.000 - Rp. 210.000. Beberapa lembaga memberikan akses tes tersebut secara gratis, namun saya belum memiliki informasi mengenai akses kepada tes gratis tersebut.

Jika anda mendapat hasil negatif, saya ikut senang untuk anda. Namun anda masih perlu melakukan tes itu selambatnya enam bulan kemudian. Antibodi HIV dapat terdeteksi di dalam darah dalam dua minggu setelah penularan, namun tubuh memerlukan waktu hingga enam bulan untuk sepenuhnya memproduksi antibodi yang dapat terukur.

HIV Test Results

HIV tests can identify HIV antibodies in the blood as early as two weeks after infection, but the body may take up to six months to make a measurable amount of antibodies. The average time is 25 days.

• A seropositive result on an HIV test means that HIV antibodies are present in your bloodstream and you are HIV positive. The onset of AIDS may take up to 10 or more years. Drug treatments are available that can further delay the development of AIDS.
• A seronegative result usually indicates that you are not infected with HIV. However, you should be retested in six months if you have engaged in high-risk behavior during the past six months, because it can take this long for your immune system to produce enough antibodies.

Anyone who receives an HIV test should seek counseling before and after the test in order to understand the results, discuss prevention methods, and, if necessary, discuss drug treatment options.

Jika anda terbukti positif, maka ada beberapa hal yang perlu anda lakukan.

1. Hindarkan diri anda dari resiko tertular penyakit lain. Tubuh anda kini tidak memiliki imunitas yang cukup untuk melawan penyakit lain. Penyakit lain dapat membawa anda pada kematian. Mulailah secara serius menjaga kesehatan anda untuk mempertahankan tingkat imunitas anda sebaik mungkin.

2. Hindarkan diri dari kemungkinan menulari orang lain. Jangan berbagi jarum suntik anda dengan orang lain, gunakan kondom saat melakukan hubungan seksual, jangan mendonorkan darah.

3. Dapatkan konsultasi HIV/AIDS segera. Konsultasi ini penting untuk membuat anda mengetahui tes-tes apa yang perlu anda lakukan kemudian, persiapan diri untuk memperoleh pengobatan dan hal-hal lain yang terkait kondisi pribadi anda. Anda dapat pergi ke Pokdisus di RSCM untuk mendapat konsultasi dan pengobatan.

4. Dapatkan dukungan, anda tidak ingin sendiri pada saat seperti ini. Jika anda mendapat penolakan dari lingkungan anda, carilah dukungan itu dari tempat lain. Anda bisa mulai dari saya. (leonniefm[at]zenbe.com)

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Artikel ini adalah bagian pertama dari perpanjangan informasi tentang HIV/AIDS yang akan saya teruskan kepada publik Indonesia. Tinggalkan pesan di kolom komentar jika anda memiliki informasi tambahan. Saya bukan seorang dokter atau aktifis apapun, blog ini adalah tempat saya berbagi informasi, nara sumber bisa dilihat pada tautan-tautan yang tersedia.

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Image: Condom Sign
Condom sign on wall outside Jaisalmer Fort, Rajasthan, India