Is there a type of HIV that doesn't lead to death?

You need to have a long talk with your doctor. HIV is nothing to take lightly, and you need to investigate your options. Don’t wait, make an appointment now, and get your husband tested.

Here are some sites to get started (note that HIV+ is not the same thing as AIDS):

http://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/
http://www.aegis.com/
http://www.aids.org/

edit: That’s exactly why you should speak to your doctor. HIV+ is not something to be “blown off”!

@syz The reason I’m so confused is the nurse that called blew it off as if it was no big deal.

Your profile said you are pregnant. Are you still pregnant?

HIV is very treatable and controllable. I see from your profile that you are pregnant. If this is so, you need to go to early OB/GYN care and an HIV specialist.

It is odd that the nurse blew it off, as it is a big deal. One thing to do would be to get retested, as there are sometimes false positives.

@bkcunningham No I had my daughter 2 months ago. I’m concerned also because they said it can be passed through breast milk.

This is even odder. It is standard practice to check HIVs during pregnancy. Did they check you then?

Check my last response. Your next phone call is to your physician to get this cleared up.

I assume they did. They found out I was positive from my post-pregnancy pap.

From a pap? You can’t determine HIV from a pap smear. Are you sure it wasn’t HPV?

Wow

Call your doctor’s office!

@Rarebear I was thinking HPV too.

are you sure they didnt say HPV? HIV is something that they would usually give therapy for or atleast the option and really explain to you what is going on.

I’ll bet the nurse was talking about HPV. Which, in actuality, is not a big deal.

No I have that TOO. She said I have dysplasia, and that also I was positive HIV.

@Loried2008 You need to double check this, because it makes no sense. Unless they did an HIV blood test in your postpartum visit they can’t say you have HIV.

I’m so confused, and I can’t call because it’s 7 at night where I am :( I was so shocked with what she said I didn’t think of what I should ask until I had thought about it and then googled it :(

Did they do a blood test at your pap smear?

@Rarebear No they didn’t. they gave me a vac for whooping cough and I got a pap. That’s it. But I remember she said HIV cause she said it had no cure. HPV does.

Isn’t HPV associated with cervical dysplasia Doc?

@bkcunningham Yes. But if the dysplasia is known about then it’s treatable. It only will cause cervical cancer if not caught.

@Loried2008 Relax. If they didn’t do a blood test, they can’t say you have HIV. I’m thinking this is a misunderstanding. Enjoy your baby and call them tomorrow.

Okay (breathing now) this has to be a misunderstanding. God I hope it is…

I also don’t think that nurse would tell you you have HIV over the phone!
HPV maybe as it’s quite common and many people are carriers.
Im almost positive that you don’t have HIV… please call her and let us all know.
x

@tan235 I’ll be calling first thing tomorrow to make sure and I’ll let you guys know…

@Loried2008 make the phone calls in the morning. Don’t stress about this. I’m sure with a new baby you must be exhausted and stressed enough. You’ve probably misunderstood. It’ll be fine.

What I don’t understand is why she separated the two. If she indeed said HPV why did she say that after she said I had dysplasia?

man i’m stressed now!
definitely call her i know you will, but if a nurse is that emotion less about something such as HIV over the phone then we are all in trouble!!!!!

I dont’ think by law they can tell you over the phone!
ok sorry i’m repeating myself, congrats on your beautiful baby.

@tan235 Oh really? I didn’t know that. God I hope I’m wrong, please if any of you believe in prayer, pray for me now :( I have enough to worry about with my baby… I don’t wanna have to worry that I won’t be able to be there for her :(

Really quickly – I’m under the impression that there is no cure for HPV, but that the virus often is naturally suppressed.

This might be where part of the confusion is coming from as well – since you seem to be under the impression that it’s HIV because you were told that it was incurable, and that HPV was, you thought, curable.

Am I right on this?

@iamthemob Yes, I was under the impression HPV has a cure. I’m at low risk for developing Cervical Cancer according to the nurse that called, yet I have dysplasia?

If it is HPV and you do have cervical dysplasia, just remember to be diligent about Paps and GYN exams. You can avoid the nasty stuff if it’s dealt with early. I didn’t, and it was obnoxious to have cervical cancer. It’s always good to deal with stuff early.

@Loried2008 If you are positive for HPV they should schedule an appointment for you to have a colposcopy where they will paint your cervix and shine a light that will show where the HPV is, and cut those parts away. It is not very painful, you won’t need any anesthetics. The majority of women have been exposed to HPV it is very common, and when treated appropriately you should be fine. It is however a precursor to cancer, so you should have a repeat HPV test in 3 to 6 months, whatever your doctor recommends, and again in another 3 to 6 months, do not ignore this.

@JLeslie That is part of what the nurse told me.

Everything that I’ve read or seen on HPV is that there is no cure. HPV can be the cause of dysplasia – and dysplasia is a pre-cancerous lesion. That can be low- or high-grade. It sounds like you have low-grade. HPV is separate from dysplasia which is separate from cervical cancer.

She probably said that you had HPV after the dysplasia because (1) the dysplasia is more important, and (2) the cause was HPV.

@Loried2008 HPV has no cure, but you can rid yourself of the tissue that is changing, which rids you of the cancer risk in the immediate future. HPV is a virus, and it can reoccur, you need to be very good about getting your yearly exams and be sure they test for HPV, not just do a PAP that simply looks for clue cells or inflammation.

@Loried2008 Ok then, we know now it is definitely HPV. Did you make your appointment?

@iamthemob That makes sense then! @JLeslie I have no way of going for another month, I’m waiting on my new insurance to start. Also, I will make sure they test me and I’ll make sure my husband gets tested as well.

@Loried2008 There is no test that I know of for your husband. Sounds like they already tested you, and you are positive, now you need the culposcopy. The testing I talked about was for you in the future. Now that you know you have been positive, for future paps you will want to be thorough. If you ever switch doctors you will want to mention you have been positive before. Some doctors don’t bother to do the HPV test.

Make the appointment now, so as soon as your insurance kicks in you can get it taken care of. This is a mere annoyance if you take care of it. Rather than it turning into a major surgery or worse.

Did the nurse mention scheduling you to come in for a culposcopy? Or, just a repeat PAP?

@JLeslie She said I’d have to come in for the doctor to do something I assume it’s the culposcopy, because she said she would rub something like vinegar on my cervix to find spots?

@Loried2008 Yes, that is the culposcopy. Call and make the appointment tomorrow for a few weeks from now when your insurance kicks in. Not to worry, it should just take 5–10 minutes, it sucks a little, and then it is over. The suckiest part is just the stress of knowing something is wrong.

So no worrying about HIV/AIDS. Whew.

@JLeslie Thank you for helping me ease my mind. I’ll go ahead and do that then. Talk about a MAJOR misunderstanding!

@Loried2008 Yeah. It is easy to get confused. HPV, HSV, and HIV are all sexually transmittable. Most people don’t know what they all are. I’m glad you posted the question so you were not worried about having AIDS all night.

Thank God for Fluther lol

Talk to your doctor ASAP and get this cleared up. It’s likely that it’s a misunderstanding and she said or meant HPV, which is often not a big deal. But find out for sure. The jellies are probably right, but we’re not your doctor.

Have you spoken to her yet?
x

you have to respond i keep coming back here waiting for the outcome!