GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE JANUARY 28, 1994

Suite Lorain

7105 LORAIN AVE

VINTAGE DESIGNER CLOTHING AND SHOES

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COLLECTABLES

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FINE ART PAINTINGS AND PRINTS KITCHEN KITSCH BOOKS, RECORDS AND MAGAZINES

CLEVELAND, OH 44102

(216) 281-1959

9000 SOFT SHOWROOM OF DECO TO 505

OPEN DAILY 11:00 5:00

Every day is a gift Unwrap it carefully Use it gratefully

Live it lovingly... and

CERAMICS LIGHTING

EAT POTATO PANCAKES!

miracles'

Restaurants

OPEN

Monday & Wednesday 9am-7pm Tuesday & Friday 9am-7pm Saturday 9-3

Near Downtown: 621-6419 University Circle: 721-6244

MADISON AVENUE

ANIMAL HOSPITAL

17306 Madison Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107 521-7060

DR. MATT BIGELOW

We are NOW OPEN and will be glad to have your pet as our patient.

WE ARE A FULL SERVICE ANIMAL HOSPITAL WE DO IT ALL...

DENTAL

SPECIALS

$10.00 Off All Dental Cleaning

Plus 10% Off Any Extractions and Pre-Surgical Bloodwork Needed

Ends February 28th

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Prudential Insurance & Financial Services

Mary Brown, Registered Rep.

(216) 842-9050

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HEALTH WATCH

Testing positive-what do you need to do?

by Dr. Elliot Neufeld

and Gary Avis

Testing positive for HIV may be a traumatic experience. Upon getting the result, you may undergo a bewildering set of emotions. The most prominent of these is a sense of loss. This grieving reaction can last weeks and even months. The stages of the grieving process are denial, depression, anger, bargaining, and acceptance.

The best thing you can do to help yourself work through this process is to develop a positive plan of action with a supportive network of family and friends. If you do not have this network developed, there are many opportunities available. Most communities have HIV support groups, buddy programs, and other types of assistance. (A note to friends and family, this is a difficult process to work through and it will be rough on you as well; patience and understanding can go a long way.) As you work through the grieving process your attitude will improve.

There are many options available for treatment of HIV and its opportunistic infections. This being the case, the most important things you can do are:

1. Become as informed as possible about HIV.

2. Choose a doctor who is knowledgeable and easy to communicate with.

3. Have your HIV status staged and evaluated.

4. Make the necessary lifestyle choices that reduce stress and maintain health. 5. Maintain a positive attitude.

Being informed

Being informed about HIV treatment options is one of the most important things you can do. Being properly educated on these issues can help you and your doctor make the best decisions on your medical care. Interaction between you and your physician is important. You need to be part of the decision making process. This empowerment will help you feel more in control of your medical care. Choosing a doctor

The following characteristics are key in choosing a doctor:

1. A primary care physician with an HIV/ AIDS interest.

2. Knowledge about all the treatment options available—including both the standard treatments and experimental treat-

ments.

3. A gay, lesbian or bisexual supportive doctor if desired, so that you will feel comfortable discussing personal issues that may impact your health.

4. Good communicative and interactive skills.

5. Accepts your insurance. Many individual companies limit which doctors you may see. This means that making a good decision may require research on your part.

Medical history and lab tests

Regardless of how healthy you may feel, it is important that your doctor perform a variety of tests and examinations to determine your general health, nutritional status, and the progression of HIV infection. There are three parts of the comprehensive medical examination that your doctor should perform. These include obtaining a complete medical history, a physical examination, and performing a variety of lab tests. Your medical history would include, but is not limited to:

1. Past bacterial, viral, parasitic and fungal infections. This includes such things as gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, herpes zoster, and herpes simplex.

2. History of asthma, allergies, bronchi-

tis, and other lung related problems.

3. Past and present sexual practices (in order to determine risk of transmittal and risk of catching various opportunistic infections).

4. Alcohol, tobacco and drug use. 5. Immunization history

6. Travel history-to determine if you may have been exposed to various fungal infections.

A physical examination to determine the condition of the following:

1. The lymph nodes.

2. The mouth, throat, and ears.

3. The eyes, in order to determine the presence of eye disease. You may be recommended to see either an optometrist or ophthalmologist if you have a low CD4+

count.

4. The genital area. This will include a genital and rectal examination for both men and women and a pelvic examination for

women.

5. Chest and abdomen.

6. The skin, since various dermatologic conditions are common in HIV-infected people.

7. Peripheral and central nervous system. This is necessary because many of the infections common with AIDS have neurological manifestations.

8. Cardiovascular systems.

Laboratory tests that may be done in-

clude:

1. A lymphocyte marker test. This will check for CD4+ (helper or T-cell) and CD8 cell count and the ratio.

2. A hepatitis B test.

3. A toxoplasmosis antibody test. 4. A chest X-ray.

5. Various general blood tests including a CBC (complete blood count), a platelet count and various body chemistry tests. 6. A VDRL (venereal disease) test.

A cognitive function examination will also usually be done. This is done for a variety of reasons including determining baseline brain function test and to determine the presence of depression, anxiety, AIDS dementia complex, or HIV-related encephalopathy.

Your physician may also recommend several other tests (such as a TB test) or vaccinations for such infections as influenza, pneumococcal pneumonia, and hepatitis B. These are usually strongly recommended because infection with one of these can severely deplete your immune system.

Lifestyle choices

Making the correct lifestyle choices and reducing stress can have a large positive impact to your health. Many of these may seem fairly obvious. They include maintaining a well-rounded diet, getting exercise, getting plenty of rest, stopping smoking (smokers are at a much higher risk of developing PCP and other lung infections), reducing or eliminating alcohol intake, and eliminating all recreational drug use.

Positive attitude

Keep in mind the following things: 1. New treatments are becoming more rapidly available.

2. Support networks are available at no or little cost.

3. Quality of life can be maintained or enhanced.

4. Developing and maintaining a positive attitude can have a strong beneficial impact to your health.

5. Remember that most people who test positive remain symptom-free and healthy for many years.