Staying healthy

Here are just some of the reasons we found that meant it was good to get our test result:

• Being diagnosed ‘HIV positive’ doesn’t mean we’re about to die. Many of us can expect to live as long as we would have done without HIV. If you are worried about this, ask your HIV doctor.
• Doctors and scientists know a lot more about HIV than they did 25 years ago. Treatment isn’t perfect, but it’s a lot better than it was and it’s getting better all the time.
• We’ve got a chance to stop the virus doing any more damage to our immune systems. This means we have a much better chance of staying healthy and living a normal lifespan.
• We might be able to undo some of the damage that’s already been done to our immune systems. 
• It’s a chance to start leading a healthier lifestyle. Let’s face it, that’s what everyone's supposed to doing anyway, HIV or no HIV!
  
  

Life, love and relationships

And here are a few more:

• Most of us haven’t had to give up work. We certainly haven’t given up on life.
• Being HIV positive doesn’t mean having to give up sex. It does, however, mean finding out how to reduce the risk of passing on HIV.  
• HIV doesn’t mean the end of love and relationships. Plenty of us have stayed in the same relationships we were in before we were diagnosed.  
• Many of us have started new relationships. Some of our partners are also positive, some are negative.  
• We’ve found out who our real friends are. They’re there when we need them. They don’t judge us.