Advice for the Newly Diagnosed

Diagnosis is not a death Sentence; Know your options

A positive HIV antibody test is scary news but it's not a death sentence. Many people are alive and well 15 years or more after testing HIV positive. A positive test result is an important medical message that may save or extend your life. Whether you took the test or not, sooner or later you would have learned of your HIV infection status. If you learn by testing, you have a chance to slow or prevent some of the possible medical consequences.

If you didn't get tested, HIV would announce itself at some point in the form of an infection or damage to your immune system. But if you had waited for the disease to announce itself, many of your best medical options would already be lost.

Most testing services provide counseling to help people handle the news. The real work, however, is up to you. Given the right attitude and the right information, HIV infection can be managed like a chronic illness, one which some people seem able to survive for a long, long time. Getting informed and taking charge of your health will surely help you make the best of your situation.