Saturday, May 19, 2012

Shake It Out

One of the reasons why I donate blood quarterly is the free laboratory exam for infectious diseases. I'm a cheapskate, sue me :)

Last March, I learned that there's a clinic in Manila that gives free testing for people like us. Here's my results...

I went there alone, but I didn't feel scared or anxious. The staffs are friendly and the counselor is not your typical counselor, I felt at home. Talking to the counselor about my sexual history is quite liberating and I learned a lot about myself and HIV/AIDS.

The waiting time is approximately 2 hours because they use both the Rapid and Particle Agglutination HIV tests.Waiting for the result is the most excruciating part of the ordeal but it's worth it because I want to know my status, may it be positive or negative.

Just click this link for more info about RITM Satellite Clinic in Malate.

Know your status, it's time to get tested!


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This song helped me when I took the test and yes I'm enamored with Smash :)

11 comments:

  1. "The waiting time is approximately 2 hours because they use both the Rapid and Particle Agglutination HIV tests."

    Why does your result show two tests done, but both are Rapid ICT? Di ba inulit lang yun, using the same method?

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    1. Hi dr magsasaka, they gave me four results (Rapid test, Particle agglutination , Syphilis and hepa B) I only uploaded the rapid test result :)

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  2. tuwang tuwa ako sa first statement mo, may sue me talaga! :) this is great, we all need to have access to tests like these :)

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    1. Hi Zai! Thanks Zai! may AIDS candlelight memorial mamaya sa QC circle 3 pm, kung di ka busy, join ka may yoga din :)

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  3. Ugh! di ko pa rin talaga kaya magpa test though alam ko namang i dont have it but still scared pa rin ako eh.

    anxious ganun.

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  4. Hi Shen! I agree it's scary pero mas natakot ako sa uncertainty, back then ang naglalaro sa isip ko, kung positive at least nalaman ko na so that I can take good care of myself, sa ngayon naman parang hypertension or diabetes na lang ang HIV/AIDS, not curable but there are meds to control the disease.Ang kaibahan lang ng HIV/AIDS is the stigma pero nasa iyo naman kung gusto mong e disclose ang status mo.

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    1. yeah not curable but with very very expensive meds and wala pa naman siya sa top 5 morbidity rate as of this year so pwede pa. hehe!

      its been a year na rin kasi akong walang sex life kaya alam kong safe ako and as far as I know wala pa namang signs and symptoms though alam kong may window period ang HIV

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    2. sayo pala applicable ang window period. since you already have that ELISA test or the antibody test its much better kung mag pa test ka uli after 6 months. ewan ko am not sure pero yun kasi ang nalaman ko.

      "The ‘window period’ is a term used to describe the period of time between HIV infection and the production of antibodies. During this time, an antibody test may give a ‘false negative’ result, which means the test will be negative, even though a person is infected with HIV. To avoid false negative results, antibody tests are recommended three months after potential exposure to HIV infection.

      A negative test at three months will almost always mean a person is not infected with HIV. If an individual’s test is still negative at six months, and they have not been at risk of HIV infection in the meantime, it means they are not infected with HIV."

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    3. Hi Shen! when I asked the counselor about meds, it's not that expensive (roughly 800.00 PhP a month, free daw pag may philhealth but I'm not sure) and if you're in RITM they will help you with the laboratory tests. NGO's like loveyourself gives financial assistance din sa mga lab and meds.

      about the window period naman, I plan to get tested every 3 months. Don't get me wrong, I only have 1 sex partner and I'm confident that I'm also his only sex partner :) praning lang talaga ako :)

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    4. Nah! masyado lang akong na excite kaya napa research ako ng konti.

      dont do it on the next 3 months dapat after 6 months kasi nga window period yung pang 3rd month right? well anyway, ayan na naman ako na e-excite ako masyado. hehe

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